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Know How / Crop management

Managing your crops through the growing season means careful nutrition and fertiliser use for maximum crop yields and keeping a watchful eye on pest, weeds and disease control.

Read expert advice, case studies, and tips on how to achieve the best yields and growth through best-practice crop management techniques, on all crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and more niche crops.

Case studies

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OILSEED RAPE

Oilseed rape grower sees helping hand from SFI

Hampshire oilseed rape grower Dick Hall is earning £369/ha from environmental payments, allowing the crop to rival winter wheat for profitability and making rapeseed the best break crop he can…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How integrating livestock in rotations cuts crop inputs

As sustainable farming practices become increasingly important, some agronomists and farmers are exploring how integrating livestock into arable systems can bring both environmental and economic benefits. By combining rotational grazing…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How 14 family business partners run a 1,600ha mixed farm

Whyte Bros Farm, north of Dublin, operates a unique farming system, with 14 family business partners running the 1,600ha farm. The collaborative journey began in the 1950s when seven brothers…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Signature seed dressing helps grow fungicide-free crops

Irish farmer Tom Tierney has been no-till farming for a decade and is using a specialist seed dressing to kick-start crops into action and grow them without fungicides. The signature…

COVER CROPS

How a lucerne living mulch is working in Denmark

A living mulch based on the perennial crop lucerne is allowing Danish farmer and agronomist Frederik Larsen to harvest more sunlight and produce two crops each year, while reducing costs…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How sheep, varieties and nutrition can help manage disease

Fungicides remain a central pillar in controlling disease on our Arable Insights farmer panel’s farms, despite most wishing to reduce chemical inputs as much as possible. However, managing nitrogen and…

Practical advice

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why growers need flexible T2 plans as dry spell continues

As the T2 spray timing approaches, keeping enough flexibility in spray programmes as the dry spell continues is occupying the minds of growers and agronomists alike. With T1 sprays completed…

CROP MANAGEMENT

6 steps to achieve correct sprayer setup this spring

A well-maintained sprayer is essential for accurate applications. We offer six handy tips to help achieve this. The busy spring spraying season is just around the corner, which means sprayers…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Plans to revitalise wheat after wet winter on Somerset farm

Crops are off to a soggy start at the Doble family farm in Somerset, after yet another wet winter which saw annual rainfall exceed the farm’s 10-year average. Last year,…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Fungicide tips for variable wheat this spring

With winter wheat at a wide range of growth stages coming out of winter, extra care will be needed to manage crop development and disease pressure this spring. Such variability…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why avoiding glyphosate on stressed weeds is advisable

Farmers preparing to tidy up stubbles with glyphosate this spring are reminded to avoid applications to stressed weeds, which can otherwise reduce glyphosate efficacy. Applications to stressed weeds – particularly…

WHEAT

How to manage Cheer wheat to maximise yields and quality

Farmers growing Cheer milling wheat for the first time this season are being advised to tailor their disease and growth regulation strategies according to drilling date. This approach will enable…

Insights

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Wheat rusts an added threat at Crop Doctor site for T2 spray

Yellow and brown rust control is set to become more important for winter wheat growers at the key flag leaf fungicide spray timing later this month as septoria is largely…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why parasitic weeds are a rising arable threat

Farmers are advised to be aware of the presence of parasitic weeds, especially if more diverse rotations are in place and legumes have been included in stewardship mixes or as…

PULSES

5 key factors for maximising pea yields

A multi-noded, tall-stemmed plant with deep roots is the key to farmers raising pea yields, according to a new pea growth guide. Researchers estimate that peas could yield 7-8t/ha on…

POTATOES

What new blight strain means for fungcide strategies in 2025

It was at the tail end of last season that monitoring by Fight Against Blight (FAB) confirmed the EU46 strain had been found in Wales and eastern Scotland, marking the…

POTATOES

Research reveals critical two-month period for potato yields

Setting up potato crops during the period between planting and the onset of tuber bulking to achieve optimum bulking rates is crucial for maximising potato yields.   This is according…

PEST MANAGEMENT

What first OSR to mitigate flea beetle means for growers

A hybrid oilseed rape that has been bred with resilience against cabbage stem flea beetle could make the difference between crop success and failure when deployed as part of an…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

April showers could change wheat disease outlook

Winter wheat growers are being urged to be wary of septoria and yellow rust if the weather turns wet leading up to key T1 fungicide spray timings at the end…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How a new test helps tackle herbicide-resistant weeds

Growers will soon be able to make more informed broad-leaved weed herbicide choices with a new rapid-resistance testing method nearing commercial launch. Much emphasis has been placed on improving knowledge…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Can biologicals help milling wheat growers hit protein specs?

Over the past couple of seasons, milling wheat growers have struggled to achieve 13% proteins, with AHDB figures showing Group 1s averaged the lowest levels in a decade at 12.5%…

SOILS

Why one farmer believes calcium is king of soil nutrients

Calcium forms the foundations of good crop nutrition, according to farmer and independent regenerative agriculture consultant Tim Parton. “Calcium is the juggernaut of elements, driving nutrition around the plant. Available…

SUGAR BEET

Tips on reducing herbicide resistance risk in sugar beet

Sugar beet growers are advised to take a proactive weed management approach to help manage the growing threat from acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibitor herbicide resistant weeds when growing herbicide-tolerant varieties.…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How tech trial is helping Lincs estate improve wheat inputs

Lessons learned from a technology trial are being rolled out across the rest of the cropping area on one Lincolnshire Estate, as part of an ongoing drive to improve nitrogen…

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