Four UK research institutes are looking into the economic and environmental benefits of crop rotations.

An ambitious new project looking at crop rotation promises to offer an insight into improving performance beyond the season-by-season perspective.

The four partners in the project - Rothamsted Research, NIAB CUF, Lancaster University and the James Hutton Institute - will work with 14 other organisations from across the agricultural and horticultural industries to unlock the secrets of successful rotations. The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), which commissioned the research, has awarded £1.2m in funding to address challenges in soil and water management across whole rotations. The work will take place over five years, and aims to inform farmers and agronomists, allowing them to make the best soil and water management decisions and plan environmentally and economically beneficial rotations.

The AHDB funding has been allocated to four projects, the scope of which overlap somewhat. These projects will look at:

Links between rotational management and soil physical conditions with yields,
Use of precision technologies to identify contrasting zones of the field, (inputs to these zones be modified according to short-term financial return and long-term productivity and environmental quality),
The effects of soil damage caused by the management of root crops on subsequent crops and remedial interventions,
Links between soil conditions, efficient water use, the growth of roots and canopy, and yields.

The researchers designing these projects hope they will improve understanding of soil structure and help growers devise resilient, sustainable and profitable rotation strategies. The four institutes promised that their research will carry a focus on knowledge exchange -  giving farmers and their advisors access to trials, tools and data, as well as encouraging a two-way flow of information to help bridge the gap between the science and practical applications for farmers.

Dr Mike Storey, AHDB Head of Resource Management, commented, “This research will generate new data and knowledge to answer challenges across whole rotations and provide information and tools to allow farm businesses to make rewarding and sustainable rotational decisions.”