ADAS

In our first workshop of the season and as part of the Countryside COP programme we met to introduce YEN Zero and discuss productivity and land use as it relates to crops and GHG emissions, addressing the questions: What is the role of productivity in reaching net zero agriculture? How do we balance meeting food demand while protecting our environment? Should we be ‘sparing’ land for nature or ‘sharing’ our agricultural land with nature?

This Livestock and Pasture study is part of the wider UKRI STFC-funded EO4Agroclimate programme.  

The Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) was launched in 2012 to support and energise on-farm learning-by-sharing and thus to enhance farming progress.

ADAS has the largest group of crop physiologists in the UK The ADAS crop physiology team focuses on improving performance and sustainability of cropping systems for food, feed and biofuel production.

The Farmer-Led Innovation Network (FLIN) are UK based organisations driving farmer-led innovation - working together to power up and increase the impact of farmer led innovation initiatives.

YEN Zero is a recently established network in the ADAS YEN Family, with the overarching aim of creating a net-zero community. It aims to bring key players from across the agricultural industry together to meet the industry’s target of achieving net zero emissions by 2040.

Nitrogen Efficient Plants for Climate Smart Arable Cropping Systems (NCS) is a four-year £5.9M ambitious research programme involving 200 UK farms and 18 partners. The project is funded by the Defra Farming Innovation Programme, delivered by Innovate UK. The consortium of UK companies, research institutes and farmer networks, led by PGRO, aims to bring about a reduction of 1.5Mt CO₂e per annum or 54% of the maximum potential for UK Agriculture. This will be achieved by increasing pulse and legume cropping in arable rotations to 20% across the UK (currently 5%). In addition, 50% of imported soya meal used in livestock rations will be replaced with home-grown feeds.  Both of these ambitious aims will be steered by science and proven by real farm enterprises, with significant benefits for both crop and livestock productivity, including cost savings of over £1bn/yr.

An EU-wide network to support and promote solutions for alternative weed control.  

IPM NET is a new initiative which aims to improve the practical understanding and application of integrated pest management (for pests, weeds and diseases) for farmers,  and inform policy design promoting IPM strategies. 

At this years Agri-Tech E REAP Conference, Sarah Kendall, ADAS Crop Physiologist joined a panel consisting of Matthew Smith (Scientific Technologies) and Macelo Galdos (Rothamsted Research) to discuss how the digital world is informing and guiding the developments and decisions in the real world – ranging from digital twins to predictive models, from platforms to help with scenario planning to the use of AI and machine learning to yield unprecedented insights into the future of agriculture and horticulture.

Share your views on how we can improve Farmpep.net

The initial Farm-PEP project funded under the Innovate UK competition 'UKRI Ideas to address Covid-19'.  ADAS led consortium to assess the impact of Covid-19 on knowledge exchange in agriculture, and to develop the Farm-PEP web solution at www.farmpep.net. The initial Farm-PEP project began in January 2021 and ran to February 2022.

Soil health has been broken down into measurable parts to help farmers optimise crop and grassland productivity. As part of the Soil Biology and Soil Health Partnership, a project in the AHDB & BBRO GREAT Soils programme, guidance and protocols have been issued to help practitioners benchmark their soils

ADAS are planning a Nutrition Challenge to compare the effect of different nutrition programmes on winter feed wheat yield, N uptake and gross margin, in the 2022/23 season. This is particularly timely following the recent dramatic rise in nitrogen fertiliser prices, which has forced the industry to re-examine nutrition strategies. Objectives of the project are to showcase good nutrition products and practices so that farmers are equipped and encouraged to use fertiliser better, for the benefit of the environment and their own gross margins.

Help us develop a smart app for the management of wheat pests

To celebrate 10 years of the YEN, we are hosting a YEN conference that brings together learnings from across our networks. 

Farmers taking part in and getting paid for on-farm trials as part of the NCS Project.

The development of a forage network which will recommend a pathway to gaining optimum benefits from forages through realistic actions​. This project, which runs from September 2023 for 6 months, will: Bring together a network of stakeholders to understand the best approach for improving forage systems, considering potential opportunities and barriers to uptake​ Create a roadmap, which can be used to achieve benefits for livestock sectors through changes in forage systems​

  Supporting farmers with robust design and analysis of on-farm experiments in tramline trials.

The ideas behind Farm-PEP came together in ~2018, drawing from the developments of Agronomics, the YENs, AHDB's Monitor Farm programme and the idea of a 'What Works' Centre for Agriculture. 

Farmers, advisors and researchers working together to understand and improve crop nutrition on-farm

Mitecontrol is a European research project to develop effective and sustainable treatment approaches to control PRM infestation using an integrated pest management (IPM) approach.

ADAS scientists help evidence and guide crop disease management by chemical, genetic and biological approaches. Our expertise covers all areas of disease management on the major crops. We lead multi-organisation collaborative research into disease management and preventation, as well as provide strategic consultancy.  

In 2021 Defra commissioned an ADAS led consortium to look at the environmental and productivity benefits of mob grazing systems in the UK. 

Helping you protect your soil and improve its productivity.  AHDB's GREATSoils inititiative brings together practical information on soil management as well as links to soils research and knowledge exchange. Whether you need an introduction to soil biology or a detailed guide to improving field drainage, AHDB has information and guidance to support you. 

The ADAS Climate and Sustainability team help clients to address their sustainability challenges.

