Mark Else: How is the discovery of plant hormones, in the 1970s, inspiring a new approach to smart irrigation today?

The Crop Science and Production Systems group at Niab has been working on deficit irrigation techniques for over 20 years and have shown in scientific experiments that water savings of over 40% can be achieved whilst improving crop productivity and quality, reducing waste and lowering emissions.
Group leader Mark Else explains: “Although the benefits of various deficit irrigation have been proven scientifically, these techniques require careful management, especially during changeable weather, and so implementing them in commercial production systems has been too risky. Instead, we’ve focussed on developing and delivering precision irrigation strategies for commercial growers, where demand is matched with supply”
“But recent advances in sensor technologies, wireless systems and access to real-time data has opened up new opportunities for us. Working with our partners and suppliers, we’ve developed sensor networks and predictive models that enable accurate monitoring of what’s going on in the crop and in the substrate, now and over the next few days, and so 20 years later, we now have the tools and the scientific knowledge to help growers to better manage deficit Irrigation and to reap the rewards.”

REAP 2021: Changing Time(s) for Agriculture – 10th November 2021

Imagine a world where agriculture is not constrained by time. The ability to manage and manipulate time is increasing and REAP 2021 will explore the advances in technology and breakthroughs in science that is making this possible.
REAP brings together people from across the agri-tech ecosystem who believe that innovation is the engine for change. The conference bridges the gap between producer needs and technology solutions and showcases exciting agri-tech start-ups.