Low-cost AI Soil Sensors Could Help Farmers Curb Fertilizer Use
Published:04 Jan.2022 Source:Imperial College London
The technology, which is described today in Nature Food, could help growers work out the best time to use fertiliser on their crops and how much is needed, taking into account factors such as the weather and the condition of the soil. This would reduce the expensive and environmentally damaging effects of overfertilising soil, which releases the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide and can pollute soil and waterways.
Overfertilisation has so far rendered 12 per cent of once-arable land worldwide unusable and the use of nitrogen-based fertiliser has risen by 600 per cent in the last 50 years. However, it is difficult for crop growers to precisely tailor their own fertiliser use: too much and they risk environmental damage and money wastage; too little and they risk poor crop yields. The researchers behind this new sensing technology say it could provide benefits for both the environment and growers.