Inferring the right conclusions from field trials is important - how confident can you be that a result is 'real' rather than due to the underlying noise? As part of the Farm-PEP FIP project we are working with BGS to explore the best ways to communicate confidence, uncertainty, significance, probability and value with farmers and growers.

Review conducted by ADAS and funded by AHDB into how farmers should respond to the high fertiliser (& grain) prices experienced in 2022.

Project objectives To quantify the impact of contrasting cover crop mixes and destruction techniques on over winter nitrate leaching, soil nitrogen supply (and hence crop nitrogen fertiliser requirements) and performance of the following cash crop. In particular to determine the: effect of cover crop species mix on the quantity and timing of nitrogen returned to the soil effect of cover crop destruction method e.g. glyphosate & min till/direct drill vs mechanical destruction & min till/direct drill To determine the timing of nitrogen release from cover crops and potential legacy (year 2) effects on nitrate leaching and crop performance

How should we ensure the long term growth and development of the PEP platform and community?  Give us your ideas here

The Cereal YEN was established in 2012, and is the longest-running Yield Enhancement Network.

Ahead of COP27 in Egypt, Countryside COP will once again be held in October to allow the rural community to come together and showcase the opportunities available and the contribution already being made to reach Net Zero. 

The 18th Recycling of Agricultural, Municipal and Industrial Residues in Agriculture Network (RAMIRAN) conference will be held in Cambridge, UK from 12–14 September 2023.  All sessions will be held in the heart of Cambridge at the Guildhalls and Corn Exchange.

Roger Sylvester-Bradley      Tuesday 31st January 2023   It’s news across the world – the biggest wheat crop ever grown, yielding 18 tonnes of grain per hectare! This is fantastic, and laudable in all respects, but it’s no accident.    

What are the prospects for yield in 2022?  Share your views here

Poster paper given at IFS 2022 by Daniel Kindred, Roger Sylvester-Bradley, Pete Berry and colleagues. Conventional routes to generating knowledge of ‘what works’ in agriculture have relied on (i) farmers developing their experiences and passing these on locally, and (ii) researchers conducting small plot experiments on a limited number of sites, analysing data and drawing conclusions in a more generic top-down fashion. The advent of (i) the internet enabling ideas and data to be shared widely and (ii) precision farming technologies enabling comparisons or trials by farms, provides the opportunity to interconnect the top-down approach with a more robust farm-centric bottom-up approach.

An Innovative Farmers Field Lab with four sheepers farmers working with ADAS has shown that long-held fears of red clover in herbal leys affecting fertility in sheep are unfounded, with the findings that inclusion of the legume can even have a positive effect on pregnancy rates.

ADAS have produced a new guide with our five top tips for successful on-farm trials. We'd love you to give it a try and to hear about what products or approaches you're testing on farm - by sharing the results of trials, we can learn more together.

Guidance from AHDB GREATSoils giving four easy-to-follow steps for assessing soil structure. 

A transdisciplinary hub looking to provide to bridge the gap between science and policy to achieve Net Zero

Join us to kick-off the IPM Network pilot year, share your experiences with other attendees, tap into the expertise of our speakers and demonstrate the value of networks for knowledge exchange.  

Root2Res is short for ‘Root phenotyping and genetic improvement for rotational crops resilient to environmental change'.  It is a project that will go beyond the state of the art, developing new tools to evaluate root traits linked to sustainable crops, and measuring heritability and plasticity, that is, the ability to cope with environmental stress while delivering stable production. Working alongside breeders and farmers from areas under the greatest climatic stress, an interdisciplinary team is set to test cereals, tubers and legumes common and novel to European rotational systems.

This guidance provides instructions on how to gather IPMNET in-field observation data. By collecting observations in a consistent way, you will be able to make meaningful comparisons within and between fields across the IPM network.   Download the guidance at the bottom of this page to find out more!                          Please click here to share pest and disease information about your field(s).

YEN Nutrition brings together those wanting to achieve more precise crop nutrition.  High fertiliser prices now make this vital.  Assuming that 'crops know best' engagement in YEN Nutrition starts by benchmarking grain nutrients to show those that were limiting (or excessive) for each crop.

The development of Farm-PEP Performance Enhancement Partnerships to support on-farm knowledge generation through shared ideas, data and experimentation. Funded as part of Farming Innovation Pathways programme from Defra and Innovate UK Transforming Food Production.

AICC Advisors and farmers testing appropriate nitrogen rates and strategies for reduction in light of current high prices.  Brought together by the FarmPEP FIP project

The IPM Decisions project will create an online platform that is easy to use for the monitoring and management of pests. Access the platform now at https://platform.ipmdecisions.net/  

EIP-Agri Project supporting groups of YEN farmers to test specific ideas.

Crop profitability depends on maximising margins, rather than yield alone. Deciding on the optimum crop protection strategy in the spring requires judgement of the variety, its situation, and how yield affecting diseases can be controlled. ADAS with the support of the AHDB and the wider industry set up the first Fungicide Margin challenge in 2019. Since then a total of 10 trials have been carried out over 3 years, allowing entrants to pit innovative strategies against others, against an ADAS experts' programme and against an untreated crop in replicated plot trials. The aim being to achieve the highest margin over fungicide cost.   

BEIS and STFC supported programme aiming to explore the opportunities for Earth Observation to provide solutions for agriculture and climate change, through collaborations between the UK and Australia.

