Arable farmers needed for Defra-funded crop trials
© Tim Scrivener The British On-Farm Innovation Network (Bofin) is recruiting arable farmers across England to take part in two major Defra-funded projects aimed at improving crop resilience and advancing precision breeding.
Growers are being invited to join the LLS-ERASED and Probity projects, working alongside scientists to generate practical, farm-scale evidence on disease resistance and next-generation crop varieties.
The LLS-ERASED project is seeking oilseed rape growers to help improve understanding and management of light leaf spot, one of the crop’s most damaging diseases.
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Participants will assess the disease performance of commercial varieties alongside novel research lines.
Precision-bred wheat trials
Meanwhile, the Probity (A Platform to Rate Organisms Bred for Improved Traits and Yield) project is recruiting farmers to evaluate two precision-bred wheat lines under commercial growing conditions.
The work will provide valuable data on how precision-bred crops perform on farm and help shape more resilient arable systems.
To take part, farmers must be based in England and have suitable fields – at least 5ha for oilseed rape or 4ha for wheat – along with accurate yield measurement equipment.
Trial participants will be paid for their time and must follow agreed trial protocols and share results.
Tom Allen-Stevens, Oxfordshire farmer and managing director of Bofin, said: “These projects put farmers at the centre of agricultural innovation.
“We’re looking for forward-thinking growers who want to play a part in the industry’s future while testing pioneering approaches on commercial farms.”
Light leaf spot solutions
He added: “Through LLS-ERASED, farmers will contribute to finding solutions to light leaf spot in oilseed rape.
“Those joining Probity will be the first to trial precision-bred wheat lines that could offer a step change in agricultural productivity.”
Bofin is also encouraging anyone interested in precision breeding to join its Sequence Circle online discussion group, even if they are not taking part in the on-farm trials.
For more information and to register, visit bofin.org.uk.
