The success of 2024’s research wasn’t just the result of Sea2Soil’s efficacy. It was the result of highly collaborative work with a number of leading organisations; relationships that have ensured this research can continue well into 2025.
Progress within the industry simply isn’t possible without collaboration, at least that’s what the team at Sea2Soil believes.
Working collaboratively with a number of organisations is vital for the evolution of industry awareness and education around products such as Sea2Soil and their benefits, as well as the overall importance of soil health within farming systems.
Currently, Sea2Soil works in collaboration with a number of key farming partners and consultancy businesses operating across the breadth of the industry.
“Working with a wide range of partners with different areas of expertise provides the basis for improving our product development, understanding all the wider benefits of the product and identifying any areas which may need additional work going forward. It also helps us share knowledge around soil health on how to improve soil biology over the long term,” says Sea2Soil’s Business Development Manager, Grant James.
One such partnership is with Soil First Farming, which shares a similar vision when it comes to soil health and believes the focus on soil is long overdue. At Groundswell last year, we caught up with Soil First Farming’s Steve Townsend to talk about how putting soils first is key to better crop yield and quality.
Sea2Soil also took the opportunity to talk with Simon Revell of Claydon Drills at last year’s Groundswell event, to get to the crux of the joint on-farm research programme that is currently underway at Claydon Farms in Suffolk in partnership with Sea2Soil.
Due to the success experienced by all parties over the last year, the Sea2Soil team has initiated a new partnership with experts at Nottingham University to research how the soil improver encourages essential microbial activity to benefit cropping.
Following a series of farmer-led trials, the team is excited that this vital next phase of research is currently underway. Grant added: “In partnership with Nottingham University Soil Department, we are investing resources to discover how Sea2Soil’s performance stacks up in both traditional and regenerative farming methods. We’re working to establish the level of microbial increase that Sea2Soil brings in both practices to deliver beneficial fungi and bacteria the essential food and nutrients they require underground.”
Trials will be used to establish independent, long-term results to further validate Sea2Soil use. The work is expected to help establish the extent of microbial activity, natural nitrogen abilities and nutrient absorption properties of Sea2Soil. Results will help improve our knowledge and technical understanding and also support next season’s applications of Sea2Soil on UK farms.
Looking at the product’s impact on worm count, pH, carbon retention, moisture, porosity, and organic matter, the non-replicated trials work in 2024 found that Sea2Soil increased earthworm numbers by 5 times, increased soil organic matter by 35.8% and increased soil carbon content by 1.2% vs. the untreated control soil. Dr Girkin added: “These results indicate substantial impacts for Sea2Soil on soil physical, chemical and biological properties, likely to benefit crop production. We have identified significant increases in earthworm abundance, organic content, pH, soil moisture and porosity.”
Alongside the research taking place under the expert eye of Nottingham University, work is also underway with independent trials specialists Eurofins, looking at product compatibilities on a range of crops. Sea2Soil is collaborating with the world-renowned trials specialist to test tank mix compatibilities with crop protection products, including herbicides, fungicides, PGRs and insecticides. The compatibility testing is being done on products used on a range of crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and grassland. It’s a vital element to support growers and ensure the use of Sea2Soil is as flexible and practical as possible to fit in with other applications on-farm during the season. Application rates and timings are also being evaluated during the Sea2Soil testing process that Eurofins is doing.
For growers looking to mitigate Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle (CSFB), recent trials with NIAB that were staged in 2024, tested Sea2Soils’ efficacy as a deterrent against CSFB damage, found the product reduced CSFB damage to cotyledons by 32%, to leaves by 90% and to stems by 59%.
Adrian Harris, Lead Researcher from NIAB, commented: “Sea2Soil showed a significant reduction in the feeding of cabbage stem flea beetles on cotyledons within 2 days of application – several different rates showed a reduction in feeding damage up to 7 to days after application and may convey cover until they senesce.”
Grant James, Business Development Manager at Sea2Soil, added: “We see Sea2Soil as far more than a natural source of nitrogen, but as a soil prebiotic that leads to a healthier, improved soil environment, better crop health and increased microbial activity. This research gives us vital understanding of how the product delivers on yield responses, reduces reliance on chemical inputs and is environmentally sustainable.”
And work’s not stopping there. A wide range of new activity is planned in 2025, across product development and customer support. Our trials are now running across different crops, independently managed by specialist agronomy companies, research organisations and universities.
Independent trials agronomist and specialist Guy Gibson took some time out to explain how long-term trials work, and depth of knowledge is crucial to assess the overall success of the Sea2Soil soil improver product. Guy also talks about the sort of assessments and indicators being looked at in the trials work in the wider context of improving our soils.
Collaborative partnerships are crucial for helping drive product development, that much is clear, and there is much to gain for all businesses involved. As part of the wider programme of collaborative partnerships Sea2Soil has in place for 2025 in the Ag industry sector, the company is also now working with leading national supermarkets and food retailers in the UK.
This engagement will help broaden interest in the product use to travel full circle from improving soils on farms to helping produce healthier crops and produce for consumption in households right around the UK. Following on from good collaboration with BASE (Biodiversity, Agriculture, Soil & Environment) members over the last 12 months, where Sea2Soil’s research work was outlined in a webinar to BASE growers as part of their dedicated drive to enhancing agriculture through innovative, regenerative and conservation farming practices, a number of discussions have taken place with leading UK supermarkets.
Sea2Soil now has ongoing trials research work in place this year with Waitrose & Partners Farms looking at applications of Sea2Soil in both winter wheat and oilseed rape. In addition, there are also active discussions taking place with Sea2Soil and other food retailers, as well as the University of Reading’s Agriculture & Food department. Expanding our approach to valuable collaboration with partners like this within the food sector is a positive aspect in getting the wider message around healthy soil front of mind on both farms as well as in the end-market use, retail sector.
“Working with a range of specialist partners, particularly in the food retail sector, provides the basis for improving our product development. Understanding the benefits the product can provide in the wider supply chain and identifying any areas which may need additional research going forward will also help us share knowledge around soils and how to improve soil health to produce healthy crops over the long term,” says Grant James.
Look out for the latest findings coming later this season around using Sea2Soil as a deterrent for damaging crop pest situations, including aphids in cereals and cabbage stem flea beetle in oilseeds, including flax, as well as further research on its wider effects on soil biology and the soil microbiome and other potential joint projects work in discussion currently.