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…

See all

Case studies

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…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Arable Insights farmers share spring nitrogen plans

Eight new Arable Insights farmers provide a barometer on fertiliser strategy for the coming season. We hear from each of the farmers on the current state of their cropping plans.…

WHEAT

Herbal leys and bicrops help hit organic wheat premium

Devon farmer George Greed is successfully using herbal leys, inter-crops and population wheats to hit organic milling premiums, as part of his nature friendly farming operation which has increased arable…

See all

Insights

ARABLE

Cover crop study shows yield benefits of destruction methods

Research funded by water companies has revealed significant differences between cover crop destruction methods for nitrogen availability in the following crop and weed control. A further project has highlighted the…

ARABLE

Which SFI actions can help optimise fertiliser use?

There are three actions for nutrient management in the current Sustainable Farming Incentive offer, all of which aim to optimise the use of nutrients and manage them more efficiently, so…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Can data from improving NUE unlock financial gains?

Integrating various technologies, including remote sensing, soil measurement and canopy sensors to provide real-time seasonal information, is the key to a new project aiming to improve nitrogen use efficiency on…

See all

News

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 Debeye…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Growers set to benefit from new biological foliar treatment

British farmers will soon benefit from a new biological foliar treatment that is claimed to improve nutrient use efficiency, boost crop yields and decrease reliance on artificial fertilisers. Based on…

See all

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…

See all

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…

See all

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…

See all

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…

See all