New study measuring hidden cost of salt water on Lincolnshire farms
Researchers are investigating the long-term impact on crop yields to help inform future water management.
New research is aiming to find out how rising salt levels in farmland could affect crop yields across Lincolnshire and the UK's future food security.
The project, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), is being led by the University of Lincoln as part of Project Groundwater.
Researchers are investigating how changing water supplies and salinisation – where salt moves into soils and groundwater – could affect farming over the coming decades.
Lincolnshire produces more than 15% of the UK's food despite making up just over 5% of the country's landmass, making the county one of the nation's most important agricultural areas.
Project Groundwater coordinator Brett Rycroft-Jones said the research will help quantify the long-term impact if nothing changes.
He said: "Salt is a fantastic curing agent if you use loads of it. If you only have a small amount, it actually has a detriment to the yield, therefore to your profitability.
"So it has a knock-on effect that Lincolnshire, as a food producer to the UK, has an impact because of salinisation.
"We like to think we're getting to the bottom of what can be done, with recommendations and how that can happen."
The study will assess how salinisation could affect different crops and farming rotations over the next 30 years, helping build evidence to inform future decisions on water management, farming and food security.