There are growing market demands for plant-based proteins and crops that add diversity to the crop rotation. This reflects consumer trends towards "sustainable" foods and the need for farmers to increase incomes whilst reducing environmental impacts. In these respects, field beans provide considerable opportunity. They naturally fix nitrogen (N), can be used for low environmental impact animal/human foods, and play a critical role in crop rotation, not least as a fill-in for oil seed rape where production is constrained by the lack of critical pesticides. Field bean net zero credentials are significant; they are grown without synthetic N and provide residual N for later rotations. By comparison, synthetic nitrogen is responsible for 83% of all UK field GHG emissions (16,873TCO2e, Crippa\_et\_al\_2021). Despite this opportunity, only 4.2% of UK arable land is used for bean production, but it can be extended to 20%, offsetting the carbon footprint for 2.3 million tonnes of soybean imports. This low acreage reflects highly variable yields (5.1t/ha, range 1-8t/ha) and low gross margins, but the potential yield is 13.7t/ha (White\_et\_al\_2022\_AnnAppBiol). Recent studies by PGRO, Yara and the BEAN-YEN network (White\_et\_al\_2022) have shown a considerable opportunity to improve yields and gross margins. These studies proved that poorly understood nutrient requirements are a key barrier to further scaling. For instance, across 318 farms, Yara showed substantial proportions of faba beans are deficient in K, Mg, Mn, Mo and B. Such nutrient deficiencies impair nodule activity, nitrogen fixation, and plant resilience to environments. New varieties have great potential to improve yields, but nutrient interactions are not understood. ANSWERS is a bold initiative which will resolve these challenges by: * Creating new research to develop practical nutrition plans to enhance nodule activity and nitrogen fixation, productivity, yield stability, protein content and climate resilience. * Developing new selection methods to accelerate UK-grown field beans. * Demonstrating profitable and sustainable net zero UK plant protein production supply chains. To deliver these outcomes, we will 1) manage cross-sector collaboration and research between leading technology providers (LSPG, Yara and PGRO), key UK farmers (Sentry Group, 20000ha) and HEI (University of Lincoln, UoL). 2) create novel nutrition plans specific to spring and winter beans, and 3) develop on-farm KE, co-creation and demonstration to drive adoption at scale. ANSWERS has high adoption potential, and all farmers will have access to know-how nutrient management plans that increase bean yields and margins whilst reducing environmental costs.

Soil microbiomes drive critical functions in agro-ecosystems, including soil fertility, crop productivity and stress tolerance. Previous work demonstrates that agricultural practices influence the link between soil structure and microbiome functionality. System-level agricultural management practices can induce structural alterations, thereby changing the microbial processes at the micro-scale. These changes have large-scale consequences, such as soil erosion, reduced soil fertility and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the major soil health indicators are categorised into three groups: physical, chemical, and biological. Soil assessments focus on soil nutrients, agronomic requirements, and management recommendations. Yet soil microbiology is an important component of the soil health discussion. With the recent developments in microbiome research, the established quantification of soil health, dominated by chemical and physical indicators, needs to dramatically evolve to include the importance of ecosystem services provided by soil microbial function as well as microbial biodiversity in this system. Together biotic and abiotic soil factors need to be integrated to inform soil-health indices which support the overarching sustainability goals. Several initiatives have already been reported, indicating a shift towards such multidimensional approaches. For instance, Neal et al. (2020) explored the interplay between soil carbon levels, soil physical properties, and the functional status of the microbiome to develop a paradigm for assessing soil health. Additionally, the Large-Scale Rotation Experiments (LSRE) provide an established experimental platform at Rothamsted which includes a matrix of agronomic approaches, initially proposed by Jowett et al. (2020), offering a nuanced approach to assess soil health indicators. Furthermore, Prout et al. (2022) devised a soil health indicator specific to the UK based on the SOC/clay ratio. To accelerate the development and adoption of these novel dimensions and concepts, a collaborative effort has been established among three leading entities: Eagle Genomics, renowned for their expertise in network graph and AI-augmented big data analytics and bioinformatics; Rothamsted Research, recognised for their proficiency in soil science and microbiome research; and CABI, experienced in the cryopreservation of environmental samples. This unique consortium aims to combine soil chemical, textural and microbiological measurements with cutting-edge analytical network science analyses. By leveraging these advanced techniques, the consortium aims to develop a new, distinctive holistic barometer, serving as an instrument to assess soil health and provide recommendations for improvement through innovative agronomic approaches. The collaborative nature of this endeavour enhances the potential for significant progress in understanding and managing soil health, ultimately contributing to sustainable agricultural practices and environmental stewardship.

This project addresses the effects of climate change in the UK on blackcurrant production, where the trend towards warmer winters has adversely affected dormancy break and subsequent crop yields and quality, substantially reducing profitability. The use of existing dormancy-breaking treatments, developed for other perennial crops, will be assessed for their efficacy in blackcurrant, their use optimised, and their mode of action evaluated. Best practice guidelines for growers will be developed. Additionally, models predicting responses to the chilling environment for different varieties will be established, and this information will be used to direct the use of dormancy-breaking treatments to improve yield and quality.

Grass yields currently achieved on-farm are less than half of the biological potential for the UK environment. One of the main reasons for low grass yields is the sub-optimal use of nitrogen (N) fertiliser and failure to account for spatial variation in N fertiliser demand within fields. Current methods of estimating fertiliser N requirements are complex and there is no method for variably applying N according to crop needs. This project aims to develop technology used on arable crops (Yara N-Sensor) to measure the N fertiliser requirement of grass crops. This will provide farmers with a simple, automated method of controlling more precisely the amount of N fertiliser applied to their grass crops. The benefits include greater grass yields, greater farm profitability and environmental benefits such as fewer greenhouse gas emissions and a lower risk of nitrate leaching. The consortium consists of Yara (lead & N manufacturer), ADAS (management & research), Precision Decisions (technical), Countrywide Farmers (knowledge transfer), and DLF Trifolium (grass breeders). This complimentary consortium ensures world class technical expertise alongside an effective route for exploitation.

This proposal aims to increase the supply and sustainability of protein produced for animal feed from oilseed rape-meal by optimising nitrogen (N) fertiliser nutrition for oilseed rape to increase the yield of seed, protein and oil. Objectives include; 1) developing the Yara N Sensor technology to allow foliar N fertiliser to be variably applied to meet differences in crop demand between and within fields, 2) identify the optimum timing of foliar N and 3) quantify through the use of feed formulations the nutritional benefits of the additional protein within the rape-meal for farm livestock, 4) transfer new knowledge and technology to farmers. Innovations will include developing N sensor technology to allow foliar N products to be applied more precisely and quantifying the nutritional benefits resulting from changes in the protein content of the crop which result from crop management.