Back Issues

Let’s get straight to it and ask a simple question: ‘Is there a monetary return to be had from managing the biology of your soil?’

With every major agronomy company now having expanding soils programs and Government, post Brexit, replacing the common agricultural policy subsidises with payments in part based on environmental empathy, what is the strategy that underpins this? In the spirit of minimum tillage let us not dig too deeply into our current predicament in relation to soils. That said, it is worthy of reminding ourselves of some of the basic facts. Only a very small proportion of applied fertilisers is ever used by our crops. Our current farming practices in relation to rotation selection and chemical usage have acted to reduce the biodiversity of essential microbes in our soils; soil organic matter is reducing at an alarming rate; and we have a worryingly short period of time to reverse this trend.

Amidst the many scientific terms used to describe the complexity of soil science the one theme that is becoming ever more prominent is the concept of ‘plant efficiency’. Put simply it is a recognition that a plant, when it has an appropriate biological community of microbes at its roots, is better able to use both native and applied nutrition. This is a fundamental concept that once comprehended begins to lead our thinking about contemporary farming, for if a plant is more efficient it will be healthier, its systemic defence systems will be stronger, it will yield more and in relation to the soils, year on year things will get better.

All things considered and hopefully understood, what can we do as an industry to redress them? Well, the ‘long game’ in this story is being supported by the major soils programmes offered by agronomy companies that seek to offer to measure of current soil status on farms, and put plans in place to change practices and planting programmes to increase the biological function of soils.

So it could be argued, we have the terminology, we have direction, but what can we do this coming spring? Recent data from NIAB TAG research and other industrial sources on the use of biofertilisers shine light on the first real practical soil interventions for use by UK farmers. The UK has actually been working on the use of biofertilisers for many years. For the sake of clarity, we are not talking biostimulants, although they are often mentioned in the same breath, but rather biofertilisers comprised of living beneficial soil bacteria or fungi. Many companies are involved in this research and product development globally, leading this in the UK is PlantWorks Ltd, a spin out from a university some twenty years ago. Its science team have been refining soil bacteria and trialling them in UK soils for many years.

The company’s SMART ROTATIONS range includes both mycorrhizal fungi products and plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) all produced at its production facilities at the Kent Science Park using controlled growing rooms and bioreactors. The company has spent years running laboratory trials to further understand the functioning of these beneficial organisms, both alone and in consortia, and have developed and tuned a number of products for use for crops grown in UK climate. Initially the company focussed on quantifying how its liquid bacteria products, sprayed to ground post emergence, could increase yield of crops by solubilising phosphorus, fixing and capturing nitrogen and making plants more efficient in up taking those nutrients. More recently, in collaboration with all major agronomy companies, and using its own monitor partner farms, it posed the question ‘with the biology of the soils increased how much applied nitrogen can be reduced in wheat production and what is the profit achieved?’. 

For those not familiar with the SMART ROTATIONS SR3 products, they are a range of tuned consortia of beneficial soil bacteria selected and tested for their ability to fix nitrogen and solubilise phosphorous. PlantWorks supplies these bacteria in sterile infusion bags taking the bacteria directly from their controlled laboratory bioreactors. The company are at pains to point out that these are not compost ’teas’, but rather pure pharmaceutical grade bacteria grown in a very stringent conditions to an extremely high efficacy point, for those interested in such things the measure of potency is referred to as Colony Forming Units (CFUs). The products are supplied typically in 5 hectare units with 1 litre of biostimulant used as a feed source for the bacteria during establishment. SMART ROTATION SR3 liquid bacteria is applied to the crop post germination, for winter wheat planted in 2020 the ideal time to treat will be in early spring 2021 (GS25-GS31).

There has been a considerable body of work in the UK on the use of bacteria on wheat over recent years, both winter and spring, looking at the increment in yield alone without modulation of inputs. From a number of trials, across the UK using differing wheat varieties the average increase has been in the region of 6.0%, again attributed to improved plant efficiency. The results freshly in though are probably more resonant to a market where there is an increasing focus on farming for maximum profit, not yield and where there is an increasing sensitivity to the sympathetic management of the soil. These results are particularly interesting as the trends from three different sites are very similar. Studying the results on winter wheat KWS Zyatt the application of the beneficial bacteria shows an obvious direct effect on yield at the 100% nitrogen rate which is applied here at 260Kg/ha. Interestingly, as the nitrogen rate is reduced, the yield is actually maintained. 

