In this issue..

In this issue... 

Hands-free hectares page 38 

Testing tech for precision agronomy 

Research conference page 32 

Rust resolution page 6 

Decision time on disease 

Sugar beet newbies page 59

Volume 19 Number 4 

Arable Extra March 2017 

Tom Allen-Stevens 

Jane Brooks 

Louise Impey 

Melanie Jenkins 

Editor 

Tom Allen-Stevens 

Technical editor 

Lucy de la Pasture 

Machinery editor 

Jane Brooks 

Writers 

Rob Jones 

Paul Spackman 

Lucy de la Pasture 

Design and production 

Brooks Design 

Advertisement co-ordinator 

Peter Walker 

Publisher 

Angus McKirdy 

Business development manager 

Charlotte Alexander 

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CPM Volume 19 No 4. Editorial, advertising and sales offices are at 

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Tel: (01743) 861122. CPM is published ten times a year by 

CPM Ltd and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers 

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In no way does CPM Ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the advice, 

recommendations or prescriptions reported in the magazine. 

If you are unsure about which recommendations to follow, please consult 

a professional agronomist. Always read the label. Use pesticides safely. 

CPM Ltd is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited material, 

including photographs. 

Opinion 

4 

58 

67 

Talking Tilth – A word from the editor. 

Trade Talk – An insight into the Cereals Event from director Jon Day 

Last Word – A view from the field from agronomist John Sarup 

Smith s Soapbox will return in April, and Lucy de la Pasture will again take 

the Last Word. 

Technical 

6 

12 

14 

18 

22 

28 

32 

36 

Disease control - New names for rust races 

Wheat pathogens have been dominating the headlines lately as they 

evolve, making control less predictible. 

Barley disease - Improve tactics to outsmart disease 

The results of two new surveys show there’s room for greater attention to 

detail with barley disease control. 

Tech Talk - Why molecular movements matter 

Discovering how a fungicide behaves throws light on its efficacy in the field. 

Sclerotinia - One spray or two? 

Expert advice on a disease that has the potential to decimate yields. 

Weed control - Weed worries shouldn’t drive spring sprays 

Dow AgroSciences’ new broadleaf herbicide Arylex makes promises of 

a more relaxed approach to spring weed control. 

Innovation Insight - Liquid logic has a way with weeds 

When Dupont scientists partnered fluroxypyr with sulfonylurea herbicides, 

it wasn’t just the spectrum of the one-can solution they improved. 

CPSB Conference - Spotlight on crop research 

The great and the good gathered at Peterborough Arena last month for 

the ‘Crop Production in Southern Britain’ conference. 

Blackgrass - Brampton goes west 

A new trial site in Oxon puts soil at the forefront of the blackgrass battle. 

Features 

38 

44 

48 

52 

54 

Precision agronomy - Robots take control 

Hands-free farming has come a step closer with a ground-breaking 

research initiative underway at Harper Adams University. 

Spring beans - Tapping into pulse potential 

Attentive agronomy and plenty of manure helped one N Yorks grower 

achieve the highest UK yield with his spring beans. 

Conference - Bring on Brexit 

Grab the opportunities that Brexit has to offer and look forward to the 

future, urged speakers at a conference organised by Väderstad. 

Spring barley - New barley hits the right note? 

With a 10% yield improvement on Concerto and even better quality, 

LG Opera may get top billing from maltsters. 

Insiders View - The new name for a farmer’s friend? 

Syngenta’s variety, Graham, offers a disease package that many growers 

may warm to. 

Roots 

59 

63 

Sugar beet weeds - Tips for beet newbies 

Sugar beet has been adopted as a blackgrass solution by a Suffolk 

grower after a long absence from growing the crop. 

Potato weed control - Life after linuron 

Potato growers received an unwelcome, if not entirely unexpected, 

Valentine’s day present from CRD in Feb - the issue of a withdrawal 

notice for linuron. 

crop production magazine arable extra march 2017 

3

Am I wrapped up 

in a bubble? 

There are mixed emotions when 

I see the sprayer out for the first 

time of the season. On the one 

hand, it’s good to get the spring 

work underway at last and 

to see the skirt of spray 

shimmering over the crop in 

the afternoon sunlight. 

On the other, this is glyphosate 

going onto a perfectly good crop 

of Skyfall winter wheat to spray 

out patches of blackgrass. That’s 

a tough choice in itself, but just 

that one sentence now brings in 

a third emotion. While it makes 

perfect sense to the CPM reader 

that we’re spraying glyphosate to 

take out blackgrass, to most 

EU citizens we’re spraying a 

carcinogenic pesticide to destroy 

a food crop. Why on earth would 

we do that? 

The row over glyphosate 

seems to have reached fever 

pitch, recently. The good news 

is that the European Chemicals 

Agency, ECHA, has reached the 

conclusion that glyphosate is 

safe. This is the body that decides 

what in our lives constitutes a 

hazard, from the plastic we 

put in babies’ mouths to the 

active ingredients we pop 

in the spray tank. 

The ECHA Risk 

Assessment Committee 

is made up of about 50 

independent scientists who 

advise the EC Standing 

Committee tasked with the 

re-approval of glyphosate. To do 

this, they’ve studied some 347 

scientific documents and carried 

out a comprehensive consultation, 

specifically seeking views from all 

sides of the debate. What’s more, 

they look at hazard, so their 

conclusion pretty much trounces 

any niggles of scientific doubt 

about the safety of glyphosate. 

But these days, it’s far from 

game over until the political 

argument is won. The Standing 

Committee is made up of 

representatives from all 27 

member states –– CRD 

represents UK interests –– and 

voting is proportionate to 

population within the EU. That 

means France and Germany have 

considerable weight, and they 

were among seven member 

states that abstained last time 

round, so the two-thirds qualified 

majority to approve glyphosate 

wasn’t reached. 

This means a fever pitch of 

debate on the issue may be just 

what’s required at present, as long 

as farmers can ensure they’re 

heard and it’s directed towards 

those member states that 

abstained last time, including 

France, Germany and Italy. 

And therein lies the rub –– it’s 

great what the NFU, what farmers 

across Europe and what many 

CPM readers are doing on Twitter 

to stress that #glyphosateIsvital. 

But in a world where noise 

matters and the side that shouts 

the loudest wins, farmers are 

but a squeak among the roar of 

public opinion. 

To give you an idea, in Jan 

this year, a European Citizens’ 

Initiative was registered to ban 

glyphosate. If a registered ECI 

gathers one million signatures in 

12 months, the EC is obliged to 

consider making it law. In just 

three months, the ECI has 

gathered 473,414 signatures. 

Sean Sparling’s petition 

to save glyphosate on 

www.38degrees.org.uk has 4929 

signatures. What’s more, a poll of 

French citizens carried out by 

Générations Futures found 

that 69% are opposed to the 

reauthorisation of glyphosate, 

with only 23% in favour. That’s 

potentially another 45M votes 

against glyphosate from just one 

member state. 

It’s not just in pesticide use 

where we find the viewpoint of 

farmers shockingly marginalised, 

and it’s not confined to continental 

Europe. Anyone who’s seen the 

footage of Brexit minister David 

Davis addressing the Exiting the 

European Union Select Committee 

recently will have witnessed the 

somewhat blasé attitude he has to the 

prospect of “30-40%” tariffs on UK 

agricultural exports into the EU. 

And that’s the minister who’ll be 

representing UK farmers’ interests in 

the forthcoming trade negotiations. 

It’s not right, and it adds an 

imperative to the drive to inform and 

to educate people about farming and 

where their food comes from –– we 

should and we must. But in doing so, 

are we enclosing ourselves more 

within our farming bubble? Brexit and 

forthcoming regulatory changes will 

quite likely burst that bubble of 

comfort, and only those who’ve 

looked outside it and prepared 

themselves for what lies ahead will 

ride the tide of progress. 

Which begs the question what will 

progress look like? It’s what we’re 

constantly searching for here at CPM, 

and we reckon there’s so much 

opportunity out there, we’ve put 

together an extra issue this month to 

flag it up. The fruits of what we’ve 

found lie within these pages, whether 

that’s a new spring barley, a fresh 

look at sugar beet, a different 

approach to tackling blackgrass or a 

way of farming the land without even 

setting foot on it. We hope it’ll help 

you focus on life outside the bubble. 

Tom Allen-Stevens has a 170ha 

arable farm in Oxon which keeps 

about 58,000 people from starving 

thanks to the food it produces 

#glyphosateIsvital. 

tom@cpm-magazine.co.uk 

4 crop production magazine arable extra march 2017

New names for 

rust races 

The Warrior (Red) race continues to dominate 

samples, says Sarah Holdgate. 

Technical 

Disease control 

Wheat pathogens have been 

dominating the headlines 

lately as they evolve, making 

control less predictible. CPM 

gathers the latest on UK 

pathogen populations from 

UKCPVS and gets an update 

on septoria management 

from Agrii. 

By Lucy de la Pasture 

and Adam Clarke 

2017 marks the 50th anniversary of 

UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey 

(UKCPVS), set up in the wake of the 

outbreak of a new race of yellow rust 

that made its mark on Rothwell Perdix 

in 1966. 

“The objective of the survey was to 

provide a coordinated examination of 

resistant varieties to enable the early 

detection of new races of plant pathogens 

to prevent such a lack of knowledge, as 

evidenced in the Rothwell Perdix outbreak, 

from happening again,” explains Dr Sarah 

Holdgate, outlining the history of UKCPVS 

at the annual stakeholder event, held at 

NIAB in Cambs earlier this month. 

The old 

system of naming 

is no longer 

suitable. 

“ 

” 

Fifty years on and UKCPVS has a 

proven record of flagging up newcomers in 

the rust population, highlighting the arrival 

of the Joss Cambier, Hornet, Brigadier, 

Madrigal, Robigus and Solstice races. 

Their provision of diversification tables has 

helped growers choose a mix of varieties 

to reduce the risk of yellow rust going 

rampant and allowed breeders to select 

the appropriate resistance genes in 

breeding programmes. 

Exotic incursion 

But in recent years, yellow rust has upped 

the ante with the arrival of the Warrior race 

in 2011, an exotic incursion that behaves 

differently and has now completely 

replaced the native races. The yellow rust 

population is currently so disparate that the 

production of diversification schemes has 

become obsolete. 

The extreme diversity has also thrown 

up difficulties in the naming of new races, 

traditionally named after the variety whose 

resistance they first overcame. Last 

year this led to a revision of the Warrior 

sub-groups, though this was far from 

ideal. The fact that some Warrior races 

are avirulent on the variety Warrior, proves 

to be a mind-bender when it comes to 

classifying them, she explains. 

Under last year’s system, a sub-group of 

Warrior pathogens was named Warrior 3, 

these appeared similar to the old Solstice 

race but on genotyping were definitely 

something different, being more 

similar to Warrior. It’s this 

sub-group that was provisionally 

re-named Invicta in the autumn 

of 2016. 

With a completely new yellow 

rust population, the old system of 

naming is no longer suitable, so a 

new naming system for the races 

discovered in the UK has been put in 

place, reveals Sarah Holdgate. 

“Until now, naming a race based on the 

variety on which it was first detected has 

served us well. But the system no longer 

copes with the complex genotypic and 

pathology data we’re seeing and we feel 

it’s important to avoid using a variety’s 

name.” 

WYR Blue 1 and 7 are the first names 

to be allocated to a race under the new 

system (which reflects a system used in 

potato blight virulence surveys) and 

replaces the provisional name Invicta. 

The discovery of WYR Blue 1 and 7 in 

the UK is just one of several yellow rust 

population changes occurring during a 

period which also saw radical revisions 

to disease ratings in the AHDB Cereals 

and Oilseeds Recommended List (RL) 

last autumn. 

Sarah Holdgate describes last year as 

far from straightforward from a yellow rust 

perspective. 

“By mid-March 2016, we had received 

a record number of infected samples from 

wheat crops. It was a sign that something 

big was happening and the season ended 

with major revisions to RL ratings. 

“Although we’re still looking to pin 

down the race or races responsible for the 

breakdown, our monitoring has detected 

new races in the UK population and we’re 

keeping an eye on them.” 

For wheat yellow rust, the Warrior race 

continues to dominate samples, with the 

▲ 


Disease control 

Decision support tools can aid septoria control 

Francesca Salinari is developing a septoria 

decision-support system to highlight risk of 

disease to aid fungicide selection. 

With azole fungicide efficacy in steady decline 

and SDHI-insensitive septoria isolates present 

in UK fields, an indicator of septoria pressure 

in-season would be invaluable to ensure 

fungicide inputs are optimised and chemistry 

isn’t placed under undue strain. 

It’s positive news then, that advisory group 

Agrii is pouring resource into producing 

decision-support tools that indicate septoria 

risk and help its agronomists tailor fungicide 

programmes accordingly. 

With septoria infection and spread so 

dependent on weather, an accurate long term 

weather forecast would be the Holy Grail for 

predicting risk, but it’s questionable whether 

this will ever be possible. 

There are decision-support tools available 

across the UK and Europe –– including in-crop 

sensors, threshold and academic models –– 

designed to help control the disease more 

efficiently. However, Agrii’s research and 

development projects co-ordinator Dr Francesca 

Salinari says her evaluation of a select few 

of these methods in UK trials provided some 

inconsistent results. 

“Some of the models didn’t perform 

consistently in different years, while others are 

event driven. These can work well for apple 

scab, for example, when you would go out and 

spray when infection occurs, but in wheat, 

disease control is driven by leaf emergence,” 

she explains. 

Subsequently, Agrii aimed to develop a system 

that would give an indication of risk for its 

agronomists, allowing them to adjust fungicide 

doses or product choices ahead of key spray 

timings. 

To do so, Francesca Salinari delved into 

Agrii’s vast data set, which includes historic 

disease progression observations in trials 

and records from its network of 190 weather 

stations dotted around the UK. 

Focussing on two differing seasons –– high 

septoria pressure in 2014 and low in 2015 

–– key septoria risk indicators were identified. 

These included frequency of rain events, 

conducive to spore dispersal and successful 

infection, and milder temperatures, which 

shorten latent periods and increase the speed 

of disease progression. 

During 2016 and using these indicators, it 

was possible to look back at weather-station 

data over the previous three to four weeks and 

assess the likely level of disease pressure. This 

formed the basis for a weekly bulletin to Agrii’s 

agronomists, giving them an extra resource on 

which to make disease-control decisions. 

“The testing of models and development 

of decision support is ongoing. The weather 

indicators we provided in the weekly bulletin 

isn’t the only information we can use, but it did 

give a good indication of risk and feedback was 

positive,” says Francesca Salinari. 

The developing support system may prove 

an invaluable tool for optimising fungicide 

programmes in the future, but septoria risk 

management isn’t solely reliant on chemicals. 

Agrii’s head of crop science and stewardship, 

David Langton, says that a fully integrated 

approach is critical and choosing the right 

variety is becoming increasingly important. 

While the AHDB Recommended List provides 

a solid reference for variety choice, Agrii is 

carrying out its own interrogation of varieties 

around the UK and provide a more robust 

decision making aid. 

This includes co-ordinated growing systems 

trials or “COGS”, which assess performance of 

potential new and existing varieties in different 

rotational positions, early or late drilled and 

using different input programmes. The result is 

Agrii’s own advisory list for wheat varieties. 

“It’s providing extra information (over the RL), 

gleaned from our own trials for our agronomists 

The Agrii trial site at Lenham in Kent is one of 

several sites throughout the country where 

varieties are put through their paces. 

David Langton says that a fully integrated 

approach is critical and choosing the right 

variety is becoming increasingly important. 

and their growers to aid the decision-making 

process,” explains David Langton. 

Included in the offering is an insight into 

yellow rust diversity groups, which in the past 

has helped growers choose a mix of varieties 

susceptible to different strains to ensure 

the whole area doesn’t break down to the 

dominant strain. 

“People have drifted away from using 

diversity groups and the information isn’t there 

for new varieties anymore, but we still see 

the value. We produce a matrix based on a 

varieties’ parentage to give an idea of diversity 

group,” he explains. 

With seven varieties on the RL possessing a 

septoria resistant score of 7 and the uptake of 

such varieties gaining momentum, Agrii’s Clare 

Bend says this is good news for fungicides. 

She argues that as resistance to the two 

main fungicide groups builds in septoria 

populations, putting the actives under less 

pressure by using resistant varieties and robust 

spray programmes will help slow the slide. 

She recommends using a T0 spray early 

in the season, then mixed modes of action 

–– including multisite actives such as 

chlorothalonil –– throughout the programme 

to protect crops rather than firefight disease. 

Regarding frequency of SDHI use for 

resistance management, Clare Bend is clear, 

“We take the view that you must use an SDHI 

at T1. If you don’t, it puts added pressure on 

the T2 spray.” 

She also notes that Agrii produces a 

fungicide decision-support matrix for its 

agronomists based on varietal resistance 

scores and potential dose response to help 

tweak product choice and rates based on 

risk and reward. 


Virulence frequency – individual genes 

Source: UKCPVS 2017 

Virulence frequency – pathotype group 

Source: UKCPVS 2017 

Red (Warrior 4) group found 

in at least half of samples tested 

by UKCPVS. After a period of 

decline, Pink (Warrior 1) 

increased in frequency in 2016. 

Virulence frequencies for most 

genes remained relatively stable 

in 2016. However, the YR7 

gene was more prevalent, as 

was the YR8 gene (which is 

an indicator of the Purple 

(Kranich) race), although it 

remains relatively rare. 

“The Purple race did some 

damage last season but wasn’t 

responsible for the majority of 

yellow rust infections. It may be 

that this particular race needs 

▲ 

some specialism in order to 

increase in the population and 

live up to the level of damage it 

can cause in trials,” she says. 

What was apparent in the 

samples tested was a decrease 

in Blue 1 and 7, but Sarah 

Holdgate believes that the true 

extent of the problem was 

probably hidden in with the 

presence of other Warrior types. 

“There may be a combination 

of isolates causing certain 

varieties to succumb to yellow 

rust infection but it’s a complex 

puzzle to untangle. Evolution 

has now been added to 

the differential set to help 

Common races for 2016 

Source: UKCPVS

winter and new isolates –– 

Blue and Purple (Kranich) 

–– all contributed, with virulence 

detected at the adult plant 

stage for multiple varieties. 

I’m often asked whether the 

yellow rust pathogen has 

become more aggressive but 

at the moment, there’s no 

conclusive evidence either 

way,” she comments. 

The powdery mildew population 

remains stable in wheat and 

barley crops. 

understand some of these 

differences, which if we can 

unravel, will mean we can 

produce variety diversification 

schemes again,” she explains. 

“The Pink (Warrior 1) group 

also increased percentage-wise 

in the population but some of 

these isolates show virulence to 

Warrior, so these may ultimately 

be reclassified as belonging to 

the Red group (Warrior 4) when 

genotyping information 

becomes available.” 

What did become obvious 

last season was that there’s 

very little seedling resistance 

remaining in current wheat 

varieties where the new 

incursion of yellow rust is 

concerned. 

“In our seedling tests, all 

varieties were susceptible 

except Costello, KWS Crispin 

and KWS Siskin. So if any of 

these three varieties shown 

early signs of yellow rust 

infection, please send in a 

sample as it would indicate 

something new is happening. 

“Also showing infection for 

the first time in seedling trials 

were Evolution, KWS Silverstone 

and RGT Illustrious,” she adds. 

So why was 2016 such a 

‘good’ year for yellow rust 

infection? Sarah Holdgate 

points out that 2015 was also 

a good year and a high spore 

load would have been carried 

over last year from the previous 

season. 

“The high inoculum, mild 

Aggressiveness 

To provide further information 

on aggressiveness, UKCPVS 

will be recording the time to 

sporulation in the different 

isolates this year for the first 

time. This will help identify 

trends in the latent periods 

between isolates and give an 

indication of whether some are 

likely to be more aggressive 

than others, explains 

Sarah Holdgate. 

For wheat brown rust, 

disease levels were relatively 

high in 2016 but no unexpected 

disease was reported to 

UKCPVS. Isolates have become 

more complex in recent years 

and investigations into the 

causal race associated with 

relatively high levels of brown 

rust in Crusoe continue. 

For wheat and barley 

powdery mildews, virulence 

frequencies remain broadly 

similar to those seen in 

recent years. 

Worthy of note was the yellow 

rust found in barley in 2017, 

advises Sarah Holdgate. Four 

samples were tested in the 

survey, with samples from three 

counties and four different 

varieties –– all from the 

eastern counties. 

“One of the isolates carried 

virulence for the resistant 

cultivar Optic. It’s possible we’re 

seeing an exotic incursion in the 

barley yellow rust population 

and genotyping may help to 

distinguish any differences to 

the previous UK population. 

However, it’s very important to 

send samples into us if anything 

unusual appears in the field 

this spring so we can continue 

to monitor the situation,” 

she concludes. ■

Improve tactics 

to outsmart 

disease 

Technical 

Barley disease 

The results of two new 

surveys show there’s room 

for greater attention to detail 

with barley disease control. 

CPM finds out more. 

By Rob Jones 

Barley growers are concerned about the 

risk of rhynchosporium resistance to 

fungicides, yet many are failing to utilise 

variety resistance ratings fully in treatment 

decisions. Those were the messages from 

a new survey of winter and spring barley 

growers by Syngenta. 

Conducted among 89 barley growers, 

results showed three quarters of 

respondents had concerns about the 

risk of rhynchosporium resistance building 

to fungicides –– with 68% being fairly 

concerned and 8% very concerned. 

Additionally, nearly 90% thought it was 

important to utilise different fungicide 

modes of action to reduce the chance of 

rhynchosporium resistance building. But 

when it came to utilising variety resistance 

ratings, results were less clear cut. 

Less than 4 out of 10 of respondents (38%) 

always took this into account when deciding 

which fungicides to use. One in 10 admitted 

they didn’t take it into account and used the 

same programme on all varieties, and just 

over half (52%) said they only took it into 

account with particularly resistant or 

susceptible varieties. 

According to leading crop scientist, 

Professor Fiona Burnett of SRUC, 

“ 

You can 

ring the changes 

across fungicide 

timings in 

barley” 

fungicide resistance is a key issue and there’s 

room for growers to improve on disease 

management in barley. There remains huge 

scope to match fungicides more closely to 

varieties grown, she believes. 

Tricky disease 

“Rhynchosporium is already a tricky disease to 

manage and last season we saw a potential 

erosion of the strobilurins. We weren’t getting 

the control we expected and work with 

Teagasc and SRUC shows that the G143A 

mutation associated with strobilurin resistance 

is now present in the rhynchosporium 

population,” explains Fiona Burnett. 

