LIVE Ask the researcher session for the Strategic Cereal Farms Harvest 2021 Demonstrations

There is something for everyone at our Strategic Cereal Farms. The harvest 2021 trials include a focus on the prevention, detection and control of pests, weeds and diseases, while improving the farmed environment. During this session, we provide an overview and discussion of the latest round of on-farm trials.

Hosted by AHDB Knowledge Transfer Manager, Emily Pope, this meeting via Microsoft Teams will give you the opportunity to speak to Will Smith, NIAB (Strategic Cereal Farm East trials lead), Anne Bhogal, ADAS (Strategic Farm West trials lead) and Fiona Burnett, SRUC (Strategic Cereal Farm Scotland trials lead).

This is your opportunity to ask any questions and hear about the trials and assessments taking place:

 Reduced pesticide use

Brian Barker at Strategic Cereal Farm East is testing fungicide application timings on disease control and cost of production under standard, low and untreated agronomy strategies. For Strategic Cereal Farm West, Rob Fox is looking at how the winter wheat varieties KWS Extase and KWS Siskin hold up under standard, low, biorationale and untreated agronomy programmes. Another trial uses replicated tramlines to investigate cultural controls for autumn blackgrass. David Aglen at Strategic Cereal Farm Scotland wants to use tissue tests to understand seasonal plant health changes and crops vulnerability to disease.

 Pests and natural enemies

Consequently, Rob and Brian have established in-field, flower-rich grass margins, boosting resources for pollinators and natural pest control. The abundance, diversity and effect of beneficial invertebrates and natural enemies within these strips and the surrounding crop will be monitored.

Cover cropping to reduce leaching

Cover crops can typically recover between 60–80 kg N/ha, but is that nitrogen used by the next crop, or is it released and leached later? The split field trial at Strategic Cereal Farm East will continue to be monitored to help answer this question.

 Cultivation

Rob is hoping to understand the effect of different cultivation systems on crop rooting and yield in a six-year trial.

 Marginal land

Brian Barker wants to further develop his environmental credentials and maximise his land’s agricultural value, while also delivering environmental benefits. This project will use farm data to calculate the true economic and environmental cost of production and design rotations to maximise both.

 BASIS and NRoSO points available.

 This live session is free to attend and forms part of Strategic Farm Week – Winter 2020.