BioStart

WAKE UP: Soil Health Is Not Optional. It’s the Agriculture We Forgot. by Dr Suzie| Soil Health Expert We’re pouring billions into agtech, ESG dashboards, climate-smart farming, and input innovations. But what good is it all…if the soil beneath us is biologically collapsing? You can’t regenerate crops without regenerating the ground beneath them. Current Problems Everyone’s Missing: 1. Soil is treated as a medium, not a living ecosystem → And yet, it's biology—not just chemistry—that drives plant health. 2. We measure inputs, but not outcomes → Fertilizer application is tracked—but nutrient uptake and microbial efficiency are ignored. 3. We optimize yields—but not the health of the system → Soil can still grow crops while dying. Productivity ≠ vitality. 4. ESG metrics celebrate carbon numbers—but exclude soil life → Sustainability reports without soil biology are greenwashed by omission. 5. Policy still sees soil as dirt, not infrastructure → Soil health is not yet mainstreamed into national food, water, or climate security strategies. Global Alarms You Shouldn’t Ignore – Backed by Science: → 90% of land may be degraded by 2050- UNESCO, 2022 → 24 billion tons of fertile soil lost each year- UNCCD/UN India → 1.4 billion hectares are salt-affected, cutting yields up to 70%- FAO, 2021 → 2,000 gigatons of water lost in 20 years- NASA GRACE From My Work in Seberang Perak: Farmers applied urea 4x per season. Yields stayed flat. Soil structure collapsed. We paused synthetic N, introduced microbes + organic matter: → 18% yield increase → Lower input costs → Improved water retention The lesson? Dead soil doesn’t respond to more inputs. It needs life. Time for a New Stakeholder Agenda: 1. Policymakers → Mandate soil health metrics in food, water, and climate plans 2. ESG Teams → Measure microbial life, not just carbon 3.AgTech Companies → Build tools that track respiration and biology 4. Input Suppliers → Become partners in regeneration, not product pushers 5. Farmers & Agropreneurs → Shift from yield chasers to soil stewards 5 Field-Ready Actions You Can Take: →Test for life, not just NPK – Include microbial respiration, SOM, and activity →Use biological inputs – Compost, cover crops, microbial teas, and biostimulants →Minimize disturbance – Let soil structure rebuild through living roots →Track actual efficiency – Apply less, measure more → Connect soil to climate + nutrition – It’s not a silo—it’s the system Final Reflection: →You can’t digitize your way out of microbial collapse. →You can’t fertilize your way out of dead soil. →You can only bring it back to life. Soil doesn’t need saving. It needs reawakening. What’s one thing you were never taught about soil—but now realize is vital? Which of these blind spots have you seen in your own work? #SoilHealth #DrSuzieSHE #FertilizerDelusion

