Growers switching to liquid fertiliser are being advised to start planning now for the autumn cropping season. A wet eight months mean more arable farmers are moving away from solid fertiliser, says Phil Burrell, head of crop nutrition for Yara. Now is a good time to start planning for... Read more

An emergency approval has been granted for paraffin oil product Olie-H in seed potato crops – helping growers tackle non-persistent aphid-vectored viruses. Non-persistently transmitted potyviruses – sometimes called mosaic viruses – are the most problematic viral diseases affecting British potato production. Currently, the dominant species is potato virus Y... Read more

The UK’s only manufacturer of slug pellets has received a King’s Award for International Trade –recognising the company’s growth in overseas sales. Supplying both the farming and the amateur home and garden sectors, Nottinghamshire-based Doff Portland has seen overseas sales growth of 300% over three years. Exports now represent... Read more

A ground-breaking project to show how pulses can reduce greenhouse gas emissions is set to enter its second year – including a number of Midland farmers. The Nitrogen Climate Smart (NCS) initiative aims increase pulse and legume cropping in arable rotations to 20% (currently 5%) – and displace up... Read more

Lincolnshire-based seed supplier Cope has launched three high-yielding varieties – offering growers a wider choice and more flexibility. The launch of spring wheat variety Everlong, winter barley Aretha and spring pea Marler coincided with a new company website and rebranding of the business, which was formerly known as Cope... Read more

A renewed focus on hybrid rye as an energy crop for anaerobic digestion could lift the UK planted area well beyond 50,000ha, say industry experts. “Hybrid rye is super flexible in the rotation and an excellent choice for growers,” says Agrovista arable seed product manager and agronomist Ted Williams.... Read more

The latest version of a free Integrated Pest Management (IPM) tool includes a new benchmarking feature so users can compare control strategies. In a season of early pest, disease and weed pressures, more than 880 farmers, agronomists and advisors have used the free IPM Tool to create over 1200... 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

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