NEWS
Stay up to date with the latest news, articles and updates from Emerald Research & OptiYield®.
Why standard soil tests don’t tell the full story.
Most farmers are familiar with standard soil testing. Typically, a lab will report back on a few basic indicators such as pH, nitrogen (N), phosphate (P), potash (K), and magnesium (Mg). Some tests are more advanced and include analysis of micronutrients and organic...
Symposium launched as Emerald Research rebrands Consortium-Plus
After three years of trials, Emerald Research Ltd (ERL) is relaunching its microbial soil improver Consortium-Plus as Symposium, a complementary mixture of many synergistic beneficial microbes and organic biostimulants. The decision has been taken following...
Boost your crops’ health and yield outcomes with BioBoost
As we are increasingly experiencing, with this season’s unpredictable weather patterns crops are under constant pressure from environmental stresses like heat and drought, even if they are irrigated. For example, Tuber Initiation is inhibited above 25°C and...
Seaweed extract: What’s the difference between heat extraction vs cold extracted?
Seaweed extract is produced by one of two industrial processes, the extract containing all the ‘goodies’ is obtained by either a heat/chemical processing or through cold pressing. The table below illustrates a comparison of the two methods: Feature Cold-Pressed...
Fancy a TRIP (Transformative Reduced Input Potatoes) to our Cornish nutritional trials?
The Innovate UK funded Transformative Reduced Input Potatoes (TRIP) project is holding a farm walk of this year’s nutritional trial plots on the 26th June by kind permission of Colwith Farm Potatoes, at Lostwithiel, Cornwall. The event kicks off at 12 noon with lunch...
Direct applications are driving increased nutrient use efficiency
One of the aims of the Transformative Reduced Input Potatoes (TRIP) Project is to evaluate ways to minimise the application of soil-applied inputs and in particular nitrogen, phosphate and potassium. The main alternative to traditional methods of applying inputs via...
What is leaf tissue analysis and why is it useful in potato crops?
Leaf tissue analysis is a vital tool for managing the nutritional health of potato crops. While the OptiYield soil analysis system predicts nutrient availability to the crop from the soil, it can’t predict the weather and conditions, so cannot know precisely what the...
Withstanding the effects of heat and drought stress naturally
Spring 2025 has been a direct contrast to Spring 2024, with unseasonally low rainfall throughout February, March and April. According to the BBC weather department, Sheffield’s Weston Park weather station has recorded just 78mm (3in) of rain since the start of...
The systematic approach: making it simple
Streamlining work practices and making operations easier to carry out can also bring savings of time, energy and effort. However, changing from what you always do to a new approach can be daunting and it’s easy to see differences as difficulties. At first glance the...
Innovate UK funds wireworm control project
Emerald Research Ltd (ERL) and a leading potato grower in South West England have won an eighteen-month Innovate UK project to tackle the ever-growing problem of wireworm damage in potatoes. The £56,000 project will evaluate several soil improvers, rich in prebiotic...