A REVOLUTION could be on the cards for the farming industry thanks to scientist in North Yorkshire who have secured £1.4 million funding to research new technologies.

Two scientists from Stockbridge Technology Centre (STC), near Selby, will spend three years working on the national research project to investigate how new technology can be used to change the way farmers apply fertiliser to crops.

Stockbridge's Dr Chantel Davies and Gavin Wilson will work on the Tru-Nject project alongside Dr Abdul Mouazen and Dr Lorenzo Menichetti from Cranfield University, and Andrew Manfield from Manterra Ltd.

Tru-Nject uses a variety of tools including soil data, satellite data, RTK-GPS auto steering and new soil sensors to apply fertiliser below ground that create a resource efficient way to apply nutrients while reducing the levels of nitrous oxide gas released from nitrogen fertilisers.

The project has been co-funded by the UK's innovation agency, Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board), with contributions from industry partners Stockbridge Technology Centre Ltd and Manterra Ltd.

STC's Dr Chantel Davies is the project lead and said: "The funding award from Innovate UK will enable us to combine a range of novel engineering solutions in a very practical way.

"Cranfield University has a firmly-established reputation for high-level research in soil science and precision agriculture; Manterra Ltd possesses cutting-edge and highly innovative farming equipment.

"By bringing together these key elements we are able to conduct large-scale field trials across a range of soil types and demonstrate the efficacy of the system."

Dr Mouazen is the inventor of a new on-line soil sensor, which will be used in the Tru-Nject project to analyse a broad range of abiotic soil properties.

Above ground use of the sensor has already seen cost benefit analysis show a £50 per ha net margin to the farmer.

Andrew Manfield, from Manterra Ltd, is the applied farming research partner, supplying precision farm technology and agronomic expertise to the project.

He said: "This is a very exciting project. We have the potential to vary the nutrients on crops metre by metre and bed by bed, with an accuracy that is previously unheard of on a commercial level of practice."

Last month, the Tru-Nject team was invited to address delegates at the Bishop Burton and Humber LEP hosted Agri-Food event that explored the skills needed for new technology.