As far as the azoles are concerned, she 

says rhynchosporium mirrors other diseases, 

with the performance of oldertriazoles having 

slipped. At the moment, the latest azole 

chemistry is still giving good control, but 

she doesn’t expect it to remain altogether 

unaffected. 

“There are also concerns about net blotch 

building mutations to strobilurins and now 

the SDHIs. Although the focus is mostly on 

septoria in wheat, barley is building up its 

own set of problems,” she adds. 

Fortunately, barley provides scope to use a 

broad portfolio of fungicide active ingredients, 

rather than repeatedly relying on the same 

ones. 

“There are multi-sites like chlorothalonil, 

but also a wider choice of systemics such 

as cyprodinil, which brings an extra active 

ingredient. You can ring the changes across 

the two to three fungicide timings in barley 

without compromising the effect,” she says. 

Syngenta field technical manager, Iain 

Hamilton, agrees that it’s simpler to rotate 

fungicide modes of action in barley and that 

the prospect of rynchosporium resistance isn’t 

taken as seriously as septoria shifts in wheat. 

“Rather than repeatedly exposing triazoles 

in mix with an SDHI at T1 and T2, consider 

substituting at least one application with a 

cyprodinil treatment. For example, Cebara 

provides cyprodinil co-formulated with the 

persistent SDHI isopyrazam, and we’ve seen it 

match triazole plus SDHI for yield in trials.” 

In practice, Fiona Burnett says growers all 

too often resort to a “one size fits all” in barley, 

applying the same fungicide programme 

across the whole farm. But it’s not a strategy 

that’s smart economically, she believes. 

“It doesn’t take account of any of the factors 

that affect disease risk, such as variety 

differences, whether it’s a first or second 

barley, different topographies or drilling dates.” 

There’s also evidence from a recent SRUC 

survey that although growers want to use 

resistant varieties they still commonly select 

susceptible ones to suit their market, so could 

be leaving some under-protected, she adds. 

“We found 60% said they grew resistant 

varieties, but when you drilled down, actually 

only 23% were doing this. So they were 

over-estimating what the variety was providing. 

They also weren’t tailoring fungicide to variety. 

“This season, it’s been a mild winter and 

crops are pretty advanced, so disease is 

lurking and there will be a roll-on risk to spring 

barley,” she adds. 

As a starting point, Iain Hamilton urges 

growers to stay up to date with latest 

variety resistance ratings on the AHDB 

Recommended List. “If you look at hybrids 

as an example, they tend to have good 

rhynchosporium resistance but need more 

help against net blotch, whereas for some 

other barleys it’s the other way around.” ■ 

Barley is building up its own set of resistance 

problems, warns Fiona Burnett. 


Fungicide behaviour 

Bringing new crop protection products to market 

is no mean feat. However, there’s a constant 

demand to bring the next new innovation to 

market, which supports growers and their 

continuing efforts to control economically 

damaging diseases. Syngenta is committed 

to driving innovation and delivering 

class-leading crop protection 

solutions that respond to 

market needs. 

Why molecular 

movements 

matter 

Discovering how a fungicide behaves 

throws light on its efficacy in the field. 

CPM digs into the performance of Solatenol 

by following its journey from the moment it 

lands on a leaf. 


These days it’s not very often a 

new active ingredient becomes 

available. This season growers 

have a new fungicide from 

Syngenta, Elatus Era, which 

contains the SDHI active, 

benzovindiflupyr (branded as 

Solatenol) in formulation with 

the azole, prothioconazole. 

Amongst the R&D processes 

at Syngenta that underpin the 

screening and development of 

active molecules, is a science that 

studies their behaviour from the 

time of application until they’re 

broken down in the plant –– a field 

known as biokinetics. 

Dave Bartlett, principal technical 

specialist at Syngenta’s Jealott’s 

Hill facility, leads the fungicide 

biokinetics team and explains what 

their studies have revealed, using 

Elatus Era to illustrate the value of 

this knowledge. ADAS principal 

research scientist, Jonathan Blake, 

goes on to explain how this then 

translates to field experience of the 

new fungicide. 

What is biokinetics? 

Fungicide efficacy is a well 

understood term in disease control 

but a less familiar concept to many 

is biokinetics. 

14 crop production magazine arable extra march 2017 

Part and parcel to any crop 

protection product’s efficacy is 

the journey the active molecule 

makes from the moment it lands 

on the leaf, its progress to the 

biochemical target site and then 

what happens to it thereafter. It’s 

an area of research that Syngenta 

has focussed on over the past 

thirty years and is known as 

biokinetics. 

Studying a molecule in this way 

reveals the range of properties a 

product possesses –– this 

includes leaf surface stability, 

rainfastness, rate of movement 

into the leaf and subsequent 

distribution that together help 

explain the efficacy of a product. 

How’s it evaluated? 

Biokinetic studies can quantify 

analytically how much fungicide 

moves in the plant and where and 

when this happens. At Syngenta, 

biological assays run in parallel 

with biokinetics, so the same 

leaves are used for quantitative 

analysis by the biokinetics team as 

are assessed for disease 

control by the biologists. It’s a 

hand-in-hand process that’s led to 

an industry-leading understanding 

of how a molecule can deliver 

disease control in the field. 

One of the methods used to 

track the journey of products 

through the plant is phosphor 

imaging, where radioactive 

c14-labelled fungicides are used to 

produce a computer image. These 

images are then related to the 

analytical and biological data 

which has also been collected. 

A further research team allows 

even more fine detail to be added 

to what’s happening within the 

plant when it comes to disease 

control. Microscopy is used to 

examine how diseases affect 

plants on a cellular level and how 

the fungicide is actually working 

on the pathogen. 

How does it relate to 

fungicides? 

From following every step of its 

journey, the team have discovered 

Dave Bartlett explains how the 

biokinetic profile of Solatenol relates 

to its efficacy.

“ 

Solatenol 

is the most potent 

of the current 

SDHIs. ” 

how Elatus Era moves from the 

moment it lands on the leaf. It’s 

important for a fungicide to remain 

on the leaf for long enough so the 

active can get into the plant, whilst 

also maintaining an effective 

preventative barrier, which means 

that any product losses at this 

Fungicide behaviour 

top tips 

● Be aware of biokinetic 

properties – they have an 

effect on efficacy and practical 

issues, such as rainfastness. 

● Aim to use preventatively – 

the biokinetic properties of Elatus 

Era mean it is a strong protectant 

and offers long-lasting control 

once in the plant. 

● CTL boosts septoria control 

– so think anti-resistance and 

use CTL with confidence with 

Elatus Era. 

stage are undesirable attributes. 

Elatus Era forms a stable 

deposit on the surface of leaves, 

with excellent rainfastness and 

isn’t subject to UV breakdown or 

vapour losses so ticks the first box 

the team are evaluating? 

The fungicide then needs to 

reach the target site of susceptible 

pathogens and remain in the 

plant for as long as possible to 

maintain disease control, but 

not long enough to cause any 

Elatus Era has proven to be as least as good as other SDHIs in trials, with 

stand-out rust control. 

environmental or regulatory issues. 

A factor that can affect the 

uptake of an active molecule 

into the leaf is its degree of 

hydrophilicity or lipophilicity, which 

will affect the speed of movement 

into the waxy cuticle and then 

from the cuticle into the cells of 

the plant. 

The direction of flow within the 

plant is also important and, for 

a fungicide, acropetal flow 

(upward flow through the xylem) 

is desirable so movement occurs 

throughout the leaf and potentially 

to new growth. 

Tech Talk 

What has recent work 

shown? 

For Elatus Era, the movement of 

Solatenol within the plant means it 

remains distributed evenly across 

the leaf, accumulating within the 

wax layer which subsequently 

provides a reservoir of fungicide. 

This reservoir of Solatenol is 

maintained over a prolonged 

period due to its lipophilic nature, 

where it’s slowly metered into the 

cells of the leaf, inhibiting spore 

germination, penetration and 

mycelial growth. Prothioconazole 

moves rather more rapidly and 

▲ 

New chemistry impresses in Shrops 

Doug McCowan is one of the few 

growers who has had the opportunity to 

see Elatus Era in action on the land 

he’s responsible for. Farm manager for 

Harnage Estates, where the Syngenta 

western platform trial site is hosted, he 

also looks after 505ha of cropping 

under a contract-farming agreement 

with The Newport Farm Partnership 

and Lord Bradford, located at 

Weston-under-Lizard in Shrops. 

“Having the Syngenta site on the 

farm has been of huge value to us. 

We get to see new varieties, as well as 

crop protection products in crops, on 

our own soil type, growing under local 

conditions and disease pressures. This 

gives us useful information and helps 

our own farming practices to constantly 

evolve,” he says. 

With a range of soil types from light, 

blowing sand to heavy clay, there’s a 

variety of crops grown on the farm. 

The majority of the farm is down to 

combinable crops with 61ha hybrid 

barley (Bazooka), 36ha spring beans 

(Fanfare) grown on a seed contract for 

local company, Wynnstay Farmers, 

115ha oilseed rape (Campus, Elgar and 

Incentive), 122ha winter wheat for feed 

(Reflection) and 110ha winter wheat for 

milling (Crusoe). The remaining acreage 

produces potatoes for McCain (Royal 

and Maris Piper) or is permanent 

pasture, predominantly used for car 

parking for revellers at the V-festival. 

Doug McCowan cites septoria as his 

number one disease pressure, though 

yellow rust was very much in evidence 

last season in Reflection. 

“Reflection got some bad press last 

season but if you look after it, it looks 

and performs really well. We have 

a four-spray fungicide strategy so 

may use some Cherokee (CTL+ 

cyproconazole+ propiconazole) at T0 on 

Reflection, but there are no signs of any 

rust in crops so far this spring,” he says. 

But that doesn’t mean the yellow 

rust threat isn’t there and disease 

control is all about protection these 

days. T0 also gives some insurance 

and wiggle room at T1 if weather 

conditions become difficult for spraying, 

he comments. 

“Our T1 spray will include an SDHI 

in mixture with CTL and possibly other 

additions depending on the disease 

pressure. Last year we used an SDHI 

in tank-mix with CTL and azole 

chemistry.” 

Using mixes with a range of different 

active ingredients is something Doug 

McCowan believes is crucial to protect 

fungicide chemistry from resistance. 

“There’s been lots of talk about SDHI 

resistance and it’s not something we 

want to let happen so we’re making 

sure they’re supported by alternative 

groups of chemistry,” he adds. 

Doug McCowan has witnessed the 

different SDHIs side-by-side on his 

farm, so where is he thinking of 

applying Elatus Era at the all-important 

T2 timing this spring? 

“We’ll definitely be using some 

Elatus Era on the Reflection. It looks to 

be very strong on both septoria and 

Doug McCowan has earmarked the 

Reflection on his farm as the variety 

most likely to receive Elatus Era at T2. 

rusts in the trials on the farm, which 

have looked clean over the past two 

seasons,” he says. 

“The biggest challenge we face 

every year in farming is knowing what 

the weather is going to do, what the 

disease challenge will be and every 

season is different. But we’ve had 

a better winter all-round and look 

forward to putting the insight we’ve 

gained on Elatus Era into commercial 

practice,” he concludes. 

crop production magazine arable extra march 2017 15

Tech Talk 

According to Jonathan Blake, 

Solatenol offers prolonged protection 

and has enough curative activity to 

more than adequately control any 

latent septoria infection on leaf two. 

has a highly complementary 

biokinetics profile alongside 

Solatenol. 

Although it’s been shown to be 

slow moving, Solatenol also has a 

slow rate of degradation. Good 

stability, within both the plant 

and fungal cells, is a biokinetic 

property that then comes into 

play, ensuring sufficient active is 

available to take care of any latent 

infection in the plant and ensure 

longevity of disease control. 

An intrinsic property of any 

active molecule is potency, and 

Solatenol is the most potent of the 

current SDHIs. In practical terms, 

for a fungicide this means that 

less needs to move within the 

plant to produce high levels of 

disease control compared to 

less potent SDHIs. 

▲ 

How does this transfer 

to the field? 

The biokinetic profile of Solatenol 

strongly indicates that by 

protecting the leaf from fungal 

pathogens, leaves will stay 

greener for longer, more 

photosynthesis can occur, and this 

directly relates to yield benefits. 

Field trials carried out by ADAS 

seem to back up the theory. 

In a field scenario where 

there’s a disease epidemic, new 

infections will be occurring all of 

the time as new spores infect 

leaves. This means pathogens 

will always be present at various 

stages of development. And this 

is where the longevity that the 

Solatenol molecule has inside the 

plant really comes into its own, 

providing persistent protection 

that has stood out in field trials, 

especially where both septoria 

and rust control is a concern. 

The persistency of Solatenol is 

something that could potentially 

also have an added advantage in 

seasons where disease epidemics 

occur late, with infection periods 

during June and early July, when 

shorter-lived fungicides would be 

running out of steam. 

What about trials results? 

In the trials conducted by ADAS, 

Elatus Era consistently matched 

the performance of the other SDHI 

products tested within the AHDB 

fungicide performance trials on 

septoria. For rusts, the newcomer 

showed itself to be possibly the 

strongest of its group on the 

disease. 

As well as comparative trials, 

ADAS carried out some inoculation 

work with septoria to test the 

performance of Elatus Era within 

the latent period of infection. 

Septoria needs about 220-300 

day degrees (depending on the 

variety) from infection to symptoms 

showing. It’s the thermal time 

that’s important but in June this 

corresponds to a latent period 

Microscopy has added to the detail about how Solatenol works - cross-section 

of a healthy leaf (left) compared with a leaf infected with septoria (right). 

Comparative efficacy on yellow rust 

Adexar 1.2 + Bravo 

Librax 1.2 + Bravo 

Elatus era 0.8 + Bravo 

PTZ 0.43 + Bravo 

unt 

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 

% Yellow rust (leaf two) 

Control of yellow rust on leaf two (1 July) from T2 applications on cv. Solstice, 

near Thorney, Peterborough 2016, with no preceding T0 or T1 applications 

Source: Syngenta trial at ADAS 

of approx. 15-20 days. 

Leaf two was inoculated and 

treatments applied on day 1, 7, 

12 and 18 after inoculation and 

results showed Elatus Era gave 

comparable levels of disease 

control with other SDHI treatments. 

A further trial was inoculated after 

treatment to evaluate persistence 

of control and Elatus Era was at 

least as good or better in terms of 

the protection it gave the crop. 

How’s this technology 

best applied? 

The persistency of control offered 

by Solatenol positions Elatus Era 

as ideal at the T2 timing, where it 

will offer prolonged protection and 

has enough curative activity to 

more than adequately control any 

latent septoria infection on leaf two. 

At full rate (1.0 l/ha), Elatus Era 

is formulated to offer a 75% 

dose of prothioconazole, so it’s 

important to maintain dose rate in 

the range 0.8-1.0 l/ha to ensure 

curative activity while delivering 

the robust azole rate necessary as 

Sponsor message 

Keeping on top of foliar, yield-robbing 

diseases, such as septoria and rusts, 

is a constant battle for growers. 

Syngenta’s major and sustained 

investment into its unique R&D 

product pipeline, means it is 

committed to driving agricultural 

innovation and supporting farmers in 

protecting crops from devastating 

pests and diseases. 

This season sees the result of 

15 years of major investment with 

the launch of Elatus Era, Syngenta’s 

part of an anti-resistance strategy. 

The inclusion of chlorothalonil 

(CTL) as a tank-mix partner has 

been seen to antagonise the effect 

of SDHIs, particularly bixafen, but 

ADAS trials show a negligible 

effect on the activity of Elatus Era. 

In AHDB fungicide performance 

trials on barley, Elatus Era 

performs at a leading level, 

similar to Siltra Xpro (bixafen+ 

prothioconazole), with the azole 

component in both fungicides 

also being very strong on barley 

diseases. ■ 

A microscopy image of yellow rust on 

wheat on day 7 after infection. 

Solatenol seems to offer long-lasting 

control of the pathogen. 

powerful SDHI fungicide that’s 

taking cereal crop production to the 

next level. 

In the age of modern arable 

farming where there is a clear focus 

on producing clean crops and hitting 

yield targets, farmers need to draw 

on every resource available to stop 

key cereal diseases in their tracks. 


One spray or two? 

“ 

The debate 

is always whether to 

put on a second 

treatment. ” 

Technical 

Sclerotinia 

Sclerotinia has the potential 

to decimate yields. CPM 

seeks advice from experts 

in a county where the 

threat is often highest. 


It’s a sight that makes the heart sink. The 

oilseed rape crop has been looking full of 

promise all season, you’ve been feeling 

quietly confident that things have gone 

well and then you spot them –– patches 

of white stems, ‘rat-droppings’ and 

lodging –– the tell-tale signs of sclerotinia 

infection. 

Not many OSR diseases have the visual 

impact of sclerotinia and it’s high on the list 

of grower priorities when it comes to 

fungicide applications, says Dr Julie Smith, 

senior research scientist based at ADAS 

Rosemaund in Herefordshire. 

Although sclerotinia is a slightly sporadic 

disease and doesn’t occur in every season, 

it made an unwelcome return in 2016, 

catching some growers unawares. The 

question is why was this, and how can we 

guard better against a repeat performance? 

According to Julie Smith, weather data 

revealed more infection events than ‘normal’ 

took place last spring. For infection to occur, 

three factors have to happen simultaneously 

–– ascospore presence isn’t enough on its 

own, she explains. 

Relative humidity 

“For plants to become infected, a minimum 

temperature of 7 0 C, with relative humidity at 

80% or above for at least a day is required. 

Petals need to be carrying ascospores, then 

the infected petals have to stick to the 

leaves of OSR plants to enable the fungus to 

infect the plant and for sclerotinia to become 

a problem in the crop.” 

And although the disease is widely 

associated with wet springs and moisture 

is required for infection to occur, it needs to 

be the right kind of moisture. 

“Heavy rain suppresses ascospore 

release and under these conditions, petals 

are often washed off the leaves and don’t 

have the opportunity to stick to them. 

In contrast, light rain or even just heavy 

dews offer perfect conditions for petals to 

stick and ascospore germination,” says 

Julie Smith. 

As petal fall is the main culprit when it 

comes to sclerotinia infection, apetalous 

or reduced petal varieties have been 

suggested as a way of circumventing 

disease spread. Defra-funded work 

carried out by ADAS has investigated this 

According to Julie Smith, sclerotinia control is 

more dependent on getting the timing right than 

the fungicide applied. 

by tracking flower opening and petal fall in 

apetalous specimens and found the sepals 

and stamens can also be a source of 

sclerotinia inoculum, rather blowing the 

theory. 

Further work revealed the leaf layers 

that were most likely to catch petals 

were situated between the bottom and 

mid-canopy, leaf layers 7-9. In the study, 

sclerotinia infection subsequently came in 

on the stem at the same level confirming the 

importance of petal-stick in the infection 

process, as well as the need for good 

fungicide coverage and penetration of 

the canopy. 


So do we really want varieties 

with big leaves at this level, 

asks David Lines, Herefordshire 

independent agronomist and 

AICC member. Although they 

provide a good source for 

photosynthesis, he reasons that 

retention of these leaves late in 

the season isn’t desirable in a 

sclerotinia-prone situation. 

Julie Smith agrees with the 

logic but suggests leaf size plays 

a much smaller role in sclerotinia 

infection than the weather during 

the flowering period so probably 

isn’t a major factor. 

“In 2016, first sclerotinia 

sprays were applied when 

30-50% of flowers were open 

on the main stem, locally this 

was around 22 April on early 

flowering varieties and 3 May 

on later flowering types. One 

of the problems was that April 

was a cool month and crops 

stayed in flower for a long time, 

meaning a second spray 

was required. 

“Combined with the fact that 

minimum temperatures in May 

were slightly higher than the 

long-term average, this meant 

we saw an increased number of 

infection events,” she comments. 

David Lines nods his 

agreement and stresses 

the duration of flowering is 

all-important where sclerotinia 

is concerned. 

“Last season I saw more 

sclerotinia in Troy because it’s 

a later-flowering variety and this 

Bleached stems are a tell-tale sign 

that sclerotinia control was 

inadequate. 

Petals need to be carrying 

ascospores, then the infected petals 

have to stick to the leaves of OSR 

plants to enable the fungus to infect 

the plant. 

coincided with a period of 

weather that resulted in multiple 

infection events. For my crops, 

a fungicide application for 

sclerotinia control is a given –– 

the debate is always whether 

to put on a second treatment,” 

he adds. 

Agronomist and pathologist 

also agree that timing the 

sclerotinia application is the most 

important factor to get right, with 

product choice of secondary 

importance. 

Nothing to choose 

“There’s really nothing to 

choose between Proline 

(prothioconazole), Pictor 

(boscalid+ dimoxystrobin), 

Filan (boscalid) and 

prothioconazole (PTZ) 

plus Amistar (azoxystrobin),” 

says David Lines. 

“Last year I switched to PTZ 

during flowering because of the 

light leaf spot pressure (LLS) but 

I have tended to go down the 

Filan or Pictor route in the past. 

This season there’s not nearly as 

much LLS in crops and using 

chemistry from groups other than 

the azoles is good resistance 

management.” 

Julie Smith points out that 

some work done by ADAS found 

that fungicides from different 

groups affected the pathogen 

at slightly different stages of the 

life cycle. 

“SDHIs and strobilurins are 

more effective against spore 

germination and germ tube 

elongation so we often found 

clumps of un-germinated 

ascospores on petals, whereas 

azoles are more active against 

▲

Sclerotinia 

Rainfall in Herefordshire means David Lines will 

normally apply at least one sclerotinia spray. 

mycelial growth. So there could be an 

argument that a mix of different activities 

may offer better control, but trials show all 

groups of chemistry are effective against 

sclerotinia if the timing is right,” 

she explains. 

So what is the best timing for that 

all-important first spray? According to 

Bayer’s Gareth Bubb mid-flower is the 

optimum time to control the disease. 

“Later infections are not so damaging and 

a second spray is a top up if flowering gets 

extended. The aim is protection and you 

▲ 

need your most effective products so it’s 

Proline, Filan or Pictor. The advantage with 

Proline is that you can also use it for wheat 

ear sprays so it won’t get stuck in the shed.” 

David Lines reckons that the sprayer 

needs to be ready as the first petals begin to 

fall, bearing in mind that the fungicides are 

working purely as protectants and coating 

the petals with fungicide plays a part in 

preventing sclerotinia spread. 

