HARPER ADAMS TO HOLD CROPS OPEN DAY

Posted 1 July 2002

By Carla Balderson

Harper Adams University College, near Newport, Shropshire, will throw open its doors to hold a Crops Open Day on Thursday, July 18, 2002.

The Open Day takes place at the Crop and Environment Research Centre (CERC), an important Research and Information Transfer facility at Harper Adams. The event will include a series of workshops, keynote reviews and field test demonstrations and is worth six BASIS Continuing Professional Development points (three for crop protection, two environmental and one in plant nutrition) to those who attend.

The first workshop of the day, on Potatoes Harvesting, kicks off at 11:00am with engineers from Harper Adams and Grimme (UK) Ltd investigating the technicalities of harvesting. After a brief lunch, keynote reviews will look at 'Aspects of water management’ and ‘Rhizoctonia in potatoes.’ They will also consider the current Potato Cyst Nematode research being done at Harper Adams and the British Potato Council (BPC) reference crop series.

Field demonstrations will begin at 3:00pm, with a BPC reference trial, a review of the Management Advisory Package for Potatoes (MAPP), planting techniques and Haulm destruction.

At 4pm a Field Technology Centre tour will take place with tea and light refreshments available. During this part of the day, Peter Kettlewell will look at wheat root system management and will talk about his work on forecasting wheat quality. Simon Edwards will discuss DNA diagnostics and mycotoxins and a number of trade stands, static demonstrations and research posters will be on display.

Mark Sheridan of NIAB will demonstrate the varieties currently being grown in the UK Recommended List trial series at 4:30pm and the day will round off with Grainseed (Maize) Ltd demonstrating, in conjunction with CERC, part of their national series of trials investigating the interactions between a range of hybrid types, drilling techniques and drilling dates.

For further information about the open day or to attend, please call +44 (0) 1952 815 221.

(Ends)

NOTES FOR EDITORS:

1) Members of the press are welcome to attend. Please either use the enclosed pack, clearly marking that you are a journalist and/or photographer who wishes to attend, or contact Nick Barnes, Harper Adams' Press Officer, on +44 (0) 1952 815 371.

2) Research into crop science, crop technology, the modes of action of agrochemicals and work on the environmental implications of modern crop production is all undertaken at CERC. First class research facilities are available, such as biotechnology laboratories, growth rooms and a national network of field trial sites.

CERC's officers work closely with the academic staff of Harper Adams to provide field trials. These trials cover combinable cereal and non-cereal crops, forage and herbage crops, potatoes and root crops and glasshouse crops in areas of crop physiology, quality, nutrition, pathology and post-harvest physiology.