Telling the GYPREG story...

BLOG 1. –  November 2023: It starts!

The kick-off meeting of the new GYPREG project is now over. Helsinki in November greeted our partners from Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Sweden and virtually also from Poland. The nicest thing in face-to-face meetings is just that, actually meeting the people you will be working with for the next 3 years. Once you’ve met the people, co-operation becomes much easier and more straightforward.

That’s why I especially liked that in the beginning we had a bit of a different type of introduction round. All of us were asked to deliver 3 pictures that captured our passion either in work life, personal life, or both. It turned out that our crew is nature and animal loving mushroom picking bunch, with some knitting and other diverse skills such as belly dancing and surfing. Of course, there were also presentations about the tasks to be done in each work package.

© Ljudmila Vesikko

And what is GYPREG? Well, The GYPREG project aims to reduce phosphorus losses from agricultural fields by applying gypsum, thereby addressing eutrophication issues in the Baltic Sea and coastal waters. The project involves close collaboration with authorities and farmers to adapt and implement gypsum application methods in pilot activities across partnering countries. The countries are in very different stages regarding the use of gypsum in this way. In Finland, we have many years of experience with it. However, in the other countries there is still need to study if gypsum will work in their soils as well and if so, whether gypsum is available to be used in those countries. The project will of course also create various awareness raising materials about gypsum and distribute them among stakeholders, especially farmers and agricultural advisors.

On the second day we got to see the gypsum in action when we went on an excursion to Lieto in South-Western Finland. There we saw a bucket scale demonstration showing how gypsum can clear the muddy water right before your eyes. Experts from another Finnish gypsum project (KIPSI) also showed us how to organize a large-scale gypsum amendment from start to finish.

The third and last day brought us back to Helsinki, to Viikki Campus at Syke’s headquarters. There we continued with some lectures, e.g. one concerning how the cost-effectiveness of using gypsum in different countries will be calculated. To keep the energy levels up, we also had a tasting of some Finnish chocolate and of course salmiakki, salty liquorice, which typically divides opinions. However, opinions were very unanimous regarding our mutual project. We have 3 years and a lot of work ahead of us, but with this bunch, I think we will be alright!

BLOG 2. – April 2024: So how does it work actually?

The spring is here and so is our brochure on gypsum. So, how does it work, and what’s the point of all this?

Gypsum can be spread on fields after harvest much like lime. But unlike lime, which is used to increase soil pH, gypsum aims to cut phosphorus run offs from fields into water bodies.

When applied, gypsum dissolves and helps improve soil structure, making the soil better at holding onto phosphorus and reducing phosphorus runoff. However, plants can get the phosphorus from the soil in the usual way, so there’s no need to worry about that. The best results come when gypsum is mixed into the soil.

Gypsum works in many types of soils, best in clayey soils, but also in silt, sandy, and organic soils. It also helps reduce the loss of organic carbon in

Graphics: Erika Várkonyi

the soil and provides sulphur, which is especially good for crops like cabbage and broccoli. It generally doesn’t affect crop yields or quality, although it can occasionally cause a temporary drop in selenium levels in plants.

Gypsum can also increase calcium levels in the soil, which might lead to a shortage of magnesium, especially in coarse soils. Therefore, gypsum

shouldn’t be used in fields lacking magnesium. It’s not recommended to combine gypsum treatment with no-till seeding, and it should not be spread on frozen soil or snow. Naturally, it has to be free of contaminants to be used in agriculture.

Gypsum doesn’t harm running waters or the Baltic Sea because seawater is naturally rich in sulphate. However, in lakes, sulphate might speed up eutrophication by releasing more phosphorus from sediments. Regulations may limit the use of gypsum in areas where groundwater is used for drinking.

In conventional farming, one can use gypsum that comes as a by-product from fertilizer production, while organic farming requires natural gypsum.

The effect of gypsum lasts about 5 years, after which the field needs a new treatment. So, gypsum helps quickly, but to reduce nutrient loading to the Baltic Sea, and to get our precious sea to better state more pervasive changes need to happen in all sectors that cause significant nutrient loading to the Baltic Sea. However, since big changes take time, gypsum can act as a temporary solution—a kind of band-aid.

Blog by Sari Väisänen, Finnish Environment Institute Syke

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