It’s something Bayer have looked at in 

trials, adds Gareth Bubb, and could be a 

good strategy where the risk is high. 

Improved control 

“We did some work some years back where 

we applied Folicur (tebuconazole) at yellow 

bud, followed by Proline at mid-flower. It 

showed an improvement in sclerotinia 

control. If you know that sclerotinia pressure 

will be high, it’s a good strategy but no one 

can predict flowering period. A robust dose 

of an effective product at mid-flower can 

often be sufficient. No one wants to spray 

if they don’t need to.” 

Julie Smith adds that there is some 

evidence that under low-moderate 

sclerotinia risk, there’s no need to increase 

dose of PTZ to above 0.5 l/ha but under 

any higher pressure, as David Lines finds 

in Herefordshire, then the dose needs 

to be more robust. 

And he agrees on the importance of 

not skimping on the first spray when in a 

high-risk situation. 

“It’s akin to the flag leaf spray in wheat in 

terms of importance and the second spray (if 

necessary) is like an ear wash –– a top-up as 

the first fungicide begins to run out of steam. 

Timing of the second spray needs to be three 

weeks after the first to maintain protection,” 

he adds. ■ 

Infected stems contain sclerotia, which look like 

rat droppings. These then provide inoculum to 

infect subsequent OSR crops.

Weed worries shouldn’t 

drive spring sprays 

“ 

Getting 

good control can be 

a worry, but Pixxaro 

seems to get you 

out trouble. ” 

Technical 

Weed control 

Dow AgroSciences’ new 

broadleaf herbicide Arylex 

makes promises of a more 

relaxed approach to spring 

weed control. A CPM/Dow 

survey finds out what that 

means to growers. 

By Tom Allen-Stevens 

Growers want a herbicide that will tackle 

tough broadleaf weeds in the spring, 

but don’t want to compromise fungicide 

timings in order to apply it. When it 

comes to controlling weeds, weather 

is a key concern. 

A massive 98% of growers who 

responded to the CPM/Dow AgroSciences 

survey on spring broadleaf-weed control 

agreed that weather affects when they can 

spray (see chart on p24). Almost nine out 

of ten find it affects the level of control they 

achieve, and less than half believe keeping 

weeds in check is easy. 

Better control of tough weeds, a broader 

spectrum and different chemical groups to 

address the threat of resistance are what 

growers are looking for from new broadleaf 

herbicide solutions. 

“Growers want efficacy from the 

herbicides they use, especially on 

weeds that are difficult to control, but 

they also want to use their time efficiently 

as they have priorities elsewhere on 

the farm,” notes Stuart Jackson of 

Dow AgroSciences. 

Septoria control 

“The main one here is septoria control –– 

with less eradicant activity by fungicides, 

let timings slip on disease because your 

focus is elsewhere and you’re hammered. 

Once septoria is in the crop you’ll struggle 

to be free of it. Growers can’t afford 

to delay fungicide applications to wait 

for the right conditions control to 

broadleaf weeds.” 

The pathogen priority is borne out in the 

survey results (see chart on p24). When 

asked what they would do with time 

from a herbicide that offered more 

flexibility, more than two thirds of 

respondents said they’d focus on 

getting fungicide timings right. 

“The beauty of Arylex (halauxifen-methyl) 

is it allows you do that,” continues Stuart 

Jackson. “No matter when you apply it, as 

long as the weed is there, it’ll perform.” 

The herbicide was introduced last year 

as Pixxaro, in a formulation containing 

fluroxypyr (as in Starane). Zypar, containing 

florasulam (as in Spitfire), has just been 

cleared for use (see panel on p27). 

Dick Neale of Hutchinsons reckons 

▲ 

You can apply Pixxaro safe in the knowledge that 

it will stay there until it’s needed and do the job, 

says Dick Neale. 


Weed control 

actives is generally compromised –– 

notably fluroxypyr on cleavers and 

sulfonylureas on other weeds. But you do 

have to understand the weed spectrum 

you’re dealing with –– Pixxaro is particularly 

effective on poppies and cleavers. It 

controls cranesbill, chickweed, fat hen, 

small speedwell and a number of other 

target weeds. But volunteer oilseed rape, 

mayweed, pansies and large speedwell fall 

outside its target range.” 

Cranesbill is one weed that’s getting tougher to control. 

Arylex is a valuable addition to the 

herbicide armoury. “Pixxaro is a very 

effective herbicide for the weeds it 

controls. You can apply it safe in the 

▲ 

Broadleaf weed control – the priorities 

knowledge that it will stay there until it’s 

needed and do the job. 

“That’s especially useful in cold 

conditions, when the efficacy of other 

If you were to develop new broadleaf herbicide solutions for farmers, what would you 

work on? 

Biggest weed worry 

According to the survey, cleavers remain 

growers’ biggest broadleaf-weed worry, in 

both spring and winter cereals (see chart 

on p27). Brassica weeds and speedwells 

come next in winter cereals, while 

chickweed and fat hen are major concerns 

in spring-sown crops. Cranesbill features 

as a common weed in winter crops, while 

poppies occur commonly 

in both winter and spring cereals. 

“What stands out is that cleavers are still 

the number one weed worry,” notes Stuart 

Jackson. “We have the chemistry to control 

them effectively, but they always reappear 

in cereals, and where they do, they can 

be responsible for significant yield loss. 

It means whatever you use to control 

them, you can’t afford for that product 

not to work.” 

With other weeds, his advice is to look 

carefully at what’s in the field. “Those 

growers with grassweed issues will already 

have applied a fairly robust autumn stack 

of residual herbicides. Speedwells and 

pansies, for example, are generally taken 

out by flufenacet, diflufenican and 

pendimethalin applications. 

“Cleavers will frequently appear in the 

▲ 

What about broadleaf-weed control in cereals on your farm? 

If a herbicide offered you more spray 

days, what would you do with the 

time you gained? 


Weed control 

Colin Woodward was faced with large weeds to 

control in cold April conditions. 

spring, as will cranesbill, poppy and the 

odd brassica weed.” 

Dick Neale confirms that cereal crops 

are coming into spring growth looking 

generally free of broadleaf weeds. “It’s 

probably the cleanest start to the season 

we’ve had for some time. This is mainly 

down to later-drilled crops and the heavy 

herbicide stacks growers have applied for 

blackgrass control. For the most part, 

these have done a fantastic job. 

“The downside of later drilling is that 

there’s less crop cover early in the spring, 

which means weeds are stimulated to grow 

and compete with the crop. This will become 

▲ 

more evident as nitrogen applications are 

made –– cleavers especially are stimulated 

by N –– so be ready to react.” 

Poppy problem 

Heavy clays in particular will harbour 

cleavers, some speedwells, cranesbill, 

charlock and volunteer OSR, he notes. 

Poppies are often more of a problem on 

lighter soils with bindweed and knotgrass 

coming in later in the season. 

“In the past, many growers have tended 

to go with a specific application to clear up 

broadleaf weeds at around GS32, or wait 

until GS37 if crops are clean and cleavers 

are the only target, when they’d go with 

Starane,” notes Dick Neale. 

“Arylex gives you more flexibility to 

control those key target weeds when it 

suits you –– it’s a very good product in 

that respect, as long as you know its 

weed spectrum.” 

Oxon grower Colin Woodward used 

Pixxaro on his winter wheat last year. 

He manages 900ha of arable cropping 

based on the Great Tew Estate, near 

Chipping Norton. “The main reason we 

used Pixxaro was that it was cold when 

we applied it in April, and the weeds, 

especially poppies, were quite large,” 

he notes. 

“It turned wet after mid Oct the previous 

autumn, curtailing herbicide applications, 

so by the spring, the weeds in some fields 

were particularly bad. We’d heard that 

Pixxaro could be used on big plants 

in conditions where other herbicides 

wouldn’t perform.” 

The application was made with the 

T0 spray in mid April, tank-mixed with 

chlormequat, chlorothalonil and 

manganese. “Pixxaro mixes well with 

T0 and T1 chemistry. There were some 

big, overwintered poppies, chickweed 

and cleavers, but they were beautifully 

controlled by the herbicide. In adverse 

conditions or with larger weeds, getting 

good control can be a worry, but Pixxaro 

seems to get you out trouble.” 

This year is quite different, however, so 

Colin Woodward will be adapting his 

approach. “All the residuals have worked 

well and crops are looking clean. There are 

a few overwintered cleavers in fields with 

low levels of blackgrass that didn’t have 

have a post-emergence follow-up. There’ll 

also be spring germinators, but I don’t 

think I need to worry about those until the 

T1 timing at the earliest, so there’s no 

panic this year.” 

Across the rotation, broadleaf-weed 

control has improved with the recent 

introduction of Clearfield oilseed rape, he 

says. “That’s really helped us get on top of 

runch and charlock. We’ve also moved out 

of winter beans into spring beans, which 

High awareness of resistance threat 

Herbicide resistance in broadleaf weeds is a 

recognised threat on more than three quarters of 

UK farms, according to the results of the survey 

(see chart). The number of confirmed cases may 

be higher than the handful that official figures 

suggest, with 4% of respondents saying they 

have resistant broadleaf weeds. 

A further 19% suspect they have cases on the 

farm, while 61% of growers said they recognise it 

as a threat that they believe they’ve so far avoided 

through careful use of herbicides. 

“There’s no doubt the incidence of herbicide 

resistance in broadleaf weeds has increased,” 

notes Dick Neale. “There’s more awareness, which 

may be driving the increase, and for those with 

confirmed cases, they really know they have it, 

and have to adapt their herbicide practice.” 

The most cases of resistance have been 

identified in poppies, mainly in eastern counties. 

The mutation has occurred at a target site for ALS 

herbicides in the plant, known as Proline 197, and 

the sulfonylureas, particularly metsulfuron and 

tribenuron, are affected. 

In resistant chickweed, found most commonly 

in Scotland, there are two known mutations. The 

more common one occurs at the Proline 197 

position, conferring resistance to metsulfuron, but 

not to the triazolopyrimidine herbicide florasulam. 

Less common in chickweed is the mutation at the 

Tryptophan 574 position, which confers resistance 

to both metsulfuron and florasulam. 

“Isolated cases of resistance in mayweed has 

been confirmed and we know of a few cases 

where groundsel has been particularly difficult 

to control,” adds Dick Neale. “It’s a threat, and 

growers should be aware of it. But resistance 

is relatively simple and inexpensive to avoid 

through using chemistry with different modes 

of action.” 

Stuart Jackson advises growers who suspect 

resistance to get seed tested. “Those with 

confirmed cases will still achieve good control 

with Pixxaro or Zypar, but should apply full label 

rates –– i.e. 0.5 l/ha and 1 l/ha respectively –– 

with an adjuvant added for Pixxaro, and target 

weeds when they’re small. 

“Make full use of other modes of action –– 

pendimethalin is good on poppies and clopyralid 

What is your experience/view of herbicide 

resistance in broadleaf weeds? 

is effective on mayweed, for example. Note that 

Zypar contains florasulam, which will not control 

chickweed with the rare Tryptophan 574 

mutation. But Arylex is an auxin herbicide 

with no known resistance issues.” 


Weed control 

Which of these weeds commonly occur on your farm? 

Pixxaro is effective on poppies, which can be a 

problem in spring barley. 

Relaxed approach makes for weed winners 

Three lucky CPM readers have each won 40ha 

Pixxaro for taking part in the CPM/Dow 

AgroSciences survey. 

Richard Dungait of West Farm, Morpeth, 

Northumberland, Sam Paske in St Neots, 

Cambs and Philip Metcalfe of Foxberry Farm, 

Richmond, N Yorks responded to the survey 

and completed the tie-breaker question. 

Their replies to the question asking them 

what they needed to help them relax in the 

spring were deemed best by the judging panel. 

What’s more, the first 50 survey entrants have 

each received a pair of Bama welly socks. 

The aim of the survey was to gather views on 

spring priorities and how broadleaf-weed control 

fits in. To take part in the next survey, make sure 

we have the correct details for you by emailing 

angus@cpm-magazine.co.uk 

tend to be a cleaner crop. We also have 

spring barley in the rotation, and I note that 

Pixxaro is a nice fit for poppies, which can 

be a problem in the crop.” 

Using the rotation and more effective 

chemistry are two ways in which Colin 

Woodward aims to prevent broadleaf 

weeds becoming too much of a worry. 

“We haven’t had any problems with 

resistance, but it’s something to be aware 

of. Meanwhile, cranesbill is one weed that’s 

getting tougher to control, and weather 

always plays the biggest role in how the 

spring progresses. So we need chemistry 

that fits in with what we’re doing and takes 

the burden out of weed control.” ■ 

Zypar comes in for autumn use 

Zypar has now joined Pixxaro as the second 

herbicide for UK growers from Dow 

AgroSciences that contains Arylex. This is 

formulated with florasulam, used in Spitfire, 

along with halauxifen-methyl, and is cleared for 

use in both the autumn and spring. 

Autumn use is the key point of difference to 

its stable mate. A contact-acting herbicide, 

Zypar can be applied from early growth stages 

through to GS45 in all winter and spring cereals 

except oats. It controls cleavers, poppies, 

cranesbill, fumitory, fat hen, chickweed, 

brassicas, mayweed, and volunteer beans, 

notes Stuart Jackson, and will add flexibility 

and an alternative mode of action to spring 

weed control, too. 

“The key difference in the weed spectrum 

is that Zypar is effective on brassicas and 

mayweed. It’s a compatible product that sits 

happily in the tank with PGRs, trace elements, 

fungicides and other herbicides,” he says. 

So how should growers use the two 

products? “Used at the T0 spray timing, Pixxaro 

at 0.375 l/ha will pick up weeds left by the 

autumn-applied residuals. Use the higher rate 

of 0.5 l/ha if poppies have passed the four-leaf 

stage and add an adjuvant if there’s no EC 

formulation in the tank-mix –– if it’s partnered 

with straight chlorothalonil, for instance. 

Alternatively, use Zypar at 0.75 l/ha, with no 

adjuvant required.” 

The advice would be pretty much the same 

at the T1 spray timing. “Just bear in mind the 

higher rates may be needed for larger weeds,” 

he adds. 

“Those growers who will wait until the T2 

The key difference in the weed spectrum is that 

Zypar is effective on brassicas and mayweed, 

says Stuart Jackson. 

fungicide timing can use Zypar or Pixarro to mop 

up weeds that have escaped treatment earlier in 

the spring, as well as clearing out late flushes of 

black bindweed which may come through in a 

wet season.” 


27

Liquid logic has 

a way with 

weeds 

Iain Learmonth is looking to control aggressive 

populations of cleavers and groundsel and 

potentially ALS-resistant populations of 

chickweed and mayweed. 

Technical 

Innovation Insight 

When Dupont scientists 

finally created a formulation 

to partner fluroxypyr with 

sulfonylurea herbicides, it 

wasn’t just the spectrum of 

the one-can solution that 

was improved. CPM tells 

the story. 


Sulfonylurea herbicides have long been 

the mainstay of broadleaf weed control in 

the spring. Low dose rates and a broad 

spectrum make them a farmer friendly 

addition bringing cost-effective, 

season-long control of a number of 

culprits that perennially slip through the 

net cast by the autumn residual herbicide. 

“ 

But there have always been a couple 

of niggles with them –– cleavers aren’t 

controlled by the majority of SUs used in 

the spring, and then there’s the bewildering 

restrictions on sequencing and mixtures. 

The improved 

adjuvant properties 

of the oil dispersion 

formulation resulted 

in better weed 

control. ” 

Running out of steam 

“When autumn residual herbicides start 

running out of steam we see problems with 

broadleaf weeds,” notes Steve Cook of 

Hampshire Arable Systems. “And by May 

weeds are often large so sulfonylureas can 

struggle to provide satisfactory control, 

especially of charlock and cleavers which 

keep emerging throughout the season. 

“We have the option of going back in with 

Starane (fluroxypyr) for cleaver control, but 

there are other weeds to consider too, so a 

product with a broader spectrum is needed.” 

There are also restrictions on mixing and 

sequencing acetolactate synthase (ALS) 

chemistry, he notes, and this can be a 

problem, especially for growers where 

blackgrass is a target. 

“Until now, a maximum 

of two applications of ALS 

herbicides within a season 

have been allowed, which 

has restricted the choice of 

a spring herbicide when 

flupyrsulfuron (FPU) and 

Atlantis (iodosulfuron+ 

mesosulfuron) had been 

used as part of an autumn 

grassweed strategy,” he explains. 

For Scottish agronomist Iain 

Learmonth, the ability to successfully control 

aggressive populations of cleavers and 

groundsel and potentially ALS-resistant 

populations of chickweed and mayweed, 

has become even more important. He 

advises for Gardiner ICM, consulting on over 

9000ha of a fertile ribbon of land stretching 

from just North of Aberdeen to the Black Isle. 

Winter cereals constitute the bulk of 

his cropping with oilseed rape and 

potatoes as a break. While pre and early 

post-emergence herbicides have afforded 

satisfactory control, there are limited 

opportunities to use these, and weeds such 

as chickweed often slip through the net. 

““I often find myself recommending an 

extra application after growth stage 32 to 

clean up the crop,” he says. 

Weeds such as pansy, hemp nettle, 

mayweed and polygonums are perennial 

challenges for him. “SUs are very useful at 

what they do, if used sensibly, in terms of the 

broad spectrum of activity they have and 

their ease of use –– if you apply an SU, you 

can usually be confident you’ve plugged 

any gaps.” 



The SU herbicides were introduced in 

the mid-1980s. It was a Dupont scientist, 

George Levitt, who first managed to capture 

the high potency from extraordinarily low 

dose rates certain compounds within this 

class of chemistry could exhibit. He 

persisted in synthesising new molecules 

long after other chemists had abandoned 

the SUs, and helped to bring actives such 

as metsulfuron-methyl, tribenuron-methyl 

and thifensulfuron-methyl (as in Ally Max SX 

and Harmony M SX) to market. 

Dupont has continued to develop the 

chemistry, improving the formulation and 

the spectrum of weeds controlled by this 

remarkable low-dose class of molecules. 

But for the past 30 years, there’s been a 

recognised challenge the research team has 

sought to overcome. “We haven’t had a 

cleaver solution,” notes Dr Tim Obrigawitch, 

global technical product manager for 

Dupont at its main facility in Newark, USA. 

“What we’ve been looking for is a product 

that would provide a broadleaf-weed solution 

in just one package. The other aspect to 

address with this class of chemistry is that it 

relies on one mode of action. The difficulty 

has always been with the formulation.” 

Fluroxypyr, also introduced in the 

mid-1980s, has long been the product of 

choice for cleaver control. It’s a synthetic 

auxin with a high degree of activity and 

selectivity for the weed. 

Liquid formulation 

“Fluroxypyr is a liquid formulation. For a 

one-can solution, we needed to find a liquid 

SU formulation we could tank-mix. But the 

main stumbling block has always been that 

SUs can lose their stability in a liquid –– 

that’s why you should never leave them in 

a spray tank for a long period of time,” 

explains Tim Obrigawitch. 

Many hundreds of different formulations 

have been tested and millions of dollars 

spent searching for the answer, he says. 

“It’s eluded us for the past 27 years, but 

eventually in 2013, we cracked it –– we 

developed an oil dispersion (OD) formulation 

that could take metsulfuron, stabilise it with 

The real strength of Provalia is its performance in 

marginal conditions, notes Alister McRobbie. 

other SUs and fluroxypyr and that could be 

used at the right rate.” 

It was the first time that such a 

▲ 

Weed control boost from formulation fervour 

The new LQM formulation in Provalia has 

some unique characteristics that alter the 

way it lands on the leaf, remains there and 

is rapidly taken up by the plant, points out 

Alister Mc Robbie. 

“Spray droplets that have a high dynamic 

surface tension (DST) will tend to bounce or 

run off the leaf surface,” he explains. “Tests 

have shown Provalia has a lower DST than 

either the tank-mix equivalent or competitor 

products. Droplets remain on the leaf surface 

which means the maximum surface area 

comes in contact with the leaf and as a result, 

you get maximum AI uptake.” 

A key point to note is that this isn’t about 

rainfastness, but enhanced uptake, he adds. 

In another test, pansy plants were treated with 

Provalia and the tank-mix equivalent. The 

leaves were then washed using a solvent 

–– some after 30mins and some after four 

hours. Plants were then assessed 14 days 

after treatment. 

“After just 30mins, much more AI was 

taken up by the plant in the LQM formulation, 

compared with the SX tank-mix. We found 

similar results with competitor products and 

with other weeds.” 

For best results, he recommends growers 

target weeds when they’re small and actively 

growing. “However, because of the new 

formulation, a full wash-out procedure is 

required,” he notes. 

Plants above are shown 14 days after treatment. After just 30mins, much more Provalia is taken 

up, compared with the tank-mix. 

Uptake of active ingredients into the plant 

% uptake of active ingredient 

75% 

70% 

65% 

60% 

55% 

50% 

45% 

40% 

Source: Dupont 

Provalia LQM 

Tank-mix 

15 mins 30 mins 1 hr 2 hr 4 hr 24 hr 


29


Performance in marginal conditions 

100 

98 

96 

% Cleaver control 

94 

92 

90 

88 

86 

84 

82 

80 

Cold 

Normal 

Provalia LQM 1 l/ha Fluroxypr 135 GA l/ha Spitfire 0.75 l/ha 

Galaxy 1 l/ha 

Steve Cook needs a product with a broader 

weed spectrum. 

combination had been made possible. But 

it was only during field testing that all of the 

benefits of the new technology emerged. 

“We’d aimed for a product that was stable 

and easy to apply. It also had to be 

compatible with a wide range of tank-mixes, 

including liquid fertiliser, without foaming 

and be suitable for use on winter cereals. 

All of these we achieved,” continues 

Tim Obrigawitch. 

▲ 

Source: Dupont lab study 2015; Spitfire contains florasulam+ fluroxypyr; Galaxy contains clopyralid+ florasulam+ fluroxypyr 

“But what we noticed in the field was 

better spreading and adhesion to the leaf 

with this product. The improved adjuvant 

properties of the oil dispersion formulation 

resulted in better weed control.” 

It was launched first to Canadian 

farmers in 2015. “It was a huge success –– 

many of them prefer a liquid formulation 

and had been looking for a one-can 

solution. But the market there is mainly 

for spring cereals.” 

In Europe, the new formulation is 

branded as LQM, and the UK growers are 

set to receive it first this season, following 

its approval for use late last year –– it’s due 

for commercial roll-out across other EU 

countries in 2018. 

