On-farm trials at Strategic Cereal Farm East (2023 to 2029)

Learn about Strategic Cereal Farm East and the key findings from the on-farm trials that address the management of weeds, BYDV and nitrogen in wheat.

AHDB Strategic Cereal Farms host on-farm trials/demonstrations and share experiences with farmers.

David Jones hosts the second Strategic Cereal Farm East (2023–2029) at Morley Farms Ltd (Norfolk), which has featured on-farm trials since 1965.

The farming enterprise is 750 ha, of which most is arable (700 ha).

David wants to explore how to farm conventionally in an environmentally sympathetic way that delivers on yields.

The trials focus on the management of weeds, Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) and nitrogen in winter wheat.

Weed control strategies

Overview

The recent identification of glyphosate resistance in some UK Italian rye-grass populations highlights the importance of evaluating, tailoring and adopting non-chemical weed management options.

A harvest 2024 trial aimed to test cultural weed control methods (an interrow-hoe and a weed surfer) combined with chemical weed control, but it was abandoned due to inclement weather (with the machinery demonstrated in alternative fields, instead).

Significant weed seedbank sampling was also carried out in the first year to determine the baseline weed pressure and diversity in the seedbank.

Sampling intensified in five of the farm’s fields in the harvest 2025 trials, with each one at a different stage in the rotation.

It has revealed an abundance of weed seeds throughout the soil profile, showing how above-ground weeds are just the tip of the iceberg.

Cropping and cultivation choices will be tailored in response to the results.

Italian rye-grass seed-shed dynamics are also being studied to determine optimum control periods to reduce seed numbers and viability in the seedbank.

Current understanding of this is relatively poor (especially when compared to black-grass).

Close monitoring of grass-weed populations at two sites in contrasting environmental management schemes will also guide how to return fields to arable cropping.

Action points

• Try to build a complete picture of the weed seedbank (abundance and diversity), especially as many weed species may only be present at depth
• To estimate weed pressures in the soil profile, consider the interaction of primary cultivation and season (with respect to weed seed return)
• Use seedbank information (vertical and horizontal weed pressures) to tailor management, which includes targeting control to minimise the shed of viable weed seeds
• For example, where the greatest pressure comes from weed seeds buried by ploughing, consider minimising soil movement to prevent bringing them to the surface
• Although switching crops (e.g. from a winter cereal to a late-spring-drilled cereal crop) can help tackle some weed species, it may favour other weed species
• Ultimately, a diverse weed seedbank, without dominance by a single aggressive weed species (such as black-grass or Italian rye-grass), is likely to indicate a more balanced and sustainable cropping system

Harvest 2026

The seedbank studies will continue over the course of Strategic Cereal Farm East, widening the approach to more fields and management scenarios.

Watch a Groundswell 2025 video that features this work

BYDV management

Overview

This work explores how to use varieties and decision support systems (DSS) to manage aphids and BYDV.

The trials include two winter wheat fields: one with a variety marketed as exhibiting resistance to BYDV (RGT Grouse) and one with a susceptible variety (KWS Dawsum).

Two risk-based DSS are being tested:

• A T-sum tool, which uses a thermal sum (time taken to reach 170 day degrees above a 3^oC baseline)
• A pilot model, which considers many more factors that influence BYDV risk (and is scheduled for public release in autumn 2026).

The research also monitors levels of aphids and natural enemies in the trials (regular inspection of crops and sticky traps).

As aphid numbers were relatively low (across the region) in the harvest 2024 trials, no insecticides were applied. Soils were also wet, which would have resulted in soil/crop damage from sprayers.

Although KWS Dawsum yielded about 1 t/ha more than RGT Grouse, in-field variability may have contributed to this result.

This trial was repeated for harvest 2025 and both DSS indicated crops were at elevated BYDV risk.

Once again, in-field monitoring showed low aphid numbers and an insecticide application did not produce a significant yield response (compared to the tramlines that received no insecticide).

Action points

• DSS can indicate risk and focus in-crop monitoring
• Use in-field assessments to confirm aphid numbers
• Only use insecticides when there is a risk of BYDV spread
• Resistant/tolerant varieties may offer additional protection, especially in higher-risk situations (e.g. early drilled crops)
• Laboratory testing of tissue samples can confirm BYDV presence/absence, which is particularly useful when symptoms are not clearly visible in the field

Read a blog that covers the BYDV monitoring work at this farm

Harvest 2026

A similar approach will be taken for the harvest 2026 trials.

