Breaking the Barriers to Soil Testing on Pastures (Breaking-STEP)

打破牧场土壤测试的障碍（Breaking-STEP）

• 批准号: NE/R017425/1
• 负责人: Davey Jones
• 金额: $ 29.19万
• 依托单位: Bangor University
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2019 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE%2FR017425%2F1
• 关键词: Breaking; Barriers; Soil; Testing; Pastures

THE SARIC CHALLENGE: This translation project was directly formulated in response to a major industry challenge presented by Duncan Rose (Cawood Scientific) at the recent SARIC Sandpit Event. The challenge is to "understand why there is a poor uptake of soil analysis across the UK livestock sector and to design novel recommendation and interpretation systems for livestock farming systems". To address this, Bangor University and Rothamsted Research have teamed up with five influential industrial partner organisations (Cawood Scientific, British Grassland Society, RSK ADAS, Charlie Morgan GrassMaster Ltd & AHDB) alongside a range of associate partners (e.g. NIAB, Welsh Government, Yara-Lancrop, Farming Connect, Eurofins, SoilCares etc.). Their commitment to the project is highlighted in the numerous letters of support. NATURE OF THE PROBLEM: Soils represents a vital resource within UK livestock production systems and it is important that they are well managed to ensure the long-term economic survival of the industry. Fundamental to this is the regular testing of the soil to make sure that there are no chemical, physical or biological imbalances that either constrain production or cause environmental damage. While uptake of standard soil testing by farmers within the arable sector is high, there is compelling evidence that the opposite is true for the livestock sector. Consequently, despite encouragement from policymakers, regulators and farming organisations, numerous studies have shown that soils under livestock production in the UK are frequently sub-optimal in terms of their P and K status and soil pH, as well as soil structure. Ultimately, this lack of testing causes reductions in yields due to excess acidity, under-fertilisation and compaction, while in some cases, over-fertilisation results in wasting money on fertiliser and increasing the risk of environmental losses. This is resulting in underperforming farms and economic losses across the livestock sector. In the current era of sustainable intensification, it is essential that nutrients are used efficiently, and yield gaps are closed through simply 'getting the basics right', resulting in improved resource utilisation and farm incomes. This suggests that current strategies to promote soil testing are not working well and that new approaches are required. Looking to the future, it is also clear that the livestock sector will probably have to embrace soil-based agri-tech to retain its competitive advantage. Based on current evidence, it is likely that the adoption of these new methods of soil testing may also be very slow. A critical assessment of the barriers to adopting (i) basic soil testing, (ii) more comprehensive soil testing, and (iii) emerging technologies is therefore required. TACKLING THE ISSUE AND OUTCOMES: In response to this challenge, and together with our industrial partners, we have designed six interlinked work-packages (WP) to tackle the problem from multiple angles. Firstly, we will map the spatial and temporal trends in soil testing within the UK (WP1). Secondly, we will identify the major barriers which prevent farmers from undertaking soil testing (WP2). Thirdly, we will set up on-farm demonstrations to illustrate the benefits of soil testing in areas where adoption is poor (WP3). Looking to the future, we will also evaluate what soil-based agri-tech solutions are on the horizon and evaluate the likelihood that farmers will adopt these technologies (WP4). This information will provide the foundation for a series of participatory workshops and dissemination events with the stakeholder community to demonstrate the benefits of soil testing to grassland farmers (WP5). Lastly, we will synthesise all the information in WP1-5 to produce an industry-focused road map for promoting life-long adoption of soil testing within the livestock industry (WP6). We expect to see tangible benefits to the industry within 5 years of this project commencing.

