News article

With an expansion of his current role Mark Leaman, who is currently Head of Farms and Estates at NIAB, has taken over responsibility for operations from Chief Operating Officer David Neill.

Seven new first-choice varieties have been added to the British Society of Plant Breeder’s 2019 Forage Maize Descriptive Lists (DL), alongside one new second-choice variety.

The varieties Cito KWS and Avitus KWS from KWS, LG31218 and Pinnacle from Limagrain, Cranberri CS from Caussade Semences, Expedia from AIC and Madonias from MAS have been added to the Favourable Sites DL. Cito KWS, Avitus KWS, Madonias and Pinnacle were also added as first choice varieties to the Less Favourable DL, aimed at ‘marginal’ growing conditions.

UK scientists are a step closer to understanding the mechanisms of natural fungal infections that cause the ash dieback disease affecting European Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) trees across the UK and continental Europe.

NIAB is delighted to be part of a new initiative for Soil Health, launched today (13 June) at the Cereals Event in Cambridgeshire. NIAB's Head of Farming Systems, Dr Elizabeth Stockdale is pleased to be playing a key role in developing the new initiative to increase understanding and improve the health of soils across UK farmland for generations to come.

Research into the relationship between bacterial diseases and host plants could lead to improvements in breeding for disease resistance in horticultural crops says research organisation NIAB EMR.

Bacterial canker is a disease caused by Pseudomonas syringae, a bacteria that infect the stems, fruits and leaves of plums, cherries and related Prunus species. It is one of the few important plant diseases caused by bacteria in the UK. It is a serious disease and can kill large branches or whole trees.

RustWatch kick-off meeting, Copenhagen 7-8 June 2018

Click to read this press release on the RustWatch website

UK scientists are carrying out field studies to check whether the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug has established itself in UK fruit crops.

Horticultural researchers at NIAB EMR, and crop specialists at Berry Garden Growers, are monitoring seven fruit-growing sites in south-east England, utilising a trap containing the aggregation pheromone of the pest. The stink bug is a non-native species which has caused significant crop damage across Europe since its arrival in 2004.

Farmers in Pakistan are set to benefit from a new collaboration between UK-based crop research organisation NIAB and the Government of the Punjab.

NIAB EMR has been named as a LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) Innovation Centre – a network of research organisations whose work supports the research, evidence, development and promotion of Integrated Farm Management. The research site at East Malling, in Kent, is the eleventh centre in the network, following in the footsteps of other organisations including The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s The Allerton Project, Rothamsted Research’s North Wyke site and SRUC’s Crichton Royal Farm.

A survey of the ASDA fresh produce supply chain has demonstrated the positive actions growers are taking to be good stewards of soil health, and an awareness of the long-term challenges to improving the sustainability of our soils.

Majority of ASDA suppliers in the key fresh produce categories of leafy salads, field vegetables and potatoes responded to the soil stewardship and knowledge survey, carried out by crop research organisation NIAB, representing a significant proportion of the total UK area of crops grown.