Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation

Name

Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation

Legal name

Instytut Uprawy Nawożenia i Gleboznawstwa - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy

Website

https://iung.pulawy.pl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1950

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Polish state research institute operating the legally mandated Agricultural Drought Monitoring System (SMSR) and ONW delimitation system, serving Polish farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture, and advisory centers with nationwide drought assessment, soil science research, and 10 experimental farms.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Crop Production (11511), Water Supply and Irrigation Systems (22131)

SIC

Agricultural Services (700), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFACAKAA

Soil Testing & Nutrient Analysis Services

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Agricultural Testing & Diagnostics Services (Soil, Plant Tissue, Water)

SECONDARYAFACAKAC

Agricultural Water Testing Services (Irrigation, Groundwater, Surface Water)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Agricultural Testing & Diagnostics Services (Soil, Plant Tissue, Water)

SECONDARYAFACABAC

Yield Optimization & Crop Performance Consulting

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Crop Consulting & Agronomy Services (Soil Health, Nutrient Planning, Yield Consulting)

SECONDARYAFABAHAJ

Irrigation Monitoring & Sensors (Flow/Pressure Meters, Soil Moisture, Water Quality Sensors)

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Inputs & Agrochemicals/Irrigation & Water Management Inputs (Fertigation Chemicals, Water Treatment, Drip Consumables)

SECONDARYAFACAKAK

Fertilizer & Lime Quality Testing Services

Agriculture & Food Production/Agricultural Services (Custom Farming, Agronomy, Veterinary)/Agricultural Testing & Diagnostics Services (Soil, Plant Tissue, Water)

Keywords

• Agricultural research
• Soil science
• Drought monitoring
• Plant cultivation
• Agricultural advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Puławy

HQ country

Poland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government institutional funding (dotacje celowe MRiRW): IUNG-PIB operates as a Państwowy Instytut Badawczy (State Research Institute) funded primarily through targeted subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MRiRW). The institute's core systems (SMSR, ONW delimitation) are funded under multi-year government programs. This represents the dominant revenue stream supporting the institute's public mission.
2. EU research project funding: The institute participates in European projects (e.g., EJP SOIL, BIOEAST-SUP, Swiss Contribution Programme, Carbon Farming CE, LCAgri, AQUAGRI-KNOW) providing research grants and co-funding for specialized agricultural and environmental research activities.
3. Fee-based services and publications: The institute sells scientific publications (Wydawnictwa), plant breeding products (tobacco seeds), experimental variety testing (EDO), and rental of facilities. Testing and analysis services are provided on a fee basis (cennik available for room/land rental).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

IUNG-PIB operates the official Agricultural Drought Monitoring System (SMSR/ADMS) for Poland, generating 60-day drought reports for 14 crop categories across all 2,479 municipalities. The institute also conducts scientific research in soil science, plant cultivation, fertilization, and bioeconomy; operates the ONW Areas with Natural Constraints delimitation system; maintains 10 Agricultural Experimental Farms; and provides publications, laboratory analysis, doctoral and postgraduate education, tobacco seed sales, and fertilizer product opinions. Services are delivered under statutory mandate from the Polish Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MRiRW).

Product overview

IUNG-PIB operates as a Polish agricultural research institute offering a portfolio of interconnected monitoring systems, research services, and educational programs. The core platform is the System Monitoringu Suszy Rolniczej (SMSR/Agricultural Drought Monitoring System), which provides nationwide agricultural drought assessment through Climatic Water Balance calculations combined with soil vulnerability categories. This system is complemented by the ONW (Obszary z ograniczeniami naturalnymi) platform for natural constraint area classification, the Biogospodarka Geoportal for biomass analysis, and the Nawozy.pl registry for fertilizer products. Supporting modules include soil moisture monitoring, climate water balance mapping, and soil category classification. The institute additionally offers applied services including tobacco seed breeding, chemical analysis laboratory services, ecological variety testing, postgraduate education, a doctoral school, training programs, and publications including the Current Agronomy journal and Digital Library.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SMSR (System Monitoringu Suszy Rolniczej): Agricultural Drought Monitoring System - monitors drought conditions across Poland
• ADMS (Agricultural Drought Monitoring System)
• ONW (Obszary z ograniczeniami naturalnymi)

