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Much needed spring sunshine and some good drying days have allowed growers to get their spring drilling campaigns underway.

With growers able to choose more disease-resistant varieties and aim for later sowing dates to mitigate disease, one of the biggest fears is the weather in the season ahead.

March 2021 Arable Farming Issue

A combination of cabbage stem flea beetle larvae infestation and heavy frosts have knocked oilseed rape crops back in recent weeks.

Millers are fearful about the size of the future UK wheat crop, which is likely to decline for political and cost reasons, a trend that could be exacerbated by greater consumer demands concerning sustainability.

An Emergency Authorisation for the use of Vydate 10G (oxamyl) for the control of free living nematodes in the 2021 sugar beet crop has been approved by HSE.

Rothamsted Research has confirmed that the virus yellows prediction for the 2021 sugar beet crop remains very low, with first flights of aphids likely to be six weeks later than last year.

The University of Warwick’s research commercialisation wing, Warwick Innovations, has signed a contract with Agrii to promote the commercial production of UK haricot beans.

The post-emergence herbicide bentazone is facing deregulation if growers do not start acting to reduce leaching into ground and surface water, BASF has warned.

While, in some cases fields may be beginning to dry off on top, wetter soil at depth means patience is needed before cultivating to avoid creating poor seedbeds for sugar beet.