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Farmers invited to shape future solutions to drought and blackgrass
UK farmers are being invited to take part in a new study exploring two of the biggest challenges facing arable farming today: drought and blackgrass. The aim is to put farmer experience at the centre of future solutions.
Blackgrass already costs UK farmers an estimated £400 million a year, and with drier seasons becoming more common, the pressure on wheat yields is only growing. A new study, launched by Rothamsted Research in collaboration with the University of Greenwich and led by PhD researcher Tala Chouman, asks a simple but important question: what is actually happening on farms right now, and what's working?
The 15-minute online survey is open to farmers, agronomists, and farm managers across the UK. We are looking for your experience of how drought is affecting crops, how blackgrass behaves under dry conditions, and what management approaches are being used in practice. "Even if your experience is 'it hasn't been too bad here', that's just as valuable, we need the full picture." said Tala.
The results will feed directly into ongoing scientific work comparing how wheat and blackgrass respond to drought, helping researchers identify traits and strategies that could improve crop resilience in the future.
The research forms part of a wider programme combining farmer insights with laboratory, glasshouse, and climate analysis to better understand how wheat and blackgrass respond differently to stress.
Dr Dana MacGregor, Molecular Weed Biologist at Rothamsted Research and project supervisor, said, "Blackgrass is highly adaptable and we know it is excellent at surviving challenges. Farmer knowledge is as essential to us as the physiological and molecular research in identifying more robust, long-term solutions."
The 15-minute survey is completely anonymous, with no identifiable farm data collected. Although all farmers are welcome, we are keen to hear from arable farmers, in particular wheat growers, about your experiences of drought and blackgrass.
Take part here: https://gre.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6YDfIax1GVJ5Kui
Contacts
Miss Tala Chouman
PhD Student
ABOUT ROTHAMSTED RESEARCH
Rothamsted Research is the longest-running agricultural research institute in the world. We work from gene to field with a proud history of ground-breaking
discoveries in areas as diverse as crop management, statistical interpretation and soil health. Our founders, in 1843, were the pioneers of modern
agriculture, and we are known for our imaginative science and our collaborative approach to developing innovative farm practice.
Through independent research, we make significant contributions to improving agri-food systems in the UK and internationally, with
economic impact estimated to exceed £3 bn in annual contribution to the UK economy. Our strength lies in our systems approach, which combines strategic research,
interdisciplinary teams and multiple partnerships.
Rothamsted is home to three unique National Bioscience Research Infrastructures which are open to researchers from all over the world:
The Long-Term Experiments,
Rothamsted Insect Survey and the
North Wyke Farm Platform.
We are strategically funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), with additional support from other national and
international funding streams, and from industry. We are also supported by the Lawes Agricultural Trust (LAT).
ABOUT BBSRC
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council is part of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body funded by a grant-in-aid
from the UK government.
BBSRC invests to push back the frontiers of biology and deliver a healthy, prosperous and sustainable future. Through our investments, we build and support a vibrant,
dynamic and inclusive community which delivers ground-breaking discoveries and develops bio-based solutions that contribute to tackling global challenges,
such as sustainable food production, climate change, and healthy ageing.
As part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), we not only play a pivotal role in fostering connections that enable the UK’s world-class research and innovation system
to flourish – we also have a responsibility to enable the creation of a research culture that is diverse, resilient, and engaged.
BBSRC proudly forges interdisciplinary collaborations where excellent bioscience has a fundamental role. We pioneer approaches that enhance the equality, diversity,
and inclusion of talent by investing in people, infrastructure, technologies, and partnerships on a global scale.
ABOUT LAT
The Lawes Agricultural Trust, established in 1889 by Sir John Bennet Lawes, supports Rothamsted Research’s national and international agricultural science through the provision of land, facilities and funding. LAT, a charitable trust, owns the estates at Harpenden and Broom's Barn, including many of the buildings used by Rothamsted Research. LAT provides an annual research grant to the Director, accommodation for nearly 200 people, and support for fellowships for young scientists from developing countries. LAT also makes capital grants to help modernise facilities at Rothamsted, or invests in new buildings.