Event
Cereal-legume intercropping field lab results day – a LEGUMINOSE event
Join Innovative Farmers at Waitrose’s Leckford Farm for a free farm walk and event sharing the outcomes of trials growing legume/cereal intercrops. The meeting will show results from 3 years on intercropping trials on farms from the LEGUMINOSE field labs, and 3 years of results from the University of Reading on their field trials, followed by a tour of Leckford Farm.
Waitrose’s Leckford Estate in Hampshire is the only UK retailer-owned farm. Spanning 2,800 acres, it implements regenerative farming practices to improve soil health, reduce chemical inputs and boost biodiversity. It produces arable crops, apples, pears and grapes, and has over 550 head of beef cattle.
What trials are being presented?
LEGUMINOSE living lab field lab trials were carried out on 20 farms around the country over a 3-year period. Famers trialled intercrops adjacent to monocrops. Combinations tested included ‘Boats’ (beans and oats), wheat and beans, peas and barley, and peas and oats. At the meeting, Jerry Alford will share the yield results from these trials, as well as the outcomes of pest and disease assessments during the growing season on 2 sites.
In addition, the University of Reading conducted field trials at their Sonning farm including winter wheat and faba bean, spring wheat and lupin, and spring wheat and soya crop combinations. Each combination is represented as an intercrop and as monocultures of the respective partners. The experiment includes several different nitrogen rates and was designed to help farmers decide how much less nitrogen they need to apply to a wheat crop when the wheat crop is intercropped with a legume. Measurements of nitrate leaching and nitrous oxide emissions were collected throughout the growing season, along with soil health and crop yield/quality parameters.
Speakers:
- Dr Andrew Ferguson – the General Manager for the Leckford Farm Estate, focusing on biodiversity, soil health, and climate-positive practices. Andrew holds a PhD in seed physiology and agronomy, with 30 years experience in roles across the agricultural and farm sector.
- Jerry Alford – Arable and soils farming advisor at the Soil Association and key member of the LEGUMINOSE project team. Jerry has experience in arable and mixed farming having run the family farm in Devon for 25 years.
- Dr. Imelda Uwase – Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Department of Geography and Environmental Science, University of Reading. Imelda is a plant-soil scientist currently working on the LEGUMINOSE project.
Agenda:
10:30am | Meet and refreshments
11:00am | Leckford introduction by Andrew Ferguson
11:30am | Leguminose field lab results with Jerry Alford
12:00pm | University of Reading Nitrogen trials results with Imelda Uwase
12:30pm | Lunch
1:15pm | Farm tour
3:00pm | Close and depart
