What is the SKE-NMT Project?
SKE-NMT is an Innovate UK funded project exploring how kelp extracts can enhance nutrient management in agriculture. This project will investigate biological driven nutrient management strategies by leveraging the natural properties of seaweed biostimulants to improve soil health and crop performance. The aim is to improve plant resilience and support soil microbial and fungal ecosystems whilst reducing the reliance on chemical fertilisers.
Traditional nutrient management systems depend on high mineral fertilisers that have negative environmental impacts to watercourses and
soil ecosystems. Seaweed supplements produced from cultivated kelp contain a rich blend of nutrients and compounds that stimulate beneficial soil microbes and trigger a chain of biological processes that support crop
productivity and improve resilience to plant stresses and pathogens.
The SKE-NMT project is supported by a consortium of Algapelago, The James Hutton Institute, Atlantic Mariculture and the UK Agri-Tech Centre and builds on prior research such as the Innovate UK supported initiative on low-energy kelp extraction for soil and livestock applications.
Project partners
