First OSR with sclerotinia tolerance available this summer
British Sugar managing director Paul Kenward has criticised labelling rules which allow imported sugar to be sold with a Made in Britain logo. Imported sugar can be sold with a Union Jack flag if it is processed and packaged in the UK – even if it was grown abroad. See also: Tariff-free sugar imports ‘devastating’ […]
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read moreWheat varieties get sharp downgrade in yellow rust rating
The yellow rust resistance rating of some major wheat varieties, such as Reflection and Diego, are being cut sharply after new races of the disease have been discovered. Seven winter wheat varieties saw a drop of two points or more in their yellow rust ratings, with Reflection downgraded to 3 from 6 on the AHDB scale, where 9 is good resistance and 1 is very susceptible. Biscuit-making wheats Britannia and Zulu and feed wheat Myriad all fell four points to […]
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read moreBrussels keen to press on with spray ban in EFAs
EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan is insisting his proposed ban on the use of pesticides on certain crops in ecological focus areas (EFAs) will go ahead. The plans are contained in greening simplification measures, due to be signed off later this year, and would affect catch crops, cover crops and nitrogen-fixing crops. See also: EU greening proposals will ‘make life harder not simpler’ Opposition to Mr Hogan’s ideas was voiced at Monday’s (10 October) meeting of EU farm ministers in […]
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read moreFarmer Focus: Lambs can't keep up with ryegrass
Ryegrass seed production is the most important crop here at Valetta, since it is the link between our arable and livestock business’ and a well-paying enterprise in its own right. But October can be very hard to manage. To maximise seed yield, we aim to promote tiller development and seed head initialisation with early nitrogen. Then we keep the crops grazed down to delay seed head emergence and reduce vegetative bulk to the plant growth regulator programme in reducing the chance of […]
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read morePatience rewarded as soil moisture spurs on grassweed chit
A rumbling of grassweed and pest activity features as a major talking point among our Crop Watch agronomists this week. Grassweed emergence is now firmly into its stride and Marion Self says growers’ patience will be rewarded if nerves of steel have triumphed over the itch to drill early into good conditions. Antony Wade notes that virus-carrying aphids are not hard to spot in cereal volunteers and suspects even seed-treated crops may need a follow up insecticide spray. In the North, Mary […]
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