Real Farm Trials Chair: Tom MacMillan
R&D INVESTMENT IN AGRICULTURE
NEAR MARKET
BASIC
OFF-FARM
ON-FARM
Input & processing businesses
Research councils & government
TSB & AHDB
Innovative Farmers
Susanne Padel Top tips from a researcher
4 Tips for a successful trial
Step 1 • What is the problem?
Step 2 • Formulate a clear research question
Step 3 • Trial design & data collection
Step 4 • Drawing conclusions
What is known
already?
How does it apply to
my farm?
Who can I talk to?
Not all problems can be solved in one trial
Step 1 What is the broad question?
What is a clear research question?
• How do I manage weeds without chemicals?
Very broad and difficult to set up a trial
• How do I manage perennial weeds in arable systems?
• How do I manage perennial weeds in vegetables?
Slightly better but still many different options open
• Can grazing winter wheat with sheep control black-grass?
• Can buckwheat reduce couch grass infestations?
More focused questions that allow experiments
Step 2
Farm practice and existing data
Robust trial design and
data analysis
Step 3 Designing trial & data collection
Treatment and control
What is the treatment?
What variables in the system
can be changed?
What is practical to change?
What is kept the same?
Define a control
What are you going to
compare the ‘change’ to?
Step 3
Trial or demonstration?
Demonstration
Shows how something can
work in practice
Fits into daily routine
Cheap and easy
Can provide trends
No confidence that the
effect is not caused by
external factors (e.g.
differences in soils)
Trial with some replication
Variability in soil/ greenhouse
or stock
Replicates: independent
repeats of treatment/control
Randomised is the gold
standard, but not always
practical
Only one year and one farm
Step 3
• Caution with the data as
there was no real
replication
Example of impact of legumes on cereals Step 3
Blocked, randomised or simplified?
Randomised block design Simplified
3 I
1 I
4 I
2 I
1 II
2 II 4 II
3 II
2 III
1 III
4 III
3 III
guard rows trial beds guard rows
pat
h
1 I 3 II 4 III 1 IV
2 I 1 II 2 III 3 IV
3 I 2 II 3 III 2 IV
4 I 4 II 1 III 4 IV
1-4 = Treatment
I-IV = Replication
Step 3
Randomised block design Simplified
Two examples Step 3
Planning what to measure?
Metrics and data
How can the effect be measured?
What data can be collected?
Existing benchmarks?
Data collection
Who is doing the data collection?
How frequent?
At what key events (e.g. harvest)?
Step 3
Concluding thoughts
One of the most common errors is to not keep a control
How does the new treatment compare to current practise?
Making use of existing data
What is know already about the problem/ question?
What data you are already collecting (crop and livestock
records, accounts etc)?
Confidence levels
Can the effect be caused by external factors?
Working with others?
Discussion groups
Andy Dibben Growing blight-resistant potatoes
12,000 years of trialling and
innovation.
Population Increase
Trialling more important
than ever.
Dwindling
Natural
Resources
Top Soil
Degrada
tion
Water Shortages
Climate Change
POTATO
BLIGHT.
Cause of multiple famines.
Fast
moving air
borne
fungus.
Whole crop devastation. Foliar damage. Tuber Damage.
£4.5 billion losses each year.
Options for control. Spraying
Early
Planti
ng
Resist
ant
Varieti
es
Genetic Modification Forecasting
Variety
trials.
Varieties
ATHLETE – Agrico – second early
CAROLUS – Agrico – early main
crop
SARPO UNA – Savari Trust –
second early
SARPO KIFLI – Savari Trust-
early main crop
SARPO AXONA – Savari Trust –
main crop
Aim of Trial
To test selected potato
varieties for:-
-Blight Resistance
-Performance
-Yield
-Taste
Control
Grown alongside tried and
tested commercial potato
varieties usually grown on
the farm.
Cara, Cosmos, Milva,
Nicola.
Method
Identical methods of
production used for
both trial and control
varieties
Fertility, Cultivation,
Planting, Irrigation,
Weed Control,
Harvesting. Monitoring
- Regular Crop
Inspections.
- Photographs
- Recording
Observations
- Average Tuber
Counts
- Yield Measurements
- Taste Tests
Observations of Crop
Performance Observations on Crop growth
Athlete – Slow to get going, but formed a strong compact Haulm.
Carolus- Fast growth rate, forming a tall strong haulm, leading to
good weed suppression.
Una - Fast growth rate, forming a tall strong haulm, leading to
good weed suppression.
Kifli - Slow to get going, but formed a strong compact Haulm
Axona- Fast growth rate, forming a tall strong haulm, leading to
good weed suppression. Observations on Blight Resistance
Commercial varieties –
First signs of potato blight were spotted in the commercial crop of
potatoes in the last week of July with the usual fast spread through crop
over next two weeks, affecting Cosmos, Nicola and Milva, however there
was an exception to this with our crop of Cara which I have found to show
good resistance to foliar Blight in the past. Although the Cara did
eventually get Blight it was a good three weeks behind the other
commercial varieties. All commercial varieties were topped to prevent
spread of blight to tubers in the third week of August.
