Farming without glyphosate

An experiment on farming without glyphosate is about to start on an AHDB monitor farm near Newark.

The 10ha field will not be treated with the chemical for three years and the monitor farm group will help form a plan for managing the land.

The trial is getting under way at a time when doubts remain over the future of glyphosate which faced a rocky road during its EU licence renewal process this year.

East Midlands cereals and oilseeds knowledge exchange manager Harry Henderson said that as the industry moved towards less ploughing it made sense to look at ways round the potential problem of farming without glyphosate.

The field will be treated with diquat later in the autumn to kill surface weeds, and then will either be ploughed or direct drilled in the spring with beans.

Following this year, the rotation will be winter wheat and then sugar beet.

AHDB crop protection scientist Paul Gosling added: “It’s important to bear in mind that diquat is just as risky as glyphosate, if not more so.

“In addition, it does not kill black-grass, and can only be used once a year on stubbles.”

It’s important to bear in mind that diquat is just as risky as glyphosate, if not more so. PAUL GOSLING