Weed & Pest Management

Following the loss of neonicotinoid seed treatments, cereal growers must change the way they control barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), with regular crop monitoring followed by the targeted application of a suitable pyrethroid insecticide forming the backbone of an effective aphid control strategy.

Farmers in the Severn Trent region have only got until 15 September 2019 to sign up to receive rewards of up to £5/ha for reducing metaldehyde levels in watercourses.

Chiltern Farm Chemicals, one of the largest suppliers of molluscicides in the UK, has been granted permission to bring a judicial review of the decision before the High Court, with the view to declare the metaldehyde ban as unlawful.

The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), the AgriFood Charities Partnership (AFCP) and Certis Europe BV are to fund a three-year PhD at Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom.

With the phase out of metaldehyde-based pellets for the control of slugs, many growers and agronomists are now actively looking to switch to ferric phosphate products this autumn.

Most maize growers are missing out on yield potential by leaving weed control too late.

With grain losses due to pest damage costing up to £50/metric tonne farmers are being encouraged to check their stores weekly to protect against insect damage. To provide advice and