This Innovative Farmers Field Lab investigated defoliation as a control for cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) larval populations in oilseed rape. It worked with eight farmers to look at the potential for controlling cabbage stem flea beetle by mowing and grazing OSR crops

Remote sensing solution for Crop Intelligence

The INNO-VEG project aims to increase the speed and uptake of innovation in the field vegetable and potato sectors by: Defining and implementing a new approach for delivering cost-effective research. Establishing a cross border innovation network which will create the framework conditions for innovation to facilitate uptake of the new approach.

An EU-Wide Farm Network Demonstrating and promoting cost-effective IPM Strategies.

With support from Defra the YEN database was analysed to investigate Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) metrics and how the variation in these metrics are influenced by parameters such as soil, crop performance and crop management.

Understanding how to drive performance of pea crops, by sharing measurements, experiences and ideas

‘Healthy soil, Healthy food and Healthy people’

Farmer Innovation Group as part of the YEN Yield Testing EIP Agri project Amino acids have been widely reported in the farming press and in a few scientific papers to be biostimulants, but with little or no independent evidence from UK field conditions. This Amino Acid FIG was established to put that right, making eight tests in 2018 and five more in 2019.

Driving Decision Making for Efficient & Sustainable Agricultural Production ADAS Digital Decision Support encompasses the way in which we use digital data and digital technology to deliver solutions in crop production, sustainable food and farming, land management and ecology to our clients.

This field lab was initiated as part of the ADAS project ‘Investigating the distribution and presence, and potential for herbicide resistance of UK brome species in arable farming’, funded by AHDB.  

Guidance from ADAS Agronomics on how best to conduct Line Trials on farm.  

The Wheat Growth Guide was first published in 1999, following extensive measurement of a range of reference crops in HGCA funded projects. The AHDB Wheat growth guide allows crop progress, structure and final performance to be measured and compared against a series of UK benchmarks. To manage crops effectively, it is important to set targets, assess progress, adjust inputs and monitor success. Our wheat growth guidance outlines the main crop growth stages and components of yield, as well as the opportunities for management.

ADAS Natural Solutions brings together various in-house services to deliver a bespoke solutions based on the requirements of your business. Whether you are looking to increase your biodiversity or achieve net zero, our dedicated team can work with you to create, restore and manage both natural and modified ecosystems. 

The NUTRI-CHECK NETwork aims to maximise site-specific precision in managing the nutrition of European arable crops.

The Agriculture and Land Use Alliance brings together all interested organisations/individuals across the UK pre-farm gate sector to drive change to a net zero economy through results-driven collaboration.

Online guide to identifying arable weeds from ADAS, AHDB and BASF

Guide published by BASF and AHDB, written with ADAS & Rothamsted, providing a complete reference book for cereal diseases. 

Agri-Tech Week features a mix of in-person and virtual events that are designed to showcase exciting developments in agri-tech. It is coordinated by Agri-TechE working closely with partners across the innovation ecosystem and aims to provide opportunities to attract new customers and partners and to broker collaborations and international connections.

Establishment in Oilseed Rape key - this extension to the Oilseed YEN aims to encourage growers to share what works in successfully establishing OSR crops, with a 'Beauty Contest' to make it fun. 

Hybrid conference held in Montpellier in October 2021 exploring Farmer Centric On-Farm Experimentation.  

Series of articles in CPM reporting results from research projects by AHDB & others

Farmers Weekly article by Mike Abram exploring four carbon calculators

The encyclopedia of oilseed rape diseases is a guide that was created by ADAS and BASF to help growers identify and understand diseases of OSR. As well as highlight emerging threats such as Verticillium wilt and raise awareness of other economically damaging diseases. 

Scientific paper in Field Crops Research published by the ADAS Agronomics team reporting experience working with BASF Real Results farmers conducting around 50 on-farm Line Trials per year.

This EIP Project aimed to determine low impact machinery options for providing access to woodlands with emphasis on the effects on soil structure and water runoff during the operations.

Calling all agronomists! Sign up for the last few places at Soil Benchmark's event at NIAB on 7th December - hear from Dr Elizabeth Stockdale and join some of the UK's leading agronomists in the discussion on Farm Data and the Future of Agronomy

In the UK an estimated 3.3 million tonnes of food are wasted before making it off farm. Farmers face numerous barriers to accurately tracking and reducing on-farm food waste. In response to this hidden issue, WWF and Tesco have worked with members of the food system, including farmers, suppliers, retailers and NGOs to develop the Hidden Waste Roadmap. This report sets out actions for food system actors between 2022 – 2026 to support farmers in measuring, reporting and reducing food waste on farms. 

Report from 2011 by ADAS for NEPIC exploring how nitrogen fertiliser rates and timings could be optimised for bioethanol production.

TALISMAN and SCARAB were long-term projects developed to follow on from issues raised in the Boxworth project. TALISMAN focused on the economic issues of reducing pesticide and fertiliser use, whilst SCARAB examined the ecological side-effects of pesticides.

AHDB Guide from 2021 incorporating WRAG guidelines. Weed control is vital for high yields of good-quality crops and to prevent the spread of pests and diseases, e.g. ergot. Yet with fewer active ingredients, a need to protect water and manage herbicide resistance, the weed challenge must be managed across the rotation.

A half-day workshop will share new findings about the management of ground cover to improve soil quality and improve nutrient retention, and discuss how to incorporate these findings into arable rotations.

At ADAS Boxworth, a range of Horticultural trials take place both on-site and on growers/farmers' land in order to provide unbiased scientific advice to growers and farmers aroud the UK.

A free half-day workshop on the 26th January to hear about the results and outputs from the INNO-VEG project.    

