Forestry Center

What sets our Plant Root Simulator (PRS)™ technology apart from traditional soil testing?

1. Quality of Data
   • The PRS™-probe measures the actual quantity of bioavailable nutrients (i.e., biologically meaningful) in soil as compared to an index of available nutrients.
   • The PRS™-probe makes in situ measurements of all nutrient ions simultaneously.
   • The PRS™-probe works equally well in all soil types, so is well suited for use looking for a standard measure of soil nutrient bioavailability in research networks spread across vast geographical areas.
   • By using the PRS™-probes in situ, it is able to measure the temporal variations in nutrient supply due to a variety of factors affecting nutrient availability, including soil moisture and temperature conditions, mineralization and immobilization, buffer power, dissolution, ion diffusion from greater distances, free ion activities, etc.
2. Affordability of Data
   PRS™-probes measure the bio-availability of all soil nutrients simultaneously. This increased efficiency in measuring soil nutrient supply delivers many benefits, including:
   • Savings per data point - PRS™-probes assess the entire 'nutrient picture' at once.
   • Labour and time savings - By measuring 16 essential nutrients at once, researchers save time and labour in sample preparation and analyses. Specifically, the time required to prepare/analyse soil with the PRS™ technology is about 10% of that required for conventional soil testing methods. (Figure 1).
   • Overall savings - By considering all factors including: savings per data point, labour savings, and the exceptional technical support, which is unique to the service at Western Ag Innovations, the actual cost is approximately half that of conventional soil testing. More pricing information
3. Quality of Service
   • The PRS™ technology is backed by a team of highly trained individuals who will not only guide you through the testing process, but also offer technical support, analytical capabilities, and aid in the interpretation of results (if required). More service information

Read more on: Differences between PRS™-probes and conventional soil testing.