SARIC挑战：此翻译项目是针对Duncan Rose(Cawood Science)在最近的SARIC沙坑活动上提出的重大行业挑战而直接制定的。挑战在于“理解为什么整个英国畜牧业对土壤分析的接受程度很低，并为畜牧业系统设计新颖的建议和解释系统”。为了解决这一问题，班戈大学和Rothamsted Research与五个有影响力的行业合作伙伴组织(Cawood Science、英国草原协会、RSK ADAS、Charlie Morgan GrassMaster Ltd和AHDB)以及一系列合作伙伴(如NIAB、威尔士政府、Yara-Lancrop、Farming Connect、Eurofins、SoilCares等)进行了合作。他们对该项目的承诺在众多的支持信中得到了强调。问题的本质：土壤是英国畜牧业生产系统中的一种重要资源，妥善管理土壤对于确保畜牧业的长期经济生存非常重要。最基本的是对土壤进行定期测试，以确保不存在限制生产或造成环境破坏的化学、物理或生物失衡。尽管农民在耕地部门接受标准土壤测试的比例很高，但有令人信服的证据表明，畜牧业的情况正好相反。因此，尽管受到政策制定者、监管机构和农业组织的鼓励，但大量研究表明，英国畜牧业生产的土壤在磷、钾状况、土壤pH值以及土壤结构方面往往处于次优状态。最终，由于酸度过高、化肥不足和压实，缺乏化验会导致产量下降，而在某些情况下，过度化肥会导致在化肥上浪费金钱，并增加环境损失的风险。这导致了整个畜牧业业绩不佳的农场和经济损失。在当前的可持续集约化时代，养分得到有效利用是至关重要的，产量差距只需通过“正确把握基本条件”就能缩小，从而提高资源利用率和农民收入。这表明，目前促进土壤测试的战略并不奏效，需要新的方法。展望未来，很明显，畜牧业可能不得不接受基于土壤的农业技术，以保持其竞争优势。根据目前的证据，这些新的土壤测试方法的采用也可能非常缓慢。因此，需要对采用(I)基本土壤测试、(Ii)更全面的土壤测试和(Iii)新兴技术的障碍进行严格的评估。解决问题和结果：为了应对这一挑战，并与我们的行业合作伙伴一起，我们设计了六个相互关联的工作包(WP)，以从多个角度解决问题。首先，我们将绘制英国土壤测试的空间和时间趋势图(WP1)。其次，我们将确定阻碍农民进行土壤测试的主要障碍(WP2)。第三，我们将建立农场示范，以说明在采用情况较差的地区进行土壤测试的好处(WP3)。展望未来，我们还将评估即将出现的基于土壤的农业技术解决方案，并评估农民采用这些技术的可能性(WP4)。这些信息将为与利益攸关方社区举办一系列参与性讲习班和传播活动奠定基础，向草原农民展示土壤测试的益处(WP5)。最后，我们将综合WP1-5中的所有信息，制定一份以行业为重点的路线图，以促进畜牧业终身采用土壤测试(WP6)。我们希望在这个项目开始后的5年内看到该行业的切实好处。

项目成果

Identifying barriers to routine soil testing within beef and sheep farming systems

• DOI: 10.1016/j.geoderma.2021.115298
• 发表时间: 2021-06-25
• 期刊: GEODERMA
• 影响因子: 6.1
• 作者: Rhymes, Jennifer M.;Wynne-Jones, Sophie;Jones, David L.
• 通讯作者: Jones, David L.

Evaluating the accuracy and usefulness of commercially-available proximal soil mapping services for grassland nutrient management planning and soil health monitoring

• DOI: 10.1007/s11119-022-09979-z
• 发表时间: 2023-01
• 期刊: Precision Agriculture
• 影响因子: 6.2
• 作者: J. Rhymes;D. Chadwick;A. P. Williams;I. Harris;R. Lark;David Jones

Assessing the effectiveness, practicality and cost effectiveness of mitigation measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from intensively cultivated peatlands

评估减少集约化泥炭地温室气体排放的缓解措施的有效性、实用性和成本效益

• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2023.106886
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Land Use Policy
• 影响因子: 7.1
• 作者: Rhymes J

What can management option uptake tell us about ecosystem services delivery through agri-environment schemes?

关于通过农业环境计划提供生态系统服务，管理选项的采用可以告诉我们什么？

• DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2018.10.039
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Land Use Policy
• 影响因子: 7.1
• 作者: Arnott D

Development of a LoRaWAN IoT Node with Ion-Selective Electrode Soil Nitrate Sensors for Precision Agriculture.

• DOI: 10.3390/s22239100
• 发表时间: 2022-11-23
• 期刊: Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
• 作者: Bristow N;Rengaraj S;Chadwick DR;Kettle J;Jones DL
• 通讯作者: Jones DL