The 18th Recycling of Agricultural, Municipal and Industrial Residues in Agriculture Network (RAMIRAN) conference was a resounding success. See selected resources from the conference below.

ADAS investigated a range of widely-used farm-level GHG emission assessment tools (carbon calculators) to identify opportunities to harmonise their outputs and provide robust data for farmers to use for decision making. 

An overview of the greenhouse gas costs of cropping, including an analysis of YEN data in lead up to establishing YEN Zero.  Also includes an analysis of the relationship between nitrogen fertiliser, GHG costs, yield, GHG intensity and potential indirect land use change (ILUC) consequences. Part funded by the Morley Foundation.

Uptake of plant biostimulants is predicted to increase because of high fertiliser prices, increased demand for sustainably produced products and the UK Governments climate and environmental goals.   The aim of the Defra biostimulants project, which started in Autumn 2023, is to determine the most appropriate methods to enable the effective and safe use of biostimulants products in the UK, to maximise productivity and explore the environmental impacts of their use.  

Understanding cost of production is vital to improve business performance during these time of substantial change in the UK agricultural industry. The Xero cloud accounting platform allows online accounting and cost allocation to better understand enterprise profitability. ADAS provide the platform as a standalone service or as a bureau option, whereby an ADAS employee can input data for the business remotely.

Countryside COP, organised by CFEonline, provides a platform to hear how the UK farming can help tackle climate change and improve sustainability. From 20-24 November 2023, ADAS hosted a series of webinars exploring how to improve climate resilience in the agricultural sector.

AdvisoryNetPEST - A new UK and EU-wide project aiming to increase the sharing of knowledge and the adoption of innovative solutions to reduce the use and risks of pesticides through a network of advisors.   

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2023, this on-farm sugar beet trial tested the effects of applying Blue N and the extent to which its use can compensate for a reduced N rate. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics analysis of Sentinel2 satellite imagery by ADAS.

Understanding and improving bean yields by sharing measures and ideas  

In February 2018, ADAS, AHDB and Defra launched the Grass and herbal leys farm network. The network is a partnership between farmers, researchers and industry and provides a platform to investigate the long term impacts of leys in rotations, such as: Quantifying changes in soil organic matter and soil health from introducing temporary grass/herbal leys across a range of soil types and rainfall areas. Quantifying subsequent changes to soil organic matter and soil health following the destruction of the temporary grass/herbal leys and return to arable production. Investigating the effectiveness of grass/herbal leys in controlling blackgrass in ‘problem’ fields.

Good soil management is essential to maintain a wide range of ecosystem services, including sustainable food production, water regulation and carbon storage, and to minimise diffuse pollution of the air and water environments.

Defra Sustainable Arable LINK project from 2010 to 2015 that aimed to produce an automated system using precision farming technologies for N management of cereals, but ended up changing the whole way we think about nitrogen, yields, experimentation, research, variation & knowledge.

The Weed Resistance Action Group (WRAG) produces guidance on pesticide resistance issues. Hosted by AHDB, this information can be used to help protect crops and the long-term efficacy of herbicides.

Farmer Innovation Group as part of YEN Yield Testing project on achieving Deeper Rooting. Encouragement of deep burrowing earthworms might enhance yields by enabling deeper rooting, and capture of more sub-soil water.

An ADAS report to DEFRA in 1998 highlighting key trends and research priorities for the sunflower industry in the UK Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus var. macrocarpus) are in high demand due to the culinary, confectionary, bird-seed and industrial uses of their seeds (and thus oils), in addition to the popularity of the flowers in horticulture. At the time of this report in 1998, the UK imported ~350,000 tonnes of seed annually.  Whilst sunflower can be grown in the UK, there are a number of challenges including limited drilling dates to comply with soil temperature requirements, and careful monitoring of a range pests and diseases that sunflower is susceptible to. Further risks such as a late harvest time and the possibility of sunflower itself becoming a weed in following crops meant many farmers were not considering growing sunflowers on their farms. Based on a survey of UK farmers (including both sunflower growers and non-growers), the key factors reported that would encourage more UK farmers to adopt sunflower crops were… To convince farmers of profitability Guaranteed establishment of the crop Earlier harvests Good disease and weed control More information on growing the crops This project provided a comprehensive review of growing sunflower as an arable crop in the UK.  You can find the entire report linked at the bottom of this article (including historical and market information on sunflowers) but some of the key sections are highlighted here. Note all information is accurate for the time of this report (1998).

Funded by AHDB and BBRO, this five-year Soil Biology and Soil Health Partnership is a cross-sector programme of research and knowledge exchange. The programme is designed to help farmers and growers maintain and improve the productivity of UK agricultural and horticultural systems, through better understanding of soil biology and soil health. See https://ahdb.org.uk/soil-biology-and-soil-health-partnership

AHDB project from 2014-2018 working with farmers to monitor and optimise their nitrogen fertiliser rates on-farm.  

PLANET and MANNER-NPK are nutrient management software tools that are freely available for use by farmers and their advisers.  

For various EU projects and proposals we have collated a list of relevant tools and projects to nutrient management... Please join the Group to add more tools & projects below...

How do you conduct and manage robust research and development at scale on your farm? What are the best methods for data collection and analysis? What are the best approaches to collaborative projects with researchers? Join us on April 28th as we explore the scientific approaches to on-farm trials and how to work more effectively with researchers.

BASF Real Results Circle (https://basfrealresults.co.uk/) has been running since 2017, bringing together 50 farmers and supporting them to test decisions on-farm.