Provalia LQM combines metsulfuron-methyl, 

thifensulfuron-methyl and fluroxypyr into the 

oil dispersion formulation. It’s cleared for 

use in winter wheat and winter barley from 

15 March, or GS21 up to GS39. Available 

in a five-litre pack, the maximum dose is 

1 l/ha, which will deliver 5g/ha, 30g/ha and 

New solution sought for tough weeds 

Weeds that are proving to be increasingly tough 

to control in winter cereals are persuading Oxon 

grower Philip Barber to change his approach. 

“Wild carrot in particular is becoming a 

problem,” he notes. “It may be that we 

underestimated in the past just how much of a 

good job the old autumn-applied chemistry did. 

But we’re now finding you need broadleaf-weed 

control you can rely on in the spring.” 

Resistant blackgrass dictates much of the 

Wild carrot grows fast, and if you don’t deal 

with it, you’ll have large plants competing with 

the crop. 

herbicide programme across the 445ha of 

arable crops Philip Barber grows, based at Friars 

Farm, near Witney. Clay over gravel gives him 

ground that can lie waterlogged in the winter but 

is drought prone during summer months. 

“We won’t start drilling cereals until mid Oct, 

and these will always receive a pre-emergence 

herbicide of flufenacet and pendimethalin, with 

a bit of diflufenican. We’ll then follow up post 

emergence with flufenacet to bring it to the full 

rate for the season, with some extra DFF or 

PDM. It’s then a question of wait and see what 

comes through in the spring.” 

Despite a pretty robust autumn stack, he’s 

finding an extra application of spring herbicide 

is a regular requirement. “Cleavers will often 

germinate, but wild carrot is also becoming an 

increasing problem. You see it in early spring, 

and if you don’t deal with it, you’ll have large 

plants competing with the crop –– it grows 

fast,” notes Philip Barber. 

“I’ve tended to deal with it at the T0 timing, 

and sometimes risked going as late as T1. I’ve 

found full rate Ally Max SX (metsulfuron-methyl+ 

Despite applying a robust autumn stack, Philip 

Barber is finding an extra application of spring 

herbicide is a regular requirement. 

tribenuron-methyl) is the only herbicide that’ll 

touch it. But you still have to come back with 

something for the cleavers.” 

This year, he’s planning to try Provalia. “It’ll 

be interesting to see how it does on the wild 

carrot. I understand it’s faster acting and will 

take care of the cleavers. It’s a liquid, that 

makes things easier. But the nice thing is that 

it’s a one-can solution that’ll take care of a very 

specific weed issue I have,” he notes. 



135g/ha of the three actives respectively 

–– roughly equivalent to mixing Harmony 

M SX with Starane. 

“But the new formulation outperforms 

the same products if you just tank-mix 

them,” notes Dupont cereal product 

manager Alister McRobbie. “Its real 

strength is in marginal conditions, so you 

can apply it earlier in the season when 

it’s cold. But equally, at the other end of 

the season, it performs well on larger, 

over-wintered weeds –– better than the 

current SU chemistry.” 

Improved control 

Dupont trials from 2012-2015 have shown 

Provalia at both full and three-quarter rate 

outperforms fluroxypyr alone against 

cleavers, and it sits well ahead of 

florasulam plus fluroxypyr. Studies with 

pot-grown cleavers under controlled 

conditions of 5-12°C have also shown 

improved control of Provalia ahead of 

competitor products (see chart on p30). 

Another key difference with Provalia is 

there’s more flexibility with ALS sequences, 

adds Alister McRobbie. “Up to now, 

growers could only sequence two 

ALS herbicides on a crop. With Provalia, 

they can use it in sequence on crops 

where both FPU and Atlantis have 

been used previously in autumn 

programmes for control of bad blackgrass 

–– a real improvement in flexibility for 

Provalia LQM weed spectrum 

Species 1 l/ha 0.75 l/ha 

Charlock S S 

Chickweed S S 

Cleavers S S 

Common hemp nettle S S 

Corn chamomile S S 

Corn marigold S S 

Corn spurrey S S 

Cut leaf cranesbill S S 

Fat hen S S 

Forget me not S S 

Field pennycress S S 

Groundsel S S 

Hedge mustard S S 

Henbit dead nettle S S 

Mouse ear chickweed S S 

Orache S S 

Pale persicaria S S 

Parsley piert S S 

Poppy S S 

Redshank S S 

Dupont trials in Lincs in 2015 show the efficacy of Provalia LQM on cleavers (left) compared with 

straight fluroxypyr at 135 GAI/ha. 

growers and agronomists.” 

Provalia also boasts an impressive weed 

spectrum, he points out (see table below), 

which takes in polygonums and volunteer 

oilseed rape. “The fluroxypyr also adds 

another mode of action against chickweed, 

where resistance may be an issue.” 

Iain Learmonth used Provalia in trials 

last year in both winter wheat and barley. 

“It’s not a game-changer, but it does 

improve efficacy, particularly on substantial 

winter-hardened and normally difficult 

to control cleavers, chickweed and 

Species 1 l/ha 0.75 l/ha 

Scarlett pimpernel S S 

Scented mayweed S S 

Scentless mayweed S S 

Shepherd’s needle S S 

Shepherd’s purse S S 

Small flower cranesbill S S 

Sow thistle S S 

Volunteer OSR S S 

Wall cress S S 

Wild carrot S S 

Read dead nettle S S 

Black bindweed S S 

Creeping thistle S S 

Knotgrass S S 

C F speedwell S S 

Fumitory S S 

Cornflower S S 

Pansy S MS 

I L speedwell MS MS 

groundsel. It’s a particularly convenient 

and flexible formulation as well. 

“It won’t be used exclusively, but 

prescriptively and well targeted applications 

from GS32-39 will mean that the headache 

of dealing with those aggressive and hugely 

competitive populations that have slipped 

through the autumn herbicide net, can be 

dealt with effectively.” 

Steve Cook has also seen the efficacy of 

Provalia in last year’s trials and reckons it 

shows impressive knock down of most of 

the key broadleaf weeds. He notes there’s 

a quicker activity on both small and larger 

weeds, over a broader spectrum of 

species. “It picked up some weeds not 

adequately controlled before, such as 

speedwell and wild carrot. 

“It’s not just about improved weed control, 

though –– Provalia isn’t new chemistry, 

after all. What it offers is a new formulation 

of actives that we haven’t had before. So 

it’s the one-can solution, easier mixing 

and three-way sequencing with other ALS 

herbicides that’ll be of benefit. It just 

makes the job of controlling broadleaf 

weeds in spring that much simpler,” 

he concludes. ■ 


CPM would like to thank Dupont for kindly 

sponsoring this article, and for providing 

privileged access to staff and material used 

to help put the article together. 

Source: Dupont; S susceptible, MS moderately susceptible 


31

Spotlight on crop 

research 

“ 

The indirect 

effect of cover crops 

is more useful than 

any competitive 

effect. ” 

Technical 

CPSB Conference 

The great and the good 

gathered at Peterborough 

Arena last month for the 

Association of Applied 

Biologists ‘Crop Production 

in Southern Britain’ 

conference. CPM reports 

on proceedings. 


An eclectic mix of researchers, agronomists 

and wider industry converged on the East 

of England showground to hear the latest 

research findings, with a tightly jammed 

two days of presentations set to get the 

grey matter ticking. The content proved to 

be rich pickings for those in attendance. 

With the focus initially on disease, AHDB’s 

Dr Paul Gosling presented his research into 

the cost of septoria to the industry. As the 

most significant disease in wheat and basis 

of all fungicide programmes, surprisingly 

little information is available regarding the 

yield penalty from septoria, useful to assess 

the success of fungicide programmes or 

more poignantly, for regulators to determine 

the impacts of restrictions on the availability 

of fungicides, he told delegates. 

“In the UK, the number of fungicides to 

control foliar pathogens, principally septoria, 

has increased since 1990, with most crops 

now receiving four sprays. Despite this 

increase, monitoring of commercial crops 

indicates no decline in disease levels, with at 

least 1% septoria on leaf 2 in all but the most 

favourable years,” he said. 

“This suggests a disconnect between 

the intensity of use of foliar fungicides and 

disease pressure, which is likely to be 

neither economically nor environmentally 

sustainable.” 

Lost yield 

His work looked at a large number of trials, 

conducted over many years, enabling him 

to establish an overall relationship between 

disease level and lost yield. He reported that 

1% infection on leaf 2 had a yield penalty of 

0.67% yield. 

Septoria has a cost even in the absence 

of yield loss, he said, estimating the mean 

spend on fungicides used exclusively for 

septoria control at £31.60/ha. Using these 

figures, he concluded that septoria cost the 

industry close to 0.5M tonnes/annum in 

terms of potential yield, at a cost of around 

£53M (at £125/t), rising to more than 1M 

tonnes in a high disease pressure year, 

or £170M. 

Perhaps the highlight of the first day was 

a workshop held by CRD, aimed to help 

them gather views from the field on some of 

the regulatory issues facing agronomists and 

spray operators at the sharp end of product 

use. And views were forthcoming! 

Jayne Wilder, a member of CRD’s 

operational policy team, assured delegates 

they would be listened to and the initiative 

was widely welcomed by those present, with 

the workshop packed to the gills. 

The general consensus was an 

overwhelming view that labels could 

be made less confusing and statutory 

requirements in particular should be clearer. 

Buffer zones were a further area where the 

rules were perceived to becoming more 

complex and clarity was deemed to be an 

issue, with many growers worried about 

inadvertently ‘getting it wrong’. 

On the fundamental subject of whether 

risk or hazard should be used as the future 

criteria for determining approvals, a return 

to a risk-based assessment was strongly 

preferred by delegates, giving plenty of food 

for thought for the CRD team to chew over 

as they prepare for exit from the EU. 

After lunch thoughts turned to blackgrass, 

which had a conference slot worthy of its 

status as the UK’s most troublesome weed. 

Rothamsted’s Richard Hull presented a 

paper which investigated the speed 

non-target site resistance (NTSR) to the 

ALS inhibitor, Atlantis (mesosulfuron+ 

iodosulfuron), occurred in different 

blackgrass populations. He looked at the 

cross-resistance pattern and in particular, 

▲ 


CPSB Conference 

Paul Gosling told delegates that septoria costs 

the industry close to 0.5M tonnes/annum in 

terms of potential yield. 

whether this would have any impact on 

the future efficacy of widely used herbicide, 

flufenacet. 

“The area sprayed annually with Atlantis 

hasn’t decreased much since its peak in 

2011, in spite of a slide in performance as 

a result of target site and NTSR,” he told 

delegates. 

The research was carried out on different 

populations of blackgrass –– including one 

which had never been exposed to Atlantis. 

The results showed repeated applications of 

the herbicide resulted in the rapid selection 

of NTSR, probably by enhanced metabolism. 

“This NTSR conferred resistance to 

herbicides in four different ALS subgroups 

(including pyroxsulam, as in Broadway Star), 

▲ 

Italian ryegrass shouldn’t be introduced into 

arable rotations because it is potentially more 

of a problem than blackgrass. 

even though they’d never been applied to the 

populations studied. However, there was no 

evidence of cross-resistance to flufenacet in 

the study, which was a very positive finding,” 

he said. 

In NTSR the molecular structure of a 

herbicide is more important than its mode 

of action, so cross-resistance need not 

automatically extend to other ALS-inhibiting 

herbicides, especially those with different 

molecular structures. In contrast, with 

target site resistance some degree of 

cross-resistance would be expected, 

he explained. 

The implication being that for such clear 

cross-resistance to all the ALS-inhibiting 

herbicides in the study, some common 

aspect in their molecular structures must 

have made them vulnerable to the same 

NTSR mechanism. The critical point was that 

this had occurred solely through the use of 

Altlantis, with no other ALS inhibitors having 

been applied. 

Novel methods 

Dr Stephen Moss presented some old 

research findings into some novel methods 

to control blackgrass that had never been 

before been published. His paper suggested 

that late herbicide applications had potential 

to reduce viable seed return. 

Based on studies with flamprop-Misopropyl, 

he found that late applications in 

May when 10% of blackgrass heads had 

emerged, consistently produced the best 

overall control. Reductions of up to 90% in 

viable seed return were achieved with similar 

reductions in the weed population in the 

following crop. He pointed out that while 

flamprop is no longer available in Europe, this 

work highlights the potential of this approach 

which deserves study with newer herbicides. 

His work also highlighted the effect of 

row spacing on blackgrass populations, 

concluding that narrower row widths had 

fewer blackgrass heads/plant. 

“On 6cm rows, there were 18-23% less 

heads than in 12cm rows but wider rows are 

more vulnerable. “It’s something to be aware 

of since there’s a current trend towards 

planting on wider row widths,” he said. 

His paper further revealed his work into 

cover crops and allelopathy, which had 

produced very inconclusive results and he 

questioned its practical relevance. 

“The indirect effect of cover crops is 

more useful than any competitive effect on 

blackgrass and allelopathy studies didn’t 

prove to have any relevant effects. In my 

opinion, greater emphasis should be placed 

on reducing seed return and more rational 

use of post-harvest stubble management 

Richard Hull reported there was no cross 

resistance to flufenacet where non target site 

resistance to Atlantis was present. 

techniques to reduce weed populations,” 

he added. 

In a further paper, Stephen Moss warned 

that Italian ryegrass was a potentially even 

bigger problem than blackgrass and 

growers should avoid introducing the crop 

into an arable rotation. 

“Italian ryegrass produces 10 times more 

seed per plant than blackgrass and is more 

competitive. 100 ryegrass heads/m 2 can 

cause a yield reduction of 1.2t/ha, compared 

with 1.0t/ha for blackgrass at the same 

population.” 

On day two, attention turned to plant 

breeding and Penny Maplestone, British 

Society of Plant Breeders, gave a fascinating 

overview of developments in breeding 

techniques and the potential they offer to 

the industry. 

“There’s been a massive explosion in 

genomics, combined with other techniques, 

which offers endless possibilities to change 

the game in plant-breeding innovation,” 

she told delegates. 

“One of the rate-limiting factors in 

plant-breeding programmes is screening, 

although high-output phenotyping and 

marker-assisted selection has speeded the 

process up. But now there’s a move towards 

genomic selection which uses markers 

The outcome of a case in the European Court of 

Justice will determine the regulation around new 

breeding techniques. 


across the whole genome, 

making it possible to predict 

which lines will make the best 

parents. 

She described genome 

editing as ‘keyhole surgery’ 

for plants. The term covers a 

number of techniques, with the 

best known being CRISPR-Cas9. 

“It’s very specific and precise, 

giving breeders the ability to 

change just one thing. That 

means they can quickly select for 

a trait without bringing across the 

‘genetic baggage’ that would 

normally come with it and 

then needs to be removed by 

back-crossing within current 

breeding programmes,” 

explained Penny Maplestone. 

Gene editing also allows 

breeders to knock out or alter 

gene function or expression, as 

well as incorporate new DNA 

sequences. 

“The beauty of these methods 

is that they give the plant breeder 

the ability to develop products 

that could have been made 

through more traditional breeding 

techniques and without including 

any foreign DNA.” 

The big question mark over 

whether plant breeders will ever 

be able to realise the potential of 

these innovations remains, as 

regulatory uncertainty continues 

to hang over them, she said. 

One of the major issues 

surrounds whether the products 

of new breeding techniques are 

GMOs. Another difficulty lies with 

accessing genetic resources 

from different countries because 

they can choose to exercise their 

sovereign rights over them. 

“The Nagoya protocol was 

set up to encourage member 

countries to work together but 

the rules are very opaque and 

complex, so plant breeders in 

practice have great difficulty in 

knowing they are complying with 

all the requirements under the 

protocol. Uncertainty means risk 

for plant breeding companies, 

so the area remains fraught 

with difficulty.” 

The definitive EU position 

on how new plant-breeding 

techniques should be classified 

has been much delayed. 

Penny Maplestone explained the 

potential of new plant-breeding 

techniques. 

Dr Louise Ball, a member of 

Defra’s EU crops and GMO 

team, explained to delegates 

the current legal situation. 

“One of the issues is there’s no 

history of safe use for new 

genomic techniques and no legal 

view has been forthcoming from 

the EU Commission. They’re due 

to publish a scientific explanatory 

note in the first quarter of 2017 

but their legal view is awaiting 

the outcome of a case currently 

in the European Court of Justice 

(ECJ),” she said. 

France have asked the ECJ to 

consider questions regarding 

genome editing, a ruling which 

will clarify whether current EU 

GMO regulation should be 

applied to new breeding 

techniques or not. However, a 

decision isn’t expected to be 

forthcoming until April 2018 so 

the regulatory stalemate is likely 

to continue, she explained. 

Louise Ball emphasized 

that the UK Government was 

supportive of innovation and new 

plant-breeding techniques, with 

Defra farming minister George 

Eustice actively promoting their 

importance. 

“Although the uncertainty 

remains, we’re inching forward 

albeit very slowly and the ECJ 

case will be very important. 

Ministers are committed to 

innovation and science-based 

regulation but ultimately 

problems need to be resolved 

with both legislation and public 

perception,” she concluded. ■

Brampton goes west 

“ 

Blackgrass 

and wet soil go together, 

so you have to sort out 

drainage first. 

” 

Technical 

Blackgrass 

A new trial site in Oxon puts 

soil at the forefront of the 

blackgrass battle. CPM went 

along to find out more. 

By Paul Spackman 

Soil structure must be the primary focus 

when tackling burgeoning blackgrass 

populations, say organisers of a new 

farm trial in Oxon. With herbicide-resistant 

blackgrass populations exceeding 

5000 plants/m 2 , the new Hutchinsons’ 

blackgrass centre at Mollington, near 

Banbury, faces big challenges over 

coming years. 

The firm took on four fields last autumn, 

varying in size from 4.5ha to 17.2ha, which 

will showcase a range of chemical and 

cultural techniques to reduce blackgrass 

numbers, based on findings from its 

Blackgrass Centre of Excellence at 

Brampton, Cambs. 

“The aim is to apply the blackgrass 

management techniques developed over 

many years at Brampton, alongside other 

aspects specific to this site,” says trial 

manager and local agronomist Richard Hall. 

Tricky soil conditions are the main 

challenge at Mollington and addressing 

underlying issues is essential for control 

strategies to be effective, particularly 

spring cropping on heavy land. The topsoil 

is primarily good quality clay silt loam, but 

it overlies less permeable clay subsoil that 

can inhibit drainage and exacerbate 

blackgrass, Richard Hall explains. 

Soil structure 

“Blackgrass and wet soil go together, 

so you have to sort out drainage first,” 

says Hutchinsons’ technical manager 

Dick Neale. However, this does not mean 

rushing in with the subsoiler, which can 

make matters worse by bringing fresh 

blackgrass seed to the surface and 

disturbing natural soil structure, he warns. 

Solutions have to be tailored to individual 

fields. For example, closer inspection of 

waterlogging in one field at Mollington 

revealed the cause was runoff from a nearby 

yard and public road which was entering 

the field through a gateway, not subsoil 

compaction or high water table. Moving the 

gateway and reinstating the ditch should 

stop surface flooding without needing deep 

cultivations, although mole ploughing would 

be considered if subsoil clay is consistent 

enough, he comments. 

Dick Neale believes restricting cultivations 

to the top two inches (50mm) is key to 

controlling blackgrass. Within this zone 

the grassweed can be encouraged to 

germinate then sprayed-off with a 

non-selective herbicide before drilling, 

Don’t rush in with the subsoiler, advises 

Dick Neale –– investigate what’s causing 

the soil-related issues first. 

and any seedlings will be germinating 

within the range of residual chemistry. 

Meanwhile, leaving deeper seed 

undisturbed allows natural depletion 

of the seed bank at 70% per year. 

Shallow tillage, combined with good 

residue management further builds natural 

soil biology and structuring, which 

improves drainage, aids crop rooting 

and improves productivity, he adds. 


Blackgrass 

Banbury blackgrass 

strategies: 

● Cultivation and drilling techniques – 

shallow versus deep tillage 

● Spring cropping 

● Cover crops 

● Variable seed rates in spring barley 

● Herbicidal control in OSR 

● Impact of varying flufenacet rates on 

pre-em control. 

“It may look like you’re hardly doing 

anything, but just moving the top two 

inches is enough to encourage blackgrass 

to germinate, while allowing the soil to 

aggregate naturally.” 

At Mollington, shallow tillage is done 

with an on-farm-engineered version of the 

tine and press-based Cousins Surface 

cultivator. 

Strong root growth is fundamental to 

improving soil structure and something 

that will be examined with cover crops 

on the site to improve natural drainage. 

“It’s easy to underestimate what roots will 

do,” says Dick Neale. 

Crops that produce a strong tap root, 

such as legumes, oilseed rape, linseed, 

mustard or tillage radish, are best at 

penetrating deeper into the soil, but a 

range of three to four species should be 

sown to provide different rooting depths 

and spread risk, he advises. 

Spring cropping 

Cover crops may have a role to play on 

heavy land by drying soil to depth and 

enabling spring cropping –– a key tool in 

cultural blackgrass control. Two fields at 

Mollington are in spring barley this season, 

with a range of seed rates and drilling 

systems being compared. 

Spring barley will only help reduce 

blackgrass if grown correctly, Dick Neale 

insists. This means getting a good flush 

of weeds prior to drilling, minimising 

soil disturbance at drilling, and sowing 

enough seeds to establish a crop that 

outcompetes blackgrass and delivers 

a decent yield. 

“You must be realistic about how much 

seed will be lost, especially when sowing 

spring crops on heavy land. Yield is all 

about seed numbers in barley.” 

Dick Neale says 22,000 barley seeds/m 2 

Spring barley will only help reduce blackgrass if 

grown correctly and enough seeds are sown. 

are required for a 10t/ha crop, which 

based on 24-28 grains/ear, 915 ears/m 2 

and three tillers per plant, equates to 

310-320 established plants/m 2 . At a 

seedbed survival of 70-75%, this means 

sowing 450-500 seeds/m 2 . ■ 

Cultural “stacks” key to blackgrass control 

“Stacking” cultural techniques is essential for 

effective blackgrass control, according to 

Hutchinsons’ Neil Watson. The concept is often 

applied to complex herbicide mixes, but has 

equal merit for the range of non-chemical 

options in the blackgrass armoury, he says. 

Delayed drilling, spring cropping, higher seed 

rates, cover crops and cultivation techniques 

can all help reduce blackgrass pressure, but 

their impact is much greater when used in a 

coordinated way and integrated with chemical 

options, he says. 

