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A collaborative project between seven universities, the SmartFarm Learning Hub (the Hub) aims to increase the knowledge and skill base of students studying agriculture and agribusiness in the latest agri-tech tools and systems. One motivation for the Hub is the current skills shortage in the agricultural industry and the challenge for university education to keep pace with the rapidly developing agri-tech systems and tools. The Hub will host numerous learning modules which use real industry technology learning systems (RITLS) using real-farm data allowing students to learn how to apply industry developed or commercially available systems and tools to solve an agricultural problem or manage a complex system. By completing these learning modules, students’ capability and readiness for employment within the agricultural industry will be increased. Reported are the evaluation of responses from students after completing the ProductionWise® learning module to the questions based on their perception of employability skills and practical content. Initial results demonstrate that the majority of students believe the content of the ProductionWise® practical is accurate and up-to-date with 87.5% of respondents either ‘strongly agreeing’ or ‘agreeing’ with this statement. The feedback received from students will used to improve the instructions and content of the practical for future cohorts.

Soil systems are characterized by the spatial and temporal distribution of organic and mineral particles, water and air within a soil profile. Investigations into the complex interactions between soil constituents have greatly benefited from the advent of non-invasive techniques for structural analysis. In this paper we present a review of the application of one such technique, X-ray computed tomography (CT), for studies of undisturbed soil systems, focusing on research during the last 10years in particular. The ability to undertake three-dimensional imaging has provided valuable insights regarding the quantitative assessment of soil features, in a way previously unachievable because of the opaque nature of soil. A dynamic approach to the evaluation of soil pore networks, hydro-physical characteristics and soil faunal behaviour has seen numerous scanning methodologies employed and a diverse range of image analysis protocols used. This has shed light on functional processes across multiple scales whilst also bringing its own challenges. In particular, much work has been carried out to link a soil's porous architecture with hydraulic function, although new technical improvements allowing the characterization of organic matter and the influence of soil biota on structural development are showing great promise. Here we summarize the development of X-ray CT in soil science, highlight the major issues relating to its use, outline some of the applications for overcoming these challenges and describe the potential of future technological advances for non-invasive soil characterization through integration with other complementary techniques.