Crops articles from March 2007

Crops archives from March 2007

Top tips to combat disease and remain competitive: a new working group has been set up to establish guidelines to reduce the threat of club root in oilseed rape. Liz Robinson examines its initial findings.(TECHNICAL)
March 10, 2007... Over the past two years, the incidence of club root in oilseed rape has risen sharply. That is leading some experts to question the sustainability of current cropping techniques, let alone what is likely to happen when new biofuel plants come...

Atlantis over-use might be storing up future trouble: does your historical chemical use influence the build-up of grassweed resistance? Grassweed expert Stephen Moss has been trying to find out. Mike Abram reports.(GRASSWEEDS)
March 10, 2007... If sulfonylurea grassweed resistance continues to follow the pattern established by the fop/dim chemistry over 10 years ago, we could be about to go into "Disasterville", says Stephen Moss, grassweed resistance expert at Rothamsted Research....

Infected barley seed a Trojan horse? Will you be sowing ramularia trouble this spring? That may depend on whether your barley seed is carrying the disease. Sarah Henly explains.(RESEARCH IN FOCUS: RAMULARIA)
March 10, 2007... Barley growers may have to use a systemic seed treatment in barley to prevent yield and quality losses caused by ramularia, a leaf-spotting disease. Simon Oxley of SAC Edinburgh has highlighted the importance of the disease in a recent...

Formulation's key to optimum result: pesticide makers are increasingly focusing on formulation to improve product performance. Mike Abram finds out what this means for farmers.(FUNGICIDE PERFORMANCE)
March 10, 2007... Wanted: The perfect fungicide. Must reliably control all diseases in wheat, barley and oilseed rape; have flexible application timing; mix with any herbicide, insecticide, growth regulator, micro-nutrient; withstand any UK weather in field and...

Reap the rewards from old chemistry: Cherokee, a broad spectrum cereal fungicide introduced last year, can be employed at either early season timing. Liz Robinson finds out how one Suffolk farmer used it last year.(FUNGICIDE STRATEGY)
March 10, 2007... A strategy of low fungicide spend and excellent yields is what every farmer strives towards. And for grower David Barker this is exactly what he is achieving on his farm at Westhorpe near Stowmarket in Suffolk after taking on board independent...

PGR can make more of water: research suggests Syngenta plant growth regulator Moddus can help crops use water more efficiently. Mike Abram reports.(GROWTH REGULATION)
March 10, 2007... Applying the plant growth regulator Moddus appears to help wheat plants make better use of water, new research suggests. Sven Schubert from the University of Giessen in Germany spent two years researching the effect of both Moddus...

T0 sprays have a crucial part to play: will there be a marked increase in T0 fungicides this season? Agronomists believe so, reports Louise Impey.(T0 FUNGICIDES)
March 10, 2007... Unless the weather changes dramatically in the next fortnight, T0 sprays will be needed on most wheat crops this spring. Forward crops, high levels of disease and plenty of lush growth is a recipe ripe for T0 sprays, according to agronomists....

Challenge of coping with beet weeds: at first sight the challenge of controlling weeds in sugar beet looks to be a much bigger task this spring on one Suffolk farm. Andrew Blake examines the herbicide strategy being adopted.(HERBICIDES)
March 10, 2007... Having nearly twice the area of sugar beet to sow compared with last season could pose weed-control headaches for John Barrett on land managed for Sentry around Hedenham. That's the potential penalty of deciding to buy extra quota when the...

Link up to beat water shortage: collaboration will be crucial if growers are to overcome the threats to water availability, as Paul Spackman heard at this year's UK irrigation association conference in Peterborough.(IRRIGATION CONFERENCE)
March 10, 2007... Demand for irrigation water in southern and eastern England could rise by 20% by 2020 and the pressure on water resources--not just from agriculture--is increasing. That is why growers must start working together to develop contingency plans...

More broad-leaved crops means focus on herbicide programmes essential.(Challenging Weeds)
March 10, 2007... With oilseed rape acreage up by around a third this year due to renewed confidence in the crop, arable farmers are being advised to pay closer attention to broad-leaved weed herbicide programmes. SAC herbicide specialist Mark Ballingall is...