Attention often centres on “percentage 

control” but Neil Watson believes more focus 

must be given to plants that survive, as 

blackgrass has an impressive ability to 

compensate for lower populations by producing 

more tillers (up to 60 per plant) and larger ears 

typically containing at least 200 viable seeds 

per head. 

This was clearly shown last season, when 

blackgrass tillered heavily and some ears were 

almost double the average size of 10cm, he 

notes. “In such cases there’s double the amount 

of seed return too. 

“You might achieve 90% control of plants, 

but this is only equivalent to 45% control of 

heads given the ability of surviving blackgrass to 

compensate through tillering. From the very start 

it’s an uphill struggle.” 

Blackgrass should therefore be hit hard with 

all available options to minimise seed return and 

deplete the seed-bank as quickly as possible, 

he adds. 

Reducing numbers below 12 plants/m 2 allows 

a static population to be maintained, however 

research shows this amount can still result in a 

5% yield loss, so a “zero-tolerance” approach 

may be better long term. 

Building the cultural stack 

● Soil – Improve structure and drainage to 

reduce waterlogging, improve crop growth, 

and facilitate spring cropping on heavy 

ground. Cover crops with different rooting 

characteristics could play a key role. 

● Cultivations – Only work the top 25-50mm 

to keep blackgrass seed within a “kill zone” 

and allow deeper seed to deplete naturally. 

● Delay drilling – Maximise stale seedbeds 

prior to sowing and drill after the main 

autumn flush. But this is only effective if a 

good flush of weeds can be established and 

sprayed off. Beware of delayed germination in 

high dormancy years such as 2016/17 and/or 

when soil conditions remain very dry. 

The impact of cultural techniques is much greater 

when used in a coordinated way and integrated 

with chemical options, says Neil Watson. 

● Cropping – Use spring cropping as the 

ultimate delayed drilling – spring barley 

remains the most effective option. Maximise 

stale seedbeds and non-selective herbicides 

before spring drilling. 

● Competition – Increase seed rates (up to 

450-500/m 2 ) to compensate for likely lower 

germination on heavy ground in spring and 

ensure crop outcompetes blackgrass. 

● Chemistry – Focus chemical control on 

effective pre-emergence residual herbicides 

aiming for 70-80% control. 

● Monitor – Tailor decisions to individual field 

and seasonal conditions. Give it time – there 

is no quick fix. 


“ 

My remit is 

very much about 

proving the 

technology. 

” 

Robots take control 

Features 

Precision agronomy 

Hands-free farming has 

come a step closer with a 

ground-breaking research 

initiative underway at Harper 

Adams University. CPM visits 

to find out what it aims 

to achieve and reports 

on two new precision 

agronomy services. 

By Jane Brooks 

and Lucy de la Pasture 

In a world first, researchers at Harper 

Adams University plan to grow a hectare 

of spring barley using robots, agricultural 

machinery and drones all controlled 

from a laptop base-station. People are 

forbidden, however –– once the area is 

fenced off, no one will be allowed to set 

foot in the field. 

According to project manager Kit 

Franklin the plan is to sow, grow and 

harvest the crop using readily available 

machinery, autonomous control systems 

and open-source technology. Equipment 

preparations are well underway and all the 

systems have undergone vigorous lab and 

field testing. 

The single hectare plot has been chosen 

–– it was sub soiled last autumn to get rid of 

old tractor track ruts and fencing is well 

underway. There’s just the small matter of 

applying the technology to the actual 

equipment for the task in hand, starting 

with a 40hp Iseki tractor. 

“I’ve worked in this field since studying 

as an undergraduate, initially coming across 

agrobotics through Professor Simon 

Blackwell, here at Harper Adams,” explains 

Kit Franklin. “We had prototype robots 

trundling around but we wanted to put them 

to work in the field. 

Complete crop cycle 

“People have experimented by automating 

parts of the process with many research 

projects going on across the world, but 

they’re snap shots. So far no one’s done 

anything like this over a complete arable 

crop cycle, which was the big driver for 

us. We aim to prove the technology by 

undertaking our own field-scale automation 

project here at Harper Adams, which is 

a world first.” 

The project launched in Oct 2016 with 

early testing of the automation system on an 

electric all-terrain vehicle. They’re now on the 

next step, which is incorporating the system 

onto the 40hp Iseki tractor that’ll be used for 

drilling and spraying the crop. 

“The tractor’s currently in the workshop 

having wires soldered and connected before 

undergoing various tests,” adds Kit Franklin. 

“We tested our systems on previous vehicles, 

so we know they work, but it doesn’t give 

us much time to get going as we plan to 

sow the barley towards the end of March 

or early April. 

“The machines will be controlled via a 

laptop, using a system essentially adapted 

from drone technology. It’s similar to autosteer 

in that the tractor is programmed from the 

laptop to follow a pre-determined path. 

There’s no artificial intelligence in the 

Martin Abell (left) from Precision Decisions has 

been assisting Harper Adams robotics researcher 

Jonathan Gill and Kit Franklin (right). 

machine, no decision making –– it follows a 

pre-set course.” 

A front-mounted sensor will monitor the 

route and stop the tractor if there’s anything in 

the way. “Agrobotics is a term that’s commonly 

used, but what we’re doing is more automation 

than robotics,” he continues. 

“Our software comes from the open-source 

community so people all around the world 

are doing bits of coding and adding to it 

and the hardware is also developed from 

an open-source background. 

“We’re not breaking new ground by 

writing really clever new bits of new code 

but using existing technology. I think in 

other places people are too caught up in 

developing from scratch rather than adapting 

what’s already out there.” 

The project has received a great deal of 

support from within the agricultural industry. 

Iseki have provided the tractor and Linak have 

loaned the use of the actuators. Numerous 

other companies have either sponsored the 

project or come up with very competitive 

prices for items when they’re needed. 

Precision Decisions of Shipton, York have 

been a strong presence in the agricultural 

technology market for a number of years, 



helping farmers integrate 

precisionagronomy and new 

technologies into their businesses. 

Managing director Clive Blacker 

explains why he decided to get 

involved in the project. 

“There’s huge enthusiasm for 

the project from the robotics team 

at Harper Adams. Kit Franklin and 

Jonathan Gill are two very bright 

lads working in the unmanned 

aerial vehicle (UAV) and robotics 

sector developing some of these 

prototypes. They’re the main 

driving force behind the 

project and our involvement 

is from the perspective of 

industry knowledge and 

staffing requirements. 

“A lot of development is still 

needed to get the technology 

right. The business-scaling case 

is something we’ll be trying to 

understand as the project 

evolves. I think it’ll be a sharp 

but long-term learning curve 

to properly understand the 

scalability of autonomous 

field-based systems. But we’ll 

gain an insight into the production 

capabilities of this type of system, 

so we can be realistic with the 

figures when we’re looking at 

development opportunities.” 

He believes two potential 

areas that may provide the 

biggest benefits are in reducing 

compaction and lowering 

cultivation costs. “There may be a 

lot of synergies and benefits by 

going with smaller machines. 

But the million-dollar question is 

▲ 

Momentum builds for the digital drive 

Technological innovations have led 

to a more favourable cost/benefit 

ratio for capturing data. 

Sensors, software and computer 

modelling have been huge steps 

forward for agricultural processes, 

such as in matching fertiliser 

applications to crop needs. They’ve 

also enabled progress in agricultural 

research, particularly in areas such 

as plant health and growth. 

Much of the data isn’t freely 

shared, however, as access to the 

results of big-data analysis 

by large corporations, as well as 

within the scientific community, is 

often restricted. But larger UK 

farmers, that have the available 

resources to gather the data, are 

more willing to exchange what 

they collect. 

And the potential in agriculture 

is vast –– huge amounts of data 

can be generated during crop 

growth. In the past, the cost of 

capturing data often outweighed 

the benefits. But technological 

innovations have led to a more 

favourable cost/benefit ratio, 

particularly when it comes to 

areas such as agronomy. 

Algorithms to interpret the data 

are also being refined, leading 

to better application of fertiliser, 

for example. 

Adjusting to the jargon 

Open source, broadly speaking, 

is shared software with the 

original source code being made 

freely available to anyone by 

the authors of the program. 

This allows the software to be 

redistributed, modified or 

enhanced by anyone with 

the knowledge to do so. 

Source code is the list of 

commands in a piece of software 

that computer programmers can 

manipulate to improve, change or 

fix the way a program works. 

Big data refers to the ability to 

examine and extract information 

from multiple sources. This has 

been made possible in recent years 

by more affordable technology 

developments and greater 

computing capability. Data storage 

and communication systems such 

as mobile phones and remote 

sensing have also enabled more 

data gathering to take place. 


39


obviously how many do you need and is it 

cost effective?” 

Clive Blacker also explained that the 

project is purely an autonomous robotics 

evaluation and given the time limitations 

they may not able to give the cropping side 

the attention to detail they would like. “We 

did some basic hand scouting before 

being banished from the field, in terms of 

digging some soil pits and doing some 

penetrometer tests.” 

The team will be using a vineyard drill, 

which fits the size of tractor and in common 

with larger drills will allow fertiliser placement 

with the seed. Remote-sensing drones 

will be used to monitor the crop, as well as 

N-sensor technology, so variable nitrogen 

rates could be applied. 

“Along the way we intend to be as 

precise as possible –– we have a very clever 

6m sprayer with section control, but that’s a 

side issue. The key is whether we can do the 

process,” adds Kit Franklin. “I hope that it 

opens people’s eyes and awareness, and that 

▲ 

they start talking about doing it for real.” 

Although by no any means a commercial 

product, the hardware and electronics on the 

Iseki costs around £10,000 with the tractor 

itself in the region of £15,000. That makes 

the cost of a robotic system, including 

multiple small units, not really much different 

to buying a single, big horse power tractor, 

he points out. 

Rice combine 

“We originally planned to use a rice combine 

as they’re small, have tracks and are easy to 

control. But we’ve ended up with a Sampo 

trials combine that’s the size we wanted but 

not quite what we first imagined using. It’s on 

wheels not tracks and a little longer than we 

had planned, which makes our confined 

space a bit more of an issue compared with 

an Asian combine, but it should be fine. 

“Obviously the work we’re doing is on one 

machine at the moment. But rolling forward, 

the whole idea is to have lots more machines 

of this size of 40hp or so out in the field 

working collaboratively and not crossing 

each other’s paths.” 

Looking at future applications for the 

system, Kit Franklin believes there are parts of 

the world that would adapt to it far easier than 

we would here in the UK. “In terms of scale, 

our tractors are big –– in other parts of the 

world they’re still farming with tractors that 

are 50hp. 

“I was recently in India where it’s completely 

normal to farm with tractors around 50hp and 

they’re farming a huge area. Turkey is similar 

although their average tractor is about 65hp, 

but again lots of small tractors farm a very 

large national acreage. 

“In these parts of the world using robotic 

small tractors isn’t that big a step. Also, places 

like Japan are facing huge problems with an 

aging farming population and no young 

people interested in farming. Just because 

these markets use small tractors doesn’t 

mean they’re opposed to technology. Actually, 

they’re possibly more receptive than we are 

and have a better infrastructure –– they’re on 

▲ 

Farming focus for new drone package 

Drone-assisted precision agriculture firm Drone 

AG has unveiled a new system that promises 

weather-proof agricultural data collection with 

support from “powerful” cloud-based farm 

management software. 

The Storm Agri Pro is a robust rain and 

wind-resilient enterprise-level quadcopter that 

carries the latest sensors for agricultural remote 

sensing activities, claims the company. Data 

processing will be handled by software partner, 

Aerobotics, through its cloud-based platform, 

AeroView. 

“While the data collected by drone systems can 

be extremely useful when assessing plant health 

and identifying weed growth, for example, we’ve 

experienced issues with the process of turning the 

The AeroView platform allows you to import and 

create field boundaries, plan UAV flights and 

upload the data, all with just a few clicks. 

raw data into useable on-farm information,” notes 

Hugh Wrangham of Drone AG. 

“AeroView provides an intuitive and easy-to-use 

platform with analytics which simplify the process 

end-to-end and gives our clients the information 

they need to make better decisions on the ground.” 

Built by Drone AG’s parent company in the UK, 

the hardware benefits from high-end components 

from leading drone manufacturer DJI. The UAVs can 

cover large areas quickly, says the company, even 

in adverse weather conditions, and feature dual 

batteries for up to 30mins flight time. Sensor 

options include Parrot’s Sequoia multi-spectral 

sensor, developed specifically for calibrated analysis 

of crop health and cropping defects. 

“The drone system is designed to be versatile 

and robust, but also modular and easy to upgrade,” 

notes Hugh Wrangham. 

Over the past two years, Aerobotics has worked 

with hundreds of farmers across South Africa and 

Australia to improve their yields and reduce costs, 

claims the company’s James Paterson. “We’ve 

designed our system to provide what we believe 

is the most user friendly platform currently on 

the market, packed with ground-breaking data 

analytics.” 

Advanced data quality, ground-truthing, data 

interpretation and export capabilities retain the 

precision of the high-resolution information 

captured by the UAV and make it available for farm 

use, such as with variable-rate applications. This is 

supported by the AeroView platform that allows you 

to import and create field boundaries, upload UAV 

The new drone can cover large areas quickly, 

even in adverse weather conditions, while a 

multi-spectral sensor allows analysis of crop 

health and cropping defects. 

data, analyse it, add prescription rates and export 

field maps, all with just a few clicks. 

Processing takes less than 24 hours, delivering 

results back to the grower that can be 

ground-truthed using a tablet or smartphone in 

the field or annotated with GPS precision. Data 

can be exported in formats directly compatible 

with precision agriculture machinery. 

The drone systems are supplied in a package 

that includes a day’s training on safe and lawful 

flying, as well as how to use the systems to 

gather aerial data autonomously and subsequently 

analyse results in AeroView. 

Prices start at £7200, including training and 

one month’s software and support. The enterprise 

software and support package costs £150/month, 

with 100ha of data processing included as 

standard and additional processing charged 

at £1/ha. 



The 40hp Iseki tractor that’ll provide motive 

power for the project. 

4G mobile communications all over the 

country in India, for example.”One issue is 

safety, but Kit Franklin points out that in 

Australia, companies such as Rio Tinto 

operate driverless mining trucks in what is 

essentially a safe environment where they’re 

▲ 

segregated on their own. The same thing 

could be done with tractors. 

“In terms of the UK, I think that this kind of 

autonomous farming is the way of the future. 

It takes one man to drive a 200hp tractor 

and you could put him in charge of four 

autonomous tractors that do less damage 

and use less energy.” 

Clive Blacker is already looking to the 

future. “I’d like to think that once we’ve proved 

the concept and fine-tuned the vehicles then 

perhaps we could look into a longer term 

project. Then we could really investigate 

commercialising it. 

“In agriculture, we’ve continually battled 

to reduce our costs through scale by 

increasing the size of the horsepower of the 

equipment so we get more productivity from 

less labour. But equally that has a knock-on 

effect with machine accuracy because it 

reduces the precision we can actually apply. 

“I honestly don’t think we’ve really started 

to precision farm at all properly yet. I believe 

opportunities are going to come to us at such 

a pace in the future that we really haven’t 

quantified them yet.” ■ 

Eratum 

Contrary to how it was presented in the 

March issue of CPM on p58, Rob Holmes 

of Park Style Farm, Derbyshire, applies just 

50kg/ha of urea on his OSR at drilling. 

Omnia stimulates the mind 

To Latin scholars, the name given to new precision 

farming system, Omnia, immediately conveys the 

ambition of those behind it. Omnia promises to be 

‘all things’. But the big question is whether it delivers 

on its promise where so many systems haven’t 

succeeded in joining the dots of precision techniques 

to make sense of the bigger picture. 

Hutchinsons’ agronomist and Nuffield scholar, 

Ben Taylor-Davies, describes himself as a bit of a 

maverick. He has a reputation for saying what he 

thinks and that doesn’t necessarily mean towing 

the company line. So when he says Omnia has 

impressed him, then the reasoning behind his 

statement is likely to have been well thought 

through. 

“Precision farming is good for creating pretty 

pictures but as an agronomist, I need to be able to 

turn this into meaningful advice and if I’m not in 

agreement with the model, then I need to be able 

to over-ride the output,” he says. 

The way Omnia has been designed allows 

for this. Different layers of information can be 

inputted, which may have been generated by other 

precision systems, such as soil or yield maps. They 

can even be built from using tacit knowledge of the 

farm, such as areas in fields where slugs are 

problematic or rabbits habitually graze, and 

manually inputted into the system. 

This autumn, Ben Taylor-Davies convinced 

Omnia analyses layers of information which can be 

manually inputted or downloaded from other data 

capture systems where it’s widely compatible. 

Andrew Troughton to put Omnia through its paces 

on his farm near Tewkesbury in Glos. Tredington 

Court is on heavy clay soil in an arable rotation of 

mainly winter wheat and oilseed rape, with spring 

beans and spring barley recently introduced to help 

with blackgrass management. 

“We’ve been operating reduced tillage 

practices for the past 7-8 years in an effort to 

improve soil structure. The recent introduction of a 

new drill with the capacity to vary seed rate, raised 

the question of how to best utilise it –– which is 

where Omnia comes in,” explains Andrew 

Troughton. 

“We had historic yield maps from GPS systems 

on the combine as well as our own knowledge of 

the farm, so with Omnia we could use this and soil 

mapping to input a background for the system to 

generate a plan for variable-rate drilling,” adds 

Ben Taylor-Davies. 

The farm started to produce yield map data in 

2014, which revealed some areas of fields were 

very high yielding and some very poor, but like 

many farms the mapping data wasn’t really utilised 

for more than identifying possible problem areas. 

For a farm business that’s new to precision 

technology, like Andrew Troughton’s, it’s best to 

concentrate on one area to see how it goes and 

identify a benefit before using more widely, 

suggests Oliver Wood, Hutchinsons’ Omnia 

technical manager. 

“When RDS in the cab is a new experience, it’s 

useful to get a feel for it so that the technology isn’t 

overwhelming. Varying seed rates is the most 

important place to begin when looking at precision 

farming for the first time,” he adds. 

At Tredington Court, Revelation winter wheat was 

drilled in the third week of Oct, after three stale 

seedbeds to help reduce blackgrass populations. 

In the past, a seed rate of 185-200kg/ha would 

have been standard on the farm but using the 

Omnia system a much larger range of seed 

Oliver Wood suggests businesses new to 

precision farming concentrate on specific 

areas to begin with. 

rates was planted this year. 

“The lowest seed rates were 170kg/ha, rising 

to 300kg/ha in some areas so there was a much 

bigger variation. We’ve used more seed but hope 

to have more plants established and a better crop 

as a result,” says Andrew Troughton. 

But the thing Ben Taylor-Davies most likes 

about his Omnia experience is that it makes 

him think. 

“Omnia is about agronomy. It makes you 

consider the whole field and all the factors that 

may affect seed rate on this farm. The system 

filters all these factors, just as an agronomist’s 

brain would do every time they make a decision, 

but instead of an overall average solution, Omnia 

enables lots of different calculations to take place 

at the same time in producing a recommendation 

–– enabling precision at the point of application. 

“Most of all, I like the fact that I can still modify 

the recommendation produced by the system so 

that if I don’t agree with the recommendation or 

there are other factors to consider that aren’t 

already built into the layers of information Omnia is 

using, such as soil temperature or poor seedbed 

conditions, I can tweak the output.” 


“ 

What we 

want are strong plants 

that flower to the 

floor and pod to 

the floor. 

” 

Richard Wainwright probably holds the current 

unofficial world record for the highest spring 

bean yield, but reckons the crop’s potential is 

much higher. 

Tapping 

into pulse 

potential 

Features 

Spring beans 

Attentive agronomy and 

plenty of manure helped one 

N Yorks grower achieve the 

highest UK yield with his 

spring beans, at around 70% 

above the UK average. 

CPM visits and discovers 

the potential may be 

even greater. 


You’d have thought Richard Wainwright 

would be savouring his achievement, as 

he stands for photos with his crystal 

decanter and bottle of single malt, while 

cupping a handful of spring beans. The 

prize trophy was awarded for the highest 

verified bean yield from the 2016 harvest 

–– his silty loams over limestone near 

Stonegrave in N Yorks brought in a healthy 

6.81t/ha crop of Fanfare. 

“It’s actually our lowest yield of the past 

three years,” he remarks. “I’d expect to get 

at least 7.5t/ha, and there have been times 

when the yield hasn’t been too far away from 

the magical 10t/ha.” 

Richard Wainwright took up the challenge, 

laid down by PGRO around 18 months ago, 

to steer his crop towards a double-digit yield 

(see panel on p47). He farms a total of 

600ha at Birch Farm in a family partnership 

with brother in law Peter Armitage and father 

in law Ian. Whether the clay over gravel or 

silt over limestone soils on the edge of the 

N Yorks Moors are capable of such an 

achievement remains to be seen. But he 

reckons the crop has plenty of potential that 

for the most part remains untapped. 

Rescue crop 

“A lot of people grow spring beans as a 

rescue crop –– it’s regarded as a poor man’s 

break crop that you don’t have to spend 

money on, so it gets no love and attention 

to detail. But year-on-year, beans perform 

better for us than oilseed rape, and just 

look at how much time and resource is 

lavished by most growers on that crop,” 

he points out. 

Besides a keen determination to give the 

crop everything it needs, he has a second 

secret that secures a fertile tilth and a crop 

that’s fit to flourish –– muck. The farm has 

1400 head of cattle –– predominantly 

continental finishers –– while 1000 store 

lambs are brought in each year to graze 

overwintered stubble turnips that rotate 

around the 485ha of arable and precede the 

beans. The soils receive rich rewards from 

what these beasts leave behind, reckons 

Richard Wainwright. 

“A trailer load of muck adds far more to 

the soil than just its nutrient value –– it’s a 

magical soil conditioner,” he enthuses. Up to 

50t/ha can be applied, ensuring compliance 

with regulatory guidelines, and steered 

towards achieving optimum output from a 

seven-year rotation in which two winter 

wheats are followed by either winter barley 


Spring beans 

and OSR or spring beans. 

And the suggestion that a spring crop 

doesn’t work on clay soils is smartly 

dismissed. “That’s a load of rubbish. In gross 

margin terms, spring beans perform the 

same or better than winter crops and help 

spread the workload.” 