Foliar- vs soil-applied nitrogen

Overview

Many farms experiment with nitrogen-management approaches to improve profitability and sustainability.

Since 2022, Morley has tested foliar-applied polymer urea products, which are marketed as alternative solutions to soil-applied nitrogen.

Three-replicate, split-tramline trials have been used to evaluate the efficiency of a polymer urea product (MZ28) at the final application timing over the last two seasons.

All approaches followed a conventional nitrogen regime of 150 to 160 kg/ha (Liquid N 27+S) applied in two splits: 55 to 60 kg/ha in mid-March and 95 to 100 kg/ha in mid-April.

MZ28 was applied at the recommended rate (28 L/ha) to replace the farm-standard, soil-applied nitrogen (38 kg/ha) at the final application timing.

No additional nitrogen (untreated) at the final application timing was also included.

The polymer urea product did not lead to a significant improvement in yield or grain nitrogen over the untreated (no final nitrogen dose) in either the harvest 2024 or harvest 2025 seasons.

On average, soil-applied nitrogen provided a 0.4 t/ha yield increase over the untreated and MZ28 treatment, equivalent to a £22/ha increase in margin over the untreated (justifying nitrogen application at the final timing).

Results were consistent, despite a contrast in soil moisture conditions between the harvest 2024 and 2025 trials.

Action points

• Use well-designed tramline trials to test nutrient management approaches
• Include an untreated control to determine whether doing something differently is more effective than doing nothing
• Use on-farm data to set up trials in areas with minimal initial spatial variation, such as results from soil scans (e.g. electrical conductivity), yield maps, in-season biomass and nitrogen uptake maps
• If variation is large, consider using multiple trials across the farm
• Repeat trials over multiple seasons to test approaches under a range of weather and growing conditions

Harvest 2026

The results from two trial years have supported the decision to discontinue use of MZ28 and continue with the standard approach (soil-applied nitrogen at the final split).

This marks the end of this trial series.

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)

Overview

The AHDB nutrient management guide (RB209) is based on the results of many nitrogen-response experiments over many years and is regularly updated.

Site-specific experience, including how performance varies each season (e.g. in response to weather), is also required to determine the best nitrogen management approach.

Attention to detail is required, as the economic optimal nitrogen rate (NOpt) can even vary as much as 200 kg/ha within a field.

Canopy sensors can indicate variation in crop nitrogen uptake and, in theory, guide variable rate application.

However, there is uncertainty on how best to deal with the variation identified, such as whether to apply more nitrogen to areas with higher yield potential or to those areas with relatively low uptake.

The long-term Soil and Agronomic Monitoring Study (SAMS) sites at Morley are being used to understand and manage spatial variability in NOpt across the farm in nitrogen-response trials.

On average, the NOpt varied by 78 kg/ha between management zones within the same field (over harvest 2024 and harvest 2025 trials).

The drivers of this variability are complex and probably reflect interactions between water availability, spatial differences in soil nitrogen supply (SNS) and constraints linked to soil properties (e.g. soil texture and stone content) or other nutrient limitations.

Technologies that spatially or temporally adjust nitrogen rates must account for these diverse drivers, rather than relying on a single indicator of crop demand.

The over-year dataset at this Strategic Cereal Farm is getting stronger and will be used to assess the performance of decision support tools, including those already available at the farm: a real-time mounted variable-rate nitrogen sensor, a handheld nitrogen senor, an on-combine grain protein/nitrogen analyser and satellite-based nitrogen recommendations.

Action points

• Due to large variation in economic optimal nitrogen rates (NOpt), use all available data sources to inform nutrient management planning
• In addition to baseline RB209 guidance, use in-field experience and, where available, decision support technologies
• Be aware that:
  • High-biomass or high-uptake areas may not be the most responsive to extra nitrogen
  • Low-yielding areas may already have enough nitrogen from soil

Harvest 2026

Further research is needed to fully understand what causes the variation in NOpt at this farm.

The nitrogen-response data will continue to be analysed to assess the predictive performance of decision support tools against observed NOpt values.

Additional nitrogen-response trials for harvest 2026 will increase the robustness of the over-year dataset.

Video update

Watch this webinar for the latest findings and discover how the research is grounded, practical and shaped by real farming experiences.

View the full playlist on YouTube

*Project costs

Costs cover investment to date (harvest 2024, 2025 and 2026 trials) and include VAT.  Total project value includes a £24,542 in-kind contribution from Garford Farm Machinery.