Integrating Soil Science Into More Agronomic Decisions
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
Scientists have developed a vast body of knowledge about how soils are formed and how they function, but gaps still exist in turning that information into real solutions for growers. That’s why Syngenta Group’s chief soil scientist, Dr. Mike Wallenstein, believes there is still untapped potential for revolutionizing soil health.
Wallenstein… “Soils are the next frontier for agricultural innovation. If we think about it, you know, we've made these tremendous strides in agricultural productivity and sustainability because of crop breeding, because of crop protection, because of fertilizer, but we haven't even scratched the surface of what we can do to increase productivity and sustainability and profitability by helping farmers to manage their soils in a way that improves them over time.”
One of the biggest insights on the horizon is predicting soil performance using digital tools.
Wallenstein… “What we're increasingly seeing as we apply new sensors and new analytical approaches is we can map the gap between where a farmer is today, where their soils are today, and where they could be. And we can calculate the improvement that they might see in yield, in water use efficiency, in yield consistency in the face of weather intensification, and we can help them to see the opportunity they have and what would be gained by managing their fields in a way that, that improves the soil over time.”
Wallenstein says the biggest obstacle right now is the cost associated with soil sampling, but innovations in precision agriculture are helping with affordability.
