Arable News

With wet ground hampering the lifting of sugar beet throughout the 2023/24 campaign, and beet still in the ground, British Sugar has announced new expected end dates for each of its factory sites.

Compounding the huge health and growth variation among winter wheat crops this year, recent research by NIAB has shown how leaf layer emergence can vary by 10 days or more within a variety – so accurately timing sprays will not be simple. Speakers at a recent BASF event gave insights into factors which will influence resilient disease control for the winter wheat crop.

A crop establishment trial to find out whether drilling wheat and barley crops in wider, shallower bands results in the plants making better use of the extra space is proving to be an effective strategy. David Williams found out more.

The Ceres Barn-Stormer Grain Pusher offers you an efficient and reliable method for controlling your cereal storage, the company says.

A tough few months weather-wise has resulted in some huge variations in crops across the country, posing numerous management headaches, not least for early weed control in winter cereals.

Effective early season weed control in sugar beet is essential, explains Adama UK herbicides technical specialist, Dr Bill Lankford – especially as an effective herbicide programme can deliver a 10–20% improvement in yield.

UK pea and bean growers are being invited to become ‘pulse pioneers’ by contributing to a ground-breaking farmer-led research programme.

Growers are being urged to test and/or treat farm-saved spring crop seed for diseases such as loose smut and seed-borne net blotch.

With just five new varieties recommended for the 2024/25 season, 10 removed and a much-improved layout, the latest Recommended List (RL) for winter wheats has a cleaner, fresher look that should enable growers and agronomists to navigate their way more effectively through a maze of data towards an informed decision.

Limagrain UK’s benchmark milling wheat variety, Crusoe, has claimed the top three positions in the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) Milling Wheat Quality awards.

Amidst growing concerns over the threat posed by fusarium basal rot (FBR), experts from the University of Warwick are embarking on a groundbreaking project, run by the British Onions Producer Agency (BOPA), aimed at saving the crop and revolutionising FBR detection.

A governmental financial boost along with British Sugar’s own funding will ensure further research into how gene editing can be used to benefit the British sugar beet crop.