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Know How / Nutrition and fertiliser

Advice, case studies and insights on good nutrient management and fertiliser application for the best crop yields and quality. Get tips on when and how to apply nitrogen fertiliser to keep costs down, how to avoid nutrition deficiencies, problems such as lodging and how to achieve good sulphur levels for healthy soils.

Advice and tips

SUGAR BEET

Why early foliar nutrition is key to sugar beet establishment

Early foliar nutrition could be key to helping this year’s sugar beet crops establish following the winter washout, and help crops grow past the vulnerable 12-leaf stage. Continuous rain has…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How to tackle hefty spring arable workloads after wet winter

Spring workloads are mounting on most arable farms, so sorting fieldwork priorities to ensure optimum return on investment where crops are variable and harvest profitability remains uncertain is a tricky…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How foliar nutrition can kick-start crops and cut chemical costs

Foliar fertilisers could be a valuable addition to crop production programmes this season as a means of replenishing leached nutrients and overcoming stunted root systems left over from winter waterlogging.…

ARABLE

How to maximise performance of NUM3 legume fallows

A mix of familiar and new actions make up the Sustainable Farming Incentive offer launched last September, which seeks to protect and improve the farmed environment through various sustainable farming…

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Case studies

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How fulvic acid can cut glyphosate rates and help foliar N

Fulvic and humic acid could be beneficial additions to spray tank mixes, enabling growers to increase efficacy and successfully cut back glyphosate and fertiliser rates by one-third. Both fulvic and…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How two farmers are cutting back on fungicides this spring

Two arable farmers are planning to dramatically cut back their fungicide spend this spring, helping to overcome rising chemical costs. Wiltshire grower George Hosier aims to spend the absolute minimum,…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How treated urea is helping farms to improve NUE

New rules mean farmers can only use standard urea up to 31 March, but Velcourt is going a step further by only using urea fertiliser treated with an urease inhibitor.…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Crop nutrition focus saves farmer over £43,000 on costs

Staffordshire arable farmer Tim Parton believes pest and disease attacks can be successfully controlled through healthy crops and nutrition – so much so he slashed more than £43,000 from the…

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Insights

PULSES

Soil conditioner trial lifts vining pea yields by nearly 40%

Applying a phosphate enhancer to vining pea seed-beds led to an average yield increase of nearly 40% in Agrii trials carried out in conjunction with a Yorkshire vining pea co-op.…

SOILS

How FYM can increase soil oxygen and nitrogen use efficiency

Increasing soil organic matter levels through applications of farmyard manure can significantly increase soil oxygen levels, which in turn improves nitrogen use efficiency. The flow of organic carbon through soil…

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News

ARABLE

Phosphate fert could render urease inhibitors ineffective

There are potential concerns over Defra’s urea inhibitor fertiliser rules due to a incompatibility of phosphate fertiliser with the majority of urease inhibitors, which could render inhibitors ineffective. Origin Fertilisers…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Flood-affected farmers struggle to meet spreading deadline

Farmers in England have less than three weeks left to spread any urea that has not been treated with a urease inhibitor, with Defra adamant that the 31 March deadline…

ARABLE

Bristol start-up tests human urine as natural fertiliser

 A project is under way to develop a novel fertiliser made from human urine to help farmers move towards a sustainable future, NPK Recovery, a Bristol-based start-up, is developing a…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Trial brings hope for farmer-made low-carbon fertiliser

New technology that harnesses lightning’s nitrogen-fixing properties could revolutionise nitrate fertiliser production and supply, while cutting carbon emissions and improving soil health. An 18-month feasibility study between agri-tech start-up Debye…

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Podcast

OILSEED RAPE

FW Podcast Special: Prospects for OSR growers this spring

Farmers are returning to oilseed rape, having previously abandoned the crop due to pressure from cabbage stem flea beetle following the ban on neonicotinoid seed treatments. UK growers are gradually…

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Test and reviews

CEREAL DRILLS

New drill options for seed-bed fertiliser

New options for growers wanting to apply dry fertiliser when sowing spring cereal crops take different approaches to delivering the material, either down the same spout as the seed or…

MACHINERY

Spirit fertiliser and seed into place

Growers in Scotland who like to put down some fertiliser with their cereal seed will welcome the  the Spirit Next System Disc Combo (SDC). Using standard components throughout, the SDC…

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Video

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

New slurry treatment fixes N from air to create enriched fert

A novel slurry treatment unit that boosts the nitrogen content of liquid manures, using only air and electricity, aims to help farmers reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser, improve crop performance…

ARABLE

Video: Grower undersows with clover to cut fertiliser costs

A regenerative farmer is experimenting with white clover understories to reduce his nitrogen fertiliser bills and provide additional grazing for the ewe flock. The price of natural gas, a key…

POTATOES

Video: Potato planting races ahead in the Suffolk sunshine

Potato planting kicked off this week on one large Suffolk Breckland estate, with high hopes for the early-maturing crop after it went into the ground in ideal conditions. The light…

ARABLE

Video: Farm uses drone to even up rapeseed yields

Reducing variation in the thickness of oilseed rape canopies in a bid to pump up yields is the focus at one family farm in Northumberland, using a drone to provide…

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Webinar

ARABLE

Webinar: Combating fungicide resistance

Farmers need to find ways to combat problems in crop protection that are caused by development of resistance to fungicides. Pathogen resistance to fungicides is widespread. This is especially true…

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