Comparing the percentage increase in yield to that the yield from the 100% nitrogen rate without bacteria application from two sites, one conventional and one regenerative, again, we see very strong correlation, which is statistically significant for those with a mathematical leaning.

Data taken directly from the combine on both farms show a consistent increase in yield when the biology in the ground has been enhanced. In the conventional system the results range from between 10-11% increase with greater variation in the regenerative system albeit the average increase is very similar.

Taking into consideration the costs of the bacteria, typically at farm price of £20/ha and the extra spray run costs, reducing nitrogen inputs based on this data would achieve and incremental profit of £236/ha in the conventional system and £202/ha in the regenerative system, all whilst reducing the nitrogen loading on the soil. An independent trial undertaken by NIAB TAG designed by Dr Syed Shah, concurrently aimed to quantify the interaction of N-rate x SR3 (SMART ROTATIONS bacteria) on grain yield of winter wheat KWS Zyatt at its East Malling Kent facility.

Here a negative control is shown with wheat planted without any nitrogen input and not unsurprisingly the yields are considerably lower than those where nitrogen is applied. The data in relation to yield at different nitrogen rates is though fundamental and may cause many to reflect on their standard assumption when it comes to nitrogen best practise. Very little difference is shown in relation to yield, and indeed on wheat protein levels, when nitrogen is reduced from the standard 250kg/ha to 125Kg/ha. In all cases, where bacteria are applied, there is a clear uplift in yield, at approximately 5%.

Globally the market for bio fertilisers is reported to now exceed $1 billion a year. Not unsurprisingly industry is returning again to look at the natural biology in soils as a source of new products with the goal of enhancing ‘plant efficiency’.

Ploughing has received bad press in some organic farming circles due to the higher fuel requirements and the fact that it buries soil organisms and green material at too great a depth. The perennial questions are: should we plough and if so how deep?

Written by Mark Measures, Agricology Group Steering Member

Over many years I have remained a supporter of the plough but been actively involved in non-inversion tillage organic farming trials; the focus on minimising damage to soil life such as earthworms and mycorrhizae, avoiding disruption of the optimum stratification and depth of soil organisms, avoiding turning down manure, green manure, and the fertile topsoil too deep for maximising plant utilisation, all make shallow ploughing and / or minimal tillage a no-brainer. But it is not as straightforward as you might think! And don’t be taken in by the over-enthusiastic specialists who extrapolate successful practice in their own situation to universally applied dictates and dogma; site specific solutions are generally needed, even if we are working to common principles underlying a more sustainable farming.

Many farmers have discovered that they can do without the plough; experiences are reported in the IOTA Technical Leaflet Non Inversion Tillage in Organic Arable Cropping. This review features Richard Gantlett who has shown that with a combination of tined and duck foot cultivators, generally used in multiple passes it is practicable to operate a non-inversion tillage system on the well drained, relatively easily worked, calcareous clay loam soils of Wiltshire. This avoids inversion but still involves working at 15 – 25 cms.

More radical is the work of Friedrich Wenz of southern Germany who has developed a stockless farming system based on a unique machine, the EcoDyn. This fixed tine tool bar allows very shallow cultivations and weed control by repeated skimming of annual and perennial weeds. While in some circumstances good results have been achieved, weed control has not been as good as with a plough and where multiple passes have been made in order to get better weed control crop yields have been substantially reduced due to poorer soil structure and aeration in winter crops on heavier clay loam soils in Gloucestershire. The results from our work at The Organic Research Centre are interesting. Perhaps Wenz also found that the fixed tine, tool bar technique does not always work as well as he claimed as I see that he is now also using powered cultivators.

Direct drilling cereals into a crimped green manure is currently much in vogue, enthusiastically advocated by the Rodale Institute in Pennsylvania. They make great claims for carbon sequestration using this technique; in my experience they are unlikely to be achieved in all soil and environmental conditions. Unfortunately the research is not fully written up. The technique has not proved consistently effective in the maritime climate of the UK or in the Argentine Pampas, where I am involved. It remains one of those good ideas which has a long way to go before commercial application in the UK.

