1. Farming Futures Workshop at Innovation Farm, 1st February 2011
Clever science,
smart farming
Roger Sylvester-Bradley
www.adas.co.uk

2. ADAS-mediated innovations: 1
 Big bale silage
 Direct harvested onions
 Straw incorporation
 Cereal fungicide strategies
 Midge resistant wheats

3. ADAS-mediated innovations: 2
 Floating mulches
 Hybrid Nantes Carrots
 Flat Rate Feeding of Dairy cows
 Irrigation scheduling
 Lodging control.

4. Example innovation – Silage
Paul Brassley (1996). Silage in Britain, 1880-1990: The Delayed
Adoption of an Innovation. Agricultural History Review 44, 63-87.
“The most important point to emerge is the
necessity for all components of a system to
be in place before rapid adoption can occur.
– Problems with alternatives – hay, roots
– Achieving reliability – with a more complex process
– Mechanisation
– Ease of use
“Until all parts of the system were in place
most [farmers] resisted all the blandishments
of enthusiasts, politicians, scientists and
advisers for nearly a century.”

5. innovations involve
investment & risk

6. Endogenous forces Koning & van Ittersum (2009)
Wheat UK
real
price US
index
Exogenous forces
10
wheat prices US
UK wheat 8
varieties,
herbicides,
yields, t/ha 6
lime, P&K,
drainage, A new phase
threshing myxomatosis of innovation
rotation & enclosures machines
4
seed drills .. but what ??
semi-dwarfs,
2 N fertiliser,
fungicides,
PGRs
0
Percival (1948) & Defra stats.

7. World record wheat crop
 Grain cv. Einstein 15.7 t/ha
– at 15% moisture
– and 10.9% protein
 PA radiation: 1,250 MJ/m2
– For construction & production
– UK norm: 1,000 MJ/m2
– Mean temp: 11.6 ºC (UK: 14.6 ºC)
 Water: summer rain .. 394 mm
plus soil .. >200 mm
– UK normal summer rain: 220 mm
Mike Solari, Alvia Farm,
 Nitrogen: 535 kg/ha near Gore, Southland, NZ
– After peas, 85 kg/ha soil N supply
– + 450 kg/ha fertiliser N applied.

8. Targets: slower development, faster growth

9. Targets: slower development, faster growth
87 87
‘designed’ earliness
short to GS31 … better yield ?
87
61 61
61
growth
31 31
Growth Stage
development

10. Soil water availability target
170mm
 Crop water demand
0.5m – Minimum in summer for 15 t/ha grain .. 430mm
 Summer rain
– Average 220mm
 Soils storage
1.0m – Requirement, with 20mm ‘insurance’ .. 230mm
99% roots
– 140 to 180mm water / metre … norm: 170 mm / metre
– 99% roots need to reach 1.8m .. 0.6m extra
– Beyond direct intervention
+60mm
1.5m  Alternatives:
– Irrigation ..
– Grow maize .. or .. MOVE west !
99% roots

11. Target: Nutrient efficiency
 Static fertiliser technology
– Little change for >50 years
 N fertilisers are only ~60% efficient
– ~40% is emitted to the environment
– P efficiency even less
 Current research ideas
– Better prediction of crop requirements
… precision application
… crop & soil analysis
– Inhibitors / enhancers
– Targeting: foliar application, combine drilling
– Plant Breeding
… Faster uptake .. biological fixation?
… Match proteins to market requirements.

12. Science & technology for productivity
 Genetic improvement
– Breeding .. enhanced by genomics, hybrids & GM
… Tailored life-cycles
… Enhanced metabolism .. esp. photosynthesis
… Designed products e.g. protein
– Species choice .. Crop rotations
 Chemical intervention
– Integrated genetic-chemical protection systems
– Stress resistance: ABA, anti-transpirants
– Growth stimulants e.g. grain expansion
– Fertiliser enhancements
 Mechanisation & automation
– Soil management .. esp sub-soils
– Faster harvesting & establishment
– Irrigation
– Targeted fertilisers
– Sensing and Automation of applications
– Information management.

13. Smart farming – new systems
 Involves experimentation & risk
– Borrowing ideas and honing them
 Exploring new systems
– Triticale for energy .. feed & fuel
– Maize, sunflowers, etc. in S & E
– Wheat in the west
– Efficient irrigation strategies
– Optimising straw use
– IT e.g. GPS, traceability
– Legume-based leys for protein
 Integrating Supply Systems
– Climate-soil-species-variety-
production-process-consumption
… Biofuels .. Bread .. etc.

14. Clever science, Smart farming
 Time is short
– But the opportunity is here!
 Clever science is for scientists
– Science creates an environment for
innovation
– Biology is only part of the answer
 Innovation happens „near-farm‟
– Involves risk
– Requires investment
– Farming must enable innovation
… and feed-back to science.

15. Thank you
Roger.Sylvester-Bradley@adas.co.uk
ADAS Boxworth, Cambridge CB23 4NN