Oilseed rape variety Pi Pinnacle is expected to perform well this harvest – despite the wet winter and challenging spring. Pinnacle sits top of the AHDB Recommended list of conventional rape varieties with the highest gross output and treated yield across all AHDB regions over three years of official... Read more

Growers are being urged to reconsider conventional oilseed rape varieties ahead of their cropping strategies for the 2024/5 season. New conventional rape varieties include several high-performing varieties based on targeted special traits, agronomic merit scores and shorter breeding cycles, say breeders and seed suppliers. Mark Nightingale, of Lincolnshire-based Elsoms,... Read more

Stubbornly wet soils and a high water table could increase the risk of wireworm damage in potato crops this season. Research over recent years has identified high soil moisture as a precursor for pest activity, with wet areas and flood plains increasing pressure levels, says Syngenta technical manager Andy... Read more

Agrovista Seeds has appointed an eastern region seed sales manager to meet increasing demand from growers looking for technical expertise and advice. James Barlow grew up on an arable farm in Nottinghamshire. After studying for a degree in agriculture at Lincoln University, he spent more than eight years with... Read more

A mild and wet first three months of the year threaten to result in a perfect storm for barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) infections this spring. Winter temperatures were rarely low enough to reduce populations of virus-carrying aphids – which have started to migrate just as crops are at... Read more

New oilseed rape genetics developed by plant breeder DSV are building on traditional pod shatter characteristics to increase harvest security in light of increasingly variable growing conditions caused by unpredictable weather. The company’s latest RL addition DSV Dolphin is the first new generation hybrid variety specifically developed to combine... Read more

Wild oats should be tackled early this spring following limited opportunities to create stale seedbeds or apply autumn herbicides. With waterlogged fields preventing many farmers from using cultural controls to tackle the weed, some growers can expect to face the challenge of controlling autumn and spring germinating wild oats... Read more

An eagerly awaited fungicide that promises big yield gains in wheat and barley has received authorisation for UK farms. Miravis Plus contains the SDHI pydiflumetofen – also known as Adepidyn technology. It is approved for use on a range of broadacre arable crops – including winter wheat, spring wheat... Read more