Messium is based in London and has conducted trials in the UK at sites including this one in Yorkshire. Photo: Messium

UK COMPANY Messium is seeking opportunities in Australia to further develop its technology which uses hyperspectral imaging to measure in-crop nitrogen concentration levels in wheat.

Gained through satellite-mounted cameras, the images are analysed through the Messium platform to provide precise recommendations for fertiliser timing and amounts.

The innovation is currently being fast-tracked through the 2024 Grains Research and Development Corporation’s GroundUp program, which aims to accelerate solutions for Australia’s grains sector.

Messium chief executive officer George Marangos-Gilks said Messium had already secured agreements to conduct trials with several prominent smart farms and grower groups in Australia whilst also being involved in the GRDC-backed RiskWi$e initiative.

“Australia is our primary focus for early expansion efforts, and we are building vast connections across the continent, including researchers, local grower groups, and agricultural corporations,” Mr Marangos-Gilks said.

Ground, space insights

The Messium platform uses selected images processed using machine-learning technology, which is also fed crop-growth insights gathered on the ground, to generate nitrogen-dilution curves for each field.

These curves let farmers determine whether crops are above or below the optimum nitrogen concentration.

The insights are delivered to farmers within 48 hours of capture via email or text, and can be integrated into existing technology platforms, which allows for nitrogen fertiliser application rates and timings to be quickly adjusted to avoid over or under-fertilisation.

It’s a major shift from existing measurement solutions such as lab tests, which are time-consuming, and tractor devices, which are expensive and have low adoption rates.

Messium chief technical officer Vishal Soomaney Vijaykumar said his company’s hyperspectral remote sensing nitrogen concentration estimation system was groundbreaking for farmers in Australia and beyond.

Messium’s Vishal Soomaney Vijaykumar and Violet Hill with UK farmer Nick Wilson (centre) on his farm in Yorkshire.

“It’s the first product to offer farmers access to regular and accurate nitrogen insights, and the only one capable of true scalability,” Mr Vijaykumar said.

“By offering accurate in-field information, we provide the best possible anchor from
which to make rate and timing decisions on nitrogen application.”

Mr Vijaykumar said Messium’s extensive research in partnership with industry leaders showed a very high level of over-fertilisation in the UK, with similar rates likely in Australia.

“We have determined the average over-fertilisation error ranges from 15-30 percent, with around 60pc of farmers over-fertilising annually.”

He said use of the Messium platform has potential to minimise nitrogen leaching into groundwater, as well as significantly reducing nitrous oxide emissions.

GroundUp is a 12-week accelerator program run by the Agtech and Logistics Hub, which is powered by AgriBusiness Connect.

It was launched to drive innovation in the Australian grains sector, with a grower-led focus to find real solutions to improve productivity.

AgriBusiness Connect chief executive officer Thomas Hall said the innovators selected for this year’s GroundUp program offered a host of remarkable solutions.

“We are incredibly excited about the 10 innovators in this year’s cohort, who were selected from a large number of quality applicants from across Australia and beyond,” Mr Hall said.

“It’s great to see Messium working towards solving a major challenge in the grains industry – excessive nitrogen fertiliser application, which results in unnecessary expenditure for farmers, and adversely impacts the environment.

“We can’t wait to see how they further progress their solution throughout the program.”

“We hope the accelerator will provide further opportunities to expand our trial network to build on the 3000-plus data points we have already gathered from trials across the world that ensure accuracy of our machine learning models.”

Messium will be in Australia in late September and early October to meet with the Agtech and Logistics Hub, growers, and agricultural organisations.

It will also be present with other GroundUp participants to showcase solutions to end-users and potential investors at the 2024 GRDC GroundUp Day at the Agtech and Logistics Hub in Toowoomba on August 29.

Source: Agtech and Logistics Hub