United approach on water and crop protection
Inviting closer collaboration with farmers, the water companies used the Cereals 2014 event to set out a need for greater ‘high risk’ catchment targeting, in order to protect water supplies. Hosting a stand for the first time at the event, Water UK, the policy organisation for the water industry, was supported by the Metaldehyde Stewardship […]
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 […]
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 […]
Maintain beet gene spread to include proven performance
Beet growers should select varieties that will maintain genetic diversity across their area for the 2015 growing season, advised Syngenta Technical Manager, James Evans. He warned against over reliance on a limited gene pool from one single breeder, which would increase expose to the risk of resistance or adverse conditions. “Industry advisors have countenanced caution […]
Tasmanian pasture experiment of global significance for future plant production
The results of a 12-year experiment by University of Tasmania School of Biological Science researcher Associate Professor Mark Hovenden could lead to major changes in the way farmers irrigate and fertilise the land – especially if they want to increase production by up to 90 per cent. On plots of pasture at Pontville in south-eastern […]
Better understanding of disease resistance genes in crops to secure future food production
A new understanding as to how plants defend themselves against some pathogens that cause crop diseases is proposed by researchers from the University of Hertfordshire to help scientists breed new, more successful disease-resistant agricultural crops. The new concept is called effector-triggered defence or ETD. Breeding agricultural crops for resistance against disease pathogens is essential in […]
Researchers seize the black-grass initiative
The urgent call for solutions to the current UK black-grass management challenge has seen HGCA and BBSRC join forces to co-fund a pioneering new research initiative – and growers are asked to play a crucial role in the project by providing black-grass samples. The £2.8m injection of funding has helped six UK academic institutions combine […]
Collaborative roots could reduce reliance on phosphorus fertilisers
Farmers could improve the efficiency of phosphorus in crop production by coupling plants with complementary traits, which would allow them to harness the ‘phosphorus bank’ already present in soils. Exploring the potential of ‘collaborative roots’ to make organic phosphorus available to plants is the objective of a new £1.2 million, three-year project undertaken by a […]
