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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

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

5 top tips on getting the most from slurry on stubble

The post-harvest period is a crucial time for arable farmers putting nutrients back into soil before incorporating and drilling the next crop. However, applying slurry in hot conditions can reduce…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

7 tips to make fertiliser go further this spring

While many farmers have already purchased fertiliser for this season, there will be some who haven’t been able to do that, whether it’s because of storage restrictions, cashflow or other…

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

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…

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Case studies

CROP MANAGEMENT

Regen premium helps West Midlands family battle blackgrass

Regen premiums have given father and son James and Sam Daw the confidence to dedicate one-third of their cropping area to spring crops and tackle a growing grassweed problem. “It…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Norfolk estate trials liquid green fertiliser

The Holkham Farming Company is conducting the UK’s first field-scale trial of liquid green fertiliser. Undertaken in partnership with Omex Agriculture, it forms a key part of the estate’s wider…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

How funding is helping farmers with foliar nutrition efficacy

Prolonged conflict in the Middle East is having serious repercussions on fertiliser prices around the world, making Cambridgeshire farmer Tom Pearson’s foliar fertiliser project even more timely. Using home-produced foliar nitrogen,…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How grower varies seed rates and N to lift whole-field output

Wiltshire farmer Matt Fry is using variable seed rates and nitrogen to help maximise returns from each hectare of cropping. Farming 1,600ha of different soil types, ranging from heavy clay…

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Insights

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Later-drilled winter OSR will need tailored agronomy

Winter oilseed rape growers delaying planting until late August and into September need to adjust their agronomy to compensate for the shortened growing window before winter, says an expert. OSR…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Benefits of using an inhibitor when applying digestate

Farmers applying ammonium-rich fertilisers such as digestate should consider using a denitrification inhibitor to make the most of the nitrogen applied. Digestate is increasingly seen as a valuable nitrogen fertiliser…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Project aims to unlock nitrogen savings through soil biology

Why can two fields managed in exactly the same way differ so dramatically in nutrient efficiency, crop resilience or fertiliser response?  That’s what NutriGrow, a three-year Innovate-UK funded project launched…

POTATOES

Potato trials show little benefit from NUE products

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) products appear poorly matched to potato physiology and provide little benefit to the crop, according to independent Niab work carried out through the Cupgra Reference Crop…

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News

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Leaf scanner gives instant crop trace-element analysis

A handheld leaf scanner that provides real-time crop nutrient and trace element readings is now available to growers. The Nutriscope leaf scanner, developed by French firm Senseen, is a portable…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Cereals 2026: Phosphate guide helps growers boost efficiency

Improving how crops access phosphorus, rather than simply increasing fertiliser doses, is critical to enhancing farm productivity and water quality, according to a Phosphate Stewardship Guide launched at this year’s Cereals Event.…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Late N fertiliser still pays for milling wheat, says expert

Late season foliar nitrogen applications to help maintain milling wheat yields and ensure protein specifications are met could still produce a return on investment (ROI) of about 2:1 for growers…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

AHDB offers fresh advice with updated RB209 ferts guide

Arable farmers are set to benefit from updated nutrient management guidance designed to help them make the most of organic materials while balancing fertiliser use against cost. The AHDB’s latest…

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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…

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Video

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Why seaweed is key to biological crop market growth

The global market for biological crop protection products is expanding at a rate four-and-a-half times faster than conventional chemistry.  Valued at $8bn (£5.9bn) in 2020, this figure is expected to…

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…

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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…

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