Author: Jane Carley

In June 2019, the UK became the first major world economy to set a target for achieving net zero on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions into law, with then Prime Minister Theresa May committing the UK to net zero emissions by 2050. Emissions from UK farms amount to about 10% of UK GHG emissions but only a tenth of this is carbon dioxide; more than half of agricultural GHG emissions are methane (CH4) and nearly 40% are nitrous oxide (N2O). Reducing these emissions is more difficult than cutting carbon dioxide, because they result from complex natural soil and animal microbial processes, suggests the National…

Weeds are one of the major challenges to successful crop production – studies by leading research organisation Rothamsted have shown that black-grass costs UK farmers £400m per year from 800,000 tonnes of lost yield, and as weed resistance to herbicides grows, that figure could triple in the future. Access to herbicides is also an issue, with many EU nations preparing to ban or restrict the use of glyphosate. The high cost and long lead times involved in developing new active ingredients, plus the risk of these actives themselves facing legislation down the line, means that few alternatives are on the…

Rising input costs and ongoing legislation restricting the availability of chemicals on environmental grounds have brought the accuracy of crop spraying applications sharply into focus for manufacturers and operators alike. Pulse width modulation (PWM) technology, which uses pulsing solenoids to control individual spray nozzle valves and alter spray volume and flow with increased precision, is designed to offer greater precision, cutting chemical costs and mitigating the effects of chemicals on the environment. Its operation is governed by the speed at which the solenoid can be switched on/off, expressed in Hz, while the Duty Cycle (DC) – the length of time the valve remains open during each cycle…