Network of farmers advisors and researchers working together, sharing ideas and data and testing solutions to increase soil carbon

Farmer Innovation Group from the YEN as part of the YEN Yield Testing Project. The idea of crop momentum arose because high yields in the YEN associated with little-and-often applications, or ‘attention to detail’. Also, two interacting factors are thought to drive crop growth: assimilate supply (source), and assimilate storage capacity (sink). It was suggested that the initial source may affect the sink at the next stage; so increasing initial growth may enhance subsequent growth, creating ‘momentum’.

To facilitate discussion at ACI European Mineral Fertiliser Summit

Are you interested in Crop Monitoring?  Join this club to share ideas and experiences with the tools that are out there, and perhaps develop proposals and projects.

The Oilseed YEN network is striving to help the whole industry to successfully grow Oilseed rape (OSR) and Linseed from start to finish – providing a better outlook for both crops into the future. 

The SUPER-G project is a European wide project aiming to work with farmers and policy makers to develop sustainable & effective permanent grassland systems.

This Field Lab explores the impact of grazing sheep on over-winter cover crops on soil properties, crop performance and the management of livestock within an arable rotation.

Farmer Innovation Group as part of YEN Yield Testing EIP Agri project testing spring potassium fertiliser applications

BASF are running a series of 3 short technical webinars, bringing together experts and industry specialists. We`ll be discussing barley and wheat disease control, but also nitrogen efficiency and return on investments.

International Remote Conference. 9-10 February 2022, 10:00 (EET)

Environment Digest is a quarterly publication that provides a synopsis of recent news, reports and other materials that are of interest to the farming community. With a particular focus on how agriculture links with the environment, each issue focusses on articles across sustainable food production, climate change, water and waste management, soils and biodiversity. Environment Digest principally focuses on stories and policy changes that are relevant to England and/or the UK with a slant towards the arable sector.

Group coming out of the YEN looking at ways to increase deep rooting, by encouraging deep burrowing earthworms.

The Future Farming Resilience Fund (FFRF) is a scheme set up by Defra to provide free business support to farmers and land managers during the early years of the agricultural transition. The third phase of the fund is now open for registration.

Regenerative Agriculture - Understanding the opportunities and challenges 25th - 26th April 2023 Hilton York in York city centre & Online

Oats nitrogen and sulphur recommendations

ADAS Horticulture specialises in all areas of commercial horticulture production. We are well established as impartial advisors in the soft fruit, vegetable, protected edible and ornamental sectors.

This project investigated how to reduce ammonia emissions from broiler houses using commercially available additives. 

Review by ADAS (Kate Storer) for AHDB in 2016 into the value of biostimulants.

Grazing livestock on large extensive grasslands can pose many problems such as difficulties in gathering, grazing management and an increased chance of theft. Some welsh sheep farmers are taking part in a project using tracking technology to help face such challenges. 

The project is a farmer-led initiative aiming to work collectively to reduce the incidence of sheep scab in the Talybont North Ceredigion area.

AHDB Guide published in 2018.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this on-farm winter oats trial tested the effects of applying Utrisha N. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

An innovative mixed farm in Oxfordshire is working with applied researchers at NIAB and ADAS to explore whether precision planting of wheat can increase yield, compared to conventional seed drilling in rows. The project is supported by Defra through the Farming Innovation Programme, delivered in partnership with Innovate UK.

A group of farmers from the Powys are undertaking this project to determine the prevalence and sources of the parasite on their farms. They hope to increase their understanding of the pathways by which it is transmitted among sheep and also identify measures they can take to control and prevent the disease in sheep.

The Defra Pest and Disease survey has been running for approximately 50 years and monitors endemic pests and diseases in winter wheat and winter oilseed rape, along with accompanying information about agronomic practice and pesticide inputs to the crop.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this on-farm winter wheat trial tested the effects of applying Utrisha N at two contrasting N rates. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

An overview of the greenhouse gas costs of cropping, including an analysis of YEN data in lead up to establishing YEN Zero.  Also includes an analysis of the relationship between nitrogen fertiliser, GHG costs, yield, GHG intensity and potential indirect land use change (ILUC) consequences.  

Innovative Farmers are launching a new field lab exploring the use of poly cropping, inoculants and undersown cover crops to control blackgrass (BG) in spring and winter-sown crops.  

YEN      Friday 3rd January 2023   Russ McKenzie awarded YEN's Innovator of the Year in 2022 at the 10th Anniversary YEN Conference.

Crop modelling is a useful tool in agriculture to improve our understanding how a crop grows in interaction with all external factors, including environmental interactions and the crop management practices in place. The idea is that by modelling cropping system factors as a mathematical representation, and incorporating real past data to 'calibrate' the model,  you can then simulate various scenarios and predict the impacts of certain changes on crop growth. One example of this would be a simulation of predicted environmental conditions under various climate scenarios to predict the impacts of climate change on crop growth and yields. Whilst models are oversimplifications of reality and can never capture all the complexity of agricultural systems, modelling has been a vital tool underpinning key agricultural developments and models are constantly being developed to be more dynamic, complex and sensitive. One particular application of modelling is in weed control. This page highlights the application of modelling in weed management and introduces a case study of a weed model from a DEFRA report.       