I have been motivated to put these notes together by the very recent publication of results from the long term DOC trial at FiBL in Switzerland, which includes a 15-year comparison of ploughing with reduced tillage. Read the report for the full details but among key conclusions they found: “Clay loam in temperate Switzerland: reduced tillage vs. ploughing, solid vs. liquid manures and biodynamic preparations. A synthesis of 15 years reveals an increase in topsoil organic carbon (SOC, +25%), microbial biomass (+32%) and activity (+34%) and a shift in microbial communities with conversion from ploughing to reduced tillage. Soils under reduced tillage are more stratified in SOC and nutrients……………Both higher and lower yields were harvested in the reduced tillage system in relation to ploughing. The main yield determinants were N supply and higher weed infestation under reduced tillage. Continuously reduced tillage in organic farming has been proven to enhance soil quality at this site, while also presenting more challenges in management.”

In this trial there are some clear advantages for the reduced tillage system over ploughing, which are in part due to shallower cultivations (5 cm – with occasional loosening to 15 cm – compared to ploughing to 25 cm) avoidance of inversion, and less soil disturbance at depth. This trial shows some very significant advantages for many beneficial soil organisms including earthworms and fungi. Not surprisingly the trial found soil carbon was higher in the top 10 cm layer with reduced tillage. However, unlike many other cultivation trials results, which show lower soil carbon below 10 cm, in this trial soil carbon was similar in both systems, probably due to the soil type.

Lessons learnt

Ploughing is not all bad and it remains the most effective means of weed control, it is usually essential for crops such as potatoes and it is a predictable method of seed bed creation, particularly in difficult weather conditions. So ploughing is likely to remain an option for many if not most organic farmers, just ensure that you have the right plough bodies to allow you to plough as shallow as possible.

Look at all the relevant research, observe and learn from other farmers and advisers, and develop a system and practices that are appropriate to the soil and environmental conditions in which you are working.

James Warne from Soil First Farming defends urea and shows it may well be an easy scapegoat for the rise in
atmospheric ammonia levels

When I have something on my mind I tend to reach for a cup of tea and a biscuit. Those who have seen me will be able to verify this happens often. This is exactly where I had gravitated to one wet Saturday morning two years ago after paying another round of chemical and contracting bills and it was apparent there was going to be very little margin even if we did have a good year. I sat at the table and opened the country section of certain Yorkshire paper. There was the article penned by Angus Gowthorpe in which he spoke of his farming method “conservation agriculture” and his association to BASEUK. That article has led to a great many things for me.

I originated from a small livestock farm near York and have found myself on an Arable farm in East Yorkshire. I have no previous experience of Arable land management, cultivation or cropping. A recipe for disaster if there ever was one. Possibly it is a blessing as I have no preconception of how things should be done, and ignorance is bliss. The ethos of what Angus had written resonated with me, so I applied for my BASE membership and embarked on my voyage of discovery.

A few farm visits ensued to people who were practicing regenerative agriculture methods, and these were a real insight into what they were encountering. How the principle adopted translated into the practical. Mostly I loitered at the back hoping not to trip myself up by saying something stupid but absorbing as much information as possible. Everyone was very welcoming, and I felt confident to attend my first BASE AGM.

Two days of guest speakers. I will admit it was with some trepidation that I took my seat on the first morning not knowing anyone or what to expect. Those two days were like a light bulb moment! I learnt about soil, soil health, physical, chemical, and biological indicators. Financial costings, worm science and so much more. The whole event was recorded for members who could not attend to access later. I returned to the farm with enthusiasm. Previously the only time I might have got close to making holes in the ground or sniffing soil was if I had fallen off a horse. Now here I was with my shovel counting worms, really looking at the soil, what the structure was like, getting soil samples, doing filtration tests. I had begun to ask questions and look for the answers. The photograph above shows our first attempt at direct drilling…. Spring Malting Barley. 

It was very clean all year although drilled nearly 3 weeks later than the more conventionally established only yielded slightly less. The lower chemical and cultivation cost made up for any yield deficit.

The first time I asked my contractor to put a molasses like substance through his expensive sprayer with the liquid fertiliser there was a raised eyebrow. To his credit he went along with it. I am not completely sure who was the most relieved when it all went without a hitch. I may not know a lot but have been incredibly blessed to have a fantastic agronomist and great contractors supporting me throughout. From the AGM I learnt about Groundswell and that is where I headed next. BASE has opened the door to a great many things. Recommended reading lists have provided a wealth of information, Farming Forum, Agroecology, and pod casts.

