A 20m soil hole, over 125 crop plots and the latest research on biostimulants will all be on show for visitors to this year’s Cereals Event. CPM finds out more.
Sustainability is clearly on the agenda.
By Charlotte Cunningham
While last year’s virtual crop plots gave growers a good chance to ‘see’ the latest innovation in plant breeding from afar, there’s nothing quite like being able to see a potential new variety in real life.
With technical events being the place for many to take a first look at a new high-yielding wheat or to get technical advice on what to grow, it’s back to business for NIAB at the 2021 Cereals Event with over 125 different crop and variety plots alongside the popular Soil Hole exhibit.
The plots have been a long-standing feature of the show and provide a backdrop to the latest technical advice and research in variety choice, independent agronomy, soil and rotation management and crop genetics.
The variety demonstration area includes 32 winter wheat and 16 winter oilseed rape varieties, either already established on the AHDB 2021/22 Recommended List or candidates.
For 2021 NIAB has focused on its agronomy demonstration area, including plots showcasing fungicide inputs versus yield in winter wheat, new cereal fungicides, advice on grassweed control and trials work on soil amendments.
There’s also a spotlight on NIAB’s plant pathology expertise with the latest developments on yellow rust and field pathogenomics with the UK Cereal Pathogen Virulence Survey team and the RustWatch project, alongside advice and support in disease diagnostics.
“Our untreated winter wheat variety demo plots are always a top attraction at Cereals, giving growers a head start on their variety selection for next season, with differences in disease resistance and performance between the varieties clearly evident,” says Bill Clark, NIAB’s technical director.
But for those visitors who would prefer a virtual visit again, this summer NIAB will be providing numerous online plot tours featuring NIAB specialists and advisers direct from the show plots near Sleaford, Lincs.
“With the popularity of our virtual variety and disease management plot tours last year I will be joined by NIAB’s wheat and oilseed rape variety specialists Clare Leaman and Colin Peters and our crop disease specialist Aoife O’Driscoll, going onto the Cereals Event site and taking viewers by video through the plots as if they were there with us.
“The aim is to cover all these topics, and more, with videos and webinars, available on NIAB’s own Virtual Event Hub online, alongside downloadable guides, topic sheets and information posters that will also be available at the event,” explains Bill.
The 20m long 2021 NIAB Soil Hole is back again with this year’s surrounding plots showing alternative break crops, herbal ley mixtures and a hybrid versus conventional comparison of above and below ground crop growth in winter oilseed rape, wheat and barley.
“Rotational decisions are often made with limited thought about the impact on soil,” says Dr Elizabeth Stockdale, NIAB’s head of farming systems. “Herbal leys allow growers to consider their rotational diversity options and we will also take a look at some crop alternatives to winter oilseed rape, including canary seed, spring linseed, lentils and ahiflower and a look at spring legumes with plots of lupins, peas and field beans.”
Though a few big names in the seed world are missing from this year’s event due to uncertainty over the easing of restrictions, there will still be plenty of expert advice on hand to aid future variety decisions.
Among them is Syngenta, with plots of 20 different cereal varieties on its stand, as well as the first opportunity for growers to find out about the new SDHI fungicide it is developing.
Headlining the plots of seven hybrid winter feed barleys on the stand will be the new high-yielding hybrid, SY Thunderbolt.
New on the AHDB Recommended List for 2021/22, SY Thunderbolt showcases the consistency in hybrid barley breeding, says Syngenta, with the highest treated yield figure on heavy land (111%), good wet weather disease resistance and early maturity to aid harvest management.
Meanwhile, a second new hybrid barley on the RL and in the plots, SY Kingston, has performed particularly well in the North and West, again with strong wet weather disease resistance, it says.
Also on the stand will be plots of established hybrids, SY Kingsbarn, Belfry and Belmont and a further new hybrid barley, SY Armadillo, will also feature.
For those in the market for a new barley variety, Syngenta will be demonstrating nine malting, or potential malting, barley varieties – three winter and six spring.
Among the winter variety plots, Electrum, the newest winter malting barley on the 2021/22 AHDB Recommended List, is in only its first full season of having full approval for brewing use on the Malting Barley Committee (MBC) approved list for harvest 2021.
