Advancing In-Crop Organic Manure Application in Irish Tillage Systems
Boosting Nutrient recycling in Irish Tillage by applying organic manures in-crop to improve yields, reduce chemical fertiliser use and cut environmental losses.
Soil Cycle is a data driven project testing in-crop application of organic manures (Pig Slurry, Cattle Slurry and anaerobic digestate) on winter cereals. Soil Cycle aims to improve nutrient efficiency, reduce nitrogen losses and strengthen tillage-livestock nutrient recycling by shifting liquid manure application from autumn application to spring application to coincide with peak crop growth. These organic manures will be applied using low emissions slurry Spreading (LESS) and the project will test precision spreading techniques using real time NIR nutrient analysis.
Aims of the Project
- Show the agronomic and economic feasibility of replacing autumn slurry with spring in-‑crop applications.
- Reduce reliance on chemical fertilisers, improve nutrient use of slurries thereby reducing nitrate leaching.
- Quantify effects of machinery on the soil including ‑soil compaction on crop performance.
- Produce best practice guidelines, OMNi cooperation templates and cost–benefit tools for farmers and advisors.
How It Works
- Three regional hubs (South, South‑East, North‑East), each with an agricultural contractor and three focus farms.
- Large scale on farm validation using commercial equipment and statistically robust yield comparisons.
- Soil and laboratory slurry testing plus NIR sensing to optimise nutrient rates.
- Precision GPS spreading and LESS equipment to improve accuracy and reduce emissions.
- Compaction monitoring to assess traffic impacts on soil and yields.
- Economic modelling and peer to peer knowledge transfer through on farm demos and advisor engagement.
Expected Outcomes
- Practical guidelines and decision tools for in-crop manure application.
- Evaluation of NIR systems to improve the accuracy of nutrient delivery in real time.
- Improved collaboration and nutrient exchange between tillage and livestock enterprises.
- Reduction in chemical fertiliser inputs, resulting in lower production costs for farmers.
- Better timing of nutrient availability to match crop demand, enhancing overall crop performance.
- Greater farmer confidence in adopting spring in-crop slurry application through on-farm validation results.
- Quantified impact of low emission slurry spreading (LESS) on emissions reduction and nutrient retention.
Contact Details
Ciaran Collins
087 920 1908
Ciaran.Collins@Teagasc.ie
SeanOg McCormack
087 444 6253
SeanOg.McCormack@Teagasc.ie
Project Funding
Soil Cycle is funded under the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) initiative as part of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027, co‑funded by the Irish Government and the European Union.