The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Agronomy workshops keep sector figures informed
ARABLE: Everything from bees to Brexit covered
Hundreds of farmers, agronomists and members of the wider arable industry were given the lowdown on everything from bees to Brexit in a series of presentations at this year’s winter agronomy workshops.
Details on the best-performing crops and the most fungicide-resistant diseases were also given by a range of speakers at workshops which were organised by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Professor Fiona Burnett, head of SRUC’S soil research group, and senior plant pathologist Neil Havis, highlighted issues with fungicide resistance.
Ramularia leaf spot, in particular, has been problematic for barley growers. In recent tests, this “opportunist” disease was completely resistant to both SDHI and Azole fungicides, leaving Chlorothalonil, which is under threat from European Union legislation, as the only option for effective treatment.
Prof Burnett said using balanced mixtures, alternations and multisite programmes was vital, as was the need to walk crops, react to disease risk and moderate fungicide programmes accordingly.
This, she explained, would not only cut down resistance risk by reducing reliance on any individual chemistry, but would also help to protect individual crops.
In an analysis of the markets, Julian Bell from SAC Consulting warned that, given the uncertainty over Brexit, UK farmers and buyers are the only ones who can guarantee each other tariff-free market access.
Growers and buyers, therefore, were encouraged to develop stronger longterm contracts to strengthen supply to the home market.
To help achieve this, buyers need to offer farmers sustainable prices and invest in malting and distilling capacity in Scotland, while farmers were encouraged to offer buyers a consistent supply of the varieties and quality they need while continuing to boost yields and competitiveness.
Dr Andy Evans, applied practice team leader, crop and soil systems, at SRUC and co-organiser of the events, reiterated the importance of pollinators, including bees, hoverflies, butterflies and other insects, to crop health.
Providing food and shelter for pollinators throughout the season, as well as places for them to survive over winter, by having a range of flowering plants will boost the species and number of pollinators.
Having ecological favoured areas (EFAS) on a farm can provide resources for pollinators and lead to improved yield and quality of flowering crops such as beans, oilseed rape and soft fruit.
Crop and soil systems researcher John Baddeley pointed out CAP ecological focus area (EFA) rules have been updated for the year. One change is that farmers can now grow mixtures of N-fixing crops such as alfalfa, beans and vetch, potentially offering greater benefits than monocrops to yields, pollinators and wider biodiversity.