Menu

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

BLACKGRASS

How to get the most from Avadex this autumn

Residual herbicide Avadex (tri-allate) has seen a bit of a renaissance in recent years, with many growers using the granules to get on top of blackgrass immediately after drilling, as…

ESTABLISHMENT

How to carry out a pre-season check on a StocksAg seeder

It wasn’t long ago that the little applicator was a slug pellet only machine, but in recent years it has gained a new lease of life as a second seed…

PLOUGHING AND CULTIVATION

The best way to manage stubbles after harvest

Unless you are one of a growing number of no-tillers or you plough every year, it is difficult to be prescriptive when it comes to post-harvest cultivation strategy. There is…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to get effective weed control when using flufenacet

Pre-emergence grassweed herbicide programmes based on flufenacet must be supplemented by cultural measures this autumn, after resistance testing confirmed reduced sensitivity to the active ingredient in blackgrass. For growers, this…

See all

Case studies

OTHER CROPS

Soya suits Bedford grower’s battle against blackgrass

Bedfordshire grower Matt Broadhurst turned to soya beans to help control blackgrass and improve his soils, and is looking forward to a good harvest later this month. He is hoping…

BLACKGRASS

How a radical blackgrass strategy slashed seed return

Edward Vipond has made radical changes to his cropping system in his ruthless quest to reduce blackgrass numbers by slashing the seed return. The weed has become a real headache…

WEED MANAGEMENT

7 steps to tackling a ryegrass problem

In the space of 10 years, one Essex farmer has improved a ryegrass problem, which had resulted in fields of wheat being cut for silage, to a situation where this…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Garford weeder ends crop failures at organic farm

Since starting to weed his cereal crops five years ago with a Garford mechanical hoe, organic grower Robert Hyde hasn’t lost any of his crops to weeds. In the past…

See all

Insights

CROP MANAGEMENT

3 pesticide approval changes to watch this autumn

Farmers Weekly’s regular update on the key pesticide label changes and potential implications to help you stay on the right side of the law. Use up Austral Plus-treated cereal seed…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Hybrid barley outcompetes both ryegrass and brome

Many growers are already harnessing hybrid barley’s spring vigour, its ability to build canopy quickly and its complex plant architecture to smother out blackgrass. However, independent research has now revealed…

BLACKGRASS

Why a major blackgrass project is looking at soil health

Improving soil health has now been included in Agrovista’s long-term blackgrass trial, as the company continues to refine its blackgrass management advice for growers on heavy land.  The project’s tried-and-tested…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Beet growers set to benefit from herbicide-tolerant varieties

A new generation of herbicide-tolerant sugar beet varieties promises to slash the number of sprays needed, while also allowing growers to bring weed beet-infested fields back into the rotation. Keeping…

See all

News

WEED MANAGEMENT

Flame weeding offers non-chemical alternative for stale seed-bed

A well-known vegetable grower in the south-west of England regularly uses a flame weeding machine to achieve a stale seed-bed before drilling expensive organic crops. See also: Digital weed zapper offers…

CEREALS

Cereals 2019: Electric weeding system to make UK debut

An alternative weed control technique that uses high-voltage electricity applied through purpose-built stainless steel applicators to kill weeds right down to the roots is coming to the UK later this…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2019: Better varieties and sprays set to aid growers

Cereal and oilseed rape growers will see more disease-resistant varieties and more effective pesticides next season to cope with the loss of active ingredients and a squeeze on profits. Wheat…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Successful wildlife margins need the right weeds

Wildlife margins should be situated next to bare earth, built up areas and water courses to limit the spill over of problematic weeds from adjacent habitats. A new study by…

See all

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…

See all

Video

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Garford weeder ends crop failures at organic farm

Since starting to weed his cereal crops five years ago with a Garford mechanical hoe, organic grower Robert Hyde hasn’t lost any of his crops to weeds. In the past…

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…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Phone app is cheaper way to monitor crops with a drone

A new smartphone app offers farmers a cheaper and easier way to monitor their crops, simply with a mobile phone and a cheap drone. Developed by Northumbria-based Drone Ag, the…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: 7 pre-season checks every sprayer should have

Spring is just around the corner and farmers up and down the land are drawing up battle plans about how best to tackle the impending mountain of work. With many…

See all