HGCA report from 2006 setting out the principles and potential of using wheat for bioethanol production

A 1998 study commissioned by the Pesticides Safety Directorate to assess the non-target impacts of pesticides on non-target terrestrial plants (NTTP's).  'To conserve and enhance biological diversity within the UK' was a stated aim of of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (1994). Over 25 years later this is still a vital issue and the UK has stated its commitment to secure a post-2020 Biodiversity Framework as well as developing a 10 point plan for financing biodiversity (UK Government, 2022). However, a threat to plant biodiversity is non-target effects of pesticides - this is when pesticide materials reach areas beyond the target application area and affect the species there. Effects of pesticides on non-target plants can range from lethal (death of the plant) all the way to enhanced growth of these plants. Such varied effects depend on a range of things including the type of pesticide used, the concentration of its active ingredient and the sensitivity and spatial range of affected plants. Importantly, plants are part of complex food and pollination webs and so pesticide effects on plants can have cascading effects on the fauna that rely on them, and vice versa.

The Oat Growth Guide outlines growth and development benchmarks for spring and winter oats crops.

This face to face workshop at ADAS Postharvest Innovation Centre in Chatteris, Cambridgeshire, will showcase advances in storage technologies and supply chain management to reduce post-harvest losses.

Carbon Zero Consulting, part of the RSK group, invites you to discover what natural environmental heat sources can do for your food and drink manufacturing operations, as it is clear that high energy prices are here to stay for the foreseeable future.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this on-farm winter wheat trial tested two biostimulants (3 Alo T6P and Nutrino Pro) applied as a tank mix with fungicides at the T3 timing. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

Sarah Clarke      Friday 3rd January 2023   Excellent grain quality as well as high yields were celebrated at the YEN 10th Anniversary Conference, with the Milling Quality Awards sponsored by UK Flour Millers. All UK Group 1 milling wheat entries were eligible for this competition, a total of 20 for 2022.

Create IPM plans for your farm

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this on-farm winter wheat trial compared N rates from 140 to 260 kg/ha, including the N rate recommended by the Yara N tester. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this on-farm winter wheat trial compared N rates from 150 to 250 kg/ha, including the N rate recommended by the Yara N tester. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

Wild-oats are a highly competitive grass-weed in the UK of which there are two important species: common wild-oats (Avena fatua) and winter wild-oats (Avena sterilis ssp. ludoviciana). Failure to control wild oats in arable fields can lead to high penalties to yield, seed crop contamination, income loss for farmers and reduced competitiveness of UK agriculture. Whilst herbicide resistance selection has been slower in wild-oats compared to other grass weeds such as Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides), it is still a growing problem and since this report was published in 2001, resistance has been reported across hundreds of farms across many UK counties.  Continuing development of herbicide resistance in wild-oats will limit pesticide choice and possibly lead to a higher dependence on environmentally 'risky' herbicides that are more likely to reach water. The objective of this project was to conduct and collate research on the characterisation of herbicide resistance in wild-oats with the aim of informing strategies for the prevention, containment and control of herbicide resistant populations. Links to the full project are provided at the bottom of the page.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this simple on-farm winter wheat trial in Nottinghamshire tested the yield effect of reducing N rate from the 'farm standard' of 220 kg/ha to 170 kg/ha. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and reporting from ADAS.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, these two on-farm winter wheat trials tested whether the N inhibitor Didin can sufficiently slow N release to allow the whole season's N fertiliser to be applied as UAN in a single split. The 'farm standard' control treatment consisted of the same N rate applied as UAN over three split timings without an inhibitor. Trials were facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

In 2019, for the first time in the UK, an ALS-resistant prickly sow thistle (Sonchus asper) population was identified by ADAS researchers.   

Nitrogen residue following different crops is an important consideration in the N fertiliser requirement of the subsequent crop and one of the key determinants of N fertiliser recommendations in the UK. 

At Groundswell, join us at the Innovative Farmers stand from 12-1 on Thursday 29th June for a clinic on Farm trials: how to make the most of them. A chance to share experiences and have your questions answered by ADAS and IF experts

Integrated Pest Management: Supporting tools and evidence-based learning

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2022, this on-farm winter wheat trial compared N rates from 140 to 260 kg/ha, including the N rate recommended by the Yara N tester amd one treatment with additional Poly N Plus. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

Though peas and beans have long been a trusted part of cropping rotations, it is perhaps only recently that the scope and value of their potential is being realised.

The Global On-Farm Experimentation Network has been set up to connect OFE communities worldwide. GOFEN is setting up a directory of organisations and actors with an interest in OFE. It will be launched at the OFE 2023 conference in December 2023.

Farmers working with scientists to achieve the best from pulse crops and reduce their carbon emissions.

ADAS slides developed to share with educators who lead agriculture degree courses at the Agricultural Universities Council (AUC) Educators Retreat 2023. 

Shared lessons about yields and water

The ADAS soils and nutrients team will share and discuss results from our recent cover crop research with Affinity Water, Anglian Water, and Portsmouth Water.

We are establishing a network of farms to share knowledge and data on the application and impact of IPM strategies with the aim to better understand the effectiveness of IPM approaches on farm yield and profitability, and support sustainable, productive systems with no pesticide inputs wasted. We’ve had some initial funding from Defra to design the network, and now we are moving into a pilot phase.   

Perhaps due to lower cropping area, resources for fundamental research of peas in the UK has lagged behind that of the major crops. This means that whilst we have fantastic agronomy guides from PGRO, some of the things we take for granted for the major crops such as crop development growth benchmarks don’t exist for pulses. In 2016 an enthusiastic group of growers and industry sponsors, steered by ADAS and PGRO, stepped in to help bridge this gap for combining peas with a participatory network approach.

