Menu

Know How / Weed management

Find out about the main pest threats and how to control them in wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and potato crops. Get advice on dealing with pests including flea beetle, TuYV, potato cyst nematode and slugs, how and when to apply insecticides and what a permanent neonicotinoid ban would mean.

Advice and tips

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…

OILSEED RAPE

Tips on growing successful oilseed rape companion crops

Companion cropping has received a mixed response among growers, most of whom have not been familiar with growing two crops simultaneously in the same field. Farmers are understandably wary of…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Tips on tackling five weed issues in no-till systems

Radical effects on weed populations and their management are seen in low-disturbance and no-till systems, reflecting that they involve far more than just changing the drill.  Niab weed expert John…

See all

Case studies

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…

MACHINERY

Contractor invests in Zurn blackgrass harvester

A small but growing army of combinable crop growers are resorting to medieval methods in their war on weeds, shunning modern chemical weapons in favour of decapitating their botanical enemies. It…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Velcourt turns to weed hoeing to cut herbicide costs

Mechanical weeding is being trialled, with promising results, in winter wheat and winter beans by one big farming company looking to trim escalating herbicide costs and counter the decline in…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why mixed farmer exited pigs to focus on agroecology cropping

Shropshire arable and pig farmer Harry Heath has begun a journey into the world of agroecology in the hope it will future-proof his business, having made the difficult decision to…

See all

Insights

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…

FARM POLICY

What to expect from Defra's pesticides action plan

A revised national action plan for pesticides must allow farmers continued access to effective tools to protect crops from pests, weeds and diseases so they can produce safe and affordable…

See all

News

BLACKGRASS

New blackgrass-beating herbicide Luximo launches

Winter wheat growers will have a new grassweed herbicide this autumn, with a new mode of action to control blackgrass and ryegrass, including resistant types, which the maker says will…

CEREALS

Cereals 2022: Watch the solar-powered FarmDroid in action

A fully autonomous, solar-powered robot capable of precision drilling and weeding was on display at Cereals this year. Using ultra-accurate GPS to record exactly where each seed is placed, the…

ARABLE

Glyphosate is not carcinogenic, EU regulator concludes

It is “not justified” to classify the weedkiller glyphosate as carcinogenic, the EU’s chemicals regulator has concluded. The European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) committee for risk assessment found that “the available…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Small Robot Company launches robot services to 50 farms

The Small Robot Company (SRC) plans to roll out Britain’s first fully autonomous crop-scanning service across 50 farms next season, which has the potential to reduce herbicide use by 77%…

See all

Test and reviews

New Defy 3D nozzle: Sprayer operators give their verdict

Agrochemical giant Syngenta has launched its new Defy 3D spray nozzle, which will provide growers with improved grassweed control and reduced spray drift. The new nozzle is an evolution of…

See all

Video

CEREALS

Cereals 2022: Watch the solar-powered FarmDroid in action

A fully autonomous, solar-powered robot capable of precision drilling and weeding was on display at Cereals this year. Using ultra-accurate GPS to record exactly where each seed is placed, the…

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…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Electronic robot weed zapper cuts inputs and carbon

Four farms will use field robots this autumn to identify weeds, which eventually will lead to electronically zapping them, in a move likely to appeal to growers looking at more…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: The world’s first robotic weed mapping service

The world’s first commercial automated weed mapping service, capable of providing farmers with an individual plant view of their fields, is being launched across four UK farms this autumn. Developed…

See all