With inclement conditions meaning the past two springs have proven particularly challenging with minimal windows for field travel, this season could prove an ideal time to catch up on missed opportunities from a soils perspective.

That’s according to Omya’s Stephen Williams, who says remedial action may be required even on areas which wouldn’t conventionally require it.

“A combination of very wet, challenging weather plus not being able to undertake conventional activities for repeated years means there’ll likely be a backlog when it comes to addressing the fundamentals of soil health,” he continues.

“But with conditions being on the whole a lot better, now is the perfect opportunity to go back to basics, whether that’s correcting pH or aiming to improve soil structure – all of which contribute significantly to crop performance.”

Calcium carbonate

Part of this could involve assessing calcium carbonate levels in soils. “Calcium is essential for both soil health and plant nutrition. If we examine soil structure more closely, calcium ions promote flocculation which binds soil clays and organic matter together to form aggregates. With better soil structure comes improved water and air circulation as well as better rooting for faster establishment of spring crops,” explains Stephen.

In terms of pH, acidic soil has a significant impact on crop productivity and soil health. As such, regular liming has become an essential management practice, advises Stephen.

“Maintaining soils at the optimum pH results in the best overall nutrient availability. Calcium carbonate is a key component of lime, and there are various ways of applying it, one of which is using a granulated product such as Omya Calciprill.”

Omya Calciprill

Unlike agricultural lime which is slow to correct soil acidity because it takes months to break down, Calciprill can correct soil pH within weeks, giving results in the first season. This rapid action helps growers respond to soil acidity issues more effectively, avoiding delays in nutrient availability, says Stephen. “It works by providing calcium nutrition to the crop, as the calcium ions attach to the soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) and are readily available for uptake by the plant.”

Stephen highlights that Calciprill is made from micronised calcium carbonate and the granules dissolve rapidly in soil moisture allowing the carbonate ions to neutralise the hydrogen ions in the soil that cause acidity. “The calcium ions then replace the hydrogen ions on the soil colloids and are readily available for the plant to use,” he explains.

Application guidance

From a user perspective, Calciprill can be applied using standard farm machinery, uniformly, up to 36m, reminds Stephen. “It’s very operator friendly with no specialist contractor required. It can also be applied throughout the year and used annually through a ‘maintenance approach’. This flexibility allows growers to integrate Calciprill into their existing fertilisation plans without seasonal constraints.”

Nitrogen use efficiency

And with soils in peak condition comes improved NUE, highlights Stephen. “Correcting soil to pH 6.5 is the optimum for nutrient uptake by the crop on most soil types.

“With growers potentially having to return to conventional cropping options rather than alternative income sources, making the most of all inputs will undoubtedly become a renewed focus,” he concludes.