ProPRECIKEM

Hankekoodi: 101851

Project description

The goal of previous PRECIKEM projects has been to develop targeted chemical methods that aim to enable farmers to continue to use acidic sulphate soils in food production in an environmentally sustainable manner. In the PRECIKEM project, a new method was developed for solving problems caused by acidic sulphate soils in agricultural use. In the method, the sub-irrigation technology already in use was developed further by mixing very finely divided lime and peat with the sub-irrigation water and pumping the suspension into the sewage pipeline.

The ProPRECIKEM project aims for the next level, where the PRECIKEM method can be put into real use. By developing and testing dosing and pumping technology in fields that are drained and cultivated, the PRECIKEM method is modified to be technically and practically usable for farming. In the past, projects have focused on monitoring the quality of drainage water, but during the ProPRECIKEM project, the effect of the method on crops will also be evaluated in a small-scale experiment at the Risöfladan test field. ProPRECIKEM aims to bring the technology to general agricultural use.

Goals

Acidification of waterways caused by acidic sulfate soils is Ostrobothnia’s most difficult water conservation problem. The goal of the project is to improve the state of waterways in Ostrobothnia by reducing acidic and metal-rich waterway emissions from acidic sulphate soils in agricultural use. In the ProPRECIKEM project, the implementation of the method developed in previous PRECIKEM projects to combat acidity originating from farmland is promoted in practical cultivation. In the project, the long-term monitoring of previous treatments will be continued, the effect of PRECIKEM treatment on crops will be evaluated on a small scale, sub-irrigation technology will be further developed, dosing and pumping technology will be developed.

Results

The project also demonstrates the method in another field and informs stakeholders. In the field campaign held in the summer 2021 two-layer submersible irrigation technology will be demonstrated. The small-scale cultivation trials will be completed during the harvest in late summer 2021. In the summers of 2021 and 2022, an automated dosing device will be demonstrated. The goal is also to get the method special support for agricultural environmental subsidies.