An Ace in the Hole for Soil Health and Nitrogen Tracking

Organic nitrogen constitutes the vast majority of the total nitrogen in arable soils, but since there hasn’t been a reliable method to measure it, many studies focus solely on inorganic nitrogen. Scientists have recently confirmed that ACE protein—autoclaved‐citrate extractable protein—works well to measure the organically bound pool of nitrogen in soil. ACE protein also provides much‐needed information about total nitrogen as well as nitrate and ammonium—inorganic nitrogen sources—and reveals how sustainable management practices can promote soil health.