Dominic Amos

Footage of a discussion held at Groundswell 2022, organised by Agricology, about the impacts of reduced nitrogen use and ways in which farmers are moving away from high input systems.

Reducing tillage and chemical inputs can be beneficial for soil and the environment, so could a permanent clover understorey acting as a 'living mulch', moving towards a perennial soil cover, offer a practical solution to reducing inputs and having more sustainable cropping systems?

Potatoes grown in the UK are at risk from 26 different diseases. It is vital therefore to investigate methods and varieties that reduce the cost and loss of production through disease. Through the Innovative Farmers network, a group of growers have come together to look at ways of combating potato blight using novel techniques. They are particularly interested in using mesh covers to help control blight.

Compost tea and its use as a microbial inoculant has been the subject of a lot of attention recently and there have been many bold anecdotal claims made about the benefits for crops and soils, but there is very little academic research proving efficacy.