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In the August edition
- PACTS results available for winter oilseed rape hybrids from Pioneer®
- UK growers identify their biggest challenges of growing oilseed rape
- Finding the Balance: Supporting crop establishment vs. waiting for your crop to establish
- Give winter cereals the best start with Ympact® seed treatment
- Improve autumn nitrogen management with Instinct®
- Late-Season Blight Management: Finishing the programme strong
- Applications now open for Cohort 3 of the Resilient and Ready programme
- 24 Hours in Farming – #Farm24
- Get to know the Corteva team
- Update your communications preferences, enter our monthly prize draw plus ways to earn BASIS & NRoSO points
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PACTS results available for winter oilseed rape hybrids from Pioneer®
We’re excited to share the latest results from the Pioneer Accurate Crop Testing Systems (PACTS) for winter oilseed rape. These trials are designed to provide growers with robust, field-tested data to support confident decision-making when selecting hybrids for the upcoming season.
This year’s PACTS results highlight the outstanding performance and agronomic strengths of four key Pioneer hybrids:
- PT303 – The UK’s first winter oilseed rape hybrid with built-in Sclerotinia tolerance, offering a strong agronomic package and consistent yield performance.
- PT312 – A high-yielding hybrid with excellent vigour and built-in Sclerotinia tolerance, ideal for early drilling and challenging conditions.
- PT315 – Known for its strong disease resistance and reliable performance across a range of environments. Exceptional high oil contents.
- PT322 – The newest Pioneer hybrid delivering exceptional yield potential and market-leading oil content (47.9% in UK trials). With Sclerotinia tolerance, TuYV resistance, and strong scores for Light Leaf Spot (8) and Stem Canker (7), PT322 offers a robust agronomic package and the potential for significant oil bonus payments.
These hybrids have been rigorously tested across multiple locations and growing conditions, giving growers the confidence to choose varieties that align with their agronomic goals and local challenges.
Take a look at some of the trial results below:
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UK growers identify their biggest challenges of growing oilseed rape
UK growers continue to recognise oilseed rape (OSR) as a valuable break crop, despite facing persistent agronomic and environmental pressures. A recent survey conducted by Corteva highlights the most pressing challenges — including pest management, soil conditions, and disease control — and the proactive measures being taken to address them.
With promising developments in hybrid resilience and research-led solutions, the outlook for OSR cultivation remains optimistic.
Read the full article here to explore the full survey findings.
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Finding the Balance:
Supporting crop establishment vs. waiting for your crop to establish
Oilseed rape growers have plenty to be optimistic about this season: higher prices, timely rain in several regions, an early cereal harvest for many, and fewer cabbage stem flea beetle larvae reported which are all boosting the crop’s profitability predictions. However, getting your crop established this season and keeping it healthy through winter remains a key challenge.
Many growers are now choosing to delay weed control until after crop emergence, allowing them to assess establishment before investing further. This approach can help avoid unnecessary costs and ensures weed control is targeted when it’s most effective.
Corteva’s Belkar® herbicide offers flexible, post-emergence weed control from 1st September, targeting key broad-leaved weeds like cranesbill, poppies and cleavers. With proven performance in variable conditions and no restrictions on following crops, Belkar fits easily into your rotation.
Key benefits of Belkar:
- Flexible application window (Sept–Dec)
- Controls a wide range of weeds
- Rainfast in 1 hour
- Compatible with Kerb® Flo 500 and Astrokerb®
- No boron or following crop restrictions
Want to know the best treatment options and see the results from trials?
Click here to read the full article and learn how to give your oilseed rape crop the best start this autumn!
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Give winter cereals the best start with Ympact® seed treatment
With the dry spring and summer experienced in many places across the UK, early drilling may well go into seedbeds with limited moisture and less than optimal establishment conditions.
Ympact is a novel biostimulant seed treatment which supports the crop, particularly in the early stages of growth and even in poorer establishment conditions.
Ympact contains humic and fulvic acids as well as chelated micronutrients, which enhance the movement of moisture and nutrients into the seed.
The humic acid molecules in Ympact are large molecules that reside in the rhizosphere around the germinating seed drawing in moisture as well as facilitating the movement of fulvic acids with chelated micronutrients into the seed.
Why use Ympact?
- Speeds up plant emergence and improves early crop vigour.
- Enables more uniform plant establishment.
- Increases biomass and chlorophyll content.
- Increases winter hardiness.
Discover the benefits of Ympact by watching our short video below or by clicking here.
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Improve autumn nitrogen management with Instinct®
Nitrogen in the autumn is quite vulnerable to environmental escape. Warm soils mean rapid conversion to nitrate, crops with limited root networks struggle to pick up the nitrate, and more rainfall in the autumn can leach away nitrate or prompt denitrification in waterlogged soils.
Apply Instinct to keep more nitrogen available in the soil for longer and reduce losses through leaching or denitrification. Ammonium will be stabilised for about 10-12 weeks, depending upon soil temperatures. The cooler the soil, the longer the period of stabilisation.
Based on 40 years of research by Corteva and others, data shows there is a 48% reduction in leaching and between 25 and 50% reduction in NOx gases. Overall, Instinct achieves a 16.5% reduction in the total amount of N escaping into the wider environment.
