Estonian agricultural museums will bury cotton underwear at three sites on June 16 to measure soil health, using how quickly the fabric decomposes as an indicator of underground biological activity.
According to project lead Sandra Lääne, the activity marks the launch event of the soon-to-open permanent exhibition “Why Do I Need Soil?” at the Estonian Agricultural Museum. “Visitors to the new exhibition will, among other things, be able to see the same pairs of underwear we’re burying,” she said, adding that the more the underpants has decomposed over a few months, the more active the soil life.
The burials will take place at the Agricultural Curiosity Center in Ülenurme, Tartu County; the C.R. Jakobson Farm Museum in Kurgja; and the Tori Horse Breeding Farm in Pärnu County. “The experiment deliberately includes agricultural soils with different uses from three geographically distinct locations — permanent grassland in Ülenurme, garden soil in Kurgja, and pasture in Tori,” Lääne explained.
The internationally known “Soil Your Undies” challenge is based on the idea that in healthy, biologically active soil, organic cotton fabric breaks down relatively quickly due to the activity of soil organisms. The underwear is buried and then dug up a few months later to evaluate soil activity and health.
The buried underwear will be dug up on September 8, a week before the opening of the new permanent exhibition “Why Do I Need Soil?” The results of the experiment will be presented at the exhibition.
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