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One day before screening soil, place samples out to dry on drying racks, with one-quarter sheet of unused newspaper between the tray and sample. Sample bag and tag should be clipped to the tray used.

After extracting the eggs from the cysts  in the prepared soil sample, place 4 to 5 drops of 1 M HCl and approximately one eye-dropper full of acid fuchsin stain into each beaker of egg solution. Heat beakers containing eggs and stain in the microwave until the suspension is about to boil (approximately 3 minutes for 12 samples). Remove beakers from microwave and allow to cool. Place beakers in the refrigerator until they are counted.

Place the root samples in separate 100 or 150 ml glass beakers. Prepare 600 ml of a water-bleach solution by adding 100 ml household bleach (5% sodium hypochlorite or NaClO) to 500 ml distilled water. Add about 50 ml of water-bleach solution to each beaker containing a root sample.

Incubate roots in the water-bleach solution for 4 minutes, stirring with a metal spatula periodically. Rinse roots for 45 seconds or so in running tap water, then soak the roots in tap water for 15 minutes.

Construct microsieves from 18-mm and 20-mm test tube caps and 25 micrometer pore nylon mesh.
UV-sterilize all microsieves and hatch trays.

Arrange the hatching trays in replicated boxes using a pre-generated random order. Fill each hatching tray with 12 ml of the appropriate test or control solution.

Pipette between 5,000 and 10,000 surface-disinfested SCN eggs (depending on experimental details) onto each microsieve.