New wheat fungicide Inatreq Active (fenpicoxamid), developed by Corteva will not be launched in time for this season but the company remains confident it will be in the market in 2021.

With approximately two-thirds of the sugar beet harvest complete, some sugar factories are set to stay open for longer due to wet soil conditions delaying harvesting in some areas.

Progress with winter wheat drilling remains slow, with rain last week hindering field operations and agronomists urging caution despite a few days of drier, frosty weather.

The potato industry is facing many challenges in terms of import and retail competition, growing the crop and recruiting skilled labour.

Growers who have paid royalties for farm saved seed but have been unable to sow it, mainly due to adverse autumn weather conditions, can apply to their seed processor for a refund.

There is interest in whether research conducted at Wageningen University and Research using the thale cress plant, which has led to improvements in photosynthesis, could be applied more widely to agricultural crops. 

About 20 per cent of UK land could come out of food production with some farmers taking an environmental path and becoming less productive while others focused on driving productivity.

Wet weather conditions in recent months may have led to nitrogen leaching further down the soil profile than usual, reducing availability to some crops, however, the situation can vary widely between farms

Seed potatoes are being grown aeroponically and in addition to being free from pests and diseases, are yielding more and costing less than when they are grown conventionally.