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Know How / Crop management

Managing your crops through the growing season means careful nutrition and fertiliser use for maximum crop yields and keeping a watchful eye on pest, weeds and disease control.

Read expert advice, case studies, and tips on how to achieve the best yields and growth through best-practice crop management techniques, on all crops including wheat, barley, oilseed rape, potatoes, sugar beet and more niche crops.

Case studies

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COVER CROPS

How Arable Insights farmers are using cover crops in rotation

Whether it is to increase soil organic matter, provide grazing for sheep, prevent nutrients from leaching, or deliver extra income within the rotation, cover cropping has become a key part…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Irish farmer ditches fungicides on marginal crop land

Irish arable farmer Samuel Deane is successfully growing fungicide-free crops on what is considered the very limit of viable arable land in the rain-drenched landscape of County Cork. Sam is…

MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

On-farm grain processing adds value and market

Taylors Farm in Lancashire has transformed itself from a traditional beef and arable farm into a regional hub for grain processing services. Over the past five years, the Webster family…

OILSEED RAPE

Oilseed rape grower sees helping hand from SFI

Hampshire oilseed rape grower Dick Hall is earning £369/ha from environmental payments, allowing the crop to rival winter wheat for profitability and making rapeseed the best break crop he can…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How integrating livestock in rotations cuts crop inputs

As sustainable farming practices become increasingly important, some agronomists and farmers are exploring how integrating livestock into arable systems can bring both environmental and economic benefits. By combining rotational grazing…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How 14 family business partners run a 1,600ha mixed farm

Whyte Bros Farm, north of Dublin, operates a unique farming system, with 14 family business partners running the 1,600ha farm. The collaborative journey began in the 1950s when seven brothers…

Practical advice

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PEST MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2025: Top 10 strategies to tackle flea beetle

A list of the top 10 strategies to tackle the critical cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) pest in oilseed rape crops has been released to help reverse the fortunes of…

WEED MANAGEMENT

New advice to maximise brome control in cereals

Cereal growers can simplify brome weed management post-harvest by responding to environmental conditions, regardless of the brome species present, says John Cussans, principle weed science consultant with Adas. Instead of…

HARVEST AND CROP STORAGE

What's in your grain store? Tackling pests before harvest

It is estimated that 90% of grain stores harbour at least one insect species known to infest grain, underlining the critical importance of good store hygiene in the run-up to…

WEED MANAGEMENT

How cultivation can control resistant Italian ryegrass

After Italian ryegrass with resistance to high rates of glyphosate was discovered on a Kent farm earlier this year, it was zero-till systems researchers pinpointed as particularly at risk. They…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

3 key factors to help hit milling wheat protein specs

Optimising nitrogen use to meet milling wheat protein specifications without overstepping economic thresholds is a key factor to balance this season, particularly as grain prices remain feeble. Winter wheat crops…

PEST MANAGEMENT

10 latest tips on managing flea beetle threat in OSR

An industry led campaign launched to reverse the decline in the UK’s oilseed rape area has put together a set of cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) management tips to help…

Insights

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WEED MANAGEMENT

Why propyzamide use in OSR and beans remains in the balance

Delivering best practice for successful weed control with propyzamide while preventing it from entering water courses and reservoirs remains a difficult balance. What’s good for weed control frequently increases the…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Cereals 2025: Growers given alert for yellow rust next season

Winter wheat growers are being urged to be vigilant about yellow rust next season and be prepared to use an early spring fungicide after a new race of the disease…

VARIETY SELECTION

Cereals 2025: Royalty collection fee for Group 4 winter wheat

New winter wheat Hexton is the first mainstream cereal variety set for an alternative royalty collection rate, which aims to “level the playing field” for farm-saved and certified seed fees.…

VARIETY SELECTION

Disease resistance is key for variety choice, reveals survey

Resistance to pests, diseases and virus is the most important factor when choosing which cereal varieties to grow, according to research carried out by Farmers Weekly in conjunction with Syngenta.…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Cutting-edge kit on display in Sprays and Sprayers arena

Arable businesses are under increasing pressure to boost spraying efficiency, cut input costs, and meet tightening environmental regulations. One way to do this is to adopt precision spray technology, and…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Wheat rusts an added threat at Crop Doctor site for T2 spray

Yellow and brown rust control is set to become more important for winter wheat growers at the key flag leaf fungicide spray timing later this month as septoria is largely…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Why parasitic weeds are a rising arable threat

Farmers are advised to be aware of the presence of parasitic weeds, especially if more diverse rotations are in place and legumes have been included in stewardship mixes or as…

PULSES

5 key factors for maximising pea yields

A multi-noded, tall-stemmed plant with deep roots is the key to farmers raising pea yields, according to a new pea growth guide. Researchers estimate that peas could yield 7-8t/ha on…

POTATOES

What new blight strain means for fungcide strategies in 2025

It was at the tail end of last season that monitoring by Fight Against Blight (FAB) confirmed the EU46 strain had been found in Wales and eastern Scotland, marking the…

POTATOES

Research reveals critical two-month period for potato yields

Setting up potato crops during the period between planting and the onset of tuber bulking to achieve optimum bulking rates is crucial for maximising potato yields.   This is according…

PEST MANAGEMENT

What first OSR to mitigate flea beetle means for growers

A hybrid oilseed rape that has been bred with resilience against cabbage stem flea beetle could make the difference between crop success and failure when deployed as part of an…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

April showers could change wheat disease outlook

Winter wheat growers are being urged to be wary of septoria and yellow rust if the weather turns wet leading up to key T1 fungicide spray timings at the end…

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