Category: Blog

It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the team at bionature – we’ve been promoting our products at the BP 2017 Potato Industry Event, the UK Vining Pea and Bean Conference, and CropTec 2017.

It’s always a pleasure to meet so many businesses and growers who have so much in common at these events and it was great opportunity show people how our fertilisers can help.

BP 2017 and the UK Vining Pea and Bean Conference are great events to be part of, as they’re the only events of their kind for the two industries and they only come round every two years.

CropTec on the other hand, is massive – it’s a real eye-opening experience to see such a range of innovation and expertise with some really interesting businesses exhibiting.

Thank you to everyone who came over to the bionature stall to say hello.

One highlight for us was being interviewed by Sean Dunderdale from Lincs FM (something of a local hero of ours) and you’ll hopefully be able to hear our conversation with him on December 17th.

We had some big news to boast about at each of these conferences – we helped set the 2017 Pea World Record and a 2017 YEN gold winning wheat harvest.

We’ve got a range of crop recommendations, product guides and application programmes to suit any farm.

You can find out how we can help improve your potato, pea, wheat harvest and more on our website.

It’s hard work putting together a stall on these conferences and it takes weeks of planning and then some frantic setting up and tidying before the doors open, but it’s all well worth the effort.

With crops being drilled and just emerging, now is a good time to consider foliar fertiliser applications to enhance yield (biomass) and sugar quantity. By planning and putting together a three-spray programme from the outset, rather than one off applications when the crop appears deficient, greater increases in plant health and improved growth can be achieved.

• Treatment 1: From just prior to plant emergence up to 2-3 leaves emerged.
• Treatment 2: Rosette stage
• Treatment 3 : Leaf closure in row

At each of these timings use a tank mixture of NHCa Delta plus 1-4- All at a rate of 5 litres / ha + 2 litres / ha. Use a medium spray quality to get good foliar contact and absorption as both products are designed to be taken up by the leaf. Any excess run-off will be taken up directly by the roots.

Cutting edge research for optimum results

The NHCa Delta leads to a better balance of leaf to beet growth, leading to a higher protein to sugar ratio, by triggering the transamination process. The 1-4- All provides a correct balance of micro-nutrients for improved plant health and prevention of any blocks to growth. If soils are low in potassium, NHK Delta can be used as an alternative, while Rainbow Wave should can also be applied at treatment 2 timing – this is for optimal reduction in boron deficiency through leaf uptake.

For further details on individual crop applications , go to our crop recommendations page or get in touch with the team.

Bionature’s range of smart liquid fertilisers for Oilseed rape (OSR) are helping growers across the country.

Here, we take a look at how our Delta range of nitrogen fertilisers and 1-4-All trace element product have been helping farmers with their oilseed rape crops.

OSR at Worlaby Farm, Lincolnshire

Tim Lamyman at Worlaby Farm in Lincolnshire continues has been using our products for several years.

Here are some results he shared with us a few years ago after applying 12.5L/ha of Delta and 5L/ha of 1-4-ALL over 5 applications through the growing season.

The picture below was taken on the 6th February and the distinct Delta enhanced rooting and bigger plant frame is very clear:

In the centre of the image, you can see an untreated OSR plant and on either side are two plants that were autumn treated with Delta and 1-4-All. The two treated plants are clearly larger, bushier and with much more developed root structures than the much smaller untreated plant.

On March 5th, a group of 25 farmers and Hutchinson Agronomists visited the farm for a tour of all crops. They agreed that the OSR was in especially good condition. One member commented:

“It was the good rooting that was especially interesting”

Another then remarked:

“…and the evenness of the crop across the field”

During the visit, some OSR plants were taken from a neighbouring farm and compared to the Delta and 1-5-All plants taken from Worlaby farm. The fields were very close as were drilling dates and you can see they measured up in the image below.

Compared to the untreated crops, the plants that were treated with Delta and 1-4-All have more extensive root growth, thicker stems and are a more robust plant altogether. One of the features of Delta and 1-4-All treated plants is an improved leaf mass and enhanced colour which is evident in the pictures below:

OSR at Tumby Farm, Lincolnshire

On another farm, we were able to see how Delta and 1-4-All treated OSR copes in more difficult soil conditions.

Tumby farm is very sandy and prone to drought stress during the spring and summer months. Despite this, when we tested the crops in March, the roots on the Delta and 1-4-ALL treated OSR were long and well developed, with plenty of fibrous root hairs which will stand the crop in good stead for whatever the season may throw at it:

Our range of fertilisers are well suited for a wide range of conditions and we have a a long track record of supporting oilseed rape growers in the UK.

If you’d like more information on how Delta and 1-4-All can help your OSR, please visit our crop recommendations page or contact us – we’d be happy to help.

These King Edwards potatoes have been treated with between 2 and 3 litres of NHCa Delta applied with every blight spay throughout the growing season. The crop has also received 2 litres per ha every two weeks of our trace element product “14ALL”.

The crop has looked exceptional all year with good healthy clean blight free top growth and tuber yield looks very good for the year.

This picture was taken 22nd August 2012 and is just beginning to senesce, but the canopy remains healthy with negligible blight presence.

Yield digs were done on the 22nd August showing a yield of 15 tonnes per acre and potential of a further 5 tonnes. The key here is that the finish is very good and number and size of tubers are high and even, a really lovely sample given the difficulties faced by most growers this year.

Out of the basket the uniformity of these King Edwards is no less impressive,

The 2012 harvest of the king Edwards at Worlaby started on 27th September. Whilst we still get rain days and the forecast remains changeable and the ground is fairly wet, the harvest gets a reasonable start and the going is good.

As you can see the Edwards are large and have great uniformity with excellent skin finish, perfect for the job and a great result for the year. These potatoes are going to top class accounts and have been keenly received with very little waste or problems.

Delta and 1-4-ALL treated sample of King Edwards. The crop has produced in the order of 14 -15 tonnes/ac (37t/ha) of first class King Edward potatoes. As you can see the colour and skin finish is excellent and size and uniformity is exceptional. These have now been delivered via Countrywide Produce (Lincs) to premier pre-packers and prepared for high end supermarkets, who have remarked that these potatoes are some of the very best, most even they have seen for many years.

This pictures shows a sample of potatoes not treated with Delta fertilizer and it is clear that whilst the sample has good colour the uniformity is poor and the size of tuber is variable, from very small to large.