Factsheet - Digital tools for sustainable nutrient management

• User-friendly tools with straightforward user interfaces and advanced user experience
• Interoperability with other tools and data sources
• Flexibility with possibilities to customise for different farming environments and conditions
• Specific tools based on the local conditions
• Dynamic decision support, which considers the characteristics of the current cropping season (climatic, financial, etc.)
• Based on reliable methods and algorithms, scientifically sound and published
• Able to access publicly available and relevant data
• Offline versions for areas with limited network coverage

The requirements for digital tools for nutrient management are expected to increase, leading to more sophisticated and complex tools, which need more data and technical knowledge for their operation.

Ideas for Operational Groups:

• Grain and leaf nutrient benchmarking.
• Testing and sharing manure analysis: combining different digital tools for more precise fertilisation (including Variable Rate Application).
• Testing and sharing experiences in using different types of soil sensors in different types of soils.
• Accelerating nutrient data availability for better nutrient management tools.

Research needs

• Developing better assessment methods for soil quality / health / properties in relation to nutrient management.
• More advanced, results-driven nutrient management tools, which can use soil sampling results pre- and post-harvest to evaluate the nutrient management programme and take this into consideration for the next planning phase.
• Developing decision support tools using digital technologies, which take available water content and subsurface compaction into consideration during the planning of nutrient applications and irrigation.
• Finding ways to better measure and model GHG emissions, not only at regional level but also at farm level, with more specific and tailor-made models.
• Better, regularly updated nutrient management tools, which can incorporate the special needs of new crop varieties into the planning process. These tools should not only be crop-based but variety-based, using the response curves for nutrient efficacy of these varieties.
• N-requirements in legislation should be revised taking into account new plant varieties, new types of fertiliser, better efficiency in nutrient management, modern farming technology and higher yields.

All the information from the Focus Group on digital tools for sustainable nutrient management at a glance.