The precision agriculture company Paul-Tech has introduced a groundbreaking innovation that is set to transform the farming sector. As of May this year, farmers can now see the amount of nitrogen available in the soil in real time, measured per hectare. No other company in the world has yet managed to offer this type of data through a reliable and proven solution.
This advancement is a direct result of feedback from Paul-Tech’s clients, who have frequently requested more precise information on nutrients—ideally shown in kg/ha. These requests encouraged the Paul-Tech team to continue researching how nutrients behave and move within the soil. As a result of this research, Paul-Tech’s Head of Science and Co-Founder, Tiit Plakk, concluded that it is indeed possible to determine the amount of nitrogen directly available to plants—accounting for both fertilizer input and naturally occurring nitrogen in the soil—based on the data collected by Paul-Tech.
According to Paul-Tech’s CEO, Mikk Plakk, this result is globally unique. “Various sensor technologies have been tested in the past to measure nitrate nitrogen in situ, ranging from multispectral cameras (NIR technologies) to ion-selective electrodes. However, none of these solutions have proven reliable in real agricultural soils—they require frequent recalibration or only function within a very narrow moisture range,” explained Plakk.
Paul-Tech has now integrated this nitrate availability data (NO₃) into its graph view. The NO₃-N graph is a powerful tool to help farmers decide whether fertilisation is needed at all, and if so, when. The graph is based on the differing behaviour of anions and cations in the soil solution and reflects both the NO₃-N added through fertilisation and that formed naturally in the soil.
Eve Plakk, Paul-Tech’s Product Manager and Co-Founder, noted that this feature has been in demand since the company’s early days. “One of the most frequently asked questions from our clients has been whether it’s possible to see nitrogen quantities in kilograms per hectare. We’ve now reached a point in product development where we can show this—and not just total nitrogen, but the portion that is actually accessible to plants,” said Plakk. “This has generated great excitement among both current and potential customers. It’s a major step toward ensuring every fertilisation decision is informed and justified.”
About Paul-Tech
Paul-Tech is a science-driven agricultural platform that empowers farmers to make better daily decisions using real-time soil data. The company’s soil sensors are built on generations of research and are designed to measure fertiliser efficiency and monitor various soil processes. Founded in 2019, Paul-Tech operates in Estonia, Finland, and Sweden. In 2024, the company expanded to the United Kingdom and Lithuania.