Getting the right advice to tackle today's challenges: cereals provides the perfect shop window on the UK's arable research--and a great venue to find out how to put the results into practice, as crops finds out.(CEREALS 2009 PREVIEW)

Visitors to Cereals 2009 will find practically every arable technical topic they want to discuss covered by at least one of the 90 crop plots presented by 28 companies.

And some of the country's leading researchers, plant breeders and technical managers will be available, many knee-high in the crop plots for both days of the event.

"Exhibitors have put a huge amount of effort into using crop plots to illustrate what's happening in commercial and industry-funded R&D programmes and how to apply the findings to practical agronomy," says event presenter Jon Day.

PUNT BREEDING

Few visitors leave Cereals without visiting the HGCA Recommended List plots to catch up on variety developments.

Among the winter wheats, the latest additions to the Group 1 and the Group 3 categories, Gallant and Scout, are likely to attract more interest from growers at Cereals than the candidates, believes Clare Leaman of NIAB.

Gallant needs support from the millers, she adds. "We'll have more information after harvest on its market appeal."