With just a few weeks to go until Cereals, we attended the Crop Plot preview day and, alongside our sister publication Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer, interviewed the companies exhibiting their new varieties.
Rothamsted Research is the oldest agricultural research institute and James Clarke, head of communications, explained how the firm is monitoring ancient wheat lines to aid the development of more resistant varieties.
Watching with robotics
“We are using robotics to watch wheat varieties growing 24/7 and we are able to monitor performance in detail, from emergence to harvest,” he explained. “This helps us identify suitable traits as fast as possible.”
One area Mr Clarke highlighted is how wheat varieties respond to hot nights, which traditionally, the crop does not thrive in.
The Cereals Event will be held near Duxford, Cambridgeshire on 8-9 June 2022. For more information or to purchase tickets visit the relaunched website at www.cerealsevent.co.uk.
