BeCrop Test Results: The Summary

Learn more about the summary in your BeCrop Test report

After you sign up for the BeCrop Test service and complete all the necessary steps, you will receive a detailed report containing information about the plots you sampled. This report includes various sections, all of which are outlined in this article. Here, we will present all the information contained within the initial summary of the report.

 

How to read the information in the BeCrop Test reports

To ensure you understand all the information provided in your BeCrop Test reports, it's important to grasp how the information is presented and the methods used to calculate the indices.

Section Highlights

Each section has a box where you will be shown summary information for that section. For example, diseases found in your samples or other information relevant to that particular section.  

The Color Scale

The color scale indicates where your samples rank in comparison the rank of your sample compared to the distribution of values in the Biome Makers (BMK) crop database. This ranking is divided into five color groups, representing quintiles, ranging from very low values to very high.

Each color corresponds to a quintile. Your sample will be colored based on its index value, indicating which quintile it falls into.

 

 

Summary

This part of the report provides information about the bacteria and fungi present in your samples and ratios relating to these microorganisms. 

In addition, you will find summarized information about the following parts of the report that we will discuss in depth in this section. 

 

 

Quantification of species

 In this section, you can see the relative abundance of fungi and bacteria found in your sample(s) per gram of soil, based on an internal reference control and the number of fungi or bacteria molecules detected.

What can you can see?

• Total Fungi: Relative abundance of fungal molecules found.
• Total Bacteria: Relative abundance of bacterial molecules found.

Bacteria and Fungi ratios

In the first section of your report, four different metrics describe the overall composition of the microbiome by displaying the relative abundance of bacteria and fungi and the balance between them.

What can you see?

• Arbuscular and Ectomycorrihiza Ratio: This ratio compares the populations of the two main types of mycorrhizal fungi, which are both known to play important symbiotic roles with plants. The exact abundance of arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi is available for review in the Explorer tool in the BeCrop Portal.
• Bacteria and Fungi Ratio: In this ratio, you can see the relationship between bacteria and fungi quantities in your sample. It is important to note that this fungi:bacteria ratio is not comparable to other traditional forms of soil biology analysis like PLFA tests due to the inherent differences in the nature of the tests. This ratio is strictly included as an informative tool.

Distribution 

Here you can see a summary distribution of the most abundant Bacterial and Fungal phylum in your sample.

 

Frequent questions related to BeCrop Reports 

Here are some of the FAQs; remember that you can read all of them by clicking here 📚.

How long does it take to receive results? 

Result delivery takes approximately 3 weeks. Lead times vary depending on the sample quality, number of samples, location, and shipping times.

Do BeCrop metrics change throughout the season?

Yes, as environmental variables change, certain microbial populations may be promoted or may decline.

Can you identify specific species?

Yes, we can identify specific species of bacteria, archaea, and fungi. 

Can you identify nematodes?

No, we cannot identify nematodes with our genomic sequencing process. However, we can measure levels of microbes that act against nematodes by functioning as nematicide agents.

How are scores calculated in reports?

The ratings on BeCrop reports reflects how each sample compares to the BMK database of soil samples. The score is compared across samples in the database from only that specific crop type. This allows us to provide more accurate and relevant conclusions. 

Can you provide lists of the microbial species detected in each sample? 

Yes, by request we can provide microbial species identity and abundance data in spreadsheet format. We also offer free online tools to all clients via the BeCrop Portal that allow the specific microbial species to be explored and compared across samples.