Synergy’s soil kit is the kit specified in the  Monitoring Manual for Grassland, Shrubland and Savanna Ecosystems, Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, National Rangeland Inventory protocol, and described in Field Soil Aggregate Stability Kit for Soil Quality and Rangeland Health Evaluations  by Jeff Herrick  et al 2001.

Why is Soil Aggregate Stability Important? Click to read what ARS says.   Soil aggregate stability is widely recognized as a key indicator of soil and rangeland health and is closely related to a number of ecosystem properties, processes, and functions, including the quantity and composition of soil organic matter, soil biotic activity, infiltration capacity, and resistance to erosion. The stability of larger macro-aggregates is primarily a function of active soil organic matter fractions. These fractions have a high turnover rate and are sensitive to management (Herrick et al. 2001 ).

Despite its value, few standard methods exist for quantifying soil stability in the field. Herrick et al. (2001) designed a suitable field test kit. Synergy Resource Solutions, Inc. has made this kit commercially available.

Key features:

• Allows rapid data collection (18 samples can be tested in the field in 10 minutes with no drying or weighing required)
• Repeatable
• Affordable
• Permits field evaluations of relatively undisturbed soil samples
• Reflects management-induced changes in soil structure

Although it cannot replace careful laboratory-based measurements of soil aggregate stability, the use of a soil stability kit can provide valuable information when these more intensive procedures are not possible. Field use of Synergy’s Soil Stability Kits can also indicate when more intensive lab testing is needed.

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406 586-4727

 Soil Aggregate Stability Kit - Reprinted from CATENA, Vol 44, 2001, pp 27-35, J.E. Herrick et al. "Field soil aggregate stability kit for soil quality and rangeland health evaluations"  with permission from Elsevier Science.  (Catena Internet site is http://www.elsevier.com/locate/catena.)   Single copies of the article can be downloaded and printed for the reader's personal research and study.  
Suelo: estabilidad en agua (v: 27/8/01)  (Espanol)