The LLS-Erased project offers a well-timed opportunity to focus on improving the control of light leaf spot, and the field-based guidance available. “Farmer collaboration and knowledge is essential to build effective disease management tools and IPM testing protocols that are practical and cost-effective,” says Faye Ritchie, technical director at... Read more

A £2.5m project will see the first precision-bred oilseed rape grown on UK commercial farms – marking a major step towards the largescale growing of the crop. The project is being led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN). It is being funded through Defra’s Farming Innovation Programme, which... Read more

A forecast 30% rise in the UK oilseed rape area is looking good in the field, with well-established crops thriving as spring approaches. After several difficult seasons, growers returning to the crop report reduced pigeon damage and lower pressure from cabbage stem flea beetle across many key arable regions.... Read more

Farmers seeking profitable alternatives to traditional break crops flocked to last month’s maize growers’ conference. Almost 190 farmers and maize specialists attended the two-day event on 4-5 February in Leicestershire. Organised by the Maize Growers’ Association, it marked the highest attendance in the conference’s recent history. Some 240,000 hectares... Read more

Two companies behind a new crop nutrition programme say it is delivering strong results for growers across a range of arable enterprises. Cope Nutrition was launched by Lincolnshire-based seed and grain specialist Cope in partnership with crop nutrition specialists BioNature. It aims to help growers achieve higher, more resilient... Read more

Growers are advised to maintain their guard against cereal diseases in well-established winter crops this spring. Most winter wheat has established well and looks promising after early autumn drilling. But septoria risk could be higher in larger biomass crops. So too could yellow rust – especially in varieties affected... Read more

Wheat growers are being urged to reassess their fungicide strategies after a new race of yellow rust overcame the widely used YR15 resistance gene in winter varieties. Speaking at the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) annual technical conference, Jonathan Blake of ADAS said the breakdown marked a significant... Read more

Targeted input strategies will be essential if sugar beet is to remain profitable in 2025, as falling prices intensify pressure on margins. A £10/t price drop between 2024 and 2025 – with further reductions adding to the squeeze – means growers must extract more from every kilogram of fertiliser... Read more

A key pest has risen up the risk agenda for sugar beet growers, with the 2025 season marking a shift from isolated cases to economically damaging infestations. First noticed in UK crops just five years ago, beet moth is now here to stay, agronomists were told at the recent... Read more

Beet yields have improved in trials carried out on biostimulants – with better tolerance against key diseases too. Two plot trials during the 2024/25 growing season were carried out by Michael Rodger of Richard Austin Agriculture. Yields increased by 9% with improved disease tolerance against cercospora leaf spot, rust... Read more