Raising the Bar in Crop Analytics
By Cam Norgate
Right after harvest, growers face some of the most critical decisions of the year: which inputs to invest in for the next season. Until now, those decisions were often made without a clear picture of the soil environment or the pests and pathogens waiting to impact yields.
That’s changing. With EarthOptics, the future of input planning is becoming clearer than ever. By seeing the microbial, pest, and pathogen pressures that lie ahead, growers can choose inputs more wisely—optimizing yield potential while reducing risk and unnecessary costs.
To support these decisions, we’ve expanded the analytics available on the EarthOptics dashboard, providing our customers with deeper and more detailed insights than ever before.
So What’s New?
- Expanded analytics: Biofertility, Soybean, Corn, Wheat, and Cotton.
- New crops: Potato and Alfalfa pests and diseases.
- New lab options: In addition to Olsen, we now offer Bray extractions, giving growers and agronomists more flexibility to choose the method best suited to their fields.
Together, these enhancements strengthen our ability to detect critical pathogens, nematodes, and microbial indicators—delivering a broader, more detailed view of crop health risks than ever before.
Spotlight on Key Updates
Biofertility
These new analytics deepen soil health analytics with metrics for microbial balance (Gram Ratio, Fungi: Bacteria), beneficial functions (Root Colonization, Sulfur Solubilization, Siderophore Production), and nutrient and stress indicators (Potassium Starvation, Urease, Deep Anaerobia). We’ve also added metrics on cellulose and lignin breakdown to capture soil organic matter cycling better.
Soybean
Soybean analytics now include additional nematodes (Green Stem, Reniform, and Lesion spp.) and foliar diseases, such as Target Spot and Alternaria Leaf Spot, improving visibility into both root and above-ground disease pressures.
Corn
Corn panels have been upgraded to capture major leaf blights caused by Bipolaris species, track aflatoxin-producing Aspergillus, and identify multiple Lesion Nematode species. These updates provide a more complete picture of foliar, kernel, and root risks that impact both yield and grain quality.
Why It Matters
By expanding our pathogen and soil health analytics, EarthOptics continues to raise the standard of measurement across crops. With these tools, crop advisors, agronomists, seed dealers, and retailers can make better-informed decisions about crop protection, fertility programs, and overall farm profitability.
As we move into the 2025 season, we’re proud to deliver the most advanced, science-backed analytics available—and we’re just getting started.