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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

Why sugar beet growers should re-evaluate herbicide plans

Sugar beet weed control programmes are coming under increasing pressure from herbicide approval updates and rotational changes. As a result, growers should take time to review current strategies and plan…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Bur chervil becoming an increasing problem this spring

The broad-leaved weed bur chervil is becoming an increasing problem across the country, and must be targeted early this spring if good control is to be achieved. Independent agronomist Antony…

CROP MANAGEMENT

6 areas to improve sprayer operator efficiency

In order to hit crucial spray timings and ensure inputs work as effectively as possible, spray operators need to maximise their time spent in the field on good spraying days.…

POTATOES

AHDB trial helps farmer tackle major potato challenges

Growing potatoes has its challenges, and three years ago, one Suffolk grower was seeking solutions to problems such as potato cyst nematodes (PCN) and controlling weeds without linuron, as well…

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Case studies

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…

OTHER CROPS

Grower finds soya a good option after late-lifted sugar beet

South Lincolnshire grower Andrew Branton has turned to soya beans as a good crop to follow late-lifted sugar beet when there is little time to drill winter wheat. With British…

OTHER CROPS

How an Essex farmer grew a crop of mammoth millet

Millet has proved to be a profitable and low-risk addition to Essex grower Christy Willett’s rotation, being easy to grow while also commanding a good price. After making the decision…

BLACKGRASS

How Oxfordshire farmer cleaned up a bad blackgrass problem

Piers Cowling manages 1,170ha of variable soils in a renowned blackgrass hot spot, and six years ago he realised that radical changes were necessary if he was to continue growing…

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Insights

VARIETY SELECTION

How Clearfield varieties can tackle erucic acid in OSR

Rapeseed exceeding erucic acid limits continues to be a problem for crushers, resulting in farmers facing deductions or even rejections of loads. Erucic acid is a naturally occurring fatty acid…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How farmers can help prevent 'mass extinction' of pollinators

Arable farming needs to change in order to halt declines in biodiversity and prevent one of the worst mass extinction events in history, a leading US entomologist has warned. Bold…

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News

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Growth regulation in barley and leaf wax warning

Fungicide sprays have gone on in good time, and even in Scotland there have been few unsuitable spray days, with disease largely being suppressed in cereals. However, recent rains have…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: T2 spray decisions and leaf scorch problems

Crops are now racing through their growth stages, with winter wheat about to receive the key T2 fungicide sprays. Disease levels are relatively low and fungicide programmes are keeping a…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Bayer vows to fight glyphosate lawsuits

Agrochemical giant Bayer says it will fight claims that glyphosate causes cancer all the way – arguing that an “incredible amount of data” supports the safe use of the herbicide.…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Aclonifen potato herbicide gains full approval

The potato industry will have a new herbicide to use after Bayer received full approval for its new aclonifen-containing product Emerger. It joins a range of options that together should…

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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: 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…

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