Generally a Sumo five-leg subsoiler is the 

first piece of kit to follow the combine after 

the wheat’s taken off. “What we do then 

depends on how much moisture there is –– 

we aim to make a pass with the Sumo 3m 

trailed Trio, with an extra front-mounted disc 

unit. But if it’s really dry, we can drill the 

stubble turnips straight in. We’ll often top 

dress this with 12t/ha of muck to give it a 

good start and help keep the moisture in,” 

explains Richard Wainwright. 

The crop’s drilled with a 4m Horsch 

Pronto, that does little more than scatter the 

seed on top. “But just like the bean crop, 

there’s no excuse for skimping on stubble 

turnips. Both are clear-up crops for weeds, 

so we use pre-emergence glyphosate and 

in-crop graminicides to ensure we don’t 

miss the opportunity.” The total cost of the 

over-wintered crop is £120/ha, including 

machinery, he adds. 

“We’re aiming for 35-40 plants/m 2 , so drill 

at about 40-45 seeds/m 2 . That’s way below 

the rate currently recommended by PGRO, 

but there are important reasons to drill at this 

rate,” he explains. 

Firstly, the DTS establishes at 30cm rows, 

and Richard Wainwright reckons a higher 

seed rate would result in crowding down 

the rows. The second, and arguably more 

important reason, comes down to pollination. 

“Beans rely heavily on pollinators to 

improve pod set, so you have to focus your 

mind on doing everything you can to 

encourage them into the crop. What we want 

are strong plants that flower to the floor and 

pod to the floor. That means an open canopy 

that brings in the light and the pollinators –– 

not just bees, but insects too –– so that 

every flower makes a pod.” 

The bean crop’s drilled in around mid-to-late 

March into a seedbed that’s “corrugated” to 

prevent the soil from capping. 

The variety is currently Fanfare, and it’ll be 

grown for the second year in 2017. “We’ve 

previously grown Fuego, but felt the need to 

change. Fanfare’s had 2-3 years on the 

PGRO list and has shown it’s a consistent 

▲ 

Store lambs 

The store lambs are brought in from early 

Nov and usually leave the land in Feb. “Then 

the soil just has to dry. We’re looking to get 

away from ploughing and you can direct 

drill the crop. But we like to press the reset 

button twice in the rotation with the plough 

–– before winter barley and in front of the 

beans in spring.” 

The 6f Kuhn Vari-Master is followed with a 

pass of a 5.5m Simba Cultipress, and this is 

carefully timed. “You want to leave the soil to 

nap and work it when the surface is dry 

–– sometimes what you don’t do is more 

important than what you do.” 

The bean crop’s drilled with a 4m Sumo 

DTS, aiming for around mid-to-late March 

into a seedbed that’s relatively rough and 

“corrugated” to prevent the soil from capping. 

Sheep on fodder beet precede the bean crop. 


Spring beans 

The beans get a tonic at every pass because a 

healthy crop mends itself, making the nutrient 

programme arguably more important than the 

fungicides. 

yielder that doesn’t fall flat, which is 

important with the amount of muck we 

apply across the rotation.” 

Following a pre-em herbicide of Nirvana 

(pendimethalin+ imazamox), crop protection 

starts in May with an insecticide often 

applied for pea and bean weevil and a 

▲ 

How do beans stack up? 

£1000 

graminicide to keep grassweeds in check. 

Chocolate spot and downy mildew are the 

main disease threats with an azole plus 

chlorothalonil sprayed in June and July. 

But the July application is tank-mixed with 

Amistar (azoxystrobin), which does more 

than just protect the crop, he reckons. “With 

our open canopy, I’d hope the crop is less 

susceptible to disease. What we’re trying to 

create is a sunlight factory and transfer all of 

that energy into the pods. The Amistar 

brings more value in terms of greening,” 

explains Richard Wainwright. 

Micronutrient programme 

That’s also the philosophy behind a 

micronutrient programme that sees a total of 

£45/ha invested. This starts with Nutriphite 

peak, a phosphite supplement, made with 

every application from two-leaf stage up to 

first pods. There’s plenty of manganese also 

applied –– the soils are prone to deficiency 

–– and molybdenum and boron are 

tank-mixed in as the first flower buds become 

visible. The crop’s then given a potassium 

and sulphur boost when it starts to pod up. 

“That’s when beans are particularly hungry 

for nutrients,” he points out. 

“We want to give the beans a tonic at 

every pass. A healthy crop mends itself, 

so the nutrient programme is arguably more 

important than the fungicides. The crucial 

point is that the crop must be healthy at 

pollination so that it doesn’t abort pods.” 

He’s slightly more relaxed about bruchid 

beetle, however. “Up here, we’re the last 

people to get it. So we just pay attention to 

BruchidCast, which gives us plenty of 

advanced warning. We’ve always managed 

to achieve the human consumption 

premium, not that it brings in much extra 

at the moment.” 

Harvest is the point that’s critical to 

making that grade, he believes. “Once you 

spray the diquat, that sets the clock ticking, 

and you want the crop in the shed within 

three weeks. We apply a pod sealant, too, 

because the pods can be very brittle, 

especially if you have a hot Sept.” 

He aims for a moisture content of 18% or 

less off the field and circulates ambient air 

through the crop once it’s in the barn to 

bring it under 17%. “Then we’ll pass it 

through the continuous-flow dryer up to four 

times in batch mode, with just warm air –– if 

it’s too hot the seed will split and stain. 

“Then the crop goes back on the floor 

£800 

£600 

£400 

£200 

£- 

Beans rely heavily on pollinators to improve pod 

set and an open canopy helps bring them into 

the crop, so that every flower makes a pod. 

-£200 

-£400 

-£600 

Gross margin Variable costs 

Winter wheat Winter barley Oilseed rape Spring wheat Spring beans Average 

Yield (t) 9.48 8.80 4.65 7.35 6.81 

Price (/t) £132.00 £120.00 £248.00 £132.00 £162.50 

Output £1251.36 £1056.00 £1153.20 £970.20 £1106.63 £1107.48 

Variable costs £409.60 £350.13 £426.70 £315.00 £365.07 £373.30 

Gross margin £841.76 £705.87 £726.50 £655.20 £741.56 £734.18 

Source: Birch Farm, 2016 harvest; all values are per ha except where specified 

Spring beans: agronomy cost 

(/ha) 

Seed £136.35 

Fungicides £45.70 

Herbicides £100.92 

Insecticides £24.93 

Trace elements £45.15 

Pod sealant and adjuvants £12.02 

Variable costs £365.07 

Source: Birch Farm, 2016 harvest 


Spring beans 

The crop’s given a potassium and sulphur boost 

when it starts to pod up. 

with pedestal fans. To bring it down to 15%, 

it may need to go through the dryer again, 

and that last 1% can be hard to achieve. 

Keep the crop in the dark, though, as light 

during storage will also discolour it.” 

The award-winning crop itself has already 

left the farm. “I generally sell the crop in four 

thirds –– I take a conservative estimate on 

yield when selling forward, so there’s a 

bonus surplus sold on the open market after 

harvest. As long as the sample is pale with 

no bruchid damage, traders get excited as 

it’s a desirable product and you can get a 

premium. I don’t have a fixed outlet and look 

for the best deals on the day.” 

What’s left behind is pretty impressive, 

however –– a cursory inspection of the soil 

that bore the winning crop, now in wheat, 

reveals a friable crumby structure, and a 

crop well set up for the season ahead. 

“If conditions go well, it’s mint –– it’ll give 

you a fantastic entry for wheat. But if the 

weather turns against you it can be a 

disaster. Beans can turn your last week of 

harvest into a two-month struggle,” notes 

Richard Wainwright. 

“If you’re lucky, you get soil in such good 

condition you could cultivate it with a thorn 

bush. But if it’s a late harvest, it can be touch 

and go –– we’ve harvested beans and 

drilled the wheat on the same day. 

“But I think the benefit to the following 

crop is sometimes overplayed. You do get 

residual N, but sometimes this doesn’t 

mineralise, so don’t rely on it –– it depends 

A cursory inspection of the soil reveals a friable 

crumby structure, and a crop well set up for the 

season ahead. 

Richard Wainwright sells the crop in four thirds 

and as long as the sample is pale with no 

bruchid damage, it’s a desirable product that 

gets a premium. 

on what the weather does.” 

And that’s also the pivotal factor for 

prospects in 2017 and beyond, he says. 

“Various weather events mean the land still 

needs to dry out before we can drill this 

spring, but forward prices are good so 

there’s plenty of potential for good gross 

margins. There are EFA rule changes 

coming in for 2018, and these are annoying 

as they amount to meddling by the EU. But 

they don’t change the fact that beans are an 

excellent break crop. 

“Whether we can achieve the 10t/ha crop 

–– again, much depends on the weather 

and we’ll need all the ducks lined up. All we 

can do is set the crop canopy up to make 

the most of the sunlight, and then if we get 

the right weather at flowering and through 

pod set, who knows? Maybe we might 

just do it.” ■ 

What is the world record yield for field beans? 

The truth is, no one knows, according to Roger 

Vickers of PGRO. “We’re not aware that a world 

record has actually been set for field beans, or 

fava/faba beans as they’re known globally.” 

One leguminous crop that has broken the 

10t/ha barrier is soybean. According to Corn and 

Soybean Digest, a new world record of 11.5t/ha 

was set last year by Randy Dowdy, a grower in 

Georgia, USA. Poultry litter and a cover crop 

preceded the Roundup Ready soybean crop, 

while understanding its nutrient needs and 

insect pressure were the keys that unlocked 

the high yield, says Randy Dowdy. 

As for field beans, the UK average bean 

yield is around 4t/ha, although official national 

statistics are not available for the crop. “We 

think the UK grower would achieve the highest 

yields in the world, but we set the target for the 

PGRO Bean Yield Challenge based on what we 

believe the genetic potential to be. Our own 

plot trials along with anecdotal evidence from 

growers suggest we’re not far off a double-digit 

figure,” continues Roger Vickers. 

The first grower who manages to attain the 

“challenging but achievable” officially verified 

yield of 10t/ha before 2020 will win PGRO’s 

Bean Yield Challenge. The prize is a four-night 

trip to France for four people, including an 

overnight stay in Paris, while each year 

there’s a prize trophy awarded for the highest 

yield entered. 

To qualify, growers must register their crop 

with PGRO by 1 July in the relevant harvest 

year. Harvest must then be independently 

witnessed and verified –– the full rules of entry 

are available on the PGRO website. 

“So far as we know, 6.81t/ha is as close as 

we have to a world record bean yield, although 

we haven’t gone as far as to get this officially 

recognised. However, we’re convinced there are 

growers out there who know they can beat this, 

and we’d dearly like them to enter their crop so 

we can learn how to push the potential 

returns,” notes Roger Vickers. 


Bring on Brexit 

“ 

There’s so 

much opportunity for 

the hungry. 

” 

Features 

Conference 

Grab the opportunities 

that Brexit has to offer and 

look forward to the future, 

even if that means the 

loss of subsidies and a 

re-structuring of your 

businesses. CPM reports 

from a recent conference, 

organised by Väderstad. 

By Louise Impey 

Farming should be able to stand on its 

own two feet and not rely on subsidies 

or diversified business activities to thrive, 

believes one young Norfolk farmer. 

While any change means that there’ll be 

a few years of pain, the post-Brexit farming 

landscape is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity 

for those with hunger and enthusiasm for the 

challenge, says Ed Salmon of NE Salmon, 

near Dereham. 

He farms almost 2000ha on a mixture of 

owned and contracted land, and sees plenty 

of reasons for optimism about the years 

ahead, even as subsidies reduce or are 

removed. 

“Our aim is to work towards being able 

to run our business without the need for 

subsidy,” he says. “Providing we can 

continue to adapt and change, there’ll 

be a good future for farming.” 

His family has been based at Hyde Hall, 

Great Fransham since 1955, when the 

farm was just 81ha. Today, the business 

comprises the home farm and four contract 

farms, totalling 1960ha of cropped area, 

together with 14,000t of grain storage. 

Experimental crops 

With a wide range of soil types –– from 

chalky boulder clay to blowing sand –– 

the farm has experimented with various 

crops over the years, but has now moved 

away from growing specialist, minor crop 

species such as asparagus, daffodils and 

blackcurrants. 

“While we’ve some land suitable for these 

niche crops, they all have their challenges,” 

he says. “They required time spent on 

marketing and dealing with the public –– 

things which aren’t our natural strengths.” 

They also involved expensive, specialist 

machinery, additional management time and 

proved to be inefficient unless large areas 

were grown. 

“Unfortunately, too many of them were 

a nuisance when we were busy with our 

mainstream crops. And the chemical options 

for them were very limited, and getting even 

fewer.” 

Today, his focus is to play to the strengths 

that the farm and its management team 

has, so that he can harness his passion 

for farming. 

Ed Salmon is aiming to work towards being able 

to run his business without the need for subsidy. 

Soil structure, timeliness, rotation and 

agronomy are all important cornerstones of 

the business, which has four full-time staff. 

“We look at the capabilities of the soil 

first,” he reveals. “We plan to keep 

increasing our yields and make the most of 

vertical integration wherever we can, getting 

closer to the consumer by growing human 

consumption and seed crops on contract.” 

As a result, the current system at 

N.E.Salmon is based on a nine-year rotation, 

mainly growing cereals and herbage seed. 

On the contract farms, the rotations are five 

or six years, depending on the crops being 

▲ 


Conference 

grown, the weed control challenges and 

suitability of soil type. To his mind, anything 

less than five years isn’t a rotation. 

“On the light contract-farmed land we 

have potatoes and maize in a 12-year 

rotation, helping with PCN control to 

futureproof the crop as well as reducing 

the impact of soil damage.” 

Ed Salmon hasn’t experienced the yield 

plateau that others have seen over the past 

decade, with winter wheat yields rising 

steadily from 8.7t/ha to 10.8t/ha. 

“For us, yield is king,” he stresses. “We 

▲ 

believe in investing in our crops to get the 

best from them. So variable costs aren’t 

where we’ll be making savings –– cutting 

our input use would be a false economy.” 

He accepts that the loss of subsidies 

would be a short-term blow, but he has a 

vision of how his business can respond so 

that every part of it’s performing. 

“The focus will be on fixed costs. The UK 

has much higher fixed costs than other 

wheat producing countries, so it’s something 

that we can all improve on.” 

As a result, he’s been scrutinising his 

power/machinery and labour costs, looking 

for ways to do more with less through better 

machinery efficiency, a wider rotation and 

taking on more land of the right type. 

“Wherever possible, we’ll be working 

with our neighbours to share kit and labour, 

making use of joint initiatives and efforts.” 

Having counted 64 different items of kit, 

ranging from small to large, in the farm’s 

workshop, Ed Salmon is determined to 

reduce this tally and streamline the fleet 

–– releasing capital and bringing down the 

depreciation bill. 

New Zealand points to a productive path 

The loss of agricultural subsidy spurred New 

Zealand farmers on, notes Nick Brookes. 

The loss of subsidies in 1984 was the single best 

thing to happen to New Zealand’s agricultural 

industry, says kiwi fruit grower and consultant Nick 

Brookes, who farms on the Canterbury Plains. 

Prior to that, production was supported heavily 

with nearly 30 different subsidies being in action, 

supplying 40% of a farmer’s income, compared 

with just 2% today. 

“We had minimum prices for wool, beef, 

sheep, grain and dairy products,” he recalls. 

“There were also fertiliser, irrigation, transport and 

land-development subsidies, along with income 

support, tax relief and free government services.” 

However, productivity was stagnating, as the 

focus was on making subsidies rather than 

making money, he reveals. “Farmers were happy, 

but inefficient.” 

The sudden removal of all production support 

and export incentives was a tough time, 

acknowledges Nick Brookes, which resulted in 

a small number of farms going out of business. 

“Unemployment benefits were made available 

to those below the poverty line and grants were 

paid to farmers who had to leave the land. Initially, 

fertiliser and pesticide use fell by 50% and land 

values plummeted, but they recovered over time.” 

However, it also spurred farmers on –– 

business efficiency was reviewed and the diversity 

of agriculture increased. “It was how the growth in 

kiwi fruit and avocadoes came about. Meanwhile, 

some farmers took the opportunity to get bigger.” 

In general, the farming industry adapted 

quickly, becoming more diverse and productive, 

he notes. 

“It restructured and explored new markets. 

There was a significant change in attitude and 

farmers became earlier adopters of technology 

and innovation.” 

While there was huge investment by private 

companies into agriculture, the government 

advisory service went from being free to the 

user having to pay. As a result, levy organisations 

such as FAR (Foundation for Arable Research) 

took over previous government research and 

used UK research findings and genetics to boost 

productivity. 

“Today, agriculture is larger than it was in 

subsidy days. New Zealand is the biggest exporter 

of white clover and carrot seed in the world.” 

Irrigation has been key to this success, points 

out Nick Brookes. “It was the turning point. While 

we get plenty of rainfall, its timing can’t be relied 

upon. In New Zealand, you’re only ever two weeks 

away from a serious drought.” 

Adopting irrigation resulted in higher yields, 

better consistency, greater crop diversity and more 

sustainable production. “Returns went up, land 

prices rose and vegetable seed production 

became possible.” 

On irrigated land, 6-8 year rotations based on 

high value crops are possible, allowing growers to 

exploit lucrative markets, explains Nick Brookes. 

“We have an abundance of sunlight and crops 

grow all year round. But our soils aren’t special, 

which is why irrigation is so important.” 

Against this background, machinery and 

cultivation changes have taken place –– with less 

intensive cultivation practices becoming common 

and growth in the strategic use of contractors and 

machinery syndicates. 

“In 2017, the top New Zealand farmers are 

skilled in agronomy and irrigation management, 

have a model that works year on year and are 

both marketeers and traders. They’re also well 

travelled, open to new ideas, connected to their 

consumers and very passionate.” 

Their future challenges are similar to those 

faced by UK farmers. “The environment, 

especially nitrate limits, is a real concern. 

Biosecurity and resistance to agrochemicals 

are other big issues.” 

Nick Brookes’ final point is that New Zealand 

farmers made their most progress when they 

were under economic pressure. “There’s no 

doubt in my mind that UK farmers can do the 

same. Be flexible, adopt new technology, 

participate in research and scrutinise your costs. 

In the words of Henry Ford, change now before 

change is required.” 

New Zealand – farming facts 

• Population of 4.69M people – 76% in 

North Island 

• Total land area of 26.8M hectares 

• Maritime climate – average temperature 

10°C South Island, 16°C North Island 

• Agriculture accounts for 12% of NZ’s total 

workforce 

• 90% of New Zealand’s farming output is 

exported 

• Agriculture accounts for 55% of NZ’s total 

exports 

Irrigation has been key to success, resulting in 

higher yields, better consistency, greater crop 

diversity and more sustainable production. 


Conference 

“Anything that hasn’t been used in the 

past 12 months will be sold. There’s too 

much equipment on the farm.” 

He’ll also be making good use of 

benchmarking, to see how his costs 

compare with those of similar businesses, 

but will only use direct drilling in an 

opportunistic fashion, if conditions allow, 

Determined to reduce the tally of unused kit, 

Ed Salmon plans to release capital by selling 

equipment that hasn’t been used in the past 

12 months. 

to reduce establishment costs. 

“On our soil type, it’s not a viable, reliable 

system,” he notes. 

Otherwise, he plans to keep increasing 

yields and employ forward marketing 

strategies, to try to even out the volatility 

that farm businesses are subject to. 

Learn from others 

“We’re tapping into farmer-based activities, 

such as the YEN network and the Monitor 

Farm programme, to learn from others and 

question our way of doing things.” 

A 12m Controlled Traffic Farming system 

was introduced in 2016, so that he could 

reap the benefits of improved timeliness, 

fuel savings, better soil health and reduced 

cultivations. 

“It’s early days, but other businesses 

have seen fuel savings of up to 50%. We’re 

aiming to make fewer passes at wider 12m 

widths. With our track-based system we 

haven’t needed to subsoil for ten years, but 

our speed of operations and timeliness 

should get better. 

“We’re only trafficking 13% of the field, 

rather than the 80%+ that random trafficking 

involves.” 

Initial trial results indicate that yields 

may rise, with the greatest increases 

Yield is king, so variable costs aren’t where 

savings will be made. 

coming on the heaviest land. 

Ed Salmon’s final point is that post-Brexit 

there’ll have to be some adjustments, both 

to farmer expectations and to the economics 

of growing crops. “Rents will have to 

come down and machinery prices, which 

have rocketed recently, will need to be 

re-considered. 

“But there’s so much opportunity for 

the hungry –– it’s an exciting time to be 

in farming.” ■

“ 

The domestic 

demand is 

predominantly for 

distilling varieties” 

New barley hits the 

Features 

Spring barley 

right note? 

With a 10% yield 

improvement on Concerto 

and even better quality, 

LG Opera may get top billing 

from maltsters. CPM reports. 


A strong domestic demand for malt along 

with promising new varieties and a 

steadily expanding UK area are set to 

keep spring barley prospects buoyant 

well into the post-Brexit era, according to 

Limagrain. Its new dual-purpose variety 

LG Opera has come on to the AHDB 

Cereals and Oilseeds Recommended 

List with a 10% yield advantage over 

market-leading stable mate Concerto and 

has the promise of even stronger quality. 

Concerto alone accounted for more 

than half of all domestic purchases of 

malting barley in 2015 (see chart on p53). 

But the area grown to the variety is falling 

away, along with other dual-purpose types, 

such as Odyssey and Laureate, according 

to NIAB seed stats. Brewing mainstay 

Propino is taking up the slack, while 

relative newcomer RGT Planet is set to 

take significant market share in 2017 as 

the area sown overall rises. 

“The domestic demand is predominantly 

for distilling varieties –– broadly 60% of UK 

malt goes for distilling,” points out 

Limagrain Les Daubney. “But we’re looking 

at a 700,000ha crop for 2017, which 

means a large surplus for export or feed. 

That’s fine, just as long as export demand 

remains where it is.” 

The distilling market revolves around the 

single malt distilleries in Scotland. With 

whisky being the UK’s single largest 

exported food and drink item, it’s a strong 

market, notes Limagrain senior barley 

breeder Mark Glew. But it has particular 

requirements when it comes to varieties. 

Maximum alcohol 

“You can’t easily expand a single malt 

distillery, so to increase production you 

have to go for maximum alcohol output. 

That makes marginal gains in hot water 

extract (HWE) particularly significant. This 

was the breakthrough with Concerto –– it 

was never the highest yielding variety. 

0Its success was down to its quality.” 

