On Sunday 19th May the institution hosted an open day attended by NFU members and the general public where the research, importance and biodiversity of soils were promoted by institute staff. The NFU manned a stall which showcased some examples of good soil management incorporated by members. Many of these case studies will be discussed within British Farmer and Grower throughout the year but members of the public displayed particular interest in techniques such as direct drilling and the use of Discordon drills.
Visitors were also able to visit the Broadbalk wheat experiment, demonstrating how nutrient applications and soil management practices impact on yields within the 170 year old trial plots and the relevance of this to feeding the UKs growing population. The archives of over 300,000 soil, stubble and seeds samples which have been collected over this time were also on show.
The institute has also hosted seminars on soil fertility and biodiversity. The informative seminars contained speakers including Professor Penny Hirsch and Professor David Powlson who spoke on the relationship between roots and bacteria within the rhizobium zone and the importance of soil organic matter respectively. Soil biodiversity has been found to be lower on land farmed and left fallow for long periods of time, however Penny Hirsch stated that no evidence has been found to show that pesticides and fungicides have any impact on biodiversity. The institute also mentioned they will be working on the changes to biodiversity arising from the CAP reform and Countryside Stewardship.
Rothamsted will be hosting further seminars in the autumn which all provide the opportunity to ask questions directly to the researchers. The NFU will keep members up to date on when these events are. For more information contact Martin Rogers at bWFydGluLnJvZ2Vyc0BuZnUub3JnLnVr .