New Trial Targets Faster Payback For UK Apple Growers

An on-farm trial is underway to assess whether biochar-based soil treatments can improve orchard establishment success, reduce financial exposure, and accelerate returns for UK apple businesses.

Image: BAPL

Funded by Defra’s ADOPT programme and led by topfruit grower organisation British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL), the project has now begun on two commercial production sites in Kent. 

Enhanced soil amendments are being examined to determine whether they can support stronger early tree growth and deliver more resilient orchards under UK conditions.

If successful, the trial could offer a scalable route to improving orchard establishment and reducing the financial risks associated with new plantings. 

This project builds on an earlier Innovate UK-funded project that explored the feasibility of biochar as a net zero solution for orchard wood at the end of orchard life.

Unlocking Quicker Returns

Considering that establishment costs can reach up to £40,000 per hectare, and with new orchards typically taking six years to reach full productivity, improving early performance is seen as a key lever for improving profitability.

The study focuses on the application of ‘charged’ biochar – pre-treated with nutrients and combined with beneficial fungi – placed directly into planting holes. 

This approach aims to encourage root development, enhance early vigour, and decrease losses during the essential establishment phase.

Rachel McGauley, research programme manager at BAPL, said orchard establishment remains one of the most significant upfront investments for growers.

“Anything that improves tree survival and speeds up early growth has a direct impact on profitability,” she explained.

Alongside agronomic performance, the trial will evaluate economic outcomes, including return on investment.

Work is taking place across two contrasting orchards in Kent, including a non-irrigated site, to ensure findings are applicable across a range of commercial growing environments.

Approximately 1,600 trees have been planted across four treatment groups, comparing standard establishment practices with biochar alone, and in combination with mycorrhizal fungi and Trichoderma.

Growers Under Pressure

Trial host grower Nick Overy said the work reflects increasing on-farm pressures, including tighter water availability and more variable weather conditions. 

“If we can improve establishment without relying on irrigation, that’s a big win for both cost control and resilience,” he pointed out.

The project comes as growers face rising fertiliser costs, stricter environmental requirements, and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns. 

Biochar-based systems could help reduce input dependency while maintaining performance all through improving soil structure, nutrient use efficiency, and water retention.

McGauley added that interest is growing in solutions capable of addressing cost, climate, and sustainability challenges simultaneously.

“This project is about testing whether that translates into real commercial benefit,” she noted.

The ADOPT programme supports farmer-led research targeting practical, real-world challenges, allowing growers to test approaches on-farm and share results across the sector.

Research findings will be released at on-farm events and via industry channels as the project takes shape.

Source: HortNews