This year’s AGM was held at York pre pandemic. Speakers included Dr Sam Cook from Rothamsted Research, Dr Lea Harold from the PGRO, Edward Dickin on plant breeding, BASE-UK Member farmers, and scientists but for me Dr Anna Krzywoszynska was a standout. She spoke of “geosmin”; a chemical released from dead microbes in soil and how the human body can detect this smell in minuscule quantities, an evolutionary hangover that has the ability to lowers the heart rate – amazing! We need to trust our instinct. She spoke of the communities of practice, how we learn, seeking information, motivation, experimenting and how psychologically hard it is to make a change on your own. BASE has given me that community of support.

Especially welcome through the COVID-19 pandemic BASE has held webinar meetings, again, all recorded with BASIS and NRoSo points available. The quality of speakers throughout has been inspiring, diverse and educational. From mob grazing systems to the Lamport research trials to Fredric Thomas to name a few. BASE manages to cater for the novice like me to the very experienced.

The photograph above is of some of the expanding sheep flock as we start to get some livestock incorporated into the arable system.

The pandemic has highlighted how important conversation and a sense of belonging are. Normally I would play badminton, go swimming, attend a competition with the horse or head off to the livestock market and all that social interaction has gone or is seriously restricted. The Zoom meetings have been fab and best of all, if I look a bit of a mess, I can keep my camera off.

I have had many a night in the last two years laid awake worrying about if I could manage the task ahead of me. Was I making the right decisions? Will the cost of cover cropping be worth it? The intake of breath through gritted teeth from people who have farmed this type of land when they hear of my next step. It does really make you doubt if this moral path is right, after all “the road to hell is paved with good intentions” they say. No doubt there will be some failures along the way. From John Wooden the quote, “Failure is not fatal but failure to change might be”.

Male, female, young or old, the demographic is irrelevant. If you have an enquiring mind, then BASE-UK membership has something to offer you even if it is just to have a support network of likeminded people working towards a common goal to make agriculture more sustainable for future generations.

An online soil guide aiming to become the world’s most comprehensive resource to help farmers improve soil health
and increase the efficiency and profitability of their businesses has been launched.

The Good Soil Guide – a collaboration between Yorkshire Water, Yorkshire supply chain consultancy Future Food Solutions and expert soil scientist Neil Fuller – is a free-to-access, online encyclopaedia, specifically designed for use in the field. The huge database contains extensive information, empirical data and advice on how to improve soil health, increase soil organic matter (SOM), diagnose and treat problems with soil and crops, and help farmers to reduce carbon emissions. It is a live guide, enabling farmers, agronomists, and other industry professionals from around the world to share their knowledge by adding to the already extensive resource. The idea for the Good Soil Guide was born when Yorkshire Water Catchment Strategy Manager, Andrew Walker, met with Neil Fuller at an event held by Future Food Solutions.

In 2014, Mr Walker helped initiate a project bringing together landowners and stakeholders in the English uplands to facilitate better environmental outcomes for blanket bog land and was keen to try a similar approach in the lowlands. He said: “The project in the uplands proved that by engaging with landowners and other stakeholders and taking a collaborative approach, you can create outcomes that deliver for all. “We wanted to take this model and apply it to the lowlands to solve issues around sediment, nutrients and pesticides leaching into the watercourses and having a detrimental effect on water quality.

“We knew that working with farmers to address this would bring them huge benefits in terms of keeping soil and expensive fertilisers and pesticides where they should be – in the field.

“For us, it was a case of improving water quality, so we got our heads together and created the Good Soil Guide to help achieve these aims.” Mr Walker added the guide was the sum of Mr Fuller’s 40 years of experience in practical soil science compiled into a single resource, which was funded by Yorkshire Water. “Essentially, it focuses on improving soil health and increasing soil organic matter,” Mr Walker said. “Doing this gives the soil a more robust structure, meaning far less is lost to sediment, nutrients and pesticides are held on the field, and as the soil can absorb more water, incidents of flooding are hugely reduced.”

Mr Fuller said the resource had been created to help farmers get the best out of their most valuable asset – soil. He added that it was a holistic guide, looking at all aspects of soil health, and had been specifically designed for use in the field. He said: “The Good Soil Guide is full of soil data derived from cover crop trials, different tillage methods, practical experience and much more. “By using it, farmers can compare soil samples from their fields with pictures in the guide and diagnose issues such as a lack of nutrients or depleted soil organic matter. They can then use the contents of the guide to put that right. “It is not written in an academic or scientific style. The information is presented simply and clearly and in a mobile-friendly format, so farmers and agronomists can access it whenever and wherever they need it.” 

