Managing soil phosphate levels more efficiently, the continued roles for cover and companion crops, and the importance of sowing quality seeds for maximum environmental and economic gains.

All will be key themes on the stand of agronomy company ProCam at this year's Groundswell regenerative agriculture festival (2-3 July, Lannock Farm, Hertfordshire, SG4 7EE).

According to ProCam's Head of Technical Development, Rob Adamson, balancing crop requirements for nitrogen with the environmental risks of nitrate run-off and protecting nitrate vulnerable zones have long been key drivers for more efficient use of nitrogen.

But water pollution from phosphate (P) is of equal concern – especially with increasingly variable UK weather – so ProCam is actively investigating alternative strategies to help mitigate risks, while ensuring a crop is sufficiently nourished, he explains.

"ProCam encourages making better use of soil analysis to not only gain information on the levels of P in the soil but also the amount available to the plant," says Mr Adamson.

"With this knowledge, decisions can then be made to better harvest soil reserves of P, or target areas where crop P requirements are potentially higher than anticipated. Strategies can involve the use of cover and companion crops to aid mobilisation of this essential macro nutrient, and the use of chemical and biological solutions. For example, a soil-applied treatment to liberate more of the soil's P reserves and make more available to the plant can be a key tool to reduce the need for additional P inputs.

"The use of FieldSense variable rate precision farming technology to align P applications more effectively to the P index variability across a field is also a fundamental tool to target applications where they're most needed. Other techniques include tissue testing to benchmark success through the season.

"The overall aims are to help farmers use P more judiciously and achieve environmental gains while maintaining or even improving economic crop output."

In addition, Mr Adamson says ProCam will be highlighting the wider benefits of continuing to include cover and companion crops in rotations, not just for improving nutrient availability, but also pest or weed management, carbon capture, soil structure, and crop resilience.

Allied to this, with a range of cover, companion and forage crop seeds available through its Field Options range, he says ProCam will be highlighting the importance of growing these crops properly to get maximum gains from them; not simply growing them on a least cost basis.

"Growing cover or companion crops isn't simply a box ticking exercise to say you've planted the seed," he says. "To achieve real benefits, they need to be established correctly, at the correct seed rate, and using quality seeds that have been specifically selected for performance and the role they're playing. Just like any other crop on the farm, they also need managing correctly to get the agronomic and economic rewards they offer."