The OPTIFERT project has built a prototype comprising a soil sensor and software, as well as a dosing and mixing unit. Combined, these technologies allow the farmer to take a soil sample and, process it, obtaining the information needed for dosing and mixing water and fertiliser in the right quantities for each growth stage of each crop.

The system allows farmers to fertilise and irrigate their fields, taking into account continuous real-time monitoring of atmospheric conditions and the needs of both plants and soil.

In a single run lasting less than two minutes, the soil sensor measures the levels of nitrates, phosphates, potassium and ammonia in the soil. This data is processed by a software programme that calculates how much fertiliser and water is needed for each crop. A mixing and dosing unit located in the field is then attached to a standard irrigation system, making automated and precise 'fertigation' (using both water and fertiliser) possible. Farmers save time as they are able to control the system from a computer.

More than nine million farmers in Europe use irrigation systems of various kinds to water some 188 000 km2 of land. This is the equivalent to the surface area of Portugal and Hungary combined. Most of these sprinklers do not take account of demand. Water is therefore wasted and fertiliser washed away, in some cases polluting the soil and groundwater.

How much is too much?

“At the start of each season, farmers calculate how much fertiliser they need, and then they add more fertiliser sporadically months later. But there's no control. Sometimes they are not sure if the soil really needs extra fertiliser, which can lead to environmental damage like the eutrophication of nearby rivers and lakes,” says project coordinator Lucia Doyle of ttz Bremerhaven in Germany. “With OPTIFERT, farmers can save water and the environment is protected against any pollution from chemicals such as pesticides.” 

The OPTIFERT team has thoroughly tested the three modules that make up the system and demonstrated the technology. In fact, the system has already successfully fertilised and irrigated a 25 hectare corn field in Brandenburg, Germany.

Doyle says the prototype system has high commercial potential but more work is required before the finished product can be put on the market.

In time though, the three OPTIFERT modules could offer distinct business opportunities to all of the SMEs involved in the project.

A growing market

One of the SMEs plans to include the OPTIFERT technology in at least 75% of its irrigation systems. This drive comes as no surprise, given that the European market for irrigation systems is growing at a rate of 15% annually and that no company in Europe is currently offering such a demand-driven and automated fertilisation system.

If commercialised, the system has the potential to increase the competitiveness of European farmers, saving and creating employment in rural areas. This could also lead to new jobs in the system's manufacture.

The OPTIFERT soil sensor won an Innovation 2013 silver medal award at Agritecnica – the world’s leading International Exhibition for Agricultural Machinery and Equipment.