Trial Varieties –
First signs of Potato Blight were spotted on the Trial potatoes in first week
of September, a full month after the commercial varieties. Photos below
are taken on the 10/9/15 showing the extent of blight on each variety. The
photos do their best to demonstrate an average for each crop.
Results
.
CAROLUS ATHLETE SARPO UNA
SARPO KIFLI SARPO AXONA
Photos taken on
10th September
Statistical Results
Supplier Variety
Planting Date
Amount of Seed Potato
Harvest Date
Blight Resistance
Average Tuber Count
Total Yield
Scab resistance
Agrico Athlete 08/05/201
5 5kg 02/10/20
15 5 out of 10 12 56.5kg Bad
Agrico Carolus 08/05/201
5 5kg 02/10/20
15 7 out of 10 12
105.9kg Good
Sapo Una 08/05/201
5 2.5 kg 02/10/20
15 6 out of 10 10 30kg Good
Sapo Kifli 08/05/201
5 5kg 02/10/20
15 6 out of 10 14 79.6kg Bad
Sapo Axona 08/05/201
5 15kg 02/10/20
15 9 out of 10 12 312kg Good
Further work needed.
FIRST
WORLD
PROBLEM
TASTE TESTING
SAVARI TRUST -Formed in 2002 to further develop the Sarpo
varieties of potato.
The Trust aims to make potato growing globally
less dependent on chemical and energy inputs
by producing and promoting low-input
varieties. Ideally these should be blight and
virus resistant, capable of smothering weeds
and have natural dormancy that prevents early
sprouting in store. The Trust would be happy to
make some of these varieties available to
developing countries where blight and virus are
major problems and where subsistence farmers
cannot afford expensive chemicals.
CONCLUSI
ONS - Blight resistance very achievable through good plant
breeding.
- Continued work needed to bring eating qualities up to
Commercial needs.
- All varieties showed good Blight resistance, particularly
Carolus and Sarpo Axona. The Axona never got Blight at
all. BENEFITS TO BUSINESS
- Axona seed saved and grown again in 2016 as Blight
Insurance.
- Blight came very early to us in 2016
- Yields severely effected, 50%.
- EXCEPT SARPO AXONA still standing untouched by
Blight at end of September.
- Good yield and only variety I’ve got left.
Adrian Hares Soil and Root Innovator Trials
Soil and Root Innovator Trials
Identifying problems , running trials , benefits so far
Businesses , people , soils
• Over 20 organic farming businesses in N Wilts/S Glos /W Oxen.(15 mile radius)
• Dairy , Beef , Sheep , Pigs & combinable crops
• Oxford clay , Upper , Middle & Lower Chalk , Limestone- variable , much calcareous , clays , medium & heavy loams.
• My role ; 80% farmer & 20% soil adviser
Crop establishment & soil health
• Minimum tillage ,strip till , direct drilling ; advantages of reduced disturbance of soil organisms , crop residues near surface , reduced compaction at depth , root channels in place ,moisture conservation, etc, VS
• Weed & volunteer control , ley destruction
• Falling phosphate indices in many organic farm systems locally (heavy & calcareous)
Solution-Defining Soil Health • Comparative ecology (succession) but little hard
data of agronomic value. • What are the successful soils like on our farms ? • Isolate productive and unproductive parts of
fields; texture, depth, stone , drainage, pH , SOM • Subterranean livestock activity varies with
oxygen , moisture , temperature ,shelter , food -? • Management zones within fields. • A suite of tests to measure our zones so that we
can measure improvement , “farmer friendly”. Include worm counts , soil structure assessment and other novel methods. Biology & Physics.
Example of soil management zones
Example spit; VESS, worm count
Results from baseline monitoring
• CO2 burst test correlated with microscopy , soil OM , soil moisture
• Also correlated with worse structure; effect of mature grass leys ? (survey not trial)
• Resin P correlated with active fungi & worm counts
• No cause and effect proven; the next stage(s)
What has been achieved so far ?
• Identified cost effective lab & host tests
• Good baseline for next phase- 3 year trial
• Group members ideas – co composting with GAFSA (4-5 farmers)
– no till establishment with mechanical cover crop destruction, a separate IF trial ?
– applying FYM onto ploughed land with zero compaction in seedbed
– Direct drill into grass ley , with glyphosate.
Summary-Benefits from participation
• Farmer-exchange of ideas , looking at different systems & challenges; economically viable & practical solutions. Confidence in results.
• Researcher- familiar with existing research , technique , statistical analysis , test new monitoring techniques , postgraduates .
• Co ordinator- overview of different rotations , soils , on farm facilities. Investment in time!
Grateful thanks to
• Colleagues at Courtyard Agriculture, Swindon
• John Hammond , Reading University Crops Research Unit
• Stephen Heming , Independent Consultant
• Analysis; Soil Biolab , NRM , Tony Cross.
• Group members
Liz Bowles Learnings from sprouted seeds
“If I can reduce my
feed by 25%, while
maintaining
production and
welfare, that’s a
significant saving to
my bottom line.”
Questions?