Meanwhile, six spring barley plots on the stand will feature newcomer varieties, SY Tungsten and SY Splendor, which Syngenta has been progressing for malting, plus two new candidates selected as potential malting varieties, SY Lowry and SY Bronte, and established malting favourites, Laureate and Fairing.
With the importance of robust septoria resistance in variety choice, all four Syngenta winter feed wheat varieties with resistance ratings of 6.1 or above on the RL List will be on the stand. These include newcomer SY Insitor, launched last summer, Gleam, Graham and Shabras.
As well as varieties galore, Syngenta’s stand will be an opportunity to learn about the latest, new generation SDHI fungicide active ingredient, adepidyn, which the firm is currently developing in the UK.
The firm also plan to use the event to showcase its Protector digital agronomy platform, including a disease forecasting tool that has been in evaluation with growers and agronomists this season.
According to Syngenta, the platform provides better integrated recording, monitoring and mapping of key issues for growers, to enable more effective future decision making. It also incorporates Spray Assist App, for a complete practical digital solution in the field.
What’s more, Cereals will see the publication of three years’ results from the Syngenta Conservation Agriculture and Sustainable Farming Initiative.
Addressing the impacts of different cultivation and establishment techniques through a whole farm rotation on different soil types, it provides an in-depth insight into environmental, agronomic and financial implications.
Farmers and scientists involved in the study will give guidance to growers and policy makers on how best to put the results into practice.
Are biostimulants worth the hype?
Though many manufacturers are able to make evidence-based claims about the benefits of biostimulants, there are many who question their viability.
So, are they worth the hype?
That’s exactly what Dr Syed Shah, regional agronomist for NIAB, has made his mission to find out – to get under the skin of these purportedly natural enhancers.
Having undertaken a number of research trials for NIAB he has written three papers on the subject and will be sharing his knowledge in the AHDB Theatre at the Cereals Event on 30 June.
“Biostimulants tend to work in controlled environments, but does that translate in field conditions?” he asks.
To answer this question, he carried out trials in winter wheat and spring barley on different soil types from 2018 to 2020, with mixed results – sparking interest in further scientific research.
The biggest issue with biostimulants is that they are currently unregulated in the UK, so as long as manufacturers don’t claim to have any direct impact on pests or diseases, effects don’t have to be independently trialled, explains Syed. “There are no specific guidelines in the EU or UK and there are significant differences across Europe about how they are authorised.”
However, this is due to change. From July 2022 biostimulants will fall under the same regulatory framework as all other types of fertiliser and manufacturers will need to prove the effects claimed on the label.
The supporting data can be based on glasshouse or controlled lab conditions, but that data might not be relevant or repeatable in the field conditions.
“Some biostimulants have shown to improve crop colour (dark green), above ground biomass and root growth, but will this translate into yield? Companies may show data that demonstrates an effect which may not be repeatable in independent trials – so ask for independent data.”
This is where NIAB’s trials come in and Syed has conducted trials at East Malling, Hereford and Cirencester.
On crops given a robust fungicide programme he found little benefit – but where fungicides were reduced the biostimulants had significant positive effects in reducing disease levels and increased yield.
Crops on the drought-prone Cirencester soils responded particularly well. “Biostimulant treatments with lower fungicide inputs had significantly higher green flag leaf area compared with reduced fungicide plots,” he explains.
“In a high disease pressure year, fungicide will perform better, but based on these trials, it can be concluded that biostimulants have a place under low or zero-fungicide input systems. Soil bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi have also proven to have a significant effect on yield, but we do need to do further research and trials to identify when and how to use biostimulants for maximum effect.”
Visitors to Cereals will also be able to speak with exhibitors specialising in biostimulants, to find out what’s new to the market. These include UPL’s new biofungicides Iodus and Thiopron, the biostimulant Vitalroot and bio seed treatment Sylas. “Sustainability is clearly on the agenda,” says Vaughn Stansfield, UK manager at UPL. “As an industry, we are looking to move forward in a sustainable manner, but it needs to be done profitably, and these two things aren’t mutually exclusive.”
Also at Cereals
As well as the names above, visitors looking for the latest technical information will also be able to find the following names on hand at this year’s Cereals Event:
- Crop Health and Protection (CHAP)
- GrainTab
- Premium Crops
- Agro Hanse
- AICC
- AminoA
- Cefetra Grain
- Fram Farmers
- Graindex
- Just Oats
- Rothamsted Research
