CUTEC Challenge

Ron Stobart, NIAB TAG

• The result of the integration of TAG (The Arable Group) and NIAB (National Institute of Agricultural Botany)

• A well-resourced provider of impartial information on crops, varieties, seeds and agronomy, with:

– national trials coverage

– specialist knowledge, skills and facilities

– a comprehensive knowledge exchange network

• Uniquely capable of putting genetics and plant variety development into a practical agronomic context

NIAB TAG is…

The crop development pipeline

Plant scientists

Farmers

Plant breeders

Research councils

Government

End-Users

Agriculturalindustry

Seed tradeAgrochemical manufacturers

AdvisorsWe ensure advances in crop production science are transferred onto farm using a range of KT platforms

Agronomy Research Areas

Improving Yields Cultivations and Efficiency

Grass Weed Control

Farming Systems and Rotations

Applications

Soil Care

Soil management and cultivation

Soil amendments

2014 data in wheat No compost CompostIndex

No compost CompostP 22.5 28.9 2 3K 141 187 2- 2+Mg 57 68 2 2OM % (0-10cm) 2.5 2.9OM % (10-20cm) 2.3 2.4

• Improved soil quality / water infiltration rates and yields.• Infiltration rate increase a c. 20% increase in water

infiltration over a 15 minute period• Some variation between seasons but yield increases

recorded in a number of crops.• Mean yield response in wheat averaging 0.5 t/ha each

year.

Based on Stobart & Morris, 2011

Cover crops

8.08.38.58.89.09.39.59.8

10.010.310.510.811.0

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New Farming Systems research using cover crops for bio-cultivation (winter wheat, 2012)

• Research has demonstrated that crops can benefit• margin, yield and soil quality and the environment

• Cover crops can potentially augment farming systems in a number of ways: • improving soil fertility• managing soil structure • within weed and pest management strategies• reducing erosion • mitigating water pollution issues• habitat /wildlife benefit• other reasons (e.g. supplementary feed)

• Types of cover crop?• Single species or mixtures• Mixtures tend to give added value and greater utility.

Based on Stobart & Morris, 2014

Challenge Area 1

Compost challenge

• Soil amendments– amendments include compost and other organic materials

• Responses– improvements in soil structure– raised soil fertility (nutrient provision and organic matter levels)– benefitting yield on farm– potential to improve system resilience?

• Issues– availability of materials– consistency of the product– transport, storage and application costs (haulage and spreading)

Compost Challenge– Studies show that compost use in arable rotations can improve

yields and resilience. Tons of organic, compostable material is thrown out in cities every day. How can we create an economical way to sort and get organic waste from cities to farms?

• Soil structure – the arrangement of soil particles and the pore spaces between them.– soil structure has a significant influence on a wide range of processes

including water infiltration, aeration, strength and stability

• Soil damage– soil structure can be easily damaged by inappropriate management– soil type, moisture, farm practice and other factors will influence risk– an appropriate soil structure will benefit crop performance

• Measuring structure– number of ways of measuring soil structure in lab and field– complexity– circumstances – repeatability– ease of use

Soil Structure Challenge– The physical structure of soil affects crop development and yields.

 Detailed soil structure tests can be performed in labs, but this is time consuming and costly. Can we make better in-the-field tool(s) to let allow farmers to check soil structure and resilience?

Challenge Area 2

Soil structure challenge

Seed distribution challenge• The use of seed mixtures in cover crops

– common approach– soils, yields , agronomy and wider environmental responses – use of mixes can add utility / risk management

• Common components:– Brassicas (e.g. mustards and radishes);legume species (e.g. vetch and

clovers); grasses and cereals (e.g. oats and rye); other materials?

• Issues and considerations– do the traits of the mix help to achieve the overall goal– practicalities, rotational conflicts, seed size and cost– sowing methods on farm

Seed Distribution Challenge– Cover-cropping is a great way to rehabilitate soil and can provide wide

ranging benefits in farming systems. The most success often comes with mixing multiple species; however, these species have seeds of different sizes and shapes which makes it difficult to spread them evenly using current technology. Can we create a way to make it practical for farmers to sow seeds of different sizes?

Challenge Area 3

CUTEC challenges• Compost Challenge

– Studies show that compost use in arable rotations can improve yields and resilience. Tons of organic, compostable material is thrown out in cities every day. How can we create an economical way to sort and get organic waste from cities to farms?

• Soil Structure Challenge– The physical structure of soil affects crop development and yields.  Detailed soil

structure tests can be performed in labs, but this is time consuming and costly. Can we make better in-the-field tool(s) to let allow farmers to check soil structure and resilience?

• Seed Distribution Challenge– Cover-cropping is a great way to rehabilitate soil and can provide wide ranging

benefits in farming systems. The most success often comes with mixing multiple species; however, these species have seeds of different sizes and shapes which makes it difficult to spread them evenly using current technology. Can we create a way to make it practical for farmers to sow seeds of different sizes?

AcknowledgementsColleagues at NIAB

AHDB (HGCA)The Chadacre Agricultural Trust

The Felix Thornley Cobbold TrustThe James Hutton Institute

The JC Mann TrustThe Morley Agricultural Foundation