I have no idea what this Nat Plants Editorial is advocating for. Saying '..its a very complicated issue' is pretty feeble. But a wider question should be 'why aren't more people doing field trials'? Aren't they interested in seeing if stuff works in the real world? Or is that someone else's job?

Glad you liked the hamster wheel analogy! It's a pet (!) hate of mine that endless cycles of discovery are given preference over translational efforts to deliver some of actual value and benefit! The utility of academic novelty is grossly overestimated, IMHO.