With malting variety selection driven by 

HWE, and maltsters excited by fractional 

gains, LG Opera, currently under test, has 

particularly bright prospects, he notes. 

“One thing that can skew HWE results is 

a variety that loses its husk. But maltsters 

need the husk –– it forms a filter in the 

distilling process that the wort runs 

through. Also, it makes up about 5-7% of 

grain weight, so growers also lose out if 

a variety skins easily.” 

While Concerto is moderate for 

skinning, Opera appears to be “among the 

very best”, he says. “It’s also 0.2% higher 

Marginal gains in hot water extract are particularly 

significant to distillers, says Mark Glew. 

on HWE –– the highest on the RL –– and 

that can make all the difference. At 1.35%, 

LG Opera’s nitrogen content is the lowest 

on the RL, and the lower the grain N, the 

better the spirit yield will be.” 

So how does it perform in the field? One 

thing to note is its maturity, continues Mark 

Glew. “It’s earlier than Concerto, and that 

means a lot as you get further north. 

What’s more, earlier varieties tend to 

be the ones with lower RL scores for 

brackling, but LG Opera has good 

brackling resistance. 


Spring barley 

”Limagrain’s Ron Granger has been 

studying a number of spring barley 

varieties at the breeder’s agronomy trial 

sites in Norfolk and Scotland for the past 

three years. “Spring barley growing is very 

traditional. But if newer varieties yield 10% 

higher, should we be looking again at how 

we grow them?” 

On seed rate, his conclusion so far is 

that 350 seeds/m 2 is the right place to 

start. “It works with most varieties, but 

you’d look to raise it if there was a poor 

Domestic purchases of spring 

barley, 2015 

Source: MAGB 

seedbed or you’re drilling later. This would 

especially be the case with a low tillering 

variety, such as Concerto.” 

As yields increase, specific weight of 

newer varieties is decreasing, he notes, 

with Sienna bucking the trend. But tiller 

counts are going up. “That’s where the 

yield is coming from,” reckons Ron 

Granger. Taller, higher tillering varieties 

should be used in a blackgrass situation, 

with Ovation, Sienna and Olympus the 

varieties he’d recommend. 

“Most varieties yield well where 

you have the correct tiller numbers –– 

775-800/m 2 should be the aim. But it’s 

where most growers fall down. So use 

the seed rate to set the basis, then adapt 

your nutrition strategy to retain as many as 

you can.” 

With distilling varieties, this is a 

balancing act, with the aim to keep grain 

N below the contract spec of 1.65%. But 

he’s finding in most cases that an extra 

30kgN/ha applied at tillering, on top of the 

standard 120kgN/ha in the seedbed, 

brings around an extra 0.5t/ha of yield. 

“In 2016 trials, grain N stayed well 

below the 1.65% limit, so the extra N was 

well worth it. But we had good growing 

conditions, and if there was a dry spell, 

Seed market shares by variety 

Source: NIAB Seedstats 

this would prompt a late take-up of 

nitrogen,” he cautions. It’s an area that 

needs more work, he adds, with scope for 

further improvement in yields using rates 

above the restrictive limits set by Fertiliser 

Manual RB209. 

LG Opera is currently under test for IBD 

approval with results expected in May 

2017. If it achieves provisional approval, 

it will go through to commercial-scale 

tests, with results due in May 2018, so the 

earliest commercial fully approved crop 

wouldn’t be processed until Britain is 

trading outside the EU. ■ 


The new name 

for a farmer’s 

friend? 

Features 

Insiders View 

Disease resistance is 

becoming a more prominent 

and important feature for 

wheat growers and 

Syngenta’s variety, Graham, 

offers a disease package 

that many may warm to. 

CPM finds out more. 

By Melanie Jenkins 

Now in its second year on the AHDB 

Cereals and Oilseeds Recommended List, 

Graham has the joint top Septoria tritici 

score in its category, offering farmers 

security against the biggest yield-robbing 

disease in the UK. A hard Group 4 feed 

“ 

Having 

Graham in your 

armoury will be a 

bonus. ” 

wheat from Syngenta, its yield also comes 

in at 104% of the control across the UK 

and 106% in the West, offering growers 

a combined yield and disease advantage. 

Despite being new to the table last year, 

Chris Guest at Gleadell says that Graham 

was one of the first varieties to sell out. 

“That’s the sign of a decent variety. It’s a nice 

all-round package that should do well on 

farm; even if its out-and-out yield doesn’t put 

it at the top of the list, as it has lots of 

useful attributes which will be of interest 

to growers.” 

In 2016, its first year of commercial 

availability, Graham proved a popular 

choice, says Samantha Brooke, seed 

sales manager at Syngenta. “Graham is 

a hard-endosperm feed variety that was 

bred in France –– a cross between Premio 

and Expert.” 

The parentage of Graham is quite 

interesting, adds Barry Barker at Agrii. 

“Using French parents, Syngenta has 

introduced new genetics to the UK, whereas 

a lot of varieties on the RL are crosses from 

Hereford or Timaru.” 

Graham was first recommended in 2016 

because it combined good yield and 

agronomics, including a step forward in 

septoria resistance. This resistance is the 

likely reason it performs particularly well in 

the West, says Simon Oxley, head of the RL 

at AHDB. “In Scotland, it performs less well, 

so it’s a variety more suited to England.” 

All-round package 

With a score for septoria of 6.7, Graham also 

has a good yellow rust score and a high 

untreated yield, meaning it’s a good 

all-round package, says Samantha Brooke. 

The septoria resistance comes from both 

parents, with a series of genes stacked 

together to give it a solid package, she 

points out, meaning it’s a fairly safe variety 

to grow. In one particular trial, it was difficult 

to tell the difference between the treated and 

untreated plots, she adds. 

The variety’s septoria resistance really 

stands out to Barry Barker. “It’s as good as 

anything out there and in Agrii’s scores, 

comes out comparable to Crusoe. Having 

Graham in your armoury will be a bonus, 

whether in the West or elsewhere in the 

country.” 

Growers have been very keen on this 

septoria resistance, as it tops its category, 

says Richard Torr. “Although last year 

growers got wound up about yellow rust, 

agronomists still focused on septoria as the 

key issue –– it’s likely to be reinstated as the 

main disease threat going forward.” 

Graham’s yellow rust resistance looks fine 

to Barry Barker. “It has been an emotional 

year for a lot of people with yellow rust, but 

Agrii rates Graham at 8. Brown rust is a 

potential weakness, scoring 5, but a lot of 

varieties score around 4, so growers are 

aware that if brown rust becomes an issue 

they have to deal with it,” he adds. 

“It’s eyespot score looks relatively low on 

the RL, but there’s limited data and it’s not 

that crucial –– if it’s something growers are 

worried about they should choose varieties 

with the Pch1 Rendezvous resistance gene.” 

For growers already growing the well 

established varieties JB Diego or KWS 

Santiago, Graham is a choice which yields 

better and has a better disease spectrum, 

explains Simon Oxley. It also survived the 

yellow rust issues last year. 

On the AHDB Relative Risk graph, 

which ranks varieties according to disease 

resistance, lodging and untreated yield, 

Graham scores in the lower risk quadrant. 

▲ 



The septoria resistance comes from both parents, 

with a series of genes stacked together to 

give the variety a solid package, points out 

Samantha Brooke. 

“Graham performs above average, 

meaning growers who’ve grown 

JB Diego should find Graham relatively 

straightforward.” 

In the autumn, the variety has a prostrate 

growth habit, covering the ground very low, 

and it’s slow before stem elongation, so is 

suitable for early drilling, explains Samantha 

▲ 

Brooke. “In areas where blackgrass isn’t a 

problem and farmers want to drill early –– 

before 15 Sept –– Graham is especially 

suited due to its autumn growth habit.” 

Barry Barker concurs that Graham is 

suited to early drilling, but growers with 

blackgrass issues might not want to do so. 

“It’s medium to high tillering, meaning seed 

rates can be reduced accordingly. In terms 

of grassweed competitiveness, Graham is 

about average.” On the limited trials data so 

far, it’s more suited to medium and heavy 

soils, rather than lighter ones, but more 

will be learnt after its first commercial year, 

he says. 

Very consistent 

According to Chris Guest, heavy land is 

where Graham is going to perform best. 

“But it’s likely to do equally well on light 

land and should be fairly consistent.” Over 

the four years of trial data, the yield has 

only varied by four percentage points, 

suggesting Graham is very consistent, as 

there are varieties that swing by as much 

as 10 percentage points, he says. 

Once spring arrives, stem elongation is 

really quick, explains Samantha Brooke. 

“Graham catches up with and overtakes 

other varieties. From growth stage 31 

onwards, it speeds through –– behaving 

similarly to Gallant in our trials. The feedback 

we’ve had from growers is that Graham 

Graham has a score of 6.7 for septoria and a UK 

yield 104% of treated control. 

helps to spread the risk and workload.” 

She recommends that growers keep an 

eye on the growth habit of Graham as it may 

need nitrogen and fungicides at different 

times to other varieties, as well as remaining 

aware that at stem elongation, it’s very fast. 

As a stiff variety, Graham will need 

minimal PGR and should only need 

monitoring and treating as appropriate within 

a standard disease programme, suggests 

Barry Barker. “Due to Graham’s resistance, 

it’s a case of manage as you go –– it has a 

reasonable response to fungicides.” 

Norfolk seed crop pushes yield above farm average 

Graham can deliver record-busting farm yields 

in the East, alongside its strong RL performance 

in the West, if the experience of seed grower 

William Runciman is anything to go by. 

Farming approximately 200ha at Croxton 

Farm, Fulmodeston, near Fakenham in Norfolk, 

he’s grown Graham for seed for the past two 

seasons, with 24ha each year in the same field. 

On both occasions, the crop yielded at least 

10t/ha, as well as producing a good grain 

sample. Normally he says the farm struggles 

to push winter wheat above 8.75t/ha. 

More impressively, these yields were 

achieved on fairly light loam, and last year, that 

was as a second wheat, after drilling in early 

Oct, and in a season of heavy rain. 

“Last year’s weather brought us 180% of 

our average rainfall, which for other crops was 

disastrous. So I’m thrilled at 10t/ha,” William 

Runciman explains. 

“We upped the potash a bit, because our 

indices are inherently low, and I did increase 

the nitrogen a bit to push yield. But we only 

used a very light touch of growth regulator. The 

standing power was absolutely brilliant. It also 

tillered well and we made a conscious effort to 

keep as many tillers alive as possible.” 

Crops are grown in a four-year rotation, 

comprising sugar beet, followed by vining 

peas, potatoes or maize, then two years of 

winter wheat. 

Yellow rust and septoria are normally the 

main disease concerns. But he found even a 

standard fungicide programme kept Graham 

“remarkably clean”. 

“Since we started growing Graham we’ve 

forgotten what disease pressure is. We’ve not 

had the panics in the season that we used to 

have. Our agronomist commented that while 

Graham responds well to a full fungicide 

programme, it is a flexible variety which allows 

more time to apply fungicide. It’s been a lot 

easier to grow. 

“I think there was a lot of yellow rust 

pressure last year, but not in Graham. Also, 

septoria can be a problem later, but we didn’t 

have to worry about it. We just sprayed as 

normal and kept the flag leaf and leaf two clean 

without much trouble.” 

Last year’s Oct drilling date also meant the 

William Runciman is thrilled with a wheat yield 

of 10t/ha from Graham, grown as a second 

wheat last year on fairly light land. 

crop escaped BYDV, while at the other end of 

the season, William Runciman capitalised on 

Graham’s early harvest to get land promptly 

cleared. 

“It seems to produce a lot of medium-sized 

ears very easily, which we want, rather than a 

few very big ears. I think that’s where its yield 

comes from,” he concludes. 



Chris Guest notes Graham has a nice all-round 

package and sold out last year – the sign of a 

decent variety. 

According to Samantha Brooke, the 

all-important factor for Graham is its early 

maturity: as other high yielders take longer 

to mature, it can help to spread the risk at 

harvest. It’s the fifth earliest variety on the RL 

at -1 of control. “In the field, Graham looks 

clean with a tapered ear –– it looks very 

even, especially when in ear and ripening,” 

she says. 

Graham is similar in maturity to Syngenta’s 

new hard Group 4 variety, Shabras, and the 

existing variety Grafton, says Chris Guest. 

“For those growing a lot of feed wheat, 

having an early maturing variety is great as it 

can give a spread of harvest dates and a 

good entry to oilseed rape.” Even though the 

area of OSR has fallen, it’s still an important 

option, he adds. 

Looking at its specific weight, this could 

be higher, warns Barry Barker. “However, as 

In one particular trial in 2016, it was difficult to 

tell the difference between the treated and 

untreated plots. 

a feed wheat, this isn’t so much of a big 

issue.” It’s a struggle to find many other 

things that are wrong with Graham, he adds. 

“Though some may get hung up the fact it’s 

not the highest yielder, Graham is right up 

there in Agrii’s three-year trial data.” 

Successful introduction 

Graham had a very successful 

introduction to a crowded market of good 

hard feed wheats, according to Richard Torr, 

seed sales manager at Wynnstay. “We saw 

it for the first time last year with our seed 

growers, who did very well with it.” 

In terms of market share, Graham will 

have taken around 3.5% this year, but next 

year this could be more like 5% or above, 

says Chris Guest. “Naturally it will take 

market share from JB Diego and probably 

some from Reflection and other older 

Group 4 material. It has a considerable yield 

increase on Grafton and Relay, so may take 

from those too.” 

The difficulty this year is that there are a 

lot of new varieties on the RL, says Chris 

Guest. “It’ll be an interesting year in terms of 

seeing what farmers do.” There could be a 

swing back from Group 1 varieties, but this’ll 

depend on what prices do in May, June and 

July and what premiums look like for 2018, 

he says. 

It will inevitably take market share from 

JB Diego and may take from Evolution, 

Relay and Dickens, suggests Richard Torr. 

“It does have better disease resistance and 

a higher yield than many, in a very crowded 

market place, so we expect a good solid 

Graham at a glance 

UK yield (% treated control) 103.5 

East region 102.7 

West region 106.1 

North region 100.0 

Untreated yield 88.4 

Protein (%) 11.1 

Hagberg falling number 275.9 

Specific weight (kg/hl) 76.1 

Resistance to lodging without PGR 6.8 

Ripening (days +/- JB Diego) -1 

Disease resistance 

Mildew 8.0 

Yellow rust 8.0 

Brown rust 5.0 

Septoria tritici 6.7 

Eyespot 4.0 

Fusarium ear blight 6.0 

Source: AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Winter Wheat 

Recommended List 2017/18 

In Agrii’s scores, the variety comes out 

comparable to Crusoe on septoria, and this 

really stands out for Barry Barker. 

demand for it. With early maturity and stiff 

straw, there’s a strong case for having some 

Graham on the farm –– it makes perfect 

sense for it to be one of two or three varieties 

that farmers grow. It would be wrong not to 

consider it as it’s one of the best wheats in 

terms of overall package.” 

Samantha Brooke agrees that Graham is 

a solid variety to have in the portfolio. “It’s a 

good all-round feed variety that has decent 

grain quality and is the first variety since 

Grafton that can be drilled early and is early 

to mature.” 

The most important factors for farmers are 

yield, marketability and disease resistance, 

adds Chris Guest. “Graham is a good 

all-round, farmer-friendly variety with a lot 

of positive attributes and its market share is 

likely to increase.” ■ 

In the field, Graham looks clean and even with a 

tapered ear. 


Life begins at 40 

It’s hard to believe that 

Cereals is 40 years old –– 

looking back at the 1987 

show guide brought a wry 

smile to my face to see how 

some of the adverts and 

machinery had dated. And yet, 

there’s so much that hasn’t 

changed. That event guide 

spoke of cereal surpluses, 

effective marketing, and 

producing to meet consumer 

needs. Not so very outdated 

after all. 

Roll forward another 10 years. 

Having amalgamated with the 

Arable Farming Event, Cereals 

1997 was all about technology 

and business skills. Features 

included precision farming and 

alternative crops, with seminars 

on genetic modification and the 

introduction of area payments. 

By 2007, we were moving 

into a Brave New World: 

decoupled support, climate 

change and biofuels featured 

heavily. But there were also 

some chilling portents. The 

phasing out of IPU and 

trifluralin herbicides heralded 

the start of a trend that has 

only increased in pace. 

So what have we learned 

from the past four decades, 

and how can those lessons 

feed into Cereals events for 

the future? 

It’s clear to me that change 

is nothing new. The event has 

always adapted to reflect and 

lead on the issues of the day, 

and it will continue to do so. 

However, its focus has 

remained the same –– to add 

value to farming businesses, 

and help them improve 

productivity and profitability 

across the board. 

This year, for the first time, 

Cereals will be run by a joint 

venture between Haymarket 

and Comexposium, one of 

the world’s leading event 

organisers and owner of SIMA, 

a five-day agricultural show in 

Paris which attracts over 

238,000 visitors. The joint 

venture aims to leverage the 

strengths of both sides –– 

Haymarket’s experience in 

delivering practical, outdoor 

events and Comexposium’s 

extensive network and 

showcasing of technology for 

high performing, sustainable 

agriculture. 

We’re still working on the 

details of how the joint venture 

will influence Cereals 2017, but 

I think this kind of investment 

can only be good news for 

the sector, recognising the 

long-term growth potential of 

the event. 

This year sees some exciting 

new and improved exhibits, 

with cutting-edge technology 

rubbing shoulders with 

practical advice. In response 

to feedback, we’re introducing 

knowledge trails, making it 

easier for visitors to find the 

technical information and 

advice they’re looking for. 

These will focus on adding 

value and cutting costs; 

managing blackgrass; 

precision and efficiency; 

getting the most from oilseed 

rape; plus business planning 

and Brexit. 

We’ve also made the popular 

displays bigger and better 

than ever so you don’t have to 

fight through the crowds. The 

Soil Pit will now be a massive 

20m long, and the Drone Zone 

will be split to include a huge 

cage for on-site displays with a 

nearby field hosting trial flights. 

The Specialist Crop Zone will 

explore how farmers can add 

value with niche crops, and 

the Fields of the Future exhibit 

will offer a Tomorrow’s World 

style glimpse into emerging 

technology. 

Of course, Cereals 2017 will 

still feature the ever-popular 

trial sites and machinery 

demonstrations, with the 

Arable Conference focusing 

on the hot topics of the day. 

There’ll be new equipment, 

new varieties, and fresh 

business advice, alongside 

favourite old features and 

familiar faces. 

Times are tight and marketing 

budgets are being squeezed, 

so we have to work harder 

than ever for our exhibitors 

and visitors. Advanced adult 

tickets are only £20 and 

students £12, so we reckon 

visitors really are getting value 

for money, particularly when 

they plan their day to get the 

most from what’s on offer. 

And it’s that focus on value 

for the arable business that 

comes to the fore as Cereals 

2017 approaches. Over the 

past decade, agricultural 

shows have moved towards 

two extremes: focusing on one 

specific area or expanding into 

different sectors. Cereals 

remains dedicated to the 

arable sector, while also 

providing a one-stop shop for 

visitors. No other event offers 

treated and untreated crop 

plots to compare, working 

demonstrations of cultivation 

and spraying equipment in real 

field scenarios, and on-site 

drone flying. In one day, 

visitors can see all the 

suppliers and advisers they 

need, without having to visit 

any other show. 

Agriculture is changing, 

with all the threats and 

opportunities that brings. Yet 

our key message remains 

unchanged from the 1987 

guide: “A day spent at Cereals 

could be one of the most 

cost-effective ways to spend 

your time this year, and you 

will reap the benefits this year 

and next.” 

Jon Day has been event 

director of the Cereals 

event since 2008. The 2017 

event takes place on 

14-15 June at Boothby 

Graffoe, Lincs. 

Cereals remains the only event that offers working demonstrations of 

spraying and cultivation equipment, crop plots to compare, on-site drone 

flying and the opportunity to see all the suppliers and advisers you need. 


“ 

With sugar 

beet you’re not a 

grower, you’re a 

driller. ” 

Tips for beet 

Roots Sugar 

beet weeds 

Sugar beet has been adopted 

as a blackgrass solution by a 

Suffolk grower after a long 

absence from growing the 

crop. CPM asks guidance 

for newcomers from an 

established grower 

and agronomist. 


and Rob Jones 

Some 42 years after the UK joined the 

European Community, growers can once 

again produce sugar beet without first 

needing to obtain an entitlement. For 

some, this is an opportunity not be to 

be missed while for those wishing to 

continue growing the crop, it’s motivation 

to maintain improving performance. 

One new grower is Richard Styles of 

Tudor Farms, Debenham, Suffolk. After a 

27-year absence he will grow sugar beet 

again on his heavy land farm this spring. 

newbies 

Improvements to beet loader design and 

advances in tyre technology mean soil 

damage is no longer the threat it once 

was, but what ultimately persuaded him 

to return to the crop was blackgrass. 

Rampant blackgrass 

“We considered growing sugar beet 

four years ago when contract could be 

purchased for £2/t, but at the time wheat 

was still more profitable. But back then 

we didn’t have a rampant blackgrass 

problem. Today, we have it in patches, but 

if we’re not careful it will soon be across 

the whole farm,” he says. 

He regards blackgrass as one of the 

principal threats to farm profitability and is 

changing his rotation dramatically in the 

hope of reversing its progression. 

“Our winter wheat area has fallen from 

78% of the farm to just 22%. This is partly 

due to poor market prices, but also 

because in 2016, we spent £130/ha on 

autumn herbicides which is simply not 

sustainable.” 

Despite this level of spend, his costs of 

production for wheat would be in the top 

quartile of the industry at around £110/t. 

This he attributes to good average yields 

and a careful variety selection. 

“KWS Siskin averaged 10.75t/ha and 

while it made specification, the premium 

was poor, but this was offset by being 

cheaper to grow than other milling 

varieties,” he says. 

He has come to see rotation as the best 

means of gaining control of blackgrass 

and sugar beet will be followed by spring 

barley to give two consecutive years of 

spring crops. 

“A proactive rotation is our best chance 

of tackling blackgrass. We’ll use the 

opportunity afforded by sugar beet to 

make it the priority weed. A lot will depend 

on soil conditions, but if favourable we will 

make good use of residuals and Centurion 

Max (clethodim) before focussing on 

broadleaf weeds.” 

Fortunately, although there have been 

no major changes in active ingredients 

available for use in sugar beet, formulations 

have improved greatly in recent years. 

So Richard Styles is hopeful broadleaf 

weed control won’t be compromised by 

the need to keep on top of blackgrass. 

