• Early use delivers biggest benefits • Integration with regular agronomy • Clear health and resilience benefits Including biosolutions in conventional crop management programmes is helping to boost plant health and resilience. “There’s clear evidence emerging from our trials that using biosolutions early in a fungicide programme is where... Read more

Output and gross margin are priorities for breeder Cereal genetics that maximise productivity are becoming increasingly important for plant breeders keen to help growers boost profitability. Recent years have seen enhanced functionality added to crop options but high yields are also a priority – and the latest KWS varieties... Read more

‘Good for business and environment’ Fertiliser manufacturers say it still pays to apply urea – despite rules which mean it must be specially treated to reduce ammonia emissions. Restrictions which came into force last year mean urea spread after 1 April must be treated with a urease inhibitor. Audited... Read more

Growing miscanthus can improve farm business resilience – and increase profitability in less productive areas of the farm, says a crop specialist. Despite high establishment costs, miscanthus delivers greater profitability than wheat and barley over a 10-year period, suggests Terravesta. Beyond this point, the crop’s low maintenance costs further... Read more

Good spray stewardship is essential Farmers preparing to tidy up stubbles ahead of spring crops are advised to check the situation in the field before filling up the sprayer. Effective weed control from glyphosate depends on suitable application conditions – but growers reported were several cases of poor performance... Read more

Three new fungicide co-formulations have been launched – giving growers more options against cereal diseases. All three Adama products contain the active ingredient prothioconazole. Two incorporate the company’s Asorbital formulation technology to provide rainfastness and faster protection against key cereal and oilseed rape diseases. The first of the three... Read more

More than 70 farmers attended the inaugural client conference held by independent agronomy firm Indigro last month. Believed to be the largest one-day event of its kind by a UK-based independent agronomy company, the conference took place on 4 February at Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire. The day was themed around... Read more

• Wide range of wheat growth stages • Dilemma for early fungicide plans • Effective disease control is vital Extra care will be needed to manage wheat development and disease pressure this spring – as crops come out of winter in a wide range of growth stages. Variability will... Read more

Strong prices and lower growing costs mean spring oilseed rape is capable of delivering a healthy margin this year. A shortage of UK-grown rape and the need for growers to find profitable options to cereals in the rotation are creating a growing interest in the crop, says Sarah Hawthorne,... Read more

A nationwide initiative to assess cabbage stem flea beetle larvae levels in oilseed rape aims to encourage more farmers to grow the crop. The project is a collaborative effort jointly funded by Hutchinsons, Agrii, and United Oilseeds. Niab scientists have been analysing oilseed rape stem samples for flea beetle... Read more