CropsYield maps, soil tests from good and poor areas, a look beyond N, P and K, realistic yield goals and checking a product's proven value can cut fertiliser spending without losing yield.
AgrotechFifteen IoT smart soil sensors have been handed to sub-assistant agriculture officers in Mirpur upazila, Kushtia. The devices measure 10 soil properties and print, in Bangla, which fertiliser a field needs and how much.
CropsA soil analysis costing a few hundred rand guides one of the biggest cost decisions of a grain season, a South African crop nutrition specialist says.
CropsGreg Stewart said dry spells can cause potassium deficiency even in well-testing soils, and questioned guidelines that recommend replacing crop removal only once soil-test potassium falls to about 75 ppm.
CropsAcross 117 sites from 2019 to 2022, corn yield response plateaued near 18 ppm soil phosphorus, close to the state's 16 ppm critical level; every site under 4 ppm responded, only a third above 30 ppm did.
CropsOf 33 fields sampled by Hoegemeyer agronomists, 42% had moderate to high SCN pressure; growers are urged to test this fall and to ask about Peking resistance as PI 88788 wears thin.
CropsA meeting of the Department of Agricultural Extension's regional technology extension committee in Bogura set targets and seed needs for the 2026-27 rabi season and agreed on soil-test-based fertiliser advice and an organic fertiliser laboratory.
CropsWith phosphate fertiliser prices well above last year's, a 16-year University of Nebraska-Lincoln trial finds that applying phosphorus by crop removal paid best, while very high soil levels added cost but not yield.
VegetablesReneilwe and Lerato Selialia started Kopana Holdings with potatoes in Randfontein, South Africa, in 2025. After a first harvest sold at a loss, they added spinach, onions and sweet potatoes, more markets and a proper grip on costs.
AgrotechA USDA-funded project is collecting more than 13,000 soil samples from about 6,000 fields to rebuild the free SHAPE online tool so it gives farmers local soil-health benchmarks and practice recommendations.
EnvironmentA Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share pays for basic or advanced soil health tests, and a University of Missouri specialist urges farmers to use it and to sample consistently.
EnvironmentUniversity of Arkansas scientists found that soil health indicators shift markedly with the season and depth of sampling, and urge farmers to keep their sampling consistent.
AgrotechAgrilo VR on Meta Quest headsets walks farmers and technicians through the seven-step colorimetric test that reads 12 soil measures from a smartphone photo, and logs where trainees stumble so the protocol can be refined.
