New international collaboration to protect the world’s crops
Experts from the UK and India are working together to identify and develop novel environmentally-sustainable strategies to control plant pests, known as plant-parasitic nematodes or eelworms, to ensure global food production and security. This project is funded by the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI). Plant-parasitic nematodes are thought to cause annual losses to crops […]
High hopes for maize crops
Agronomists are optimistic for high maize yields this year as a result of warm seedbeds, good weed control and plenty of sunlight. Across most of the country agronomists report of a relatively trouble-free season; the majority of crops got off to a good start and are putting on robust growth as good growing conditions […]
Importance of disease resistance ratings on show at open day
Visitors to HGCA’s open day at Duchy College, Cornwall, got a vivid reminder about the value of varietal resistance when dealing with crop diseases. As is typical of Cornwall, the trial site faces particularly strong disease pressure, with this season’s warm, wet winter and heavy spring showers driving development of septoria tritici in wheat and […]
Weetabix export drive is good news for Gleadell growers
Farmers belonging to Gleadell’s Weetabix Growers Club could soon be sending more high quality wheat to the Northamptonshire-based cereal manufacturer. Weetabix, the UK’s second-largest branded manufacturer of cereals and cereal bars in the UK, is embarking on a major drive to break into the Chinese market. If successful, demand for products such as Weetabix, the […]
20pc increase in yield possible through agri-tech says Cereals seminar
New technologies in breeding, monitoring and decision-making have the potential to increase yield sustainably by 5% – 20%, according to speakers at a technical seminar hosted by Agri-Tech East at Cereals 2014. Seminar speaker, Dr Cristobal Uauy, wheat geneticist at the John Innes Centre (JIC) and National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) says that the […]
Bayer CropScience announces new wheat testing in the UK
Bayer CropScience is delighted to announce that it will commence wheat variety testing in the UK. Andrew Orme, Managing Director of Bayer CropScience in the UK said: “The UK Government now has a positive policy on modern, productive, and sustainable agriculture for the first time in years and we are responding in what is an […]
How the crop protection industry protects more than just crops
Meeting over the next two days in Belgrade, Serbia, a delegation of more than 50 crop protection industry and authority representatives will share information and discuss ways to ensure the sustainable and safe use of pesticide products, an important tool for Europe’s farmers. Each year the SUI conference is organised in one of the countries […]
EU Council vote pushes GM crop decision to Parliament
Campaign group GM Freeze expressed disappointment today as the European Union Environment Council voted “Yes” on a controversial proposal that could see GM crops planted in UK fields as early as next year. The UK Government strongly favours GM technology, but the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales are opposed. With two varieties of Roundup […]
UK food production ‘flat lining’ as EU over-regulation continues
The UK’s crop production toolbox is becoming worryingly depleted at a time when we need to be producing more crops, not less, the NFU said today. A new report ‘Healthy Harvest’ has been launched by the NFU at the Cereals Event today (Wednesday) in response to concerns that already flat lining UK crop production will […]
