FIP grants for legume and fruit research – AgriTrade News
There are two winners of funding for the latest round of Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) research grants, funded by Defra and delivered by Innovate UK ...
There are two winners of funding for the latest round of Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) research grants, funded by Defra and delivered by Innovate UK. They are the NUE-LEG project into the nutrient use efficiency of legumes and the precision orchard management and environment (POME) project.
Transform
The £4.5m POME study, led by national agronomy services business Hutchinsons, aims to transform the tree fruit industry. The core project is to develop an innovative Precision Variable Rate Spray (PVRS) machine and software system, coupled with novel tree monitoring techniques.
Other partners are engineers N P Seymour; the Acclaimed Software Company; marketing specialist Avalon Fresh; aerial imaging company Outfield; robotics firm Antobot; disease, pest and stress detection specialist Fotenix; horticultural expertise from NIAB East Malling and data science expertise from NIAB Cambridge; agri-economics from the University of Kent; robotics from Loughborough University; and the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Division (CRD).
This collaboration promises increased environmental sustainability, improved efficiency, higher yields, and reduced costs and environmental impact through leverage, the collective knowledge and expertise of companies specialising in agronomy, software engineering, plus high-quality commercial growers.
“The ultimate aim is to reduce the environmental impact of tree fruit production by using fewer plant protection products, while simultaneously increasing orchard production efficiency output and profitability through increased yield and grade-out,” says Rob Saunders, the Hutchinsons agronomist who is leading the work.
The system will use digital scanning to generate precision dosing maps for blossom and fruit thinning, fertiliser application, growth regulators, pest control, and fungicides, as well as provide more accurate yield forecasting for growers. The integration with precision dosing application equipment will help to reduce the use of plant protection products, increase yields and cut fruit losses, he says.
“It’s about raising the efficiency of how we use all resources that go into fruit production, including the land,” concludes Mr Saunders.
The NUE-LEG project has £3.3 million to investigate the potential of clover and other legumes to reduce the use of fertiliser and emissions from livestock agriculture. It involves academics and commercial businesses in plant breeding and soil microbiology, agronomy, carbon emissions and the farming and food supply chain. Project partners are Aberystwyth University, Germinal, Origin Enterprises, the James Hutton Institute, Agrecalc, Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF), Dovecote Farm, Pilgrim’s Pride, Müller UK & Ireland and the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL).
Scientists at IBERS, the research institute within Aberystwyth University, will look at the ability of red and white clovers and Birdsfoot Trefoil – containing tannins that can reduce methane emissions by cattle and sheep – to improve the productivity of livestock whilst reducing reliance on chemical nitrogen fertiliser. “This project could really help cut the use of fertilisers and agricultural emissions,” says Dr Christina Marley of IBERS. “The aim is to make the most of the ability of clovers and other legumes to increase nitrogen levels naturally in UK grasslands. We are really looking forward to working together with livestock farmers to understand how best to use these new legumes within real farming systems. There is so much potential in these adaptations to some of our native plants, as we, as a society, undertake a wider collective effort to tackle climate change.” Origin Fertilisers will contribute crop nutrition expertise, while its sister business Origin Digital will create the digital platforms required to allow farmers and growers to maximise the potential of the project. “Although the legumes will meet all or most of the nitrogen requirement, we also need to consider the other nutrients required to optimise yield, nitrogen uptake and conversion into protein and the mineral profile required for a high value forage and more sustainable livestock production,” says Peter Scott, technical director at Origin Fertilisers.
“The project will create conditions in commercial farm settings that will enable clover to fix up to 300kg of nitrogen per hectare per year, a large portion of which will be available for grass growth. At these levels, additional mineral nitrogen fertilisers needed for grass growth can be eliminated or significantly reduced, which will place greater emphasis on the importance of other minerals to create a balanced, nutritious crop. “Nutrients such as phosphate, potassium, sulphur, calcium and magnesium will be required in varying amounts to meet crop needs. Other nutrients such as sodium will play a role in increasing crop palatability and intake. Micronutrients are essential in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by legumes, and we will be developing metallocatalysts to optimise this process. “A key part of the project is to identify the specific nutritional requirements of these new legumes and to develop prescription nutrition programmes using Origin’s Nutri-Match service.”
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