The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)

Soil biology issues muddy climate fight

- EWAN PATE

Abasic lack of understand­ing of soil biology, especially among policy makers and politician­s, is confusing the climate change debate, according to Eric Anderson, senior agronomist with Scottish Agronomy.

Speaking at a BASF potato trials day at East Nevay in Strathmore, he explained that sequesteri­ng carbon in soils, thereby increasing organic matter content, was seen as being beneficial in a simplistic way but not enough attention was being paid to the interactio­n between the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle.

“As we increase organic matter in the soil, so we increase biological activity and thus the release of nitrous oxide. This is 298 times as damaging as carbon dioxide in terms of causing climate change,” he said.

“This means we have to be cautious but there are things we can do. For example, saturated soils release much more nitrous oxide. Better drainage and a return of drainage grants would be a help.”

Applied nitrogen, of course, had a major role to play. If crop productivi­ty can be increased with the same or fewer inputs than previously, then the farm’s “carbon footprint” would be reduced.

One way to achieve this would be to use a urease inhibitor such as BASF’s Limus Clear. At a cost of £2 to £4 per hectare, this was economical­ly viable and considerab­ly reduced the emissions of unutilised ammonia.

Mr Anderson said: “The use of a urease inhibitor would be particular­ly useful under certain environmen­tal conditions such as periods of low rainfall, drying soils or warm soil temperatur­es. All of these increase the risk of ammonia losses.

“For example, using Limus Clear in the third nitrogen applicatio­n in winter cereals in April would be appropriat­e.”

Limus Clear can be tank mixed at 0.2 litres per hectare in liquid nitrogen fertiliser­s at the time of applicatio­n or an alternativ­e Limus product can be blended into a granular fertiliser at the point of manufactur­e.

BASF’s Paul Goddard explained that the company was increasing its focus on the potato crop and had several new products due for release over the next two or three years.

The East Nevay trials included plots of a new herbicide, BASF 65612, which had been designed to work best in conjunctio­n with partner chemicals.

“We had individual stars in the past but now it is very much a team approach with some quite complex tank mixes,” Mr Goddard said.

A new systemic product, named Honesty, is also being trialled. Likely to be launched in 2023, it targets rhizoctoni­a and can be applied to the tuber at grading or in-furrow at planting.

 ??  ?? EMISSIONS: Eric Anderson of Scottish Agronomy backed the use of a urease inhibitor.
EMISSIONS: Eric Anderson of Scottish Agronomy backed the use of a urease inhibitor.

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