This October, British farmers will benefit from an innovative decision-making tool designed to help optimise phosphorus use efficiency in crop production.

Developed by Unium Bioscience, 'Phosphate Power' is a free, easy to use online tool that helps farmers assess the phosphorus biological availability in their soils with just a post code entry.

A critical nutrient during germination and establishment phases, phosphorus availability can often be limited by various soil and environmental factors. Phosphate Power offers tailored recommendations depending on the phosphate bioavailability in the soil. By using the phosphorus index, based on peer-reviewed data, it informs farmers whether their soils are biologically optimised to provide what the crop needs.

"The new service is simple and practical," explains John Haywood at Unium Bioscience. "It links environmental conditions such as soil moisture, temperature, soil texture, and location to a forecast for the next seven days to help growers with precise, location-specific information. This enables informed decision-making on how best to supply crops with phosphorus at a very critical and sensitive time in the plant's physiology," he says.

If phosphorus availability is limited, the tool provides advice on appropriate actions, such as the application of seed treatments, foliar phosphorus products, or biostimulants, which encourage root growth to enhance phosphorus absorption from the soil.

"Seed treatments are a sensible choice when you are planting outside optimal conditions to boost establishment and root growth – for planting from October to April," says John.

"Depending upon your soil P levels, it will help to dictate whether you need to mine reserves - the only way to do this is to push out more roots, more active roots in terms of pushing out more exudates to feed soil biology or by supplying an efficient form of phosphorus - organic or inorganic - based on your soil's pH, placing it strategically near the root structure, or using effective foliar treatments for optimal uptake," he says.

This model is the next step to help farmers make informed decisions, question practices or recommendations and to stimulate debate as to how to manage phosphorus uptake better.

One of the key advantages of this tool is its ability to help farmers during the critical early stages of crop development, ensuring that their plants have the necessary nutrients for optimal growth. By leveraging environmental data, Phosphate Power aims to maximise efficiency, leading to healthier crops, improved yields, and reduced input costs.

In trials with Cambridgeshire arable farmer Russ McKenzie, Unium has achieved lower costs and increased yields with its nutrient programme. "We are excited to be able to bring this tool to help growers optimise their yield potential in the same way," he says.

"It's designed to help farmers make better decisions about phosphorus management and improve crop yields, while also reducing costs and maximising return on investment," adds John.

By integrating this tool into their practices, farmers can expect to optimise crop phosphorus uptake and enhance their overall production efficiency.

Phosphate Power will be available to growers nationwide, helping them achieve optimal results through smarter nutrient management.

Farmers can access Phosphate Power by visiting uniumbioscience.com/phosphate-calculator/ where they can quickly input their postcode to receive a detailed analysis of the phosphorus content in their soils.