SoilCheck

Soil Quality Diagnostics

Functional, modular soil-quality diagnostics.

From €20/sample
FUNDÃO, PORTUGAL INDEPENDENT LABORATORY SOIL MICROBIOME

SoilCheck is a modular catalogue of functional soil-quality tests. You order only the assays you need — enzyme activity, culturable-microorganism counts, plant-growth-promoting microbe screening, mycorrhizal colonisation, or 16S/ITS metabarcoding — and the price scales with your selection, from €20 per sample. Several tests run a volume break above 10 samples.

It is built for growers, agronomists, co-operatives and consultants who want to track soil biological health over a season rather than buy a single fixed report. Pair the metabarcoding assays with MetaInsight when a project needs deeper community and functional analysis.

ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY

Soil enzymes — indicators of biological function.

Soil enzymes drive biogeochemical cycles: organic-matter decomposition, nutrient availability and ecological stability. Enzyme assays surface changes in soil functionality before they become visible in yield.

Dehydrogenase (INT) ISO 23753-2:2005 Global microbial activity — the standard read for soil biological vitality. €35 / €32 above 10
4-Enzyme Pack β-xylosidase · β-N-acetylglucosaminidase · β-glucosidase · Phosphatase Coverage of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling enzymes in a single submission. €85 / €80 above 10
Urease Urea hydrolysis assay Indicator of N cycling and the soil’s capacity to mineralise organic nitrogen. Quote on request
MICROBIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

From Quantification to the Whole Community

Soil microbiology underpins fertility, plant health and agricultural sustainability. Choose the depth of insight you need — from culturable counts and root colonisation, all the way to whole-community metagenomics.

Culturable microorganism quantification Quantification of bacteria, fungi and other culturable groups in environmental samples. €20 / €17 above 10
PGPM activity (in vitro) Plant-growth-promoting microorganism screening: phosphate solubilisation, N fixation, phytohormone production. Quote on request
Mycorrhizal colonisation Root assessment of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation — symbiosis essential for nutrient uptake and stress tolerance. €40 / €35 above 10
Metabarcoding (16S / ITS) Diversity profile of bacteria and/or fungi via amplicon sequencing. €150 / €140 above 10
Shotgun metagenomics Whole-microbiome characterisation including functional annotation. €200 / €180 above 10
Isolation in selective media Targeted microbial isolation on selective media for downstream identification or formulation. €30 / sample

Need an even deeper read on community structure and function? See MetaInsight for project-level metabarcoding and shotgun metagenomics workflows.

WHAT YOU GET
  • Per-test result report with quality control and method reference
  • Pick-and-mix panel — order only the assays you need
  • Volume break above 10 samples on the priced tests
  • Direct hand-off into MetaInsight or BioInoc when deeper work is needed
SOIL MONITORING LAW

A Baseline for Monitoring Programmes

The EU Soil Monitoring Law (Directive (EU) 2025/2360) puts the monitoring obligation on Member States, which must transpose it by 17 December 2028 and run their first measurements by 17 December 2030 on roughly six-year cycles. It is not a legal duty on individual farmers. For co-operatives, consultants and agencies running Soil Monitoring Law–aligned monitoring programmes, SoilCheck metabarcoding (16S/ITS) reads the bacterial and fungal community, while the enzyme and mycorrhizal assays add a functional layer the sequencing alone does not give.

For project-scale, whole-community work — shotgun metagenomics and functional annotation — hand off to MetaInsight.

NEXT STEPS

Complementary Services

MetaInsight Go deeper than amplicon profiling — metabarcoding plus shotgun metagenomics and functional annotation for project-scale questions. Quote on request. BioInoc Turn a soil-health read into action — custom microbial consortia selected, formulated and validated for your system. Project-based.
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

How is SoilCheck priced?

Each test is priced individually — you order only what you need. Dehydrogenase from €35/sample, the 4-enzyme pack from €85/sample, mycorrhizal colonisation from €40/sample, microbial quantification from €20/sample. Metabarcoding and shotgun metagenomics are available for community-level questions. Several tests are quoted on request because they depend on the matrix.

Which test should I start with?

For a quick read on global biological activity, dehydrogenase (INT) is the standard. For nutrient cycling, choose the 4-enzyme pack. For symbiotic root health, choose mycorrhizal colonisation. For an entire microbiome profile, see MetaInsight.

Can I monitor over time?

Yes — most clients re-run the same panel seasonally to track the impact of agricultural interventions.

Ready to start?

Send us your samples, share your research question, or tell us about your project — we'll design the right analytical protocol.

Request analysis