Still Pouring on More Fertilizer? It’s Quietly Destroying Your Soil. By Dr. Suzie | Soil Health Expert (SHE) What if I told you that adding more fertilizer might be shrinking your yield? Over-fertilization is like force-feeding a patient already sick from overnutrition. Your soil suffers. Your microbes disappear. And your profit margins erode. Here’s what the latest global research is now warning us A.Recent Findings Every Farmer Should Know → Overuse of synthetic fertilizers causes soil acidification, microbial collapse, and nutrient lockout → Long-term over-fertilization = lower tomato and grain yields in China due to pH imbalance and microbial shifts → Excess NPK disturbs soil biodiversity, harming beneficial fungi and earthworms (UNEP, 2024) → In the US, microplastic-laced fertilizers are now found in 48% of topsoil samples → In Malaysia, continuous chemical use has led to reduced soil organic matter and compacted, lifeless soils in key crop zones Sources: UNEP, PMC, Azolifesciences, The Guardian (2025), Malaysian Soil Trials B. How the World Is Responding → China: Scaling back urea use by integrating biochar and microbial inoculants to restore soil balance → UK: Fertilizer reduction trials using biological activators to enhance root uptake and protect biodiversity → USA: USDA-funded programs now support transition to organic and precision blends → Malaysia: Forward-thinking farms in Johor and Perak are shifting to compost + mycorrhiza—cutting synthetic use by up to 30% C.What Every Farmer Should Do Instead → Test Before You Apply Soil testing = less guessing, more saving → Adopt Precision Fertilization Apply only what your soil and crop need—no more, no less → Use Organic & Biological Inputs Compost, microbial consortia, and humic acids = stronger soil recovery → Split Applications for Efficiency Smaller doses = better nutrient use, less runoff → Track Crop Response, Not Just Input Volume Data-driven decisions = smarter outcomes Healthy Soil Doesn’t Need More. It Needs Balance. Equation: More Fertilizer ≠ More Yield Overuse = Soil Damage + Lower ROI + Long-Term Risk Feed your soil—not your fertilizer supplier. Have you seen the effects of over-fertilization in your own field? What did you do differently? Tag a grower who needs this reminder. #SoilHealth #FertilizerEfficiency #SustainableFarming #Agriculture #SmartFarming #SoilTesting #DrSuzie #SoilHealthExpert #GreenSoilSolution #Presica #FarmInnovation #ClimateSmartAg

The real problem with your soil? You can’t see it. Because the most important part of your soil… isn’t physical. It’s biological. For years, we’ve treated soil as an inert medium. Add NPK, irrigate, manage pH—done. But here’s the truth: Soil is alive. And what lives within it defines how well your farm performs. 1.Over 50% of Malaysian agricultural soils show signs of biological decline. 2. Globally, topsoil is being lost 10x faster than it can be replenished. And yet, we’re still trying to solve this with more inputs, not more biology. Here’s what can’t be seen—but must be managed: 1. Microbial biomass. 2. Functional diversity. 3. Plant-microbe interactions. These factors drive nutrient availability, carbon cycling, root development, and resilience to climate stress. How microbes reshape the future of soil management: 1. Biological Fertility → Microbes convert unavailable nutrients into plant-ready forms. 2.Resilient Root Systems → Mycorrhizae and rhizobacteria increase drought and disease tolerance. 3. Natural Pest Control → Beneficial microbes outcompete pathogens in the rhizosphere. 4. Organic Matter Retention → Microbial activity stabilizes carbon in the soil long-term. 5. Reduced Input Dependency → Healthier microbiomes mean less need for synthetic fertilizers. - In Malaysia, farmers using microbial inoculants report improved yields and lower fertilizer costs. - In Brazil, microbial biostimulants are being adopted across 20+ million hectares of cropland. - The Netherlands is now integrating microbial testing into precision ag systems. So what if we’ve been asking the wrong question all along? It’s not “What fertilizer do I need?” It’s: “What’s missing in my soil’s biology?” Farmers, agronomists, researchers—how are you using microbial tools in your soil strategy? Tag someone who’s working below the surface #DrSuzie #SoilHealthExpert #Presica #GreenSoilSolution #CultivateAgri #SoilMicrobes #MicrobialFarming #Biofertility #SoilBiology #RegenerativeAgriculture #PrecisionAg #SmartFarming #SustainableFarming #FarmInnovation #ClimateSmartAg #AgTech Dr Suzie Soil Health Expert (SHE)

Two seasons of field trials evaluating biological controls in two process vegetable crops have revealed promising results, but also highlight the need for further research to ground-truth the findings for growers. The project, now in its third year, involves A Lighter Touch and Process Vegetables New Zealand, processing companies Heinz-Watties (Kraft Heinz) and McCain Foods, and research partner The New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Limited. It aims to identify bio-fungicides and -stimulants which are effective against two of the key diseases, fusarium and sclerotinia, in peas and dwarf beans. The project aims to provide growers with sustainable options for managing the two diseases. Read more about this project and next steps here. https://lnkd.in/ghTikRYs