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NAC Supporter News

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National Agronomy Centre information is available to members of the NIAB TAG Network and National Agronomy Centre (NAC) Supporters.

Examples of NAC Supporter documents and illustrations from posted reports include:

Farming Systems Research

The STAR project - Sustainable Trial in Arable Rotations

The annual report for the STAR project can now be found in the Research Documents section of the website or alternatively STAR Projectcopies can be provided on request. This study is a long-term rotation experiment delivered through NIAB TAG and supported by The Felix Thornley Cobbold Trust.

The STAR project is examining the interaction of rotation and cultivation techniques. The impact of rotation and cultivation on weed management and soil condition is becoming increasingly apparent as the study progresses. With regard to cultivation system the highest margins are associated with a managed approach. With regard to rotation the highest margins are associated with winter cropping systems. Changes in gross margin ranking are being seen as the study progresses.

The New Farming Systems (NFS) project

This is a series of long term studies seeking to develop bio-sustainable cropping systems for conventional arable cropping. The programme is funded by The Morley Agricultural Foundation (TMAF) and The JC Mann Trust and is being carried at Morley (Norfolk) on a sandy clay loam soil. Research within the NFS programme is seeking to maintain or increase system output while at the same time seeking to improve efficiency, sustainability and resilience within conventional arable cropping systems.

Experiments are ostensibly examining three inter-related themes: fertility building, approaches to tillage and the use of soil amendments. The experiments within the NFS programme are fully replicated, large plot studies that use farm scale equipment and techniques. A recent review paper published in the Aspects of Applied Biology is available in the NAC supporter documents section and highlights some of the key findings to date.

Harvest data; National Agronomy Centre projects

Harvest reports and updates from a range of National Agronomy Centre projects from the 2010/11, as well as from previous seasons, are available in the NAC documents section of the website. This includes updates on projects in winter wheat looking at fungicide response monitoring; this long term study has now been running at Morley since 1986 and is showing average T1&T2 spray responses of 1.87 t/ha and a T3 responses of 0.39 t/ha.

Project reports from other studies are also available, including:

  • long term monitoring studies; such as research addressing the impact of fungicide regime and time of lifting on sugar beet yield and the long term value of straw incorporation in cereal crops,
  • key strategic agronomy studies; including research addressing variety and fungicide interaction in winter wheat, the impact of stacked pre-emergence herbicide regimes on crop performance in winter wheat,
  • demonstration projects addressing the impact of cultivation choices on crop performance (in oilseed rape and winter barley crops) are also available.

The NAC experimental programme also covers a range of other demonstration and research studies including research into such areas as spray application technology.

The Landmark Bulletin

Is available in the National Agronomy Centre Supporter documents section of this website. Landmark Bulletin is exclusive to NIAB TAG and features around 24 pages of in-depth research and technical information and news from NIAB TAG and third party contributors. Issued four times a year and available in hard copy or electronically.

Research reviews

Reviews of a range of NAC and other wider openly funded research projects from across the industry are also available within the NAC supporter document section website. These include papers on the HGCA oilseed rape rotation project (looking at the impact of rotational intensity on the field performance of oilseed rape) and the NAC herbicide application study (considering how nozzle selection and water volume can impact on the control of black-grass with a pre-emergence herbicide). The full papers were produced for the AAB Crop Protection in Southern Britain Conference and the material is reproduced with kind permission of the AAB and the Aspects of Applied Biology.