Newsletters
Farmers are turning to an unusual but practical method to assess soil fertility and biological activity: burying 100% cotton jeans or underwear in fields and examining how much of the fabric breaks down over time.
The technique provides an alternative to laboratory analysis by showing how actively microorganisms are working beneath the surface. Based on the condition of the buried cotton, farmers can work out how much fertilizer and additional care a field may need, helping them bring down fertilizer costs.
Once a piece of 100% cotton fabric is buried underground, billions of beneficial bacteria and fungi in the soil begin feeding on the cotton as a source of nutrients.
After roughly 60 to 80 days, farmers dig the fabric back up and examine how much has decomposed. The extent of the breakdown provides an indication of the soil's biological condition and microbial activity.
If almost all of the cotton has disappeared and only metal zippers or synthetic stitching remain, the soil is considered highly active and healthy from a microbiological perspective.
The opposite result can also provide farmers with useful information. If the buried fabric comes out largely unchanged after around two months, it indicates that beneficial microorganisms are less active and that the soil has lost biological vitality.
Farmers can then use the result to determine the field's fertilizer and maintenance needs more precisely, rather than applying the same amount across different plots.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
4 min read