Cereal farmes at risk from some generic herbicides.(Challenging Weeds)
March 10, 2007... As more generic herbicides become available to UK arable growers issues around their cost-effectiveness, quality and environmental impact are being scrutinised by some professional agronomists. "I am really concerned," says independent...

Ally Max gives us the greatest flexibility.(Challenging Weeds)
March 10, 2007... Higher concentrations of sugar beet being grown in the eastern counties and a significant increase in the amount of oilseed rape drilled, has set a new challenge for herbicide programmes this season. "Growers must use appropriately timed...

Ally Max SX--more weed control for your money.(Challenging Weeds)
March 10, 2007... "The launch of Ally Max SX last spring was a great success" says DuPont Product Manager Alister McRobbie. "Agronomists & farmers have been quick to realise the advantages of a product that contains two very effective active ingredients at no...

'I' is for ... identifying high performance applicators: a small but significant letter "i"--for intelligent, perhaps?--marks out two of the most sophisticated trailed sprayers around. Peter Hill delves into the specifications of these high-tech applicators.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... It was probably just coincidence that Hardi and John Deere chose the same way of identifying their top-of-the-range trailed sprayers. But just as an "i" after a car's model number often indicates high performance potential, so the same letter...

Knowing spraying speed could make cost savings.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... Spray application research in Germany has backed up UK studies on the influence of forward speed on crop penetration. According to work by an independent agronomist, at 5-10km/hour more than half the droplets strike 60-80cm down the plants;...

Proportional flow to speed.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... Tecnoma's new range of sprayer controllers provide flow proportional to forward speed with manual and automated features added depending on the sophistication of the controller and host sprayer. The Novatec unit (pictured) produced by...

New kit for small tasks.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... Allman's Farmer range of tractor-mounted sprayers caters for growers wanting a simple, low-cost unit for non-crop and other occasional small-scale spraying operations. Using chassis and boom structures, hot-dipped galvanised for...

Caruelle control.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... A joystick control for Caruelle sprayers from Equipment Supply Services brings a number of key functions within easy reach of the operator. The semi-circular head of the joystick carries sprayline section on-off switches around its...

Hard wearing.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... Lechler has introduced a hard-wearing, venturi-type, low-drift spray nozzle with an acetal resin body and ceramic wearing components. The Ceramic IDK top--which won an Innovation award at this year's SIMA machinery show--produces a...

Rinsing nozzle.(MACHINERY: SPRAYERS)
March 10, 2007... Chafer Machinery's Mini Whirly self-powered spinning pesticide container-rinsing nozzle is being fitted as standard on all Chafer sprayers and can be retro-fitted to most other stainless steel hoppers. The Mini Whirly is positioned inside...

No more support, no more farmers: end this ridiculous optimism--it's time to confront the facts, says Stephen Carr.(CARR'S CORNER)
March 10, 2007... "The organisations that represent British farmers have always had a difficult job. Simultaneously representing the best interests of all the different sectors is nearly impossible. Higher grain prices, while good for the arable sector, do...

We need a better NRoSO: the time is right for a review, says Arthur Hill.(Podium)
March 10, 2007... "I know there has been a huge amount of emotion about the National Register of Sprayer Operators scheme lately. Many of its members are realising, at the 11th hour, the implication of not being able to accrue the full 30 points needed to stay...

Green schemes rejig is penny-pinching.(ONLINE BRIEFING)
March 10, 2007... Farmers keen to embrace the government's agri-environment schemes can be forgiven for being sceptical following news that the newly-formed quango Natural England wishes to move the goalposts. Ever since the incentives were announced, the...

FWi hit parade.(ONLINE BRIEFING)
March 10, 2007... Thousands of farmers seem to share the Crops team's sense of smugness at watching the BBC's Top Gear presenters making a complete hash of operating farming's everyday tools. The report of their satisfyingly limited tractor-driving skills...

Clearer view on spray labels.(VIEWPOINT)
March 10, 2007... Have you had a cross-compliance inspection of pesticide spray records yet? It seems, if the widespread concern from agronomists is any barometer, that the Rural Payments Agency has been quite the inspector--looking at records in such detail...

Why is there only one Competition Commission?(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
March 10, 2007... MONDAY * It's nice to see that Peter Kendall made it to the NFU AGM in his much-publicised bioethanol Saab in time to make the opening address. After that cliffhanger (see Friday), most of the excitement seemed to revolve around the...

