Other Crops

To support knowledge transfer and benchmarking achieved through the yield enhancement network (YEN) initiative run by ADAS and PGRO, LS Plant Breeding Ltd (LSPB) has extended its sponsorship of the Bean YEN for a fifth year and added sponsorship of the Pea YEN in 2023.

By cleaning grass seed on-farm using JK Machinery’s JCM VibroMAX vibrating sieve cleaner, Andrew Stovin from N M Stovin Farms has significantly increased crop value and bottom line while meeting the cleaning standards of his grass seed merchants.

Established bean crops have been hit with an increased chocolate spot risk this season due to cool and wet conditions throughout March, with downy mildew also threatening new leaf growth and later emerging spring beans, Syngenta technical manager Simon Jackson warned.

After gaining National Listing, the Processors and Grower Research Organisation (PGRO) added three new varieties to its 2023 Descriptive List, meaning growers have even more information on beans to sow this spring.

Thought-provoking talks and presentations will discuss resilience with pea and bean growers at this year’s Pulse Roadshow event, organised by Syngenta and the Growers Research Organisation (PGRO).

The PGRO has announced that seven new pea and bean varieties have been added to its 2023 Descriptive List for pulses, with up to four more to be added at a later date.

Suffolk farmer Tom Jewers, of G D Jewers & Son at Wood Hall Farm in Rattlesden, experienced a better-than-expected harvest, although field variations of over 6t/h clearly showed the impact OM has on yield.

Experts are reporting some of the largest, sweetest shop-bought blackberries ever seen – but their hedgerow counterparts have suffered.

Wholecrop rye for biogas production is still the biggest market, so choosing high performing AD varieties is the key for most growers, says independent agronomist Craig Green.

As soaring costs hit farms across the UK, tomato producer Sterling Suffolk has ceased production three years after its first fruit went on sale commercially.

Elsoms Seeds’ new early maturing variety Makayla offers high yields and more efficient harvesting, says Cropco’s Sam Poulton.

Spring husbandry can provide both value and diversity within a rotation, often demonstrate lower yield variability and can show a better return than their autumn counterparts per £1 spent – although they often struggle to match the best gross margins. But which spring cropping option to choose? Rachel Hicks writes.