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Know How / Wheat / Crop management

Every season throws up its challenges when it comes to managing wheat crops for optimum performance, from seasonal factors influencing diseases, such as septoria, and pest pressures to weed control and the ever-present challenge of blackgrass. Stay up-to-date with the latest thinking on wheat crop agronomy and how new technologies are being applied to solve complex issues.

Case studies

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Fungicide gives grower good returns in high septoria year

Chris Baylis is seeing a clear yield benefit in using a relatively new septoria-specific flag leaf fungicide on his winter wheat in high-disease pressure seasons, and is planning to use…

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…

SOILS

Herts grower shares experience with Johnson-Su bioreactor

A source of protozoa and nematodes, the extract from a US-invented composter is part of one Hertfordshire grower’s five-year plan to improve soil biology and cut costs. Richard Blair, with…

ARABLE

Hants arable farm extends regen approach to two vineyards

The decision to stop pedalling faster without gain and instead change the farming system to one based on regenerative principles was taken more than 20 years ago on a Hampshire…

COVER CROPS

How Arable Insights farmers are using cover crops in rotation

Whether it is to increase soil organic matter, provide grazing for sheep, prevent nutrients from leaching, or deliver extra income within the rotation, cover cropping has become a key part…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How integrating livestock in rotations cuts crop inputs

As sustainable farming practices become increasingly important, some agronomists and farmers are exploring how integrating livestock into arable systems can bring both environmental and economic benefits. By combining rotational grazing…

Practical advice

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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…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Advice on fungicide applications for profitable wheat

Extra focus on fungicide investment will be required this season, as budgets for a £170/t feed wheat price look certain. Despite suppressed grain markets, fungicides remain a significant investment in…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Advice on gaining a clear picture of soil nitrogen levels

With some uncertainty about how much residual nitrogen is in soils, growers are being urged to consider getting fields tested ahead of early fertiliser applications.  Hutchinsons fertiliser and crop nutrition specialist Rob Jewers says there are two…

COVER CROPS

How to tackle large cover crops before spring drilling

Some of the biggest overwinter cover crops seen in the past 15-20 years will need careful management ahead of spring drilling to maximise yields of the following crop. Oxfordshire-based Agrii…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Why variety and drill date are key to yield and disease

Growers looking to reduce fungicide use and reliance on synthetic chemistry are advised to start by focusing on two key decisions: variety choice and drilling date. While there is growing…

PEST MANAGEMENT

Wetter weather could see slug rise in newly drilled wheat

With more unsettled weather forecast across the UK following recent rain, slug activity is expected to rise, posing a threat to newly planted wheat crops. The hot and dry summer…

Insights

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DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust wheat threat mounts ahead of T1 fungicide sprays

Winter wheat growers face a heightened challenge of controlling septoria and yellow rust in their crops this season, with both diseases clearly visible in early spring. Farmers Weekly visited North…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

Fertiliser buying advice as Iran conflict squeezes supplies

Disruption in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US‑Iran conflict has stalled one-third of global urea trade, triggering pressure on UK fertiliser supplies. The situation is fluid and volatile, and…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust forces rethink of wheat fungicide programmes

Wheat growers are urged to re-evaluate fungicide strategies for 2026 now the new race of yellow rust has overcome the YR15 resistance gene widely used in winter wheat varieties. Jonathan…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

How two changes can triple the lifespan of SDHI fungicides

Winter wheat growers are being advised to utilise the four main groups of fungicides to help fight any build-up of disease resistance and prolong the life of newer products. This…

CROP MANAGEMENT

High crop yields key to gross margins and lower emissions

High yields are often associated with inflated input costs that erode profit and intensive systems which damage the environment, but emerging evidence tells a very different story. Insights from the…

PEST MANAGEMENT

How odour, sound and vibrations can control crop pests

Could weaponising odour, sound or microbes found naturally on crop leaves be the solution to some of the toughest pest challenges growers face?  From scent-based repellents that disguise crops from…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Yield cap and disease control in spotlight at agronomy event

The recent Agronomy Exchange conference (11 February) offered insights into how UK arable farming can be fit for future challenges.  Farmers Weekly rounds up some event highlights. Agronomy focus shift…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How climate change is reshaping agronomy

Evidence from long-term trial data and climate modelling shows that warmer summers, wetter winters and more extreme weather events are affecting yield reliability, disease pressure and pest risk. The key…

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…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Wheat dwarf virus widespread in UK, finds survey

A survey led by independent agronomists suggests that wheat dwarf virus may be more widespread in the UK than previously thought. Transmitted by the leafhopper Psammotettix alienus, the virus has…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

4 new nitrogen management technologies and how they work

Several firms across Europe are developing and launching new technologies for measuring the nitrogen requirements of arable crops. Improving nitrogen use efficiency has both environmental and economic advantages for farmers;…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Yellow rust resistance blamed on dominant market varieties

The large area of wheat varieties carrying the Yr15 resistance gene created the selection pressure that resulted in last year’s major varietal breakdown to yellow rust. Sampling carried out by…

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