Up to speed with Water Directive? Through a weighty ream of directives, Brussels is looking to preserve Europe's natural resources and biodiversity. Cranfield University's Peter Howsam picks out what growers need to know.(PERSPECTIVE)
March 10, 2007... Presumably you have read and inwardly digested the Water Framework Directive (WFD). And you are up to speed with the implications for your business of the proposed Soil Framework Directive. Then there is the Habitats Directive, Nitrates...

Small-scale energy production pays: Austria is a world leader when it comes to producing energy from renewable resources. Martin Davies discovers how its farmers are benefiting, and why UK producers could follow suit.(YOUR BUSINESS)
March 10, 2007... Austria's renewable energy credentials are beyond question. In 2005, more than 20% of energy used, and an amazing 70% of electricity, came from renewable resources. There are several reasons for this. The country has to import 90% of its...

Imminent IPU ban could spell trouble: two well-known herbicides will quite soon be banned in the UK. Andrew Blake looks at the implications.(TECHNICAL)
March 24, 2007... The loss of isoproturon (IPU) and trifluralin will put even more resistance pressure on the relatively few remaining graminicides in cereal growers' armoury. That's the initial industry reaction to further restrictions and the impending...

Determining a strategy to control stem canker loss: what can be done to stop stem canker losses in oilseed rape increasing? Andrew Blake finds out.(OILSEED RAPE)
March 24, 2007... The second warm, wet autumn running plus a 10% increase in sowings, mean English growers face a mounting threat from stem canker, which can slash yields. The first 10-20% spray thresholds for phoma were reached in mid-September this...

Resistance is a real threat: herbicide resistance in wild oats is often overshadowed by the more dominant blackgrass, but as Paul Spackman discovers, the problem is increasing.(WILD OATS)
March 24, 2007... One in 10 UK wild oat populations is estimated to have enhanced metabolism resistance and 3% fop-specific target site resistance, according to Syngenta. This may seem insignificant compared with blackgrass resistance problems--especially...

Early control will help Robigus off to good start ... Alchemy and Robigus account for about 30% of the UK's wheat area this season. Mike Abram and Paul Spackman find out how to manage them.(WHEAT DISEASE MANAGEMENT)
March 24, 2007... ROBIGUS Robigus' two main weaknesses--yellow rust and eyespot--and its comparative strength against Septoria tritici mean spending early on a robust early season programme is crucial, according to independent consultant Bob Simons. ...

... late-season inputs lift Alchemy.(WHEAT DISEASE MANAGEMENT)
March 24, 2007... ALCHEMY Eyespot will be a big challenge for growers of Alchemy this season, along with septoria, according to Nickerson wheat breeders. But while Bill Angus is playing down the threat from brown rust, later season applications are...

Arrival of Defy adds to spud armoury: potato growers have access to a new herbicide in Defy this season. Andrew Blake asked agronomists how they see it fitting into their weed control programmes.(WEED CONTROL: POTATOES)
March 24, 2007... With few novelties around in recent seasons, a fresh active ingredient to tackle potato weeds appears to be good news. Defy has been available to growers elsewhere in Europe for over 10 years, but was only launched for use on UK potatoes in...

'It's easy to make SUs, but difficult to make them well': the first generic sulfonylurea herbicide reached the UK last year. Andrew Blake examines what may be involved in switching from branded products to the cheaper alternatives.(BRANDED V GENERICS)
March 24, 2007... Sulfonylurea (SU) products have become key components in many growers' weed control programmes in the 24 years since their introduction. However metsulfuron-methyl (as in Ally) and others are coming "off patent" over the next few years, so...

Min-till makes up ground in Scotland: mixed cropping and the vagaries of autumn weather make minimum tillage less common in Scotland than further south in the UK. But the system is gaining followers, as Peter Hill reports.(CULTIVATORS)
March 24, 2007... Trials into the benefits and pitfalls of no-plough minimum tillage at the Scottish Crop Research Institute's farm at Mylnefield, Invergowrie, should help northern growers make more informed choices about when and where--and maybe whether--to...

