Zoom into Soil - Nutrient Efficiency

Join the British Society of Soil Science (BSSS) and our invited speakers Richard Reeves and Martin Blackwell. Delegates who attended 'Nutrient Efficiency’ heard from first generation farmer Richard Reeves and Dr Martin Blackwell, a senior research scientist at Rothamsted Research, who set out their experiences around nutrient efficiency from both a practical and academic viewpoint. Richard Reeves’ 'from the farm' perspective, set out the importance and role of managing soil nutrients, placing particular emphasis on recycled nutrients such as sludgecake and green waste and the significant impact the ways this waste is treated prior to application, can have. Richard discussed the Met Office records that he has been keeping over many decades, the patterns emerging, and how these are impacting soils and the application of nutrients. Martin Blackwell’s presentation, Caught between a rock and a hard place: how can we use phosphorus fertilisers more efficiently? discussed the finite rock phosphate resources and the risk which the threat of this dwindling resource brings: protecting future food production. Martin discussed the fundamental changes which needed to be made to the way phosphorous fertilisers are sourced to maintain food supplies for a growing global population.