Reduce your reliance on fertiliser and focus on soil health this spring
Spring finally feels as though it has arrived, but with many fields coming into the season off the back of wet winter weather that saturated soils, managing and improving soil biology, now, is a top priority.
With conditions improving, farmers are being presented with the opportunity to boost soil health and optimise nutrition early in newly growing crops. Unlocking underground activity is essential when it comes to optimising soil health; future success doesn’t always start where you can see it!
Soil testing in spring can be a good way to determine the state of soils and help growers identify the levels of bacteria, fungi and protozoa in soils to give an indication of the health of their underground livestock. Taking this view ahead of spring management work is also being seen to help offset overheads traditionally spent on synthetic fertilisers.
Can soil improvers counterbalance nitrogen fertiliser use and costs?
There’s no escaping the volatility of fertiliser prices currently, with reports far and wide reflecting how geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continue to intensify their impact on market value. The disruption of supply chains into the UK is a distinct possibility, meaning premiums have increased across gas, oil and freight markets. And, with the UK being highly dependent on the Middle East for key input imports, especially fertiliser, there are risks that costs could increase as production reduces, ultimately impacting prices and margins for farmers tied into fertiliser-dependent cropping systems.
Will Marris, Regenerative Agronomist & Soil Consultant at Terrafarmer, said: “With the recent sharp rise in nitrogen price, improving efficiency this season will be vital. Soil improvers, in my case Sea2Soil, help by feeding amino acids into the soil and plants, and feed biology to help with nutrient cycling. We have used Sea2Soil for a number of years at Terrafamer and have always been impressed with the results. Last year, we put it to the test during the Terrafarmer Biologicals Project on 5 farms across Wales. It showed good improvements to soil biological indicators, alongside forage quality and leaf nutrient content. At the farm at home and other customers’ farms, I have found Sea2Soil drives clover growth in grass/clover or diverse leys. Applying S2S seems to drive clover above-ground biomass, but more importantly, drives nodulation (nodule formation and size, alongside the trace minerals, calcium/boron/molybdenum, required to fix atmospheric N into plant available forms) to increase clover’s N fixation. Sea2Soil has become a vital component in my foliar nitrogen mixes, providing a carbon source to buffer the urea and feed plant available amino acids into the leaf to drive growth and, more importantly, nitrogen use efficiency. In an arable context, I use it as part of my pest management strategy, for example, 10L/Ha at 2-3 leaf in cereals to help manage aphids and prime soil biology, alongside balanced nutrition. If farmers are looking to try a foliar nitrogen approach, then the addition of a product like this one is a fundamental part of a successful system.”
For cereals and oilseeds, fertiliser is one of the highest variable costs for crop production, and if fertiliser prices were to rise sharply, farm application rates could decrease as a result, potentially impacting yields and margins. Grass-based dairy or beef systems also remain exposed to fertiliser price volatility. One way in which growers could shield their farm businesses from these threats or lessen the impact is to apply a soil improver, such as Sea2Soil, to reduce the amount of synthetic NPK fertiliser required for each crop, as Grant James, Business Development Consultant for Sea2Soil explains: “Overall synthetic fertiliser reductions of up to 20-25% are realistic and possible in many situations through careful and planned use of Sea2Soil in a programmed approach. In some systems, where other regenerative and biological approaches are combined, reductions in fertiliser use could become even higher. Vitally, the health of the soil is improved at the same time, which is invaluable, so it’s a great option for growers.”
Products like Sea2Soil can be a good choice for feeding both crops and soil microorganisms, such as beneficial bacteria, which in turn release additional soil nutrients to continue feeding growing crops. Revitalising biological activity in soils fosters an environment in treated soils where beneficials, including earthworms, thrive, helping improve soil aeration, release nutrients in bioavailable form to plants, increase plant resilience to stress, and promote healthy crop growth.
Giving soils a helping hand for the long run
This is not a flash-in-the-pan solution; the process can take time, depending on soil conditions, moisture and temperature. In most spring crops, it is far better to apply the product while the crop is young and first establishing, to provide an optimal boost of essential nutrition exactly when the crop really needs it.
As a useful source of key macronutrients and micronutrients, the right product can also help counter any leaching losses of soil nutrients like nitrogen and sulphur over the winter period, where surface water or saturated topsoil can wash away vital nutrition held in upper soils layers. These upper layers which hold the phosphorus, nitrogen and carbon will help overwintered crops or newly sown spring crops kickstart their spring growth or establishment. More farmers are starting to use the product very cost-effectively to reduce N fertiliser inputs, help soils thrive and reduce crop stress.
James Bucher, of Bucher Farms in Suffolk, added: “We’ve had great success in reducing our synthetic inputs with fish hydrolysate. As a multi-nutrient organic fertiliser and soil feed, it really suits our regenerative farming system. At Knettishall, we apply fish hydrolysate several times through the spring/early summer; we see positive crop responses and many more earthworms than we had before we started using it.”
Colin Chappell, of Chappell Farms in North Lincolnshire, commented: “We use fish hydrolysate in three ways. The main one has traditionally been to 'apologise' for moving the soil. In the early transitional years of direct drilling, when there may be a need for low-disturbance subsoiling, we need to feed soil microbes so they don't begin to destroy soil organic matter. You are providing them with another food source. Once through that stage, we are attempting to correct the soil microdome from one that has become bacterial dominant to one where you enable protozoa to feed on the bacteria, creating a more balanced or even fungal-dominant structure, again by feeding the soil microbes. We do this by adding Sea2Soil to a cocktail that can be placed around the seed at drilling. Thirdly, we have noticed how quickly plants absorb fish hydrolysate as a food source. Unlike artificial fertiliser, which has to be processed within the plant and thus has an initial energy-hungry phase, weakening cell structures, Sea2Ssoil, with its high volume of amino acids, quickly gets into the crop and can rectify deficiencies and combat things like cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseed rape. By creating a more balanced plant, the need for higher volumes of nitrate can be offset.”
A fish hydrolysate, packed with natural amino acids and fatty acids derived from its natural fish oil content, Sea2Soil is rich in essential nutrients N (5% organic Nitrogen equivalent to several KG/ha of synthetic Nitrgoen), P and K, and also provides calcium, magnesium and other trace elements in bioavailable form, establishing a good basis for crop nutritional plans to suit all farming systems; conventional, organic or regenerative.
Versatility and ease of use are crucial to successful take-up of the product, continues Grant: “Being compatible in tank mix with a wide range of plant protection products and the ability to apply multiple applications during the growing season ensures flexibility for growers. In winter-sown crops, a split timing approach of autumn followed by early spring has been the most effective. In spring-sown crops, applying pre-drilling, pre-emergence or as soon after drilling as possible works very well.”
Making the most of organic materials, like the fish hydrolysate found in Sea2Soil, is already proving a beneficial step for growers looking to balance the real risks associated with the cost and availability of synthetic fertilisers this season.