“In Betanal maxxPro (desmedipham+ 

ethofumesate+ lenacil+ phenmedipham) 

we have a herbicide with a good crop 

▲ 


Sugar beet weeds 

Chris Rutterford says that although the active 

substances are much the same as 30 years ago, 

formulation has changed dramatically. 

safety profile that supports a flexible 

approach. I’m confident that with some 

favourable conditions we should achieve 

our goals,” says Mr Styles. 

For Christopher Rutterford of Little 

Thornes Farm, Swaffham, sugar beet 

represents the most profitable break crop 

option available. 

“We’re aiming for upwards of 80t/ha, but 

even at 75t/ha it competes strongly with 

cereals. The interest in the crop from 

new growers isn’t surprising,” he says. 

He believes that sugar beet growers 

have benefitted considerably from other 

people’s efforts. 

“Breeders have made great strides 

in variety potential, while machinery 

manufacturers have done much to 

address concerns over compaction. This 

has done much to support the crop on 

▲ 

heavy land sites, while fungicides have 

enabled us to maintain canopy health 

through the autumn.” 

So, what would be the best advise he’d 

share with any new or returning grower? 

“Establishment is the basis of reliable 

performance. I often say that with sugar 

beet you’re not a grower, you’re a driller 

because if you get that wrong you’re 

finished. The weather has an influence of 

course, but if you start well you’re well 

placed to take on Mother Nature.” 

Herbicide selection is still a consideration, 

but not to the extent it once was, he reckons. 

Formulation change 

“Chemicals have improved markedly in 

the past decade. The active substances 

are much the same as 30 years ago, but 

formulation has changed dramatically with 

the development of oil dispersion (OD) 

mixes. They’re now far safer and more 

effective.” 

Sugar beet agronomist Dr Pat Turnbull 

adds to the advice to new growers. 

“Controlling weeds early in sugar beet is 

vital if growers are to achieve a low unit 

cost of production and it’s the key to 

achieving higher yields. 

“Getting control strategies right is 

important, or you’ll always be playing 

catch up and in the long run this will be 

more expensive. Hit broadleaf weeds hard 

and early, using a mix of contact and 

residual-acting herbicides,” she advises. 

“Compromising weed control can soon 

tip the balance to a position that you can’t 

come back from and it’s the taller weeds 

that are the real problem. An infestation of 

just one tall weed species/m 2 , such as fat 

hen or redshank, in a crop can potentially 

Pat Turnbull advises sprays are based on the 

crop’s growth stage, because as the size of the 

beet seedlings increases they can cope with 

stronger herbicide mixes. 

reduce yields by 10%. Bad weed control 

can knock yields by 30%.” 

Pat Turnbull says that weed control in 

sugar beet has always been about finding 

the right strategy. The move towards having 

a single, high-tech sprayer on the farm 

covering a large number of hectares and 

a wide range of crops, has meant that 

the multi-pass herbicide, low dose, 

post-emergence strategies, applied at close 

intervals have become more of a challenge. 

“Growers simply don’t have the time to 

get so many applications on the crop at 

such a busy time of year, so adopting a 

two-spray programmme known as 

‘Broadacre’ that uses robust multi-active 

▲ 


Sugar beet weeds 

Weed control is one of the keys to higher yields 

and getting control strategies right is important, 

or you’ll always be playing catch up. 

herbicide mixes can have a positive 

impact on control.” 

According to Pat Turnbull, critical to 

the success of the ‘Broadacre’ approach 

is the application rate of key actives 

triflusulfuron-methyl and ethofumesate 

–– the latter included as the ‘activator’ –– 

depending on the weed threat, but if weeds 

are bigger, or the spray has been delayed, 

then raising the rates of these two are 

essential and should be adjusted 

accordingly. 

“Weed control in sugar beet must be 

programmed, with applications timed as 

▲ 

flushes of weeds emerge. And it’s important 

that sprays are based on the crop’s growth 

stage, because as the size of the beet 

seedlings increases, they can cope with 

stronger herbicide mixes,” she says. 

She says for some growers a move that 

relies on a two-spray Broadacre programme 

is perceived as risky, especially when large 

numbers of weeds emerge early alongside 

the sugar beet. 

Broad spectrum 

“We often recommend a broad-spectrum 

system on some farms where the two 

strong hits with triflusulfuron-methyl and 

ethofumesate are used at the second and 

the third post-emergence timings. With this 

approach, it’s normally a grower’s preference 

to apply a pre-emergence herbicide and 

the product of choice is chloridazon as a 

relatively cost-effective start. This pre-em 

predisposes the weeds to post-emergence 

sprays and gives a little more timing 

flexibility,” she explains. 

“The first early post-emergence herbicide 

application must be at the cotyledon to one 

true-leaf stage, with a robust mix based on 

phenmedipham, ethofumesate, metamitron 

and desmedipham, giving safety and early 

broad-spectrum control,” she advises. 

“Some growers might include Debut 

(triflusulfuron-methyl) in the first application, 

if there’s an early emergence of actively 

growing weeds, but typically we find it’s 

most effective when applied as the second 

spray 10-14 days after the first, specifically 

for brassicas, cleavers and some 

polygonums such as redshank and pale 

persicaria. This is then usually followed 

with a final Debut-based spray. 

“Debut also adds to blackgrass control. 

Both anecdotally and in BBRO trials, carried 

out at Brant Broughton in Lincolnshire in 

2013, they showed that two applications of 

triflusulfuron-methyl added to blackgrass 

control compared to a standard mix,” adds 

Pat Turnbull. ■ 

Tall weeds have a dramatic effect on potential 

crop yields in sugar beet.

Life after linuron 

“ 

There’s no 

‘one-size-fits-all’ 

herbicide 

strategy ” 

Roots Potato 

weed control 

Potato growers received 

an unwelcome, if not entirely 

unexpected, Valentine’s day 

present from CRD in Feb –– 

the issue of a withdrawal 

notice for linuron. CPM 

investigates the alternatives. 


The writing has been on the wall for 

linuron for a while, but for many growers 

its withdrawal means a step into the 

unknown. Linuron has been a mainstay 

of potato production for the past 25 years, 

with 65% of ware crops receiving 

treatment according to the 2014 Pesticide 

Usage Survey. 

So while some growers may be buying 

linuron forward and stocking up before it 

disappears from the shelves on 3 June, the 

most savvy are also experimenting with 

mixes to find the best alternative herbicide 

programmes on their soil types. 

It’s a sensible approach –– no one wants 

to be left wondering what to do on 3 Jun 

2018 when linuron can be used no more, 

says agronomist Dave Valentine of Chemical 

and Agricultural Services (CAS), part 

of Hutchinsons. Based in Lancs, he’s 

been looking at different mixtures and 

compatibilities since the approval of 

metobromuron in 2015 (sold as Inigo 

by CAS-Hutchinsons but more widely 

as Praxim). 

No buffer zone 

“Inigo benefits from having no requirement 

for a buffer zone and no variety restrictions, 

though it does need a residual tank-mix 

partner which could negate this advantage. 

But there’s always the option of applying it 

alone to the headlands where buffer zone 

requirements of partner products make 

it impossible to apply as a mixture,” 

he explains. 

For habitual linuron users, the cost of 

herbicide treatments is going to increase in 

their programmes, but Dave Valentine points 

out that to get the best out of Inigo, don’t 

be tempted to claw back on cost by cutting 

the rate. 

On light soils, he’s been getting good 

results using 2.5 l/ha Inigo with Defy 

(prosulfocarb) or with Gamit (clomazone) 

plus Stomp (pendimethalin) mixes where 

wild oats, cleavers or polygonums are 

present. 

“On heavier land, the rate of Inigo needs 

to be kept up to 3 l/ha and the addition of 

0.5kg/ha Shotput (metribuzin) makes it 

more robust. It’s a pretty soluble combination 

so also works well under reasonably dry 

conditions,” he says. 

Making sure an adequate rate of 

metobromuron is applied is something 

Dave Valentine has been investigating herbicide 

programmes using alternatives to linuron for the 

past two seasons. 

potato specialist, Reuben Morris is in full 

agreement with after three years of testing 

at the Frontier Holbeach 3D demo site. 

“When Praxim was first introduced in our 

trials, there were a few issues around ironing 

out the rates but we found that when the 

rates were kept up (2.5-3 l/ha), weed control 

was most effective. The important thing in a 

Praxim tank-mix is to keep each herbicide 

partner at an effective rate,” he comments. 

“Used at 3 l/ha, there’s a big difference in 

the weed spectrum covered by Praxim, 

which has less gaps. Tank-mix partners 

chosen need to cover any holes in the 

▲ 


63

Potato weed control 

Herbicide treatments and costs applied at Elveden 

Treatments 5 and 8 were the stand-out mixtures at the Spot Farm demonstration. 

Source: AHDB Potatoes. 

Praxim spectrum if you adjust its rate 

down. With metribuzin as a partner, a safer 

mix to use is 3 l/ha Praxim plus 0.25kg/ha 

Shotput on more sensitive varieties and 

lighter soils, though 2.5 l/ha plus 0.5kg/ha 

will provide robust control in most situations,” 

he advises. 

There are no variety safety issues to 

consider when using Defy (prosulfocarb) 

as a partner to Praxim, but tank-mixing can 

be problematic if rates are too high, he 

comments. 

“With prosulfocarb, it’s best to keep rates 

as high as possible without compatibility 

becoming an issue, otherwise weed control 

drops off. That means using 2.5-3 l/ha 

Praxim with 3 l/ha prosulfocarb, which is a 

very safe mix and can be used right up until 

near emergence,” adds Reuben Morris. 

Paying much closer attention to the weed 

spectrum present in fields is going to be the 

key to getting successful weed control, 

believes independent potato agronomist 

▲ 

Three-way mixes are likely to be the way forward, 

believes Graham Tomalin. 

Graham Tomalin, VCS Agronomy. 

“There’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ herbicide 

strategy for potato crops and three-way 

mixes are most likely to be the way forward 

to provide a broad spectrum of control,” 

he comments. 

Herbicide performance 

Graham Tomalin has been leading the 

herbicide work at AHDB Potatoes Spot Farm 

East at Elveden, where the performance 

of combinations and individual active 

ingredients has been compared to standard 

applications containing the three standard 

herbicides –– linuron, metribuzin and 

pendimethalin –– on a medium sand 

soil type. 

Part of the demonstration looked at crop 

safety, highlighting the phytotoxic effects 

metribuzin and clomazone can produce. 

“If you increase rates of these actives 

this is something you need to be aware 

of, particularly on light soils,” he notes. 

The weed screen that took place at 

Elveden last season provided some useful 

insight into the activity of different mixtures 

on the weeds present –– groundsel, 

small nettle, cleavers, flixweed, annual 

meadowgrass (AMG) and cranesbill –– 

though disappointed in that weeds that had 

been expected, including fat hen, black 

bindweed, knotgrass and mayweed, failed 

to put in an appearance. 

“The demonstration has been modified 

this year and hopefully the host field will 

provide a weed spectrum to fill in the gaps 

where no information was gleaned last year,” 

he says. 

Providing the best overall control in the 

demonstration, two tank-mixes stood out. 

One contained 3 l/ha Praxim and 1kg/ha 

Artist (metribuzin+ flufenacet) and the other 

Reuben Morris advises growers to use an 

adequate rate (2.5–3 l/ha) of Praxim 

(metobromuron). 

a three-way mix of 2 l/ha Praxim, 3 l/ha Defy 

and 200g/ha Shotput. 

“These programmes cost more than the 

standard treatment, 1.35 l/ha Afalon (linuron) 

in combination with 2.2 l/ha Stomp Aqua 

(pendimethalin) and 200g/ha Shotput, that 

was applied at the site,” he comments. 

Agrii agronomist Matt Alford confesses to 

not having been a big linuron user, having 

mostly used Artist as the foundation of his 

weed control programmes in recent years. 

So it’s very much business as usual for 

him and he’s not overly concerned about 

the loss. 

“There’s definitely life after linuron. It’s 

going to cost a little bit more but it’s possible 

to get as good or better weed control –– 

something you can’t afford to get wrong in 

potatoes,” he says. 

With a significant number of early 

potatoes under his wing in the south-west of 

England, he has crops on a range of soil 

types, from a herbicide-problematic sand on 

the North Devon coast to sandy-clay loam 

in Somerset. 

For the past two seasons, he’s moved 

towards basing his programmes around 

Praxim at 2.5 l/ha on the majority of his 

spuds, increasing to 3 l/ha on occasions, 

and adding other actives according to the 

weeds present and variety being grown. 

“We can’t afford to cause a check in 

growth on early crops so the crop safety 

aspect of Praxim is a plus. Last season 

I used Artist as a bolt-on to Praxim and got 

good results, and it’s especially useful where 

AMG is a problem. I also used Praxim in 

combination with clomazone and intend to 

try further tank-mixes this spring, including 

Praxim with Defy and also with Artist in 

▲ 


Potato weed control 

Matt Alford says life after linuron is going to cost 

a little bit more but it’s possible to get as good or 

better weed control. 

combination with clomazone or linuron. 

The future for diquat is widely expected to 

follow the same course as linuron, though a 

definitive statement has yet to be made 

on its future. With nearly every hectare of 

potatoes receiving a diquat treatment at 

one or other end of the season, its loss 

would be a major blow. There are 

alternatives in Gozai (pyraflufen-ethyl) and 

Shark (carfentrazone-ethyl) for early season 

weed control but both products have gaps 

in their weed spectrum, says Matt Alford. 

“We have to be careful with early lifting 

crops and don’t want to hit the crop with 

diquat and set it back. We generally try and 

get it on before the ridges crack but spend 

our money on a good residual stack, as we 

always get enough moisture to keep tickling 

the residual activity up in early season. 

“I’ve used Shark early and it has worked 

well but I tried Gozai last season to get 

some experience with it and thought it gives 

something over Shark, being stronger on 

difficult weeds like cleavers, black 

nightshade, field bindweed and knotgrass.” 

Dave Valentine has also been replacing 

some of his diquat usage with Gozai or 

Shark for pepping up contact activity on 

emerged weeds. He had good results on 

volunteer oilseed rape by adding 0.3 l/ha 

Gozai to his residual stack of Inigo and 

Sencorex (metribuzin). 

“If a tidy-up is necessary just before 

plants emerge then 0.3-0.4 l/ha Gozai plus 

methylated rapeseed oil is in a very similar 

bracket to diquat in terms of both price 

and performance,” he adds. 

Given the old adage that 50% of good 

weed control is in the application, Matt 

Alford reminds that this is an area where 

▲ 

improvements can often be made. 

“Leave the ridges a week to 10 days to 

settle before applying a herbicide. I prefer 

Defy nozzles, facing alternately forward and 

back, to get good coverage over the ridges. 

They’re a difficult target with steep sides and 

all our tests with water sensitive paper have 

shown the angled nozzles to be head and 

shoulders above the rest,” he comments. 

“Setting up the sprayer is important, 

with the boom height set at 50-60cm above 

the ridge and a forward speed of 10km/h. 

I tend to recommend a water volume of 

250-300 l/ha, depending on the label, and 

it’s important to remember that if clomazone 

is applied in the mix, the spray quality must 

be coarse.” 

Graham Tomalin adds that the worst 

conditions to watch out for when applying 

herbicides is when it’s windy across 

the ridges. 

“This will give uneven deposition on either 

The new addition to the Amistar (azoxystrobin) 

label means foliar treatments targeted 

specifically at stopping infections of alternaria 

are now available, giving growers and 

agronomists a season long programme to help 

prevent pathogen strains from June through 

to harvest, advises Douglas Dyas, Syngenta 

potato field technical manager. 

“Alternaria has been an increasing problem 

in some recent seasons. The increased area of 

varieties that are more susceptible to infection, 

combined with prolonged periods of stressful 

weather conditions, has led to serious 

outbreaks in some seasons.” 

He advocates that alternaria must be 

tackled preventatively, in conjunction with 

the late blight fungicide programme. 

“Growers should look to start alternaria 

control as soon as conditions are conducive to 

infection, typically from the end of June, but 

remaining aware of risk factors for any 

individual crop.” 

He recommends using up to three 

applications of Amistar, aimed at protecting 

against alternaria, in conjunction with Amphore 

Plus, utilising its combination of a robust 

application rate of difenoconazole, to give 

effective prevention of A. alternata and 

A. solani, along with its built-in full rate of 

mandipropamid (Revus) for blight control. 

“This approach should be sufficient to offer 

protection for crops throughout the season. 

Growers will have to add a blight fungicide 

with their Amistar treatments depending on 

previous treatments and within CAA and 

FRAC guidelines.” 

side of the ridge which will result in poor 

weed control, so be careful,” he warns. 

“The addition of a drift retardant, such 

as Backrow, takes out the fines and by 

evening up the droplet size, coverage over 

the ridge is better. When conditions are a bit 

dicey, this can help get the best out of the 

herbicide,” adds Matt Alford. 

Of more concern to all agronomists than 

the herbicide losses at the early timing is 

the gap that would be left at the desiccation 

timing if diquat becomes another casualty of 

the EU’s pesticide regulations. 

“It would be a steep learning curve with 

just Spotlight (carfentrazone-ethyl) and 

Gozai available and neither capable of 

quickly burning down the foliage as diquat 

does. That means crops will likely need 

to be flailed to remove the leaves before 

desiccation. I’m planning on investigating 

the alternatives to this timing further this 

season,” says Dave Valentine. ■ 

New Amistar approval adds alternaria protection 

Alternaria control has been added to the Amistar 

label for 2017. 

He highlights that best results will be 

achieved where growers use fungicide 

protection in an integrated crop management 

(ICM) programme, including variety selection 

and aiming to avoid high risk stress factors, 

such as soil moisture or nutrient stress. 

A further change to the Amistar approval in 

potatoes has seen the removal of the overall 

treatment of seedbeds pre-planting at 6 l/ha. 

However the 3 l/ha in-furrow application 

remains unchanged for black dot and 

rhizoctonia. 

Growers with stocks of old label Amistar can 

still use it to make the 6 l/ha overall application 

at planting, with a use up of old label material 

by the end of August 2018. Old label Amistar 

can also be used for the new foliar alternaria 

treatment, but a copy of the authorisation letter 

must be downloaded from the CRD website 

before use (www.pesticides.gov.uk). 


Opportunity in 

marginal gains 

Over the next 5-10 years 

there’s a huge opportunity for 

the UK potato industry. We 

just need to grasp it. Certainly, 

the potato part of larger 

businesses is likely to be one 

of the few enterprises that 

has the potential to make 

money, particularly with a 

bit more fine-tuning and 

focussing on attention 

to detail. 

Of course, we can’t do 

anything about the weather but 

we can do lots of other things 

that will have an influence on 

marketable yield. In the words 

of British cycling’s Dave 

Brailsford, ‘it’s all about 

marginal gains’. Some gains 

are more marginal than others 

but put them all together and 

you get one massive gain. 

When I first got involved with 

growing potatoes, I was told 

that there’re two fundamentals 

to get right –– seed quality and 

cultivations. If either or both 

are compromised so will be 

marketable yield. This is still 

true today, although there are 

a few other things that we 

need to focus on if we’re to 

consistently challenge the 

yield plateau of the past 

5-10 years. 

I still visit farms where seed 

has been delivered in bags 

and is stuffed in the back of a 

shed, still in the bags until 

planting time, often for several 

weeks. That’s not the best start 

considering it could cost 

upwards of £400/t, with 

yield and quality being 

compromised before it’s 

even planted. Seed needs 

to be managed properly to 

get the most from it –– it’s 

time to invest in dedicated 

seed-storage facilities, or at 

least tip the bags out on arrival 

so you can get a good look at 

it and ventilate it to dry up any 

condensation. 

But let’s go a step further. 

The seed industry needs to 

move forward and sell seed on 

a re-plantable hectarage basis 

–– companies like McCain are 

already doing this. You don’t 

buy cereal seed by the tonne. 

You plant it according to TGW 

and seeds/m 2 . So why are 

potatoes still sold by the tonne 

and planted in tonnes/acre? 

For me, it’s time to embrace 

re-plantable hectares and 

the principles behind levy 

payer-funded R&D into 

chronological age and its 

impact on stem numbers. 

With regards to cultivations, 

why use a bedtiller if all you’re 

doing is speeding up the 

destoning? Compaction, 

slumped soils and lack of 

oxygen will all impact on 

marketable yield, and that’s 

without even considering the 

cost savings in fuel and labour 

which amounted to 35% when 

bedtilling was taken out of the 

equation at the AHDB Spot 

farm West. 

Technology also has a part 

to play, but it needn’t be 

complicated. Just using 

GPS and an offset plough 

means there’s no smearing, 

compaction or wheel 

scrubbing away in the bottom 

of a furrow. Looking at satellite 

images of fields can also tell 

you a lot. It highlights areas 

where the crop might not be 

as good, which will allow for 

further investigation. 

Why plant the marginal 

areas if they won’t contribute 

fully to marketable yield and 

profitability? The planting of 

headlands has always been 

a contentious issue for me. 

They’re the last planted, often 

in the worst soil conditions 

yet they’re the first to be 

harvested and put into the 

back of the store. 

In other parts of the world 

technology plays a massive 

part in irrigation, indeed 

variable rate irrigation is 

common practice –– soil-type 

scan information is used to 

make applications variably. 

This could have a big part to 

play in conserving water, a 

limited resource for many, 

as well as improving quality 

by minimising the risk of 

powdery scab. 

The role cover crops 

play is an interesting (and 

fashionable) one and my 

current cover crop of choice 

is oil radish, but that may 

change! It’s important to 

decide what you want from a 

cover crop before jumping 

onto the bandwagon. Is it just 

a green manure, are you 

looking to increase organic 

matter or do you want to 

control pests? 

There are two main possible 

cover crop gains for me. 

Firstly, the role of the cover 

crop in reducing free-living 

nematode numbers, although I 

approach any claims regarding 

potato cyst nematode control 

with scepticism (apart from 

sticky nightshade). Secondly, 

removing soil moisture to allow 

for less cultivation –– that’s 

another gain well worth having. 

Lucy de la Pasture returns to 

Last Word in April 

John Sarup won AHDB’s 

inaugural Above and 

Beyond award in 2016 

for his work as potato 

agronomist and director 

of Spud Agronomy, which 

looks after over 4000ha 

of potatoes from the 

Cheshire/Shrops border 

in the West, across to the 

Humber estuary and then 

on up to Dunbar in the 

North. 

Planting potato headlands may be routine, but should it be?

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