Applied Science at Cereals 2010

Applied science will be a key focus in the Cereals Event’s trademark crop plots this year. A total of 30 companies will be presenting more than 90 sown crop plots at Robert Law’s farm near Royston, Cambridgeshire on the 9th and 10th June 2010.

“The crop plots have become a popular draw for visitors giving them direct contact to some of the country’s leading researchers, plant breeders and technical specialists, many of who will be “rooted” in the crop plots for both days of the event according to the Bill Clark, Brooms Barn Director [part of Rothamsted Research].

Mr Clark’s engaging and practical style is sure to draw a crowd particularly given that the Brooms Barn/Rothamsted plots will be showing the new SDHIs cereal fungicides, including Syngenta’s new barley product, Bontima. “In addition we will have some yellow rust plots which will give us a focus to talk about the new strains of the disease, including the Triticale strain,” he says. “I will add to the demonstration the Endure maps showing the movement of this strain across Europe and will explain why this is important to UK growers.”

The crop plots have grown a life of their own at Cereals as a means of communicating applied and complex science in field conditions says Cereals Event Director, Jon Day. “The crop plots show just what’s happening in commercial and industry-funded R&D programmes both in the lab and in the field, but more importantly how to apply the findings to agronomy in practice.”
Velcourt has an innovative set of attractions including the ‘Cereals Challenge’ awarded in conjunction with HL Hutchinsons to one of six colleges (Askham Bryan, Harper Adams, Royal Agricultural College, Hartpury, Riseholme and Writtle) taking part in a challenge to grow a plot of wheat. The colleges pitched to take a plot and enter the competition which will be judged at Cereals. The variety is Glasgow and the students have needed to manage the plot all year for agronomy (fungicides, PGRs, nitrogen, herbicides etc.) “The ‘best’ plot will be judged on head counts, the approach the team took to managing the plot, the decisions they made. The winning team will receive a cash prize and a trophy,” says Velcourt’s Keith Norman.

Velcourt will also have small plot variety trials with half the plot left to the elements, half treated with Bayer’s new fungicide 869, a mix of the new carboxamide bixafen and prothioconazole. The varieties in the plots are Duxford, Oakley, Robigus, Zebedee, Panorama, Cordiale, Hereward and Gallant

The Centre piece of Velcourt’s stand will be a block of wheat and sacks of wheat representing the yields 25 years ago, the yields last year and the yields needed in 25 years to feed the growing population. This display will outline technology change, innovation and developments and will include facts and figures on prices, costs of oil, cost/use of labour, machinery requirements and mechanisation changes.

In Rothamsted Research’s oilseed rape plots, Jon West will be discussing recent oilseed rape research on sclerotinia, light leaf spot and canker. He suggests that air monitoring for sclerotinia spores could pin-point locations at risk and improve spray timing, adding that two-sprays over flowering may be needed in disease hot-spots.

The Rothamsted team will also be looking in some depth at Fusarium in wheat, how it infects, the phenomenon of symptomless infections and the implications of commonly underestimated infection levels.

In addition to the Recommended List plots, the HGCA will have a number plots relating to current HGCA research projects covering independent fungicide performance results for winter wheat, winter barley and winter OSR, farming for
biodiversity (part of the Campaign for the Farmed Environment trail) and disease plots by crop, including:
• Verticillium and TuYV in oilseed rape
• Rhynchosporium, ramularia, mycotoxins in winter barley
• Mycotoxins and eyespot in winter wheat
• Sulphur supply from organic manures

The Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) who assisted in the management of the Cereals crop plot agronomy will be profiling fungicide management of high output but yellow rust prone wheat varieties (e.g. Oakley) and will demonstrate canopy management using Caramba on a dwarf and conventional variety of oilseed rape.

Bayer Crop Science’ focus will be on the company’s new SDHI fungicide and will demonstrate the value of a programmed approach to cereal grass weed control with the comparison of the different strains of black-grass resistance to the key autumn herbicides.

Visit the Metaldehyde Stewardship Group’s (MSG) ‘Pellets and Pelleting’ arena to earn two NRoSO points by completing a ten point Farm Action Plan. There’s also the chance to win one of two NPTC training vouchers with each hourly ‘Get Pelletwise’ demonstration.

“The Farm Action Plan is aimed to get visitors thinking about what they can do to help ensure metaldehyde stays out of surface waters,” explains the MSG’s Steve Higginbothan. Highlighting the various risk stages associated with slug pelleting, the plan develops into ten action points with practical solutions including operator training, active ingredient choice, adapted pelleting practices and more stringent handling practices.

Chemtura Agrosolutions will be focusing on seed treatment at this year’s Event, demonstrating seed testing technology processes and featuring their Seed Lab exhibition which will show disease samples including Loose Smut and Bunt.

Attendees will earn two NRoSO CPD or four BASIS points for attending either day of Cereals. Tickets can be purchased in advance via the website. Adult tickets are £15 in advance and £20.00 on the day. Student concessions are also available. The Cereals website at www.cerealsevent.co.uk has information about exhibitors, what to see and how to get there.

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Notes to Editors
The Cereals Event
• The Cereals Event is the leading technical event for the UK arable industry with over 64ha of stands and live demonstrations including Crop Plots, Working Demonstrations, the Sprays & Sprayers arena and Renewables, an area specially dedicated to renewable energy, biofuel and non-food crops.
• Over 400 leading suppliers are already preparing to keep visitors up-to-date with the very latest products, advice and information; offering a complete one-stop service from seeds to sprayers, crop varieties to cultivation equipment, fertiliser to finance.
• Cereals brings together over 26,500 professional farmers and industry experts over two days. For more details go to www.cerealsevent.co.uk
• The Cereals event is organised and presented by Haymarket Exhibitions Ltd.
• Farmers Weekly and Crops are the media partners for Cereals.