Quad bikes make mapping easier: GPS field mapping puts a databank of valuable management information at growers' fingertips. And the best way to collect the data, say mapping service providers, is to sit aboard a quad bike. Peter Hill reports.(MACHINERY: ATVS)
March 24, 2007... There is no doubt that GPS technology has come of age. Yield mapping may have its fans and sceptics, but few doubt the value of being able to create accurate whole-farm maps or simplify the process of collecting and recording soil samples. ...

Performance of diesel makes economic sense.(MACHINERY: ATVS)
March 24, 2007... A revamped range of Massey Ferguson ATV quad bikes includes a diesel-engined version for the first time, as well as novel three-in-one machines that can be fitted with a passenger seat or tipping load deck. All have automatic transmissions...

Power behind steering.(MACHINERY: ATVS)
March 24, 2007... ATV riders who suffer aching arms after a day's slug pellet spreading on a big quad will welcome a new feature on Yamaha's biggest machine--power steering. As Andy Pumfrey of Yamaha Motor UK points out, riding a big ATV can be tiring,...

There's money in them thar' mudflats: Stephen Carr fast-forwards a decade to meet a model of farming success.(CARR'S CORNER)
March 24, 2007... "Single Business Identifier Number 367453999 surveys his farm from the comfort of his Discovery 6. The year is 2017 and recent times have been good to him. Back in 2007 many had forecast hard times ahead for UK farmers but such doom and gloom...

Developing marketing scale: invest public sector cash wisely, says Marie Francis.(Podium)
March 24, 2007... "Food and farming is the largest production industry in the UK. It is a major employer, forms a key part of the economy and occupies 80% of the national land mass. It is of vital importance, not just in rural areas but throughout the country....

Could you be farming's finest?(ONLINE BRIEFING)
March 24, 2007... The search has begun to find the best farmers in the land. The Farmers Weekly Awards 2007 will build upon the success of the past two years to showcase the best of British farming, rural enterprise and countryside management. Two...

FWi hit parade.(ONLINE BRIEFING)
March 24, 2007... News that reduced water volume spraying of some pesticides might jeopardise cross-compliance have grabbed the attention of visitors to Crops website (www.fwi.co.uk). Stories covering the topic took first and second place in the top five...

Regulators hit growers hard.(VIEWPOINT)
March 24, 2007... It looks as though the fate of two long-serving and extremely popular herbicides is all but sealed. Come July 2009 isoproturon and trifluralin will both be banned. The Advisory Committee on Pesticides identified an unacceptable risk to...

Paying the price of Mrs B's legacy.(JUSTIN MCDONALD'S DIARY)
March 24, 2007... MONDAY I have read a lot recently about the plight of tenant farmers looking to retire but not having enough capital to buy a house of their own. Over breakfast my eye was drawn to a report about the value of SFP entitlements in...

Home-grown fuel, but with no home to go to: biofuels. Are they really the best thing for UK wheat growers since sliced bread? Mark Hall, a farm business consultant with Strutt & Parker, has his doubts.(PERSPECTIVE)
March 24, 2007... So what effect are Uncle Sam's homeland fuel security problems having on your business at the moment? And what about the effect of all that hot air being generated by the global warming debate? You've probably not given much thought to them...

Swimming with sharks: a Kent farmer who persuaded Tesco to sell locally branded potatoes shows that small suppliers can work successfully with big retailers, reports Johann Tasker.(YOUR BUSINESS)
March 24, 2007... Nick Tapp is a man much in demand. He is late for our interview after a business meeting overruns and for the next 90 minutes our conversation is peppered with interruptions from his mobile phone. Kent-based St Nicholas Court Farms, of...

Entitlements chasing a home: entitlement trading for the 2007 claim year ends on 2 April. Suzie Horne reports on the market.(BUSINESS)
March 24, 2007... There is just one week to line up transfers of entitlements without land for the 2007 claim year. Activity has picked up considerably in the English market recently as the 2 April deadline approaches. But, with plenty of entitlements on offer,...

Getting the right results from farm co-operation: latest figures from arable farming groups in the east show there is plenty of scope to improve performance. Robert Harris reports.(FARMING GROUPS)
March 24, 2007... Joining forces with like-minded neighbours can be a great way to drive down costs and boost profits on arable farms. But there is no blueprint for success, and each group needs continually to reassess its performance to achieve the best...