Agronomy

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) has published payment rates for farmed saved seed.

With weather constraints making T0 applications challenging across the country, Hutchinsons provide some key take-home messages for barley growers.

Increased disease pressure, but also an increase in fungicide prices will mean growers need to carefully consider T1 programmes this season.

Growers who have delayed spring drilling due to wet conditions are advised to use vigorous varieties, increase seed rates and tailor crop nutrition to optimise late spring crops this season.

Met with one of the wettest springs for many years, sugar beet growers have been making slow progress with drilling.

Simon Nelson, Agrovista agronomist covering the northwest is encouraging growers to consider early nitrogen applications for late spring crops and advises on wheat and barley spray timings approaching this season.

Reports from the east of England suggest barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) is widespread in cereals and an agronomist advises growers to increase plant nutrition to help control symptoms.

Potato growers are facing a different proposition when it comes to weed control this spring compared to 2022 following delayed planting of much of the UK’s maincrop.