Latest varieties and research on show at Cereals in Practice

"Cereals in Practice is a unique event, bringing variety trials and research together in one place."

Join us at Saphock Farm in Aberdeenshire on Thursday 6th July for the 2017 issue of Cereals in Practice, the annual showcase of variety trials and research organised by us, SRUC (Scotland's Rural College) and the Scottish Society for Crop Research.

Aimed at farmers, agronomists, industry and scientists working with cereals, the date brings variety trials and current research together in one place providing a unique opportunity to discover and discuss the latest recommendations and developments in the cereals industry.

Cereals in Practice is a unique event, bringing variety trials and research together in one place. It combines the James Hutton Institute’s former cereals event, Cereal Solutions, with the SRUC Angus/Perthshire Agronomy Centre wheat and barley variety and management trials, to create a must-attend event for anyone interested in cereal farming and associated industries.

Field trials and demonstrations:

• Barley choices: key performers and what to look out for in 2017/18: The SRUC spring barley list is the longest for many years, with several new varieties at provisional approval for malting use. The winter barley list brings new high yielding choices in both two- and six-row varieties.
• Breeding for diastatic power in UK barley: Diastatic power is an important malting quality characteristic, but there has been little improvement in recently introduced cultivars. This demonstration shows how we have identified genetic variation within current elite varieties that will be available to breeders for selecting a new generation of high diastatic power barley.
• Protein crops and CAP greening: Demonstration of intercropping opportunities using protein crops and CAP greening cover crops and N fixing crops in-field and the carry-over effects of these crops from 2016 on a SB crop.
• Winter cereal-legume mixtures for biomass production: Both winter rye and winter oats are high biomass producers, and winter peas and vetch contribute biomass and nitrogen either directly to subsequent crops such as undersown ryegrass.
• Fungicide strategies and IPM approaches for barley: The latest updates on fungicides for barley will be disussed along with new research investigating opportunities for using IPM approaches to reduce fungicide inputs.
• Why do spring oats have a lower N fertiliser requirement than barley? Research is being conducted to understand the mechanisms by which oats are able to capture more N than barley in order to identify suitable traits for increasing the N use efficiency of barley.
• Mains of Loirston Winter Wheat Challenge: This is a competition where the farmers and advisers of the future pit their wits against each other to achieve the crop with the highest gross margin.
• SRUC Crop Clinic: Join us at the crop clinic stand where you can discuss any crop protection problems you have this season. See demonstrations and updates on this season’s top issues and gather ideas on pre-planning and soil testing to reduce the disease burden in your crops.

Indoor stands and demonstrations include: 

• Bere, a potential resource against Manganese deficiency?
• Cereal Informatics - from Bits to Bites
• Breeding for Durable Resistance to RhynchosporiUM in Barley (DRRUM)
• Opti-Oat
• PLAID: Peer-to-Peer Learning Accessing Innovation through Demonstration
• International Barley Hub
• Centre for Sustainable Cropping
• Rowett Institute of Nutrition and Health
• James Hutton Limited

For a full event programme, directions to the event site and further details, please see the event page.