AHDB Strategic Cereal Farms aim to putting cutting-edge research and innovation into practice on commerical farms. Each farm hosts field-scale demonstrations, with experiences shared with the wider farming community. Niab has partnered with AHDB to deliver the new Strategic Cereal Farm Midlands. Will Oliver hosts Strategic Cereal Farm Midlands. The farm is keen to invetsigate how to optimise inputs, whilst maintaining yield and improving rotational management.

Niab's Farming Systems and Pathology teams have collaborated to deliver three inital workpackages:

1. Management of maize residue for establishment and disease risks of a following winter wheat crop in a direct drill system
2. Optimising organic amendments in nutrient management planning for winter wheat
3. Testing novel technologies to improve disease and nitrogen management in winter wheat (in collaboration with SporeSense, a technology company that uses AI biosensors to aid early disease detection)

Partners

Funders

Duration

2025-2031

More information on the project website

The acceleration of transition to a bioeconomy in horticulture.

BioBoost, was funded by the EU Interreg 2 Seas programme, is focused on using and reducing waste from fresh produce. Crop bi-products and waste crop materials are used as feedstocks for new higher value end-products, which otherwise would be wasted or used for lower value products. At Niab we are looking into more environmentally-friendly solutions to minimise the impact of waste on our environment and improve the sustainability of production methods. This three and a half year project includes scientists from industry and academia in The Netherlands, UK, and Belgium, seeking to learn from each other's innovations and to progress the best solutions through to the marketplace. 

The project looked to accelerate the transition towards a more circular bioeconomy by implementing regional test and pilot projects for the development of new techniques, methods and products in the horticultural sector and supporting their development towards market-uptake. We supported SMEs towards the development of innovations and to accelerate their entry to the market. This collaborative project was co-ordinated by our Dutch colleagues in Westland in the west of The Netherlands.

Resources

In this video from 2020, Lydia Smith explains Niab's involvement in the BioBoost project. She was talking to the site manager of a commercial nursery and discusses if the green pesticide options are making a difference.