Professor Christine Watson at the new SRUC research site with the different soils samples (Pic: Ross Johnston)
An Aberdeen crop trial field which has been providing Britain’s farmers with vital scientific data for 60 years is being dug up and transported a mile along the road.
Around 450 tonnes of soil – the equivalent of 90 full-grown elephants – is being taken by tractor and trailer from Woodlands Field at Craibstone to a pre-prepared field nearby to 'preserve the unique historical legacy of the soil’s management'.
The soil will be used for new research to better understand the relationships between acidity, carbon and nutrient dynamics and help design agricultural systems with lower greenhouse gas emissions.