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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

BLACKGRASS

How new herbicides can get bad blackgrass fields back on track

Growers will need to take a field-by-field approach to blackgrass this autumn given that drilling dates, seed-bed conditions, herbicide use and crop competitiveness have been so variable during this difficult…

BLACKGRASS

How to sample blackgrass for a herbicide-resistance test

Sampling and testing blackgrass for herbicide resistance can play a vital role in controlling populations of the annual weed, by providing growers with knowledge of the potential level of control…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How to tackle brome and stop it becoming the new blackgrass

The recent discovery of six populations of brome that are resistant to a key group of herbicides means that growers should adopt a zero-tolerance approach to the weed. Work carried…

BLACKGRASS

4 reasons why blackgrass strategies are failing to deliver

Reducing the weed seed bank is a key objective when tackling blackgrass, and early results from a project looking at seed numbers suggest four reasons why farmers aren’t seeing the…

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Case studies

WEED MANAGEMENT

Herts grower puts hoe to the test in narrow-row cereals

Precision-guided hoeing is being put through its paces on a Hertfordshire farm in an effort to improve blackgrass control in winter wheat and minimise the need for a spring-applied herbicide.…

MAIZE

How maize is helping grower cut costs and build soil health

Building an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant and doubling the maize area is enabling one Kent grower to tackle blackgrass in problem fields, improve soil health and cut fertiliser costs.  …

SPRAYING AND FERTILISING

Norfolk grower trials closed-transfer sprayer system

A closed-transfer system for safely mixing and loading pesticides into sprayers has been successfully piloted on several UK farms, offering benefits to operators and the environment. The system transfers neat…

BLACKGRASS

Cereal grower to ditch herbicides for inter-row hoe

Oxfordshire growers Alan and Richard Smith plan to cut their use of herbicides in winter wheat and spring barley after achieving great blackgrass control with a mechanical hoe. Post-emergence sprays…

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Insights

BLACKGRASS

Why farmers should tailor blackgrass strategies to dormancy

Trials being carried out at a blackgrass research site in Cambridgeshire show that farmers can gain extra control of blackgrass with their integrated approach by taking seed dormancy results into…

MACHINERY

Farmer-designed mower cuts and collects weeds before harvest

A new weed mower that cuts off seed heads and carts them out of the crop could accelerate interest in mechanical intervention for weed control in organic and conventionally grown…

SOILS

Tips on getting soils and rotations back on track

After one of the wettest winters on record, it could be assumed that UK arable soils will be in desperate need of first aid before the next cropping season begins.…

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News

WEED MANAGEMENT

Bayer to pay out $10.9bn to settle Roundup cancer claims

Bayer is to pay out $10.9bn (£8.78bn) to settle US lawsuits alleging its Roundup weedkiller causes cancer. The German agrochemical firm said the resolution will “bring closure” to about 75%…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2020: Sprayer app helps keep spray on the right target

Almost 250 sprayer operators are using a new app, only two weeks after its launch, to help them choose the best time to spray with which nozzles and settings to…

ARABLE

Glyphosate scientific evidence submitted to EU in renewal bid

A dossier containing 1,000 scientific studies on glyphosate seeking the renewal of the weedkiller in the EU has been submitted to the European Commission. Bayer CropScience, the company that manufactures…

BLACKGRASS

New mode of action blackgrass herbicide set for autumn 2021

A novel pre-emergence herbicide for grassweed control, including blackgrass in winter cereals, with no known cross-resistance is expected to be available for use in autumn 2021. Luximo, from manufacturer BASF,…

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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: The world’s first robotic weed mapping service

The world’s first commercial automated weed mapping service, capable of providing farmers with an individual plant view of their fields, is being launched across four UK farms this autumn. Developed…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: Could biodegradable foam curb weeds post-glyphosate?

An organic, biodegradable alternative to glyphosate may be available to growers in the near future, as a foam-based weed solution is being developed for agricultural purposes. Foamstream uses hot water…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Video: German grower warns against glyphosate ban

A German grower has warned against a ban on glyphosate and stressed that the alternatives are worse for the environment. Bernd Olligs, a sixth-generation farmer from Damianshof, near Dusseldorf, said…

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…

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