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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

Growers reminded to replenish nutrients after straw harvest

Tighter supplies, rising demand and expanding biomass markets mean straw prices are running close to the price of grain in some regions. Many farmers opted to bale straw this harvest…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Post-heatwave nutrition advice for autumn crop success

Informed nutrition decisions this autumn will be critical to establishing crops and strengthening resilience across arable systems, following the summer heatwave. Maximising every kilogram of nitrogen applied will require strong…

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…

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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

How UK heatwave has turned cereal straw pink

This summer’s hot and dry weather conditions have resulted in the occurrence of pink straw in some cereal crops, a phenomenon last widely observed during the dry summer of 2022.…

ESTABLISHMENT

Later-drilled oilseed rape requires tailored agronomy

Oilseed rape growers opting for a later drill date following the dry summer may need to adjust agronomy to compensate for the shortened growing period ahead of winter. “If drilling…

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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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