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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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CROP MANAGEMENT

Potato expert cultivates soil-led resilience in systems

When John Sarup was named Farmers Weekly's 2025 Arable Adviser of the Year, the award recognised more than 40 years at the sharp end of specialist potato agronomy. Four months…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How Lincs grower reclaimed world record oilseed rape yield

Lincolnshire grower Tim Lamyman has reclaimed the world record oilseed rape yield, with a staggering 7.71t/ha crop. The record-breaking yield came during one of the driest growing seasons, where Tim…

ARABLE

How 6 farmers are managing fertiliser use in tight season

With margins tighter than ever, how is the Arable Insights farmer panel approaching fertiliser use in wheat crops this spring? Farmers Weekly asks six farmers across the regions for an…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Farmer tackles arable slump with push for more hectares

Norfolk farmer Robert Scott is seeking to take on more land for his contract farming business to maximise machinery and make resources go further. Over the past three years, the…

ARABLE

New entrant's journey from photographer to regen farmer

Starring in a film, returning home to help run the family farm, and continuing the transition to a regenerative system her father had started three years earlier have all been…

OTHER CROPS

How agronomist is helping growers earn more from niche crops

Armed with new research findings, analysis of farm yield data and many hours of crop walking, a team of agronomists are helping farmers maximise returns from their niche crops. For…

Practical advice

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PEST MANAGEMENT

10-point plan to beat flea beetle in oilseed rape

Oilseed rape growers are being urged to follow a 10-point plan to limit damage from cabbage stem flea beetles, with the most important factor being choosing a drilling date. AHDB's…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Advice on sugar beet weed control for summer 2026

Good crop ground cover will be key to managing herbicide costs in sugar beet this year, after dry conditions affected weed control programmes in 2025. Sugar beet growers should have…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Advice on fungicide applications for profitable wheat

Extra focus on fungicide investment will be required this season, as budgets for a £170/t feed wheat price look certain. Despite suppressed grain markets, fungicides remain a significant investment in…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Advice on gaining a clear picture of soil nitrogen levels

With some uncertainty about how much residual nitrogen is in soils, growers are being urged to consider getting fields tested ahead of early fertiliser applications.  Hutchinsons fertiliser and crop nutrition specialist Rob Jewers says there are two…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Potato growers reminded to follow 6 steps for nematicide use

Potato growers are being urged to follow the Nematicide Stewardship Programme (NSP) best practice guidelines ahead of spring planting to optimise inputs, protect crop health and support profitability. With input costs…

PEST MANAGEMENT

OSR growers advised to tackle CSFB with early nutrition

Oilseed rape growers are advised to apply a nitrogen-sulphur combination, once conditions allow, to boost spring growth and strengthen defences against pests like cabbage stem flea beetle. Will Oliver, Warwickshire…

Insights

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CROP MANAGEMENT

How climate change is reshaping agronomy

Evidence from long-term trial data and climate modelling shows that warmer summers, wetter winters and more extreme weather events are affecting yield reliability, disease pressure and pest risk. The key…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Cornish farmer puts variable-rate nitrogen tech to the test

Expenditure on nitrogen will be a key focus for arable farmers this season, with many looking to make marginal savings on application rates to make inputs go further. For those…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Beet moth threat: What farmers can do to mitigate risk

Beet moth has jumped up the risk agenda for sugar beet growers, as the 2025 sugar beet season marked a shift from isolated cases to economically damaging infestations in parts…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Growers advised to tackle grassweeds on dry February days

With residual herbicides running out of steam, growers are advised to check wheat crops for any emerging weeds and consider applying a February contact herbicide spray where needed. Last autumn…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Wheat dwarf virus widespread in UK, finds survey

A survey led by independent agronomists suggests that wheat dwarf virus may be more widespread in the UK than previously thought. Transmitted by the leafhopper Psammotettix alienus, the virus has…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Glyphosate – pros and cons of another GB licence renewal

After more than 40 years of continuous use in agriculture, the future of glyphosate is again in the spotlight following a succession of expirations, extensions and renewals since 2002. Last…

COVER CROPS

The role of cover crops in nitrogen management for potatoes

A review into how cover crops affect nitrogen uptake in following potato crops has confirmed one thing – it is complicated. Despite these complexities, the review also concluded that cover…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Wheat project examines effect of variety on weed suppression

An AHDB project has set out to investigate if different winter wheat varieties can affect levels of weed suppression. Effective weed control remains a significant challenge in wheat production, particularly…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

4 new nitrogen management technologies and how they work

Several firms across Europe are developing and launching new technologies for measuring the nitrogen requirements of arable crops. Improving nitrogen use efficiency has both environmental and economic advantages for farmers;…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust resistance blamed on dominant market varieties

The large area of wheat varieties carrying the Yr15 resistance gene created the selection pressure that resulted in last year’s major varietal breakdown to yellow rust. Sampling carried out by…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How beneficial rhizobacteria can reduce insect pests

Inoculating crops with beneficial rhizobacteria has been shown to reduce insect pest damage by priming natural plant defence pathways. Certain bacterial strains can activate internal defence mechanisms of plants, altering…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Foliar urea fails to deliver in AHDB trials

A foliar-applied urea nitrogen application failed to provide either a wheat yield response or grain protein increase across two different years in trials at AHDB Strategic Farm East at Morley…

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