A unique soil station that is helping European farmers dramatically increase profitability by cutting fertiliser use is now being trialled at more than 20 UK farms.
The station, designed and produced by Estonian company Paul Tech, accurately measures nutrient movement through the soil to help growers make better decisions about when to apply fertiliser to optimise Nutrient Uptake Efficiency (NUE).
The technology has already enabled one Finish onion grower, AFC Uussaari, to cut nitrogen use by 70% while improving yield by 5%. This equates to an 82kg/h saving on fertiliser.
Owner Aleksi Uussaari said: “Having data from my soil was crucial in understanding how our actions affect the growing environment. We used data from Paul-Tech to determine the amount of unused nutrients in our soil, and when adding additional nutrients would be ineffective.”
Mikk Plakk, Chief Executive of Paul-Tech, said the technology will enable British growers to gather the most detailed picture of the health of UK soils ever created.
The soil station is currently being trialled at more than 20 locations across the UK, including the West Midlands, Herefordshire, East Anglia, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire.
Mr Plakk said: “The technology is employed in a significant number of European countries across arable and vegetable growing operations, and is enabling farmers to get a much richer picture of how nitrogen and other nutrients move through the soil.
“Trialling the technology in the UK will provide British growers with unparalleled insights into what is going on under the surface of their fields, and will help build a national picture of soil health.”
