Weed & Pest Management

With a lot of uncertainty this spring, a Suffolk sugar beet grower who hasn’t opted for Cruiser-treated seed is nervous about aphids but has confidence in his variety choice.

Manufacturer Techneat Engineering has recently showcased its latest product, Rotorscare.

Agrochemical manufacturer Sumitomo Chemical Agro Europe, known for its biorational agricultural products and solutions, aims to strengthen its market presence in both Europe and the UK with a significant pipeline of new products.

Positioned as the “future of application technologies” by Hardi, the Hardi PulseSystem, available on the Delta Force boom on Aeon and Navigator, as well as the Twin boom on Aeon, stands out for its environmental impact reduction capabilities.

Effective early season weed control in sugar beet is essential, explains Adama UK herbicides technical specialist, Dr Bill Lankford – especially as an effective herbicide programme can deliver a 10–20% improvement in yield.

After one of the wettest winters since records began, there’s a significant amount of disease present in those cereals which were drilled early and survived the winter successfully. Without knowing how the spring will unfold, it’s impossible to predict with any level of certainty how much disease pressure spring drilled crops will face. But it’s safe to say that crops in both camps (winter or spring drilled) will need a carefully considered programme of fungicides to ensure they go on to achieve their true yield and quality potential.

It has been a challenging season for weed control so far, but there are still opportunities to tidy up winter wheat crops in early March before moving on to disease control at the end of the month.

Understanding how tillage and cropping decisions affect grassweed pressure is vital for building durable control. Low and zero tillage systems are already affecting the weed problems farmers face, and herbicides of all kinds need to be carefully integrated into the programme to avoid resistance.

Garford Farm Machinery will be showcasing its full range of technologically advanced mechanical weed control products, including its Robocrop Precision Guided Hoes, InRow Weeders and Hooded Sprayers, at LAMMA 2024.

The 2024 edition of the British Crop Production Council’s UK Pesticide Guide is available to pre-order for January 2024 delivery, with up to 12 NRoSO and four BASIS points available on purchase.

At North Hall Farm in Appleton Roebuck, devoting 23ha of productive but demanding land with serious Italian ryegrass problems to a national centre for sustainably managing this troublesome weed has given the Vale of York family business a huge confidence boost.

The Garford range of robotic mechanical weed control products can work in a variety of cropping systems and have become increasingly popular as this type of weed control has become more important to agriculture.