Creating weather resilience in a changing climate

• Advice to help mitigate extreme weather

• How to future-proof your farm business

• New diseases and old pathogens return

Innovative ways to overcome extreme weather will be shared this month at an event in Norfolk.

Organised by Agri-TechE, the Farming in a Warming, Wetter World conference takes place on 14 May at Norwich Research Park. It will include expert advice to support climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Increasingly frequent and unpredictable weather events during recent seasons have prompted more farmers to explore ways to future-proof their businesses against climate change.

‘Big trouble’

North Norfolk farmer Alistair Cargill grows crops ranging from potatoes to cereals. He integrates cover crops, livestock and minimum tillage throughout the rotation as much as possible.

“Climate change is real – we are in big trouble when it comes to food production worldwide and people need to understand the real dangers that are going to be forced upon us. But as land managers we can do something about that.”

Mr Cargill, who will be chairing part of the event, says his one of his biggest concerns is access to climate-resistant varieties. “We are growing varieties that have been around for decades, and I have major concerns about that,” he says.

“All the varieties we grow from wheat, potatoes, peas and oilseed rape are only being grown for yield and disease resistance. There is nothing being pushed for drought or flood tolerance, or these emerging disease pathogens.”

Milder and wetter seasons are creating significant challenges to crop management, with new diseases coming to light – and some older diseases re-emerging. These will be discussed during a session chaired by Diane Saunders.

Prof Saunders is a leading plant scientist at the John Innes Centre’s session. “Climate is becoming increasingly unpredictable, with extreme weather prevents having a direct impact on shifting pathogen distribution,” she says.

“This changing pathogen landscape makes it increasingly difficult to manage disease. It is particularly challenging where old diseases re-emerge, and the agricultural practices we once relied on as controls are long forgotten.”

Going forward, Prof Saunders believes there will be a significant shift in pathogen behaviour, with more extreme weather events moving inoculum into areas where it had not previously been seen.

Untapped resources

She says: “This is a real challenge, particularly with a push from the EU to reduce fungicide use by 50% by 2030, which is also reflected in the UK. However, genetics can help fill this gap and provide us with new opportunities for disease control.”

In her session, Prof Saunders will discuss which diseases are of particular focus for researchers and how previously untapped resources that are now available in genetics can provide greater resilience in our crops.

“The recent step change in wheat research presents many new and exciting opportunities to enhance breeding approaches and utilise ever-expanding genomic resources,” she explains.

Modern breeding has narrowed the genetic background of everything we grow, so we’re missing a lot of the original diversity that was once present, adds Prof Saunders.

“This untapped diversity presents us with great opportunities to develop more resilient varieties.”

Drill earlier to beat wet weather

Earlier autumn drilling is likely to undergo a resurgence due to the changing climate, says an agronomist.

Arable farmers have been advised for years to delay drilling to mitigate weed and some disease issues. But more commonplace wetter autumns mean more growers are bringing forward drilling dates, says Agrii agronomist Todd Jex (pictured).

“The last two years have rendered heavier and lower-lying ground virtually unfarmable because we could not get winter crops in as we had planned, or they have gone in such bad conditions they have not survived winter.

Drilling in early September can mitigate wet autumn conditions. But it isn’t without its challenges. These can include more grassweeds, higher levels of Septoria and other diseases in cereal crops.

In his talk, Mr Jex will explore how longer periods of very wet or very dry weather affect crop management – including establishment timings and crop choice – and how they can be improved by direct drilling and improving soil organic matter.

He will also address the challenges associated with regenerative farming practices, with earlier drilling potentially putting more pressure on herbicides, and turning away from one of the best tools to manage such grassweeds – rotational ploughing.