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Organic Crops

Although HGCA has not funded a large number of projects specifically for organic growers, many of our publications contain information which is valuable for all cropping systems.

These are the relevant guides, tools and topic sheets:

Conversion
G43 Organic arable farming: conversion options
(To be published late August 2008)
PR307 Organic conversion strategies for stockless farming (2003)     
PR389 Investigating the long-term impact of stockless organic conversion strategies (2006)
Crop management
PP07 Practice and prospects for organic cereal production (2001) 
No longer available in hard copy
G35 SAFFIE - Enhancing arable biodiversity - 6 practical solutions for farmers (2007)
G29 Field margins - Guidelines for Entry Level Stewardship in England (2005)
G25 Avoiding lodging in winter wheat, practical guidelines (2005)
G27 Soil management for sustainable profit (2005)
TS70 Assessing within-field soil variability (2003)
TS60 Ensuring good germination in malting barley (2003)
TS52 Specific weight and feeding value of wheat (2001)
PP05 Oats as an added value food ingredient (1999)
No longer available in hard copy
Cereal Nutrition
TS63 Managing arable crops in NVZs in England (2002)
TS63S Managing arable crops in NVZs in Scotland (2003)
TS64 Using manures and biosolids on cereal crops (2003)
PP06 Using animal manures on arable crops (2000)
No longer available in hard copy
TS101 Decision support on sulphur application to wheat
Disease control
Link Wheat disease encyclopaedia
P03 Identifying grain defects and impurities in grain - Poster (2004)
TS56 Managing ergot in cereal crops (2002)
G34 Guidelines to minimise risk of fusarium mycotoxins in cereals (2007)
TS43 Soil-borne wheat mosaic virus (2001)
TS61 Soil-borne mosaic viruses of winter barley: an update (2002)
Pest control
G26 Orange wheat blossom midge - assessment and control (2005)
G09 Rodent control in agriculture (2002)
Link Link to advisory leaflet on leatherjackets produced by Rod Blackshaw, University of Plymouth (through Defra's Sustainable Arable LINK programme)
Post harvest management
G13 The grain storage guide 2nd edition (2003)
CD Grain Plan - CD with virtual grain store
Tool Safe storage time calculator (interactive)
TS53 Vertical ventilation for cooling grain (2002)
PP13 On-floor drying to minimise grain spoilage (2006)
Tool Grain moisture calculator (interactive)
P01 Insects and mites in stored grain and grain stores - Poster (2000)
TS79 Insect and mite control in empty grain stores using DE (2004)
TS62 Preventing and controlling mites in stored cereals and oilseeds (2002)
PP03 Inspecting grain for defects and impurities - Poster (2003)
PP12 Monitoring for potential grain contaminants (2006)
No longer available in hard copy
TS83 Sampling grain during outloading (2005)

Some of the HGCA final project reports go into greater detail. The most relevant reports are listed below, but there is also a link to another page with current projects and final project reports that may be of interest.

RR45 Current practices and future prospects for organic cereal production: survey and literature review (2001)
PR304 Production of organic wheat: Trials on varieties, seed rate, weed control and the use of permitted products
PR307 Organic conversion strategies for stockless farming
PR389 Investigating the long-term impact of stockless organic conversion strategies (2006)
PR370 Cost-effective weed control in cereals using vision guided inter-row hoeing and band spraying systems
PR414 Influence of green manuring in wheat rotations under different cultivation systems

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