Mr Fuller added that the guide also included advice on carbon management, including sequestering carbon to reduce atmospheric C02, increase soil organic matter and help farmers move towards net zero. “The key to carbon net zero is good soil health,” he said. “By managing soil in a way that increases its health, everyone wins. The farmer saves money, increases yields and reduces emissions; there are huge environmental benefits including removing CO2 from the atmosphere, and the consumer benefits from better quality food. “The Good Soil Guide is a powerful tool in enabling British agricultural to make these changes.” Food consultancy Future Food Solutions co-ordinated the creation of the Good Soil Guide.

The guide is free to use and has no links to agribusiness, meaning all the information and advice contained within it is unbiased.

Future Food Solutions is already running the world’s largest renewable agriculture project – the Sustainable Landscapes Humber Project – in East Yorkshire, in partnership with Yorkshire Water and frozen food specialists Birds Eye. The Good Soil Guide extends this work, opening up cutting edge soil management practices to farmers across the globe.  

Paul Rhodes, director of Future Food Solutions, said the guide was a huge leap forward in helping farmers to grow more sustainably.

He said: “Our understanding of soil has moved on dramatically in the past five years and what we’ve learned is that to get the most out of it, we must treat it as a living bio-system. “The Good Soil Guide has been developed to help farmers do this and realise a dramatic increase in soil health. “Making that shift has huge, positive consequences in terms of reducing steel and diesel use, improved yields, better efficiency and better profitability. “It will also help farmers reduce emissions, and with the target of net zero just 20 years away, that is something we all have to start taking seriously.” Matt Parkin, who farms at Bilton-inAinsty near Wetherby, North Yorkshire, is taking part in the trials to improve cover crop establishment. He said: “I am currently participating in some interesting cover crop trials as I think soil management is becoming steadily more important to an integrated farming approach. “As a dedicated soil tool, the Good Soil Guide can only help with this.”

To access the Good Soil Guide, go to www.soilguide.co.uk and create a free account.

Written by Thomas Gent from Gentle Farming

Regenerative Agriculture is becoming a buzzword in the non-agricultural business community, sustainability and the circular economy will become more impactful in the coming years. Consumers are now aware of the eco credentials of the businesses they are spending their money with. This is driving businesses across the country to consider their own environmental impacts. Major companies are committing to achieving net zero in the coming decades. UK farming and food production has a significant opportunity to play an important role in this.  

I am Thomas Gent, we have a family farm in South Lincolnshire and have been farming regeneratively for around 12 years. I have founded Gentle Farming. Gentle farming is an organisation looking into this opportunity and how we can connect farmers with businesses who are interested in supporting regenerative farming. The health of our soils directly impacts the health of society. We began by focusing on soil carbon and soil testing but quickly realised this is a complex problem and there are currently no concrete answers. Soil testing is notoriously inconsistent and volatile. However, it will be a crucial part of the picture as methods develop. This led to the thinking of regenerative agriculture as a whole farm system.

Using the regenerative agricultural principles, we are creating a brand and giving business the opportunity to invest and play a part in this important work. We are offering businesses the opportunity to work with a group of the most innovative and prominent UK farmers leading the way in regenerative practices. Using online calculators, research and previous soil testing we can build a picture of the amount of carbon our farms are storing and sequestering each year. I believe carbon offsetting money from the private sector will become a major part of the payments farmers will be able to receive in the future.

We are working with several organisations including a group of leading universities and UN climate change international partners to find a certified solution to carbon offsetting. It is looking very likely that this may be certified within the year. As soon as these pilot schemes come into action, we will be in the position to sell certified soil carbon credits.

But until this happens we are focusing on the corporate social responsibility sector allowing us to build a system and a brand for working with farmers championing regenerative agricultural practices. Corporate social responsibility will also play a large part in the potential payments farmers could receive for farming regeneratively. With subsidies coming to an end this could be an opportunity for farmers to access funding. Businesses will want to be able to work with an established credible community of farmers. Our potential group of farms are spread across the country and so can be local to any business. We plan to facilitate the opportunity for clients to visit farms to learn hands-on what we are doing day in and day out and to share our values.

This is a huge opportunity for UK farming and if we act decisively and quickly we can become actively involved in the market and the conversation around pricing. Through this opportunity farmers can have a significant impact in mitigating climate change, working towards net zero and providing many environmental benefits. The possible funding streams are an incentive for farmers across the country to implement sustainable farming practices to the benefit of all.

