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Know How / Nutrition and fertiliser

Advice, case studies and insights on good nutrient management and fertiliser application for the best crop yields and quality. Get tips on when and how to apply nitrogen fertiliser to keep costs down, how to avoid nutrition deficiencies, problems such as lodging and how to achieve good sulphur levels for healthy soils.

Advice and tips

WHEAT

How polysulphate fertiliser can lift wheat yields by 0.3t/ha

Sulphur plays a crucial role in plant growth and health and, without it, crops cannot reach their full potential and nitrogen use efficiency drops. “Sulphur is a life-essential nutrient for…

SUGAR BEET

Why early foliar nutrition is key to sugar beet establishment

Early foliar nutrition could be key to helping this year’s sugar beet crops establish following the winter washout, and help crops grow past the vulnerable 12-leaf stage. Continuous rain has…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How to tackle hefty spring arable workloads after wet winter

Spring workloads are mounting on most arable farms, so sorting fieldwork priorities to ensure optimum return on investment where crops are variable and harvest profitability remains uncertain is a tricky…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How foliar nutrition can kick-start crops and cut chemical costs

Foliar fertilisers could be a valuable addition to crop production programmes this season as a means of replenishing leached nutrients and overcoming stunted root systems left over from winter waterlogging.…

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Case studies

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…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How fulvic acid can cut glyphosate rates and help foliar N

Fulvic and humic acid could be beneficial additions to spray tank mixes, enabling growers to increase efficacy and successfully cut back glyphosate and fertiliser rates by one-third. Both fulvic and…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How two farmers are cutting back on fungicides this spring

Two arable farmers are planning to dramatically cut back their fungicide spend this spring, helping to overcome rising chemical costs. Wiltshire grower George Hosier aims to spend the absolute minimum,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How treated urea is helping farms to improve NUE

New rules mean farmers can only use standard urea up to 31 March, but Velcourt is going a step further by only using urea fertiliser treated with an urease inhibitor.…

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Insights

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…

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.…

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News

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Cereals 2024: Corteva’s N raises yields in 80% of crops

A biological product used in the 2023 season helped to fix nitrogen from the air and led to yield increases in 80% of crops of maize, sugar beet and potatoes.…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Spring leaf tests highlight key nutrient deficiencies in wheat

Early results from leaf tissue tests have indicated a number of nutrient deficiencies in winter wheat this spring. This means growers should closely monitor crops over the coming weeks and…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Growers warned tough year to meet milling wheat protein spec

With milling premiums currently above £60/t, wheat growers are being advised to beef up their crop nutrition plans in the coming weeks to ensure they meet milling specifications. Experts warn…

ARABLE

Phosphate fert could render urease inhibitors ineffective

There are potential concerns over Defra’s urea inhibitor fertiliser rules due to a incompatibility of phosphate fertiliser with the majority of urease inhibitors, which could render inhibitors ineffective. Origin Fertilisers…

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Podcast

OILSEED RAPE

FW Podcast Special: Prospects for OSR growers this spring

Farmers are returning to oilseed rape, having previously abandoned the crop due to pressure from cabbage stem flea beetle following the ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments. UK growers are gradually…

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Test and reviews

CEREAL DRILLS

New drill options for seed-bed fertiliser

New options for growers wanting to apply dry fertiliser when sowing spring cereal crops take different approaches to delivering the material, either down the same spout as the seed or…

MACHINERY

Spirit fertiliser and seed into place

Growers in Scotland who like to put down some fertiliser with their cereal seed will welcome the  the Spirit Next System Disc Combo (SDC). Using standard components throughout, the SDC…

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Video

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

New slurry treatment fixes N from air to create enriched fert

A novel slurry treatment unit that boosts the nitrogen content of liquid manures, using only air and electricity, aims to help farmers reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser, improve crop performance…

ARABLE

Video: Grower undersows with clover to cut fertiliser costs

A regenerative farmer is experimenting with white clover understories to reduce his nitrogen fertiliser bills and provide additional grazing for the ewe flock. The price of natural gas, a key…

POTATOES

Video: Potato planting races ahead in the Suffolk sunshine

Potato planting kicked off this week on one large Suffolk Breckland estate, with high hopes for the early-maturing crop after it went into the ground in ideal conditions. The light…

ARABLE

Video: Farm uses drone to even up rapeseed yields

Reducing variation in the thickness of oilseed rape canopies in a bid to pump up yields is the focus at one family farm in Northumberland, using a drone to provide…

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Webinar

ARABLE

Webinar: Combating fungicide resistance

Farmers need to find ways to combat problems in crop protection that are caused by development of resistance to fungicides. Pathogen resistance to fungicides is widespread. This is especially true…

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