The Soil Health Institute and Yard Stick PBC conducted a joint study on a novel soil carbon measurement tool that could revolutionize the technologies in this field.
The two partners united on research that proved the accuracy of a spectral probe—a handheld tool developed by Yard Stick that can measure soil carbon stocks up to 45 cm (nearly 18 inches) deep.
Unlike conventional measurement methods, that involve taking soil probes for analysis in a lab, the innovative spectral probe performs the measurement right in the field, reducing the effort and finances needed for this procedure.
Its mechanism employs visible and near-infrared spectroscopy to record a “movie” of the soil, quantifying the content of carbon by observing how the different wavelengths of light are absorbed by soil or reflected back into the probe’s sensors.
To test the accuracy of this tool, the Soil Health Institute and Yard Stick PBC conducted a study sponsored by ARPA-E, in which they measured soil carbon across six farms in Illinois using both the probe and laboratory analysis.
When the team compared the probe’s results to the ones obtained through combustion-based lab analysis, they were able to confirm that the probe accurately estimated the organic CO2 stocks to a depth of 45 cm.
Dr. Ayush Joshi Gyawali, lead author of the study and a research soil scientist at the Soil Health Institute, stated, “This probe presents an inexpensive yet accurate solution for rigorous, measurement-based carbon markets.”
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The Chief Scientific Officer at the Soil Health Institute, Cristine Morgan, commented, “I have worked on novel soil measurement technologies for over twenty years. Rapid, reliable, and low-cost measurement of soil carbon is essential to assessing healthy agricultural systems and soil-based climate change adaptations and solutions, and these data show that Yard Stick’s spectral probe can deliver.”
In the bigger picture, this tool has the potential to innovate the methods for quantifying agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and the techniques for evaluating soil health and the impact of regenerative practices, offering the chance for large-scale application due to its cost-effectiveness.
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