Develops new way to precisely monitor fertilizer movement and salt levels in the soil

CropX, a global leader in soil analytics for agriculture, recently announced a significant advancement in soil sensing technology: the ability to accurately and continuously monitor soil fertilizer and salt levels. Adding another level of data insight to its ag analytics platform, CropX scientists have created a solution to precisely detect fertilization events, salt concentrations, and fertilizer movements throughout the soil.

Both over and under application of fertilizers can decrease crop yields and crop profitability, while fertilizers that leach below the root system do not support crop health and may even cause nitrate pollution by reaching groundwater. However, to date, soil sensors have not been able to fully support fertilization management initiatives as they have been limited to measuring the bulk soil electrical conductivity (EC) rather than the electrical conductivity of the soil solution.

The new technology uses machine learning algorithms that learn the unique hyper-local electrical conductivity trends for each specific sensor location. With the CropX system, growers will be able to know the exact concentration of pore water salinity in the soil, detect if excess fertilizer has accumulated in the soil, and distinguish fertilization concentrations at several soil depths. These new in-soil data insights will empower growers to:

• Make adjustments to their fertilizer management plans during the crop season based on data
• Better target the amount of fertilizer used based on actual crop needs;
• Save on expenses from extensive soil sampling for laboratory salinity measurements;
• Monitor and document fertilizer movements in their soil over time; and
• Minimize fertilizer loss through leaching.