A project run by ADAS and HMC Peas, under a programme of and funded by the European Space Agency. The project aims to use satellite imagery to estimate final yield of vining peas, to maximise the efficiency and profitability of harvest and processing. The project runs from September 2023 to May 2024.

How can we improve resilience? Whose job is it to do what – from supporting farmers, to meeting consumer demand?

Measurements of N2O were made using static flux chambers for a 24 month period from sowing to 12 months after harvest.

The study measured the N available after spring-sown peas, field beans or autumn sown cereals in eastern England and the subsequent response of winter wheat to fertiliser nitrogen.  

A new paper published by ADAS summarises evolving black-grass herbicide resistance over the last 35 years, including the effectiveness of the dwindling actives left, and the vital role of routine resistance testing.

Creating Connections to Advance Integrated Pest Management We are establishing a network of farms to share knowledge and data on the application and impact of IPM strategies with the aim to better understand the effectiveness of IPM approaches on farm yield and profitability, and support sustainable, productive systems with no pesticide inputs wasted. We’ve had some initial funding from Defra to design the network, and now we are moving into a pilot phase. 

Join us to explore the pros and cons of facilitating farm trials.

The bean YEN (Yield Enhancement Network) was started in 2019 as a partnership between ADAS and PGRO, and a group of enthusiastic growers and the support of sponsors including key developmental finding from NPZ UK (formerly known as LSPB). Perhaps due to lower cropping area, resources for fundamental research of beans in the UK has lagged behind that of the major crops. This means that whilst we have fantastic agronomy guides from PGRO, some of the things we take for granted for the major crops such as crop development growth benchmarks don’t exist for pulses. The bean YEN exists to help bridge this gap and connect growers, industry and research in a participatory network approach to help enhance yields on farm. 

Written By James Clarke - ADAS Research Director

This guidance documents provides advice on IPM measures for pulses insect pests and diseases.

Help us to understand attitudes towards SFI schemes and IPM uptake by completing this survey. Anyone completing the survey is entitled to claim a £10 voucher.

On-farm trials can be a very effective way to explore ideas and test practices! Read along to find out 10 tips to make the most of this practical research method  in real life conditions.

ADAS and the Met Office will explore what mechanisms there are to support an agriculture and food sector that is resilient to climate change.

ADAS, the Met Office, and farming guests explore the barriers and challenges that farmers face from a changing climate.

SCI invites you to join leading experts and change-makers to explore the potential of regenerative agriculture, a revolutionary approach to farming that goes beyond sustainability.

In October 2023 on behalf of AgriSearch, ADAS soil scientists conducted a full review of Nutrient Management Planning Tools (NMPTs) available for forage crops in Northern Ireland.

Quality Meat Scotland’s (QMS) new report is set to unlock greater productivity, profitability and sustainability for a wealth of individuals and businesses.

 The Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) has launched a simplified, online crop YEN network for linseed growers called Linseed YEN Lite.

To help growers calculate the carbon footprint of their crops and identify mitigation measures, the Yield Enhancement Network created a new farmer network called YEN Zero.

In February 2024, the European Commission announced the withdrawal of the proposed Sustainable Use Regulation (SUR). This had detailed the goal to reduce the use of and risk derived from chemical pesticides by 50% by 2030, to which many EU funded projects are already contributing.  Despite the withdrawal of the SUR, ambitions to avoid and/or minimise applications of pesticides, and support alternative approaches as part of holistic integrated pest management (IPM) strategies remain valid.  This online symposium will highlight the role played by collaborative Green Deal projects in the effort to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides, and to showcase recent research and impact achieved across Europe. The symposium will bring together farmers, advisors, researchers and policy-makers to find common ground and consider policy recommendations for the future of Sustainable Use of Pesticides in Europe.   Date    28 June 2024 Time    09:00 - 12:00 UK time ONLINE - registration required to receive link to join. 

Rainwater harvesting is the on-site collection and storage of rainfall from impermeable surfaces and storage for later use.

This webinar introduces the work of YEN Zero with the ADAS Climate Change and Sustainability team and Will Oliver, an arable farmer from Lincolnshire and YEN Zero member.

Curious about Xero accounting software and how it could help make farm business admin easier?

Join ADAS and AHDB to see the plot demonstrations and discuss pests, weeds and diseases with technical updates and experts on hand.

Dr Mark Ramsden (ADAS) talks about the EU IPM Decisions and IPMWORKS projects, which together are supporting reduction of pesticide use across Europe

Today we’re going to be talking with Lucy Cottingham, Agrii UK digital agronomy development manager, Steve Portas agronomist and Northern technical advisor and Josh Murphy, RHIZA product manager.  Agriculture is a very significant emitter of CO2 and today we are going to be talking about an innovative project called Nitrogen Climate Smart, which aims to bring about a reduction of 1.5mt of CO2 emissions per annum. The aim is to increase pulse and legume crops in arable cropping to 20%, the benefits of which to both arable and livestock enterprises could lead to cost savings over £1m per year. Let’s learn more about this innovative project and what it could mean for your farm business.

Opportunities and constraints for conventional farming systems on rewetted peat soils

Interested in on-farm trials? Find our more about the benefits of implementing this methodology; and find our how to address some common challenges.

Following the success of ADAS’s Agronomics service for delivering on-farm line trials in combinable crops, a new project with funding from the European Space Agency (ESA) is expanding the service to the grassland sector using satellite data as a proxy for grass yield.

