Ecologist Rosa Boone uses soil smell to monitor microbial life

Farmers used different management styles

The research sites included fields managed with intensive artificial fertilizer, natural farming methods, and approaches falling between those extremes. Some of the grasslands were farmed entirely naturally while others received more chemical inputs.

Electronic nose captures soil odors

Boone suspended a smaller tube inside large ones to draw air from the ground where odors would stick. The captured scents were then analyzed in a laboratory to understand the fungi and bacteria present. This method allows researchers to deduce information about soil health directly from its smell.

New sensor potential for guidelines

Monitoring soil life is becoming increasingly important as new soil monitoring guidelines approach. Boone believes there is great potential for developing a sensor that could analyze microbial soil life directly. Such a device would function like an electronic nose based on how the soil smells.