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In the September edition
- Oilseed rape – should I stay or should I grow?
- Integrated weed management in cereals: Planning for autumn success
- Give winter cereals the best start with Ympact® seed treatment
- Improve autumn nitrogen management with Instinct®
- Late-season grass silage: Boost quality with Pioneer® inoculants
- Early maize harvest: Lock in feed quality with Pioneer® inoculants
- Applications now open for Cohort 3 of the Resilient and Ready programme
- 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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Oilseed rape – should I stay or should I grow?
Growers are facing a split season: early-drilled crops with moisture are thriving, while others are only just emerging after recent rains. But with low cabbage stem flea beetle pressure and high soil temperatures, there’s still time to drill - and the world record OSR yield was achieved from a mid-September sowing!
Belkar® herbicide offers flexible post-emergence weed control tailored to crop growth stage. Apply 0.5 l/ha from 15th September once 90% of the crop reaches 6 true leaves (GS16), or 0.25 l/ha for smaller crops. It targets a wide spectrum of broad-leaved weeds - mayweed, fumitory, cranesbill, shepherd’s purse - and supports tank mixes with graminicides, fungicides, insecticides, and boron-based nutrition.
With OSR prices rising to £400/t, new high-oil varieties and strong gross margins, oilseed rape remains a profitable break crop.
But don’t forget to monitor slug pressure and apply pellets when thresholds are met.
Click through to explore expert guidance, stewardship tips, and weed control strategies for a successful OSR season in our latest article.
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Integrated weed management in cereals: Planning for autumn success
As autumn drilling gets underway, establishing an effective weed control programme from the outset is a critical first step in protecting cereal yields.
Persistent challenges like Italian ryegrass, bromes, and a range of difficult broad-leaved weeds including groundsel, poppies, and cleavers, can significantly reduce yield, quality and complicate harvest if not managed proactively.
Our latest article provides a guide to building a successful autumn herbicide programme, moving beyond single applications in favour of a more robust, integrated strategy. It highlights the importance of a sequenced approach, beginning with a strong pre-emergence residual base. Actives such as cinmethylin have proven highly effective against ryegrass species, and are then followed by targeted post-emergence applications containing pyroxsulam to give full control throughout crop development.
The article also includes specific recommendations for tackling some of the most problematic weeds, including:
- Managing Italian ryegrass - Strategies for controlling this increasingly competitive grass weed.
- Controlling problematic bromes - Using a multi-spray programme for effective management.
- Tackling broad-leaved weeds - Dealing with fast-growing groundsel, ALS-resistant poppies and volunteer crops.
As Field Technical Manager Hugh Guinan explains, understanding weed biology and paying close attention to Integrated Weed Management (IWM) best practices - from seedbed conditions and herbicide selection to Mode of Action (MOA) diversity and weed size at application - are the keys to maximising efficacy and protecting the crop economically.
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Give winter cereals the best start with Ympact® seed treatment
Autumn is now approaching, and early drilling is beginning or about to begin. Using Ympact seed treatment will help crops get off to a good start in seedbeds that may be suboptimal with reduced moisture and challenging 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.
Ympact improves root growth in cereals allowing the plants to establish better and gain better access to nutrients and moisture.
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 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.
Instinct applied just before slurry/fertiliser application will delay the conversion of ammonium to nitrate during the period when bacteria are active. This will reduce leaching and conserve nitrogen levels in the soil over the winter months. This could be vitally important when low rates of N are applied.
This can then give crops a great start early in the spring. We have seen improved crop growth in winter wheat when Instinct was applied prior to drilling in October. The picture below was taken in April.
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Late-season grass silage: Boost quality with Pioneer® inoculants
As autumn progresses, UK farmers face unpredictable conditions that can affect forage quality. Whether dealing with wet or dry grass, the right inoculant helps preserve nutrients and reduce spoilage.
For wet grass: Pioneer 1188 improves fermentation, lowers dry matter loss, and increases microbial protein - ideal for treating high-moisture content grass.
For dry grass: Pioneer 11G22 Rapid React® improves fermentation and aerobic stability whilst reducing dry matter losses. Ideal for higher dry matter grass.
Why choose Pioneer inoculants?
- Faster and more extensive fermentation
- Improved aerobic stability
- Lower nutrient losses
- Tailored product choice for wet or dry conditions
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Early maize harvest: Lock in feed quality with Pioneer® inoculants
With maize being harvested very early this season, crops may show higher dry matter and lower yield - but excellent starch potential. Preserving that feed value is key.
Pioneer inoculants help maximise silage quality by improving fermentation and reducing spoilage.
Recommended for maize:
- 11A44 & 11A44 Rapid React®: Boost aerobic stability - ideal for high dry matter maize at risk of spoilage.
- 11C33 Rapid React: Converts lactic acid into acetic acid and propanediol for better stability and efficient ensiling.
- 11CFT: Patented Fibre Technology improves digestibility, lowers pH fast, and cuts dry matter losses.
For more information on our Pioneer silage inoculant range, click here.
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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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Get to know the Corteva team
You might have already seen some of our recent blogs introducing colleagues from across Corteva. This month, we’ve added a few new ones! 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:
- Lucy Stokes - Area Manager and Technical Services Specialist
- Nikki Stewart - Human Resources Lead for UK, Ireland, Nordics & Baltics
- Oliver Kent - National Business Manager for Speciality Crops
And keep an eye out — we’ve got more inspiring profiles on the way!
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Want to hear more from us?
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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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.
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. Ympact® contains Fulvic Acid, Humic Acid, trace elements including Copper (0.45%), Manganese (0.74%), Zinc (1.1%), Boron, Cobolt, Sodium. Instinct® contains nitrapyrin.
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