This is a great example of how the world changes and with it our better understanding of farming methods. Jethro Tull (1674– 1741) was an early English agricultural experimentalist whose book The New Horse Hoeing Husbandry: An Essay on the Principles of Tillage and Vegetation was published in 1731. It was the first textbook on …
The Principles Of Tillage And What We Have Learned Since Read More »
Welcome to this sixth issue of Direct Driller. We guarantee you will discover new facts and information on many aspects of no-till crop management. You’ll be aware the ‘soil’ topic has moved rapidly from being a quirky idea to something of which all farmers have become aware. This leads me to think of all those …
When I was at school, the lights kept going out: we were in the middle of the ‘energy crisis’ of the mid-seventies and the country was struggling to function properly with three day weeks and queues at petrol stations and all the rest. Great fun for us kids, you might as well play outside, if …
Just when you thought there was a lot of choice in terms of which drill is right for you, there is now even more choice. Both Novag and Virkar have written about their own drills in this issue and we are looking forward to hearing more from them in the future. We also have information …
Written by Denise Attaway, College of Agriculture, Clemson University, South Carolina South Carolina soils are old and weathered, and Clemson University researchers are working with the Richland Soil andWater District and the United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resource Conservation Service to teach thepublic how growing cover crops can help rejuvenate and put some life …
Cover Crops Can Increase Soil Moisture By As Much As 10 Percent Read More »
Dr Tom Dykstra is an American agriculturalist who specialises in entomology. Many farmers see pollination as the mainbenefit of the insect population, but as he describes, there are many more. Insect damage is often an indication of anunhealthy crop, and this is caused by crop stress which results from heavy applications of N, pesticide damage …
How innovative root research creates practical solutions Written by Dr. Ulf Feuerstein • Asendorf, DSV Research Innovation Centre The root system forms the starting point for a plant‘s performance. In the past it has been very difficult for breeders to select plants by root growth, but current research is now shedding new light in this …
Farming in Transition This year on our farm we have used no tillage, 40% less Nitrogen fertiliser than standard practice, over 50% less fungicides and only one insecticide on a 3ha field of Spring linseed. Has getting to this stage been easy? No. Has it all gone perfectly? Definitely not. It has been a hard …
Written by Eliza Jenkins Community Development at Sectormentor for Soils. Eliza helps to nurture the community atSectormentor for Soils – a system that enables you to monitor and assess soil health on your farm. Earthworm Engineers #1: Ecosystem Services Many fascinating papers on earthworms have recently been open access to online readers of the European …
Written By Laura Barrera First Published on AGfuse.com If someone asked you, “How do plants take up the water and nutrients they need?” you’d probably tellthem through the roots. But did you know that for many crops, those roots aren’t working alone?That’s because most plant species associate with mycorrhizal fungi. What are mycorrhizal fungi? University …
