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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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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Farm trial prompts winter barley fungicide rejig

After taking part in a winter barley fungicide trial last season, Cornish grower Mike Hambly has rejigged his spray programme to include Revystar at the T2 timing. Working alongside agrochemical…

POTATOES

Lincs grower moves towards more sustainable spud production

Farm manager Simon Day is taking big strides in growing potatoes more sustainably and cutting their carbon footprint by widening his rotation, reducing costly cultivations and introducing cover crops to…

SOILS

How costs are falling for one regen farmer

The two big expenses on an arable farm – fuel and fertiliser – have been reduced significantly since Cambridgeshire grower David White decided to stop cultivating and move to a…

ELM

Famous Yorks estate prepares for new environmental schemes

One large North Yorkshire estate has mapped out its biodiversity and carbon footprint to give it a head start in applying for complex "public money for public goods" environmental schemes.…

VARIETY SELECTION

Kent growers assess two new Group 2 winter wheats

Two new Group 2 milling winter wheat varieties are being grown on one Kent farm, with both Mayflower and Palladium looking good ahead of harvest, and Mayflower so far a…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why a wheat grower is cutting inputs down to the bare bones

Most farmers would like to reduce inputs, especially considering current prices, but Lincolnshire grower John Charity has gone much further than most would ever consider this season. He points to…

Practical advice

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VARIETY SELECTION

Insecticide-free wheat varieties set for drilling autumn 2023

Insecticide-free winter wheat varieties are set to be available for growers to drill in autumn 2023, as one plant breeder has developed the first wheat varieties with resistance to the…

BLACKGRASS

Optimism for blackgrass control grows with new herbicide

Blackgrass control is set to become easier to achieve this autumn in winter wheat with the launch of the first new mode of action herbicide for decades, which outperforms the…

CEREALS

Cereals 2022: Budget better to help ease inflation pressures

Arable growers need to budget carefully, control cashflow and think hard about environmental schemes that take land out of production to help cope with cost inflationary pressures from higher fertiliser…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2022: 6 steps towards a sustainable farming future

Six key steps can be actioned for a more sustainable or regenerative approach to arable farming, as many farm business look to cut their reliance on increasingly expensive inputs. Alice…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2022: Options to manage wheat disease in dry springs

Wheat growers need to consider alternative disease control methods to cope with drought-stressed crops in the spring - such as inter-cropping, variety blends and grazing in the early part of…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Benefits of septoria tests in optimising T2 fungicide rates

A big farming group is trialling rapid disease detection tests to optimise its fungicide rates to control septoria, which, if successful, could be rolled out across all of its 16,000ha…

Insights

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NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Should farms sell or chop straw with fertiliser prices high?

The value of straw, whether for power stations or traditional forage and bedding markets remains, buoyant, and many growers will be looking to take advantage of that. However, with high…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Why OSR growers are enthusiastic in a high-cost season

Optimism surrounding oilseed rape for harvest 2023 continues, despite the high-cost climate, with many growers intending to either return to the break crop or increase their area, a study by…

ARABLE

Regen farming income blip as market volatility increases

High yields and rocketing commodity prices have created a financial "blip" for regenerative farming systems, with margins falling behind those of conventional farms in such an unusual year. Speaking at…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Largest UK weed survey reveals Italian ryegrass challenge

Results from the UK’s largest survey on Italian ryegrass has shown a complex and variable picture of herbicide resistance in the weed, emphasising the need for growers to test and…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How farmer trial will test Canadian combine weed seed mill

A group of UK farmers is taking part in a ground-breaking research project to test the effectiveness of harvest weed seed control units developed by a Canadian company. This non-chemical…

POTATOES

How new potato tech works to improve quality and yield

A specialist agri-tech research company has developed a number of camera and sensor based technologies to improve the quality and yield of potato crops, with plans to scale up across…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Analysis: What makes top arable farms more profitable?

AHDB data analysis has revealed the secrets behind the top 25% most profitable arable farms – and while yield is the most important factor, having a good handle on costs…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why grain analysis now could save on fertiliser next season

Farmers are being advised to get their grain analysed this harvest to help refine next season’s fertiliser decisions, with data showing the average uncertainty equates to £2,000 for an average…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Round-up of firms offering strategic arable advice services

At a time of unprecedented change in the farming industry, there has never been a greater need for impartial advice and direction. Given current uncertainty, strategic agronomy services are increasingly…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How variety blends can protect wheat against septoria

Researchers in France have shown that variety blends have the potential to slow the erosion of septoria resistance genes in wheat. There has been an increasing interest in growing variety…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Key lessons from £12m arable farming and wildlife project

A better understanding of the contribution made by nature-based solutions to improving the resilience of productive arable land and its ability to deliver higher yields has come from the recently…

PEST MANAGEMENT

New project tackles nematodes in potatoes and daffodils

A new three-year project aims to tackle the spread of plant parasitic nematodes in potatoes and daffodils using cover crops. Potato cyst nematodes (PCN) are a growing problem in Scotland,…

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Online resource

AHDB Encyclopaedia of pests and natural enemies in field crops

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AHDB Blackgrass: Integrated weed management

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AHDB The Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) Principles of nutrient management and fertiliser use

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AHDB The Nutrient Management Guide (RB209): Arable crops

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