- Pelagia UK’s fish hydrolysate brand, Sea2Soil, have announced key findings from its 2024 season farm-set trials and research, in collaboration with the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) and The University of Nottingham
Testing Sea2Soils’ efficacy against cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) damage as well as its impact on worm count, pH, carbon retention, moisture, porosity, and organic matter, these trials have proven that Sea2Soil can reduce CSFB damage to cotyledons by 32%, reduce CSFB damage to leaves by 90%, reduce CSFB damage to stems by 59%, increase earthworm numbers by 1.85M worms/Ha – 5 times the control, increase Soil Organic Matter content to 9.1% vs 6.7% (control soils) and show 1.2% increase in soil carbon content.
Beginning at the start of the 2024 season, the trials took place at The University of Nottingham’s test farm – where Sea2Soil had been applied in its recommended dose for three years (control testing took place on a neighbouring farm which uses conventional ‘synthetic’ farming), to gather data on Sea2Soil’s impact on worm count, pH, carbon retention, moisture, porosity, and organic matter – as well as at NIAB’s greenhouse testing facility – where Sea2Soil was tested as a deterrent to cabbage stem flea beetle.
Grant James, Business Development Manager at Sea2Soil, said: “We are very excited about these results and are keen to move forward with our distribution plan. Sea2Soil is a very active fish hydrolysate, produced in Scotland from responsibly resourced unused fish by-products and delivered directly to farms throughout the UK. To be able to take this ground-breaking product out to distributors backed by proven data is invaluable.”
Dr Nick Girkin from The University of Nottingham, added: “These results indicate substantial impacts for Sea2Soil on soil physical, chemical and biological properties, likely to benefit crop production. We have identified significant increases in earthworm abundance organic content, pH, soil moisture and porosity.”
Adrian Harris BS, MSc from NIAB, commented: “Sea2Soil showed a significant reduction in the feeding of cabbage stem flea beetles on cotyledons within 2 days of application – several different rates showed a reduction in feeding damage up to 7 to days after application and may convey cover until they senesce.”
Dr Geraldine Fox, Technical Director at Pelagia Ltd, concluded: “We see Sea2Soil as far more than a natural source of nitrogen, but as a soil prebiotic that leads to a healthier soil environment, and better crop health with an increase in microbial activity. For the past three years, we have been refining our process to produce this product, a product we can proudly say delivers on yield responses, reduces reliance on chemical inputs and is farmer friendly, as backed by research.”
Conducting greenhouse trials NIAB has been comparing the effects Sea2Soil treated soil has on plant tissues (cotyledons, leaves, stems) from one to 22 days after treatment vs untreated soil. NIAB found:
- At its peak on day 7, cotyledons showed a 32% reduction in feeding scars
- A 90% reduction in feeding scars to leaves on day 12
- A 59% reduction in feeding scars to stems by day 22
The research found that:
- Sea2Soil soils had an average earthworm count of 9.0 vs the control soils at 1.6, which is 5 times the number of earthworms
- That equates to 2.25M worms/Ha on the Sea2Soil farm, vs 400k worms/Ha on the ‘synthetically farmed land
Playing an essential role in agriculture due to their noted key functions – soil aeration, nutrient recycling, improved soil structure, microbial activity stimulation and carbon sequestration; earthworms likely recognising the amino acids and fatty acids in Sea2Soil soil as an easily digestible and nutritious food source.
A critical property of soil that refers to the volume of pore spaces between soil particles, which can be filled with air or water, the size and distribution of these pores have significant implications for various soil functions including maintaining a balance of water, air, and nutrients within the soil, all of which are essential for plant growth, soil health, and the overall functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.
The research demonstrated that soil that had been treated with Sea2Soil was more porous at the surface, and lower depths, far beneath the compaction ridge that forms during conventional farming methods.
During these trials, it was also discovered that soils treated with Sea2Soil saw a significant increase in soil organic matter content at 9.1% vs the control soils at 6.7%.
With attention around soil carbon content and capture only increasing, playing a critical role in agricultural sustainability and climate mitigation, this phase of research took the time to analyse and explore any potential impact Sea2Soil has.
Sea2Soil soils had a soil carbon content of 4.65% a significant increase on the control soils at 3.45% (p = 0.003).
These findings are particularly exciting, with the change of 1.2% actually being a substantial shift considering the comparatively short time period Sea2Soil has been detectable in the soil.
Following the announcement of this exciting data, Sea2Soil will be continuing its work with both the Nottingham University Soil Department and NIAB into 2025 to further explore the capabilities of the product through extended field trials.
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