Crop & Environment Research Centre

Soil & Water Management

Water use in agriculture is increasingly important in the UK and overseas. More crops are likely to suffer from drought as the summers in much of England become drier and hotter with climate change. Demand for irrigation water is increasing as more crops are irrigated to meet stringent supermarket quality requirements and cope with climate change. At the same time the Water Bill will increase restrictions on farmers' use of water.

Harper Adams has an expanding programme of research on soil and water management to help the agricultural industry adapt to these changes.

Forecasting soil moisture deficit

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is a large-scale climate system which has recently been shown to influence summer rainfall in the UK. Further work is examining the potential of the NAO for long-range forecasts of soil moisture deficit to assist with irrigation planning.

Contact: Dr Peter Kettlewell

Soil management

Providing good conditions for roots to grow down to extract water is essential to minimise drought stress. Root growth and compaction in various cultivation systems is being compared to understand the limitations of different systems in the UK. Overseas work includes extensive work in Turkish farming systems where the very long term effects of irrigated agriculture could provide scenarios for the future of UK soil qualities.

Contact: Dr Nigel Hall

Root growth

The effect of agronomic factors, other than cultivation, on root growth is poorly understood. An HGCA-funded project, in collaboration with SAC and Edinburgh University, is examining the effect of seed rate, nitrogen fertiliser timing and variety.

Contact: Dr Peter Kettlewell

Fertigation

Increasingly, irrigation water is being used as a vehicle for fertiliser application. Current work is exploring the possibility of varying nutrient application spatially to match nutrient demand in potatoes suffering from patchy potato cyst nematode infestation.

Contact: Dr Ivan Grove

Antitranspirants

Sprays of film-forming polymers for reducing water loss from leaves have hitherto only been considered appropriate in extreme circumstances, such as transplant shock, or for reducing shrinkage in fruit. An HGCA-funded project is examining the potential of antitranspirants for reducing drought stress in wheat.

Contact: Dr Peter Kettlewell

Cultivations and agroecology

Cultivation systems in UK cereal production are changing from traditional ploughing to minimal tillage. The SOWAP project is a major EU-LIFE funded project that is underway to investigate and demonstrate how different cultivation systems influence bird numbers and invertebrate and seed food resources.