Manure students nose out mucky details

A team of French academics has subjected the humble art of muck spreading to an unprecedented level of scientific analysis.

Frédéric Cointault and colleagues at the University of Burgundy have developed a high-resolution imaging system to take snapshots of fertiliser particles and track them as they fly from a centrifugal spreader at speeds of up to 120km an hour.

The aim of the research, published in The Journal of Measurement Science and Technology , is to improve the efficiency of muck spreading and reduce environmental damage along field margins.