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Late-Season Blight Management:
Finishing the programme strong
Current situation
Blight pressure
Blight pressure remains low across most of the primary potato-growing regions in Eastern England, with no significant changes in pathogen behaviour. Given the warnings via BlightSpy, as the Hutton Criteria were met in many areas in the last month, this may appear surprising. However, it takes the convergence of susceptible crops, conducive conditions and the pathogen acting together to fuel an epidemic. In this instance it has been the absence of the pathogen which has resulted in pressure being lower, and outbreaks fewer than might have been expected.
Stable pathogen population
The Phytophthora infestans population continues to be dominated by EU36, consistent with previous seasons. While aggressive, EU36 shows no mutations conferring resistance to any fungicide groups currently available to UK growers.
Regional vigilance required
In the west and north, increased vigilance is advised. Close monitoring of crops is essential, and more costly fungicide options, or the addition of a curative partner such as Option® may be justified.
Wales-specific guidance
In areas where EU46 has been confirmed, it is recommended to include a non-OSBPI curative active ingredient in the mix, e.g., Option or Proxanil. Elsewhere, the pathogen profile remains unchanged from previous seasons.
Best practice still applies
Stakeholders should maintain a 7-day spray interval through to burn down. For crops destined for storage, it is critical to continue fungicide cover until no green tissue remains, as even green stems can harbour P. infestans.
Key messages
Strong performance so far
Best practice has served growers and agronomists well. The balance between irrigation scheduling and fungicide application has been commendable.
No significant outbreaks reported
Programmes have generally performed well. To date, there have been no reports of field-scale late blight, even in areas with outbreaks confirmed from samples submitted to Fight Against Blight.
Finish strong
As crops move from late stable canopy to burn down, it’s vital not to let standards slip. The job is only complete when no green top growth remains, especially for crops going into storage.
Anti-resistance strategy
Protectant fungicides used later in the programme for zoospore activity (e.g., cyazofamid) should be paired with a partner AI of a different mode of action. Cymoxanil (e.g., Option) offers cost-effective curative activity.
Harvest flexibility
A benefit of choosing Option as the curative partner product is its 1-day harvest interval, allowing flexibility in delivery dates for green top lift crops.
Avoid winter surprises
There have been many cases of storage breakdown over winter due to lapses in late-season blight control. Ensure a quality crop enters stores to avoid costly surprises and secure a restful winter.
Potato events update
The team were at Potatoes in Practice earlier this month in Dundee where they showcased our range of solutions available for potato growers. There were some great conversations with attendees, and the day also coincided with #Farm24!
Upcoming in September is the Eurofins Derby Blight Day which the team will be attending. Keep an eye out for information closer to the event.
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Pictured at Potatoes in Practice (L-R): Colin Bowers, Caroline McCartney and Craig Chisholm.
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Learn and earn CPD points!
Watch our Spring 2025 Technical Update for Potatoes and then take the short quiz to earn a BASIS and/or NRoSO point. You will also have the opportunity to share your feedback in some short survey questions and be in with a chance to win a prize hamper!
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Quiz and survey open until 31 August 2025.
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Applications now open for Cohort 3 of the Resilient and Ready programme
Following the huge success of cohorts 1 and 2, LEAF and Corteva are embarking on a third round of the widely respected Resilient and Ready programme. This partnership provides training, technical advice and mentoring to support farmers in improving the sustainability and resilience of their enterprises, through extensive networks, industry connections and experience.
The strength of the programme is its farmer-led and bespoke approach whilst supporting the participating farmers to share their experiences with the wider industry.
If you are interested in being considered for Cohort 3, sign up here.
Visit our website here to find out more about the Resilient & Ready programme. You can also learn more by watching our short video below.
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24 Hours in Farming – #Farm24
#Farm24 is the UK agricultural industry’s largest digital event, celebrating the hard work and dedication of the farming community. This year’s event took place from 7th to 8th August 2025, and was organised by Farmers Guardian and Morrisons.
Corteva Agriscience has proudly supported #Farm24 for several years and once again took part in the initiative, with this year marking its 10th anniversary. Supporting farmers is at the heart of what we do, with many of our colleagues being farmers themselves.
See how Corteva celebrated on our dedicated webpage here, featuring our team from across the UK and Ireland.
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Get to know the Corteva team
You might have already seen some of our latest blogs introducing colleagues from across Corteva. To help you get to know them better, we’ve asked each of them a few key questions about their journeys, roles, and what inspires them!
Click on each name to explore their stories:
And keep an eye out — we’ve got more inspiring profiles on the way!
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Update your preferences and tailor your choices to make sure you receive the communications that are right for you. Don't forget to enter into our monthly prize draw by ticking the box before submitting to be in with the chance to win!
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Get in touch with our Hotline team
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CPD points
Subscribing to Corteva Agriscience Arable Update gives eligibility for 2 CP BASIS points and/or 2 NRoSO points and/or 2 CP points for those who are part of the BASIS Environmental Advisors Register (EAR) annually.
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USE PLANT PROTECTION PRODUCTS SAFELY. Always read the label and product information before use. For further information including warning phrases and symbols refer to label. ®, ™ Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. All other brand names are trademarks of other manufacturers for which proprietary rights may exist. All manufacturers tradenames and trademarks are duly acknowledged. © 2025 Corteva. Belkar® contains halauxifen-methyl (Arylex™ active) and picloram. Kerb®Flo 500 contains propyzamide. Astrokerb® contains aminopyralid and propyzamide. Ympact® contains Fulvic Acid, Humic Acid, trace elements including Copper (0.45%), Manganese (0.74%), Zinc (1.1%), Boron, Cobolt, Sodium. Instinct® contains nitrapyrin. Option® contains cymoxanil.
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