Research

Parsnip Pioneers: the world’s first autonomously grown parsnip crop

Farm Trial Results, Machinery, Research, Robotics, Tech Farmer / By

Huntapac’s parsnip crop, grown without human machinery operation, used Skippy Scout drone monitoring operated by Agrii’s technical experts in the world’s first instance of entirely autonomous vegetable agronomy and production. Huntapac, in collaboration with Autonomous Agri Solutions, AutoSpray Systems and Agrii, funded by the Marks and Spencer Plan A Accelerator Fund, successfully grew a crop …

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New genomic technologies flex their potential

Genetic Editing, Research, Tech Farmer / By

Billions are being invested in gene editing globally, but what innovations will that investment deliver? Tech Farmer visited the World AgriTech Innovation Summit to gain a global perspective on what it might deliver for UK farmers. Written by Mike Abram There’s been no shortage of global investment in gene editing, even if venture capital funding …

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Farmer and scientist collaboration helps to unearth soil secrets

Farm Trial Results, Research, Tech Farmer / By

Farmers and scientists working on the TRUTH Project have revealed some intriguing findings from their first year of working together. TRUTH (Thriving Roots Underpinning Total soil Health) is a three-year £1m project with twin aims of boosting productivity while improving soil health. The project is led by the British On-Farm Innovation Network (BOFIN) with four …

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Nuffield Recommendations for ‘AgTech’ entrepreneurship and development

Farm Trial Results, Research, Tech Farmer / By

Yorkshire entrepreneur Hannah Senior NSch has published her Nuffield Farming report ‘Innovating AgTech Entrepreneurship’, sponsored by the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust. The full report is now published and available on the Nuffield Farming report library. A recording of Hannah presenting at the Nuffield Farming Conference watch via the QR Code. During her Scholarship, Hannah travelled …

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New sequenced genome sheds light on weed resistance

Genetic Editing, Research, Tech Farmer, Technology / By

Written by the Earlham Institute Genomic advances reveal how similar weeds can dominate wheat fields that are geographically separated by over 5,000 miles. Two new Alopecurus genomes have been sequenced, providing important additions to the growing body of community resources for weed genomics. Access to the genomes for blackgrass and orange foxtail, sometimes called shortawn foxtail, will …

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Plan ahead to get the most from soil sampling

Agronomist Focus, Biodiversity, Research, Soil Health, Soils Farmer / By

Soil sampling is an essential tool in understanding the nutrient availability of soils, but unless the results are interpreted correctly it could be a wasted exercise.

That’s according to Simon Francis, Technical and Services Manager for ProCam, who explains that not only is soil sampling required for farm assurance compliance purposes and to meet the statutory requirements of an increasing number of SFI schemes, but it is also time well invested in ensuring crops can perform to their full potential.

New seed germination model devised

Research, Soils Farmer / By

New research from Rothamsted Novel tool will give breeders more predictive accuracy for seed development and growth. Scientists at Rothamsted have developed a novel mathematical model for seed germination. The new tool is derived from field data and marks a significant improvement in accuracy over previous models. Germination models use water and temperature as the …

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