Discover more about how the YEN works in this webinar and how it could help your agricultural suppliers become more resilient, more productive, and even more environmentally friendly.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2023, this on-farm winter wheat trial tested the benefits of clover living mulches in winter wheat. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2023, this on-farm winter wheat trial compared the effects of using two different drills, a Väderstad Rapid and Horsch Sprinter. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

With soil cultivation expert Philip Wright Join ADAS as we discuss how to maintain good soil structure and best cultivation practices.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2023, this on-farm winter wheat trial tested the effects of applying Nutrino Pro foliar N at T2 and T3. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

BREAKTHRU is A BBSRC funded project led by the University of Nottingham in collaboration with Rothamsted Research, Lancaster University and ADAS aimed at developing compaction resistant wheat. 

Pre-registration sign up: https://forms.office.com/e/D3gRpBrpFg BASIS and NRoSO points have been applied for.  

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2023, this on-farm spring barley trial compared the effects of using two different drills, a Kverneland TS Evo and Horsch Sprinter. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

As part of the AICC Crop Nutrition Club 2023, this on-farm winter wheat trial tested the effects of applying L-CBF Boost liquid carbon fertiliser. The trial was facilitated by a local AICC advisor, with support and Agronomics yield map analysis from ADAS.

ADAS is running a short training course for those wishing to obtain a BASIS Certificate in Greenhouse Gases, Carbon, and Climate Change Mitigation. This training course covers how carbon and greenhouse gases (GHGs) relate to climate change in agriculture. ADAS experts will present practical on farm tools to measure the impact of GHGs, as well as share options for removal.

Explore pest and disease data and information collected over 50 years with the Defra Pest & Disease Survey website.

This project was carried out in order to increase understanding of the risks to British agricultural and amenity sectors from existing and future cases of herbicide resistant broad leaved weeds. Prior to this project, little was known about the mechanisms of herbicide resistance in these species, and work detailing the prevalence, mechanisms, and cross resistance characteristics of several agronomically important broad leaved species formed a major part of the experimental work. A secondary objective was to raise awareness of the threat posed by herbicide resistant broad leaved weed species in several sectors through various knowledge transfer initiatives.

This landmark conference (January 22, 2025) will explore innovative strategies to increase pulse production and use in livestock diets. Register HERE

This event will focus on how satellite earth observation data can be used to support agricultural services.

The Straits committee is a voluntary partnership between Kent County Council and neighbouring local authorities in France (Département du Pas-de-Calais, Département du Nord), Belgium (Provincie Oost-Vlaanderen, Provincie West-Vlaanderen) and the Netherlands (Provincie Zuid-Holland, Provincie Zeeland). This partnership helps to support organisations on either side of the channel to work together where it is useful to do so.  As part of the The Straits Committee Small Project Initiative, ADAS have teamed up with agricultural organisations in France (Chambre d'agriculture), Belgium (Inagro & UGent/HOGENT) and the Netherlands (AIKC Rusthoeve) following discussions that grassweeds and herbicide resistance were common problems in all of these regions. An escalating issue across arable farming in  Europe is herbicide resistance. This is defined as 'the inherited ability of a weed to survive a rate of herbicide that would normally kill it’. It impacts crop yield, increases costs for farmers, and limits crop rotation options. In particular, Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides) and other grassweeds are highly problematic in the South-East UK and cereal growing coastal regions of Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. The project aims to Assess resistance to determine the extent of the problem in the Straits regions Foster ongoing collaboration among agricultural organisations working in these areas to help support growers Provide joint and cohesive guidelines to help growers manage resistance effectively, reduce ineffective use of herbicides and promote best use of non-chemical control as part of an integrated weed management (IWM) approach. Updates will be made to this page as the project progresses, including survey links and results, guidelines, advice sheets, fact-files and more, so please do follow, like and comment on this page to keep updated!    This is the Grassweeds project, co-funded under the Straits Committee small project initiative by Kent County Council (UK), Provincie West-Vlaanderen (BE), Provincie-Oost-Vlaanderen (BE), Provincie Zeeland (NL), & Département du Pas-de-Calais (FR).

If you farm or are an agronomist in Kent, you are invited to take part in a grassweed survey being conducted by ADAS and others. The survey will take ~10-15 minutes to complete  Answers should relate specifically to the arable areas of farms located in Kent (even if the farm includes other types of land). For agronomists, each survey response should correspond to one holding only but multiple surveys can be completed.    We are currently working on a cross-border project to understand the extent of arable grassweed resistance in Kent (UK), Flanders (Belgium), Zeeland (The Netherlands) and Pas-de-Calais (France). Your responses will help us to coordinate resistance testing and develop resistance management guidelines to help growers in these regions.    As part of filling out this questionnaire you could win free grassweed resistance testing in the Summer/Autumn of 2025. There is a section on the survey to provide your preferred form of contact if you wish to be entered into the draw. All contact details will be kept confidential.   In this survey, we will collect your location data by asking for the region of Kent in which your holding is. We do not collect any personal information, and the location data will be used only for general mapping purposes.   If you are unsure of any questions or for general weed advice and ID queries, you can contact weeds@adas.co.uk  This survey is part of the Grassweeds project co-funded under the Straits Committee small project initiative by Kent County Council, Provincie West-Vlaanderen, Provincie-Oost-Vlaanderen, Provincie Zeeland, & Département du Pas-de-Calais.    Survey: https://forms.office.com/e/vFyS6QZgqN