Soil monitoring

A soil bioacoustic or ecoacoustic meter soil testing apparatus for use in determining an indicator of soil health of a site based on biological activity of organisms that generate noise or vibrations, the soil testing apparatus, comprising:

• a probe having a penetrating tip for insertion into soil to be tested, to locate the probe in a sensing position in the soil in which the probe is in resting contact with the soil,
• a sensor, operatively connected to the probe, functional to detect vibration in the soil to be tested at the site when the probe is in the sensing position in the soil, the sensor configured to provide an output indicative of sensed vibration, and
• a processing unit, operatively connected to the sensor, functional to acquire data indicative of vibration sensed in the soil to be tested when the probe is in the sensing position in the soil, the processing unit configured to receive the output indicative of sensed vibration from the sensor and store data derived therefrom for processing to determine an indicator of soil health based on sensed vibration in the soil to be tested during a period of sensing in which the probe is in the sensing position in the soil.