Products and services

• Agricultural Drought Monitoring System (SMSR/ADMS) A nationwide monitoring system that identifies agricultural drought-affected areas by calculating the Climatic Water Balance (CWB) from precipitation and Penman-method evapotranspiration data combined with soil vulnerability categories. Produces 60-day reports on drought conditions for 14 crop types across Poland's 2,479 municipalities. Outputs are formally transmitted to MRiRW and used as official drought determinations for government subsidy disbursement.
• ONW - Areas with Natural Constraints (Obszary z ograniczeniami naturalnymi) A platform providing data on Polish agricultural areas with natural constraints, covering bio-physical criteria, agricultural land evaluation indicators (WWRPP), and nature-tourism value indices (WCPT) for rural area classification at municipality and cadastral unit levels. Used for EU Rural Development Programme payment eligibility determination.
• Biomass Supply Potential Analysis Geoportal (Geoportal Biogospodarka) Interactive mapping portal for biomass supply potential analysis, providing spatial data on agricultural biomass resources across Poland's voivodeships for bioeconomy planning purposes.
• Nawozy.pl - Fertilizer Products Registry and Opinion Service Online platform for issuing expert opinions and maintaining official registers of fertilizer products in Poland, including microbiological fertilizer products. Used by fertilizer producers and the Ministry of Agriculture for regulatory compliance.
• Soil Moisture Monitoring Network (Monitoring Wilgotności Gleby) A nationwide network of soil moisture measurement points on representative soil types operational since 2008, supporting drought system validation and real-time soil water stress assessment for yield impact analysis during growing seasons.
• Tobacco Seed Offer (Oferta Nasion Tytoniu) Specialized tobacco seed breeding and sales program from IUNG-PIB's tobacco breeding operations, providing certified tobacco seed varieties to Polish tobacco growers on a fee basis.
• Main Chemical Analysis Laboratory (Główne Laboratorium Analiz Chemicznych) Fee-based analytical chemistry laboratory providing testing services for agricultural soil, plant, and fertilizer samples to farmers, agribusiness, and research clients.
• Doctoral School (Szkoła Doktorska) Doctoral programme at IUNG-PIB offering research training and PhD supervision in agricultural and environmental sciences.
• Postgraduate Studies (Studia Podyplomowe) Postgraduate educational programmes offered by IUNG-PIB in agricultural sciences for working professionals.
• Training Programmes (Szkolenia) Professional training programmes and workshops for agricultural practitioners, advisors, and researchers.
• Scientific Publications (Wydawnictwa) Publishing division producing scientific journals (including Current Agronomy), monographs, and educational materials, distributed via the IUNG-PIB online bookshop on a fee basis.
• Ecological Variety Testing (Ekologiczne Doświadczalnictwo Odmianowe - EDO) Programme evaluating crop varieties under organic farming conditions in Poland, supporting organic agriculture producers and variety registration.
• Cartographic Services (Prace Kartograficzne) Cartographic and GIS-based mapping services offered by IUNG-PIB using its in-house soil-agricultural mapping expertise.
• Hop Plantation Seedling Exchange Programme Programme supporting the exchange of seedlings on hop plantations in Poland, operated by IUNG-PIB.

