Soil/Substrate

Sustainable soil management is a fundamental requirement for sustainable crop production and delivery of ecosystem services.

Expertise

You can call on us for these and other themes:

  • Soil management
  • Growing media
  • Compost technology
  • Soil quality; soil biology; soil texture and nutrient status (soil chemistry)
  • Carbon (storage)

Infrastructure

We have a modern research infrastructure at your disposal:

  • > 200 ha trial fields, +/- 6 ha of which are organically farmed, including some that are fit for multi-year soil management trials
  • 50 ha organic trial fields in an agroecological trial platform
  • > 15.000 m² experimental greenhouses
  • Compost site
  • Compost reactor

Analyses

Our BELAC-accredited analysis lab for plant, soil and substrates performs physico-chemical analyses on plant materials, mineral soils, potting soil and soil improvers. You can contact them directly.

Plants and plant products, soil and water where the presence of plant-pathogenic organisms is suspected, including bacteria, fungi, viruses, nematodes, insects and mites can be presented to our ISO 17025 accredited Diagnostic Centre for Plants.

Composting with ILVO


Organic residual flows from the ILVO farm are composted. The certified compost site is completely equipped for compost trials (sealed foundation with capture of percolated water, compost turner, compost covers, measuring equipment, etc.) Quality of the raw materials and compost are analysed in the analysis lab for plant, soil and substrates.

Partnering with us

Do you have a question, an idea or interest in working with the Plant & Soil Living Lab? Contact us right away. We guarantee the confidentiality of all your questions.