PRESERVING UK SOIL MICROBIAL BIODIVERSITY FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

Written by Wayne Coles at CABI

Scientists from the UK’s foremost agricultural research institutes have teamed up to create a new UK Crop Microbiome Cryobank (UK-CMCB) to safeguard future research and facilitate the sustainable yield improvement of the UK’s six major food crops including barley, oats, oil seed rape, potato, sugar beet and wheat. CABI, who is leading the BBSRC project, joins researchers from Rothamsted Research, Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the John Innes Centre, in developing a ‘Noah’s Ark’ of UK microbes from crop systems that will form the first publicly available resource of its kind anywhere in the world. Scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and the James Hutton Institute will also be collaborating on the initiative which will use state-of-the art cryo research techniques to preserve important crop microbiome samples from different soil types across the UK.

The UK-CMCB will provide a facility for researchers to source data and samples for their work, including living microbial material as well as genomic and metagenomic sequences (DNA) from different microbiome environments, including the rhizoplane.

Microbiomes are all the microbes present in any one ecosystem, in this case those associated with the crop plant, whether they are present in the leaves, seeds and stems or in the bulk soil around the roots. A beneficial microbiome results in a healthy plant and an improved crop yield and better-quality food.

Dr Matthew Ryan, Curator, Genetic Resource Collection at CABI, said, “By preserving these valuable crop microbial samples, from a ‘unique snapshot in time,’ we will generate a representative, very valuable and unique resource from key UK crop systems that will become a vital resource for scientific researchers for generations to come. “We will be using UK-developed cryotechnology that uses liquid nitrogen to keep the samples secure at very cold temperatures. If you like, it is a ‘Noah’s Ark’ of UK microbes from crop systems and one that has many potential exciting uses.” All of the project resources will be fully characterised using advanced DNA sequencing techniques in order for scientists to discover what microbes – fungi, bacteria, archaea (single-celled microorganisms with structure similar to bacteria) and viruses – are there, what they are doing in the microbiome and what role they play in enhancing crop growth. The UK-CMCB will create a curated database of sample information associated with annotated sequences, meta-data and analytical tools for endusers.

This will be the first synchronised resource covering the total microbiome of a variety of crops in standardised soil types, supported by bioinformatics, microbiologists, plant health experts and world class storage facilities. Dr Tim Mauchline, Plant and Soil Microbiologist at Rothamsted Research, said, “Soil health is particularly important. If we can better understand the function of microbes present in our soils we can use this information to help farmers produce sustainable crops. There is a clear need to increase food production and reduce our reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides. It is imperative that biological solutions are found to help ensure the UK’s food security.”

Dr Nicola Holden, leading the genomics and bioinformatics team at SRUC and James Hutton Institute, said, “We are at a very exciting time in our understanding of microbiomes because of advances in deep sequencing capabilities, telling us not just about the composition of the microbiomes, but also informing on their functions. This resource will provide base-line data for how different crop types and the soils they are grown in impact the microbiome. Our ambition is to provide a comprehensive resource that will be used to optimise crop production systems.”

A further work package will be focussed on demonstrating the utility of the UK-CMCB for isolation of plant growth promoting bacteria and synthetic community construction. This will involve characterisation of the culturable microbiota associated with crop plants and the generation of crop-associated synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) and testing for their positive impact on plant growth. The microbial consortia generated through this work package will be added to the CryoBank and made available to the public.

Dr Jacob Malone, Group Leader, Molecular Microbiology at the John Innes Centre, who will be leading the SynCom construction and testing work said, “The UK-CMCB will provide a comprehensive platform to enable research towards optimising plant yield and providing sustainable alternatives to environmentally damaging agrochemicals.”

The 5-year project starts in October 2020 and will engage with CHAP, the UK’s Agritech centre for crop health and protection, academic researches and industry.

About CABI

CABI is an international not-for-profit organization that improves people’s lives by providing information and applying scientific expertise to solve problems in agriculture and the environment.

Through knowledge sharing and science, CABI helps address issues of global concern such as improving global food security and safeguarding the environment. We do this by helping farmers grow more and lose less of what they produce, combating threats to agriculture and the environment from pests and diseases, protecting biodiversity from invasive species, and improving access to agricultural and environmental scientific knowledge. Our 50 member countries guide and influence our core areas of work, which include development and research projects, scientific publishing and microbial services.