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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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WEED MANAGEMENT

Organic grower turns to sheep to control weeds

Shropshire organic grower Mark Lea was concerned that docks might become a nuisance weed on his farm and, as he could not reach for a chemical can, he turned to…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How Cambs grower has halved glyphosate use

A Cambridgeshire farmer has dramatically halved the amount of glyphosate used, and this year he successfully grew some of his oilseed rape without using the herbicide. Glyphosate is the most…

OILSEED RAPE

OSR Masters: Growers make a good start to new season

Drilling dates have varied by five weeks and costs are being kept low as our Oilseed Rape Masters get this season’s crops up and away. Adam Driver, Driver Farms, Brockley,…

OTHER CROPS

Soya suits Bedford grower’s battle against blackgrass

Bedfordshire grower Matt Broadhurst turned to soya beans to help control blackgrass and improve his soils, and is looking forward to a good harvest later this month. He is hoping…

WHEAT

Kent wheat grower switches varieties to lift yields

Kent grower Alan Clifton-Holt is switching varieties to raise the harvested yields of his biscuit-making wheats – and foresees a good demand for his grain even in Brexit future. He…

BLACKGRASS

How a radical blackgrass strategy slashed seed return

Edward Vipond has made radical changes to his cropping system in his ruthless quest to reduce blackgrass numbers by slashing the seed return. The weed has become a real headache…

Practical advice

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CROP MANAGEMENT

Biostimulants - what they are and how farmers can use them

Biostimulants are being heralded as part of the solution to many of the challenges facing today’s arable farmers - from plugging the gaps in the declining fungicide armoury to dealing…

MAIZE

Undersowing maize with grass brings soil health benefits

Undersowing maize with Italian ryegrass can provide a low-cost way to prevent winter soil erosion and nutrient loss, and could give the added benefit of some autumn livestock grazing. Maize…

WHEAT

Advice on minimising the damage from BYDV in cereals

Winter cereal growers are being urged to focus on cultural controls - such as delayed drilling and good weed control - to ward off a major virus disease this season…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How tackling take-all can lift winter barley yields

There is a common perception that growers don’t need to use any control measures for take-all when growing winter barley. However, experts believe there is now a growing case. Changes in barley management…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

The best way to manage stubbles after harvest

Unless you are one of a growing number of no-tillers or you plough every year, it is difficult to be prescriptive when it comes to post-harvest cultivation strategy. There is…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Three low-cost ways to increase pollinators on farm

Wild pollinators help contribute £690m a year to UK food production and are crucial for the health of arable crops. While common species are showing signs of stability, other rarer…

Insights

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CROP MANAGEMENT

Bayer pumps billions into data-driven crop production

The paradox of feeding an estimated 9.7 billion people by 2050 without further damaging our environment and worsening climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time. With…

POTATOES

Why non-flail potato desiccation is still an option post-diquat

While the loss of diquat is a setback for potato growers, there are still viable chemical options for destroying potato haulm, according to early results from this season’s AHDB desiccation…

CROP MANAGEMENT

3 pesticide approval changes to watch this autumn

Farmers Weekly’s regular update on the key pesticide label changes and potential implications to help you stay on the right side of the law. Use up Austral Plus-treated cereal seed…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why more trials are needed to fill applied research gap

A lack of independent applied research in the UK arable sector is prompting calls for more on-farm trials to solve its most pressing practical problems. For many years after the…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How better aphid tracking could reduce BYDV spraying

Aphid monitoring at an individual field level could help cereal growers make better decisions about the heightened post-neonicotinoids barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) threat this autumn. Researchers investigating tools that…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Hybrid barley outcompetes both ryegrass and brome

Many growers are already harnessing hybrid barley’s spring vigour, its ability to build canopy quickly and its complex plant architecture to smother out blackgrass. However, independent research has now revealed…

BLACKGRASS

Why a major blackgrass project is looking at soil health

Improving soil health has now been included in Agrovista’s long-term blackgrass trial, as the company continues to refine its blackgrass management advice for growers on heavy land.  The project’s tried-and-tested…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Beet growers to stay vigilant amid reports of virus yellows

Sugar beet growers are being urged to remain vigilant amid the first reports of a forgotten disease, with monitoring highlighting the much higher aphid pressure in fields this summer. Virus…

ROTATIONS

Why herbal leys have been added to arable rotation trial

The benefits of adding sugar beet and herbal leys in arable rotations are being investigated in a long-term rotational study in Suffolk, reflecting the changing challenges faced by growers.  After…

OILSEED RAPE

Defoliation reduces flea beetle larvae numbers by 61%

An on-farm trial of defoliation methods in West Sussex has reduced cabbage stem flea beetle larvae numbers by up to 61% this spring. Larvae numbers in grower Paul Helyer’s oilseed…

POTATOES

How data-driven tools and training can lift potato yields

Data collection and analysis is playing an increasing role in modern crop production. Farmers Weekly explores how a digital tool and expert-led training can help improve yields and cut waste…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

3 high-tech gadgets for monitoring crop diseases

Within five years, farmers will be using technology to continuously monitor disease levels in crops, with the data helping to tailor their fungicides according to the risk. The problem with many diseases…

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Online resource

AHDB Encyclopaedia of pests and natural enemies in field crops

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AHDB Blackgrass: Integrated weed management

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AHDB The Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) Principles of nutrient management and fertiliser use

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AHDB The Nutrient Management Guide (RB209): Arable crops

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