Quantifiable outcome

• In the 6th reporting period (May 11 – July 10, 2026), drought conditions were confirmed in 1,623 gminy (65% of Poland) for spring cereals, 1,425 gminy (57%) for winter cereals, 1,214 gminy (48%) for strawberries, 1,012 gminy (41%) for fruit shrubs, and 537 gminy (22%) for grain maize.
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Ministerstwo Rolnictwa i Rozwoju Wsi (MRiRW / Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMRiRW is IUNG-PIB's primary institutional partner and principal funder. The ministry commissions the institute to operate the Agricultural Drought Monitoring System and ONW delimitation, with formal reporting obligations. The ministry uses the institute's outputs for national agricultural policy, subsidy administration, and EU Rural Development Programme implementation.
• Instytut Ekonomiki Rolnictwa i Gospodarki Żywnościowej – PIB (IERiGŻ-PIB / Institute of Agricultural Economics and Food Economy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIERiGŻ-PIB collaborated with IUNG-PIB on the ONW (Less Favoured Areas) delimitation project, specifically on the fine-tuning procedure that determines which areas qualify based on farming system intensity and structure. The EC confirmed positive assessment of the Polish methodology on June 29, 2017.
• Instytut Meteorologii i Gospodarki Wodnej – PIB (IMGW-PIB / Institute of Meteorology and Water Management)coreTechnology or IntegrationIMGW-PIB provides IUNG-PIB with meteorological data from its network of 55 synoptic stations and approximately 220 rainfall stations, which form the primary data input for the Agricultural Drought Monitoring System's Climatic Water Balance calculations.
• Krajowa Stacja Chemiczno-Rolnicza (KSChR) and Okręgowe Stacje Chemiczno-Rolnicze (OSChR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUNG-PIB collaborated with KSChR and OSChR on the national soil acidity (pH) survey (2014–2015), which involved 160,220 soil samples and informed the ONW biophysical criterion for soil chemical properties.
• Agencja Restrukturyzacji i Modernizacji Rolnictwa (ARiMR / Agency for Restructuring and Modernisation of Agriculture)majorTechnology or IntegrationARiMR provides LPIS (Land Parcel Identification System) data and animal identification/registration data used in the ONW fine-tuning procedure to assess farming system intensity at the municipal and cadastral unit level.
• Ośrodki Doradztwa Rolniczego (Agricultural Advisory Centers)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAgricultural Advisory Centers (ODR), including the Lubelski Ośrodek Doradztwa Rolniczego in Końskowola, collaborate with IUNG-PIB on farmer outreach, field demonstrations, and dissemination of drought monitoring data and research findings. The ODR network serves as a regional distribution channel for IUNG-PIB expertise.
• EJP SOIL (European Joint Programme on Soil)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean Joint Programme on Soil — a European research cooperation in which IUNG-PIB participates alongside other EU member state research institutes to advance knowledge on agricultural soil management and soil science across Europe.
• BIOEAST-SUP (BIOEASTs Sustainable Development and Spatial Planning Actions)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUNG-PIB participates in the BIOEAST-SUP project, a macro-regional cooperation addressing sustainable agricultural development and bioeconomy in the Central and Eastern European BIOEAST countries.
• Swiss Contribution ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUNG-PIB collaborates under the Swiss Contribution Programme (via agropronatura.pl), contributing to agricultural and environmental research projects co-funded by Switzerland and Poland.
• Carbon Farming CE (Interreg Central Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUNG-PIB participates in the Carbon Farming CE project (Interreg Central Europe programme) focused on carbon sequestration assessment in agricultural soils, building on the institute's long-term LCAgri project data.
• AQUAGRI-KNOW (EU Research Project)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUNG-PIB participates in AQUAGRI-KNOW, an EU-funded project aiming to compile knowledge on water management solutions for agriculture, including water retention in agricultural landscapes.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Rothamsted Research: UK's oldest agricultural research institution with comparable soil science and long-term agronomy research capabilities. Provides a benchmark for institutional agricultural research outside continental Europe.

Broad incumbents

• Aarhus University - Department of Agroecology: Danish public research institution with strong soil science, agronomy, and climate monitoring programs. Comparable as a publicly funded interdisciplinary agricultural research organization.
• Wageningen University & Research (WUR): Dutch public agricultural research institution with similar soil science, agronomy, and climate-smart agriculture mandates. Sets the benchmark for European publicly funded agricultural research.
• INRAE (France): France's national research institute for agriculture, food, and environment. Comparable as a publicly funded agricultural research organization combining soil science, agronomy, and environmental monitoring at a much larger scale.
• USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS): US federal agricultural research agency with extensive soil science, drought monitoring, and agronomy programs. Provides a global benchmark for state-funded agricultural research at scale.
• European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC): EU-level research body that assessed IUNG-PIB's ONW methodology and operates complementary soil and agricultural monitoring systems across member states. Operates higher up in the EU policy chain.

Direct peers

• Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI): Germany's federal research institute for crops, soil, and plant health. Closest EU peer given similar mandate structure, crop and soil focus, and federal ministry oversight.
• COBORU (Research Centre for Cultivar Testing): Polish state research and development center providing cultivar testing and meteorological data to IUNG-PIB. Comparable as a peer ministry-supervised organization serving Polish agriculture.
• IMGW-PIB (Institute of Meteorology and Water Management): Polish state research institute providing meteorological and hydrological data that IUNG-PIB directly integrates into its Agricultural Drought Monitoring System. Operates a similar public-mandate model for water and weather monitoring.
• Krajowa Stacja Chemiczno-Rolnicza (KSChR): Polish national agricultural chemistry station network collaborating with IUNG-PIB on soil surveys and ONW methodology. Provides complementary soil testing services under the MRiRW ministry.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iung_pib
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-iR_jhpJP6XFJJUuXk5UFg
• Facebookfacebook.com/iungpib
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iung

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation