VS4 White blister of radish seed crops

This FAR Focus outlines the key practices required to grow cocksfoot seed crops, covering topics such as crop establishment, nutrient requirements, crop management and harvesting. Topics outside the scope of this booklet include emissions profiles and off-farm considerations such as seed cleaning etc.

Read the booklet for the 2025 autumn round up series here. 

This update outlines the results of five years of trials exploring pre-desiccant options for managing bulky white clover crops, aiming to reduce rapid leaf regrowth following diquat desiccation under wet or high-fertility conditions. Achieving effective desiccation required balancing this process with post-harvest regrowth, as clover seed crops are often used for lamb grazing on New Zealand cropping farms.

Missed the 2024 North Island cereals and seed management field days, catch up on the booklet here. 

Check out the booklet for the 2024 late spring cereals and seed field days.

This update provides information on Septoria tritici blotch, stripe and leaf rusts, powdery mildew, Seedling blight, foot and crown rot, ear blight, common eyespot and sharp eyespot.

Pure Oil NZ and FAR are collaborating to monitor oilseed rape (OSR) paddocks to identify strategies to improve yields. Their work has identified that many growers could reduce the amount of nitrogen applied to OSR crops without impacting on yield or profit.

Read the booklet from our September 2024 spring field events here. 

This handout covers herbicide resistance management, PGRs, nitrogen and disease management.

Moisture probes are a valuable tool for managing the timing and application rate of irrigation, particularly for determining when to start and finish the irrigation season or following rainfall and for when drought intensities increase at unexpected rates. Read more below.