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Know How / Weed management

Find out about the main pest threats and how to control them in wheat, barley, oilseed rape, sugar beet and potato crops. Get advice on dealing with pests including flea beetle, TuYV, potato cyst nematode and slugs, how and when to apply insecticides and what a permanent neonicotinoid ban would mean.

Advice and tips

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…

ARABLE

Advice on managing grassweeds after low pressure season

Successful weed control was a highlight of last year’s growing season, with some of the lowest blackgrass pressures recorded in the UK over the past decade. However, experts are warning…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to avoid weed burdens after land comes out of SFI

Land coming out of some Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options must be managed carefully to avoid unintended weed burdens in following cash crops. For options such as winter bird cover,…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Expert tips for chemical-free thistle and dock control

Mechanical topping just before flowering is one of the best non-chemical methods of controlling major troublesome perennial weeds such as creeping thistles and broad-leaved docks. This pre-flowering period is when…

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Case studies

WEED MANAGEMENT

How a farmer is planning weed control without flufenacet

Oxfordshire wheat grower Ollie Stobo has been using new autumn herbicide Fundatis to control his “medium” levels of blackgrass and some troublesome broad-leaved weeds. He has trialled FMC’s product across…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How two farmers integrate strategic glyphosate in rotations

Use of glyphosate – the most widely applied herbicide in the UK – has surged over the past three decades. In recent years that increase has been driven by the…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How growers returned environmental schemes back to cropping

Land in environmental stewardship schemes returning to the arable rotation must be managed carefully to avoid unintended weed burdens. We talk to two growers about how they have managed the…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Grower phases out herbicides in favour of mechanical weeding

As herbicide efficacy dwindles and fears of resistance build, East Yorkshire farmer Jonathan Hodgson turned to mechanical weeding as an additional weed control method. Recent dry spring conditions have provided…

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Insights

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…

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…

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…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to tackle the increasing problem of Italian ryegrass

Good crop rotations and cultivations are two critical factors in controlling troublesome Italian ryegrass in arable crops, in tandem with a good residual herbicide regime. These two cultural control methods,…

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News

WEED MANAGEMENT

Pesticide firm adopts CTS for beet herbicides

Crop protection manufacturer UPL is set to supply its straight sugar beet herbicide product range in cans that are compatible with the Easyconnect closed transfer sprayer filling system. Most sprayers…

NEWS

GB glyphosate licence renewal set to enter critical phase

The renewal of glyphosate’s licence in Great Britain is entering a critical stage, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) set to launch a major public consultation early next year,…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Post-em herbicide permitted for key winter wheat and barley

Farmers now have the option to apply Proclus or Bandur (aclonifen) in winter wheat and winter barley post-emergence up to the four-leaf stage, and the active can now be used…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Wheat growers urged to consider third weed spray in dry autumn

Cereals growers are being advised to take advantage of the good field conditions and consider a third residual herbicide spray in fields with a known grassweed problem. Hutchinsons technical manager…

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Test and reviews

New Defy 3D nozzle: Sprayer operators give their verdict

Agrochemical giant Syngenta has launched its new Defy 3D spray nozzle, which will provide growers with improved grassweed control and reduced spray drift. The new nozzle is an evolution of…

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Video

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Leicester farm trials weed seed unit on Fendt combine

Europe’s first Redekop seed control unit (SCU) fitted to a Fendt Ideal 10T combine, aimed at controlling weed seeds, is being put to the test this harvest in Leicestershire at…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Mechanical hoes offer solution to herbicide resistance

As herbicides are withdrawn from the market, resistance builds and growers seek more sustainable weed management strategies, an increasing number of growers are turning to mechanical weed control. Andy Baggott,…

SUGAR BEET

Video: Robotti successfully drills and weeds 150ha of sugar beet

Autonomous Agri Solutions and Sentry farming have teamed up to use a fully autonomous robot to successfully drill and weed a 150ha area of sugar beet across Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire.…

CEREALS

Cereals 2022: Watch the solar-powered FarmDroid in action

A fully autonomous, solar-powered robot capable of precision drilling and weeding was on display at Cereals this year. Using ultra-accurate GPS to record exactly where each seed is placed, the…

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Webinar

OILSEED RAPE

How to balance high inputs and market prospects for OSR

Although the price of oilseed rape has risen sharply largely due to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, so too have input costs such as fertiliser, fuel and energy costs. Therefore, oilseed rape growers…

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