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Know How / Crop management

Managing your crops through the growing season means careful nutrition and fertiliser use for maximum crop yields and keeping a watchful eye on pest, weeds and disease control.

Read expert advice, case studies, and tips on how to achieve the best yields and growth through best-practice crop management techniques, on all crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and more niche crops.

Case studies

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PULSES

Why pollinators are key to Scottish grower’s 6t/ha bean yield

Pollinating insects can increase bean yields by up to 50%. Emma Gillbard visits a farmer who is using beetle banks and grass margins to boost yield and cut chemical use.…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Eliminating chemicals helps future-proof pig and arable farm

Nick Dymond’s journey to chemical-free crop production began 10 years ago when he decided to escape the chemical conveyor belt and focus on soil health at the family pig and…

OTHER CROPS

How an Essex oat grower hit variable cost of £48.50/t

A focus on optimising crop inputs saw one Essex farmer spend just £48.50/t on variable growing costs for a crop of Mascani winter oats, the lowest in his benchmarking group.…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Dorset grower hopes for lift from septoria-hitting SDHI

Bob Rowe is turning to a new hard-hitting septoria fungicide across all his 700ha of winter wheat at the crucial T2 flag leaf timing later this month to gain from…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How couple are developing organic, no-till cropping business

Starting five years ago with an optimistic vision and a blank slate, first-generation organic farmer and emergency doctor Alex Fraser had a plan to produce healthy food for local people.…

BARLEY

Greater yield and margin for winter barley grower

Scottish grower Neil Ramsay is pushing the boundaries of winter barley production, striving for both yield and margin. He achieved a top yield of 13.5t/ha last harvest and has an…

Practical advice

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OILSEED RAPE

Cereals 2024: Why September drilled OSR can boost yield

Drilling oilseed rape from the second week of September rather than the typical August sowing window could be a strategic move for growers to boost yield potential. Latest research from…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Wheat growers advised not to scrimp on T3 sprays

Wheat growers are being warned not to economise on T3 sprays and risk exposing emerging wheat ears in such a wet high disease pressure year. See also: World’s first verified…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Tips for spring barley growers as lodging risk rises

Spring barley and oat growers are being advised to use plant growth regulator this spring to avoid yield losses in what could be a higher risk year. Growth regulators can…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Expert tips for T1 fungicide strategies in rain-battered wheat

Weeks of rain and higher-than-normal spring temperatures are creating challenges for T1 fungicide plans, with growers advised to be guided by drilling date and variety. In such a testing season,…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Advice on getting the most from Dawsum winter wheat

One of a strong line-up of hard feed wheats available to growers, Dawsum accounts for almost 20% of all the winter wheat being grown in the UK this year. Joining…

PEST MANAGEMENT

6 steps for granular potato nematicide best practice

Potato growers are being reminded to follow the best-practice protocol for granular nematicides this spring to ensure products are used safely and are protected for the future. Mark Taylor, chairman…

Insights

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2024: Advice on wheat actives to counter brown rust

Wheat growers are being urged to look at fungicide actives rather than products to control multiple diseases, and this has been highlighted by the early virulent attacks of brown rust…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2024: Exceptional year puts T4 spray in the frame

The need for a T4 spray was being discussed by agronomists and growers at the Cereals 2024 event, as crops continue to come under pressure from disease. With brown rust…

COVER CROPS

How to get the most from SAM2 overwinter cover crops

Many growers will have experimented with overwintered cover crops in recent seasons, with, it’s fair to say, varying levels of success. In terms of area, overwintered cover crops is the…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Tackling wild oats: How to identify and map problem areas

It is more than 30 years since the first wild oats with resistance to fops and dims chemistry were identified in the UK, and since then, some feel the problem…

OILSEED RAPE

Should growers persevere with OSR despite challenges?

The AHDB has estimated a near 30% drop in the UK oilseed rape area compared to 2023, making it the UK’s smallest crop for 40 years – at 280,000ha. With…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How harvest cultivations can help beat flea beetle in OSR

Shallow cultivations carried out shortly after the combine can help reduce adult flea beetle populations, but more research is needed to refine advice to growers. Speaking at a recent Limagrain…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Growers to benefit from new generation farm software program

Managing crop inputs and complying with pesticide legislation is set to become easier with a new farm management program that brings everything together into a single place. Up to now,…

OTHER CROPS

How to get the best out of IPM3 companion cropping in SFI

Companion cropping is perhaps one of the easier options to include in Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements, particularly if you’re growing oilseed rape or perhaps maize, or for an end…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Endophytes raise wheat yields by 0.6t/ha in trials

Applying an endophyte that takes nitrogen from the air and converts it to nitrate within the plant’s leaves increased wheat yields by 0.6t/ha, according to trials. Research also suggested that…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How farmers will benefit from new SDHI wheat fungicide at T2

Winter wheat growers will see a step up in the control of septoria, the crop’s number one disease, at the T2 timing this spring, with a new broad-spectrum fungicide offering…

PULSES

Soil conditioner trial lifts vining pea yields by nearly 40%

Applying a phosphate enhancer to vining pea seed-beds led to an average yield increase of nearly 40% in Agrii trials carried out in conjunction with a Yorkshire vining pea co-op.…

POTATOES

Why industry-wide effort is needed to beat potato viruses

Across Europe, a recent rise in seed potato crops being downgraded due to virus diseases sends a very strong message that action must be taken now to arrest the upward…

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