One of the world’s highest-resolution soil mapping services to be piloted in continental and Eastern Europe
Syngenta has unveiled one of the world’s highest-resolution soil mapping services, Interra® Scan, at Fields of Innovation 2022, Europe’s premier agricultural innovation event. Given the current economic situation and the cost of lime, fertilizers and seeds, this can offer immediate economic value to growers, as well as a potential long-term solution that may help them to reduce carbon emissions and tackle climate change through regenerative agricultural practices.
Interra® Scan offers high-resolution soil mapping for up to 27 layers of information, providing growers with precise information on soil health. “Interra® Scan produces high-resolution maps accessible by growers’ computers via the Interra® Scan platform. Mark Hall, Head of Sustainable and Responsible Business EAME informed, “Its detection technology provides mapping of all common nutrient properties including, pH, soil texture, organic matter, carbon, and cation exchange capacity, as well as elevation and plant water availability – all together, it offers over 800 data reference points per hectare. It is the equivalent of a complete medical check-up for humans, but for soil.”
The map allows growers to understand the texture, nutrient and carbon content of their soils in order to optimize nutrition and carbon capture. The methodology used by Interra® Scan also enables a much-wider operating window for soil scans compared to other soil scanning systems. It is not affected by soil moisture, compaction, crop cover or cultivation state, meaning there are very few limitations to when it can be used.
Speaking about the new technology, Alexandra Brand, Regional Director of Crop Protection, EAME, said: “Our interest in precision soil mapping technology is increasing because soil health is the basis for plant health. Understanding the variability in nutrients and textural-based properties of the field’s soil results in better optimization of input (fertilizer, seed, etc.) placement for economic and environmental gain.”
By providing an accurate baseline measurement of both organic and active carbon in the soil, Interra® Scan can enable growers to adjust their farming systems leading to long-term soil health benefits. “Healthy soils can not only improve food production but also mitigate climate change. They have a critical role to play as a natural carbon sink. Investment in precision innovations like Interra® Scan means growers will be able to avoid treating the entire field in the same way by making informed decisions about exactly what to apply where and how much,” Alexandra Brand explained.
