Leicester University satellite experts to help farmers improve fertiliser applications

Agronomists and farmers could be set to benefit from the partnership
Agronomists and farmers could be set to benefit from the partnership

The University of Leicester's experts in satellite imagery and high performance computing will work with the industry to develop a system to help farmers make better use of satellite images.

The partnership, with Precision Crop Nutrition Ltd, wants to develop variable rate nitrogen fertiliser application plans for farmers crops.

It follows an award of £118,500 from Innovate UK and NERC, including £45,000 to the University, to fund a year-long technical feasibility study.

The data will allow farmers to be closely involved in crop management recommendations
The data will allow farmers to be closely involved in crop management recommendations

This will be the first funding success for the University’s new Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation.

Precision Crop Nutrition currently offer the Precise N-Map service using centrally processed data which is delivered electronically to each farm.

The development of the new system will offer a quicker and more flexible way to convert data and will allow agronomists and farmers to be more closely involved in crop management recommendations.

'Improving fertiliser management'

Robin Thompson, Managing Director of Precise Crop Nutrition Ltd, said it is an exciting development.

"Expertise from the University of Leicester will be invaluable in helping us develop the system for use in the field leading to significant benefits for our clients and, we hope, even greater uptake of our service."

Tanya Vladimirova, Engineering Professor at the Leicester Institute for Space and Earth Observation, is leading the project.

She said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to work with Precision Crop Nutrition Ltd towards improving fertiliser management.

"Their expertise in precision agriculture technology is crucially important for our understanding of the application."

"The University is committed to working with industrial partners and applying our expertise to real applications.

"This project will give a new impetus to our space-related research on accelerated high-performing computing in embedded systems and will serve as a basis for future applications."