From Nitrogen Use Efficiency to Farm Profitability (NUE-Profits)

Farmers will use living plants as sensors to decide exactly when and how much nitrogen fertiliser to apply, cutting waste and emissions while boosting profits. This matters because nitrogen fertiliser is both expensive and environmentally damaging. Farmers typically apply it based on generic guidelines or calendar dates, not on what their crops actually need at a given moment. The result is over-application: nitrogen runs off into waterways, polluting rivers and coasts, and releases nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas. Current methods for measuring plant nitrogen uptake are slow, costly, or impractical for routine farm use. The project builds a management tool called FINE (Framework for Improving Nitrogen Efficiency). It combines remote sensing, in-field sensors, and soil measurements to track nitrogen uptake through the growing season. Farmers get real-time recommendations on timing and rates, so they apply only what the crop can use. If successful, the system could turn nitrogen use efficiency into a standard farm benchmark. It also opens a new income stream: farmers could sell carbon credits for the emissions they avoid by using less fertiliser. The result is a direct link between environmental gains and farm profitability, without requiring farmers to sacrifice yield.