Arable advice blog

16th Dec 2025

2025 has had its ups and downs, that’s for sure, but what can we gain from data gathered throughout the year? Winter can be a good time to have a look at all your nutrition data you’ve accumulated from the last season to help make informed decisions for this year’s crops.

Soil, tissue and grain data are all useful, particularly when used together, to get a picture of how the nutrient strategy went and whether any adjustments will be required for this season.

Broad spectrum soil analysis (detailing all nutrients) gives a good indication of some nutrient requirements for the season but on its own doesn’t give you the full picture. If you also took in-season tissue tests this will give you a snapshot of what the crop had been able to take up and utilise at that point in time, meaning you could adjust accordingly in-season if some nutrients are lacking. If you look at the soil data and the tissue data from last season is there anything you can learn to help with decisions this spring?

Finally, grain analysis the true indicator of what the crop was able to take up. Showing you if your nutrient strategy worked or not. If you have grain analysis data, it could be useful to compare it to the other analyses you have. Were there any links between what you saw in the soil, coming through in the tissue results and then showing in the grain analysis?

If you have the data, make sure you use it to its full advantage to make informed decisions this spring. What might take a couple of hours of interpretation now, could increase productivity for 2026!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from myself and all at Yara UK.

10th Dec 2025

Spring phosphate (P) can be more efficiently utilised than most autumn applications due to soil temperatures, crop demand and a larger root system.

When thinking of the first application it is important to factor in how the crop has performed over winter and what weather conditions it faced. Waterlogging of roots can have a substantial impact on their survival, particularly the secondary, finer ones, after the waterlogging has ceased.

With this in mind phosphate (P) in spring becomes even more important. From research of how P behaves in the soil, it doesn’t become significantly plant-available until soils reach a temperature of 8°C or above. If we think of soils in mid-February they’re not likely to have reached this temperature, therefore we are feeding the crops with nitrogen and encouraging growth without them being able to access P from the soil. Couple this with a potentially poor root system (caused by sitting in water or later drilled crops) and the crop can soon begin to struggle.

The way to combat this is to apply some fresh P in the spring, even if it is a small amount such as 35kg/ha, to give the crop an available source of P whilst it’s waiting for soils to warm up, where it will then be able to access soil-P.

For a simple and effective approach, using a compound NPKS such as YaraMila 52S at the first nitrogen timing in the spring will give the crop the 4 key nutrients it requires at the start of its regrowth and set it up for increasing its biomass successfully.

12th Nov 2025

The risk of over-winter leaching of sulphur is dependent on your soil type and over-winter rainfall but across all soil types there are still some points to remember. If you apply sulphur in the autumn, for example, as either organic manure or a sulphur-containing fertiliser there is a high risk of the available-sulphur leaching before spring, when the crop has its highest demand.

If you opt for a spring-applied sulphur product it’s important to apply one that is plant-available. A product that needs to be applied several weeks before it becomes plant-available could delay crop growth at this critical time. Most would be applying nitrogen fertiliser as soon as you can travel, therefore you run the risk of delaying regrowth if you are required to wait for the sulphur in a separate product to become available.

Looking at a practical point, having more than one fertiliser product to apply at your first timing in the spring means a greater number of passes, equalling increases in costs in fuel, time, as well as a larger storage capacity. Each pass is estimated to cost approx. £12/ha, therefore reducing the number of them is important.

Overall, the simplest approach is to use an NS compound such as YaraBela Axan 27N + 9%SO3 (or an NPKS depending on P&K requirements). This means you’re not applying all the S in one go where it is at risk of leaching, you have the increased efficiency of N and S together, the nutrients are immediately plant-available and only one pass is required. From the last 8 years of trials on compound fertilisers, applied little and often, we see an average response to sulphur of 0.79t/ha in wheat – meaning the ROI is about 3:1 (using today’s fertiliser price and Nov wheat futures).

If you’re growing winter beans it is likely, in part, for the gains in nitrogen. In order to get the most out of a pulse crop it is important to build a crop nutrition strategy that helps increase nodulation wherever possible. Legumes rely on their root nodules as a nitrogen source for growth and development, therefore ensuring good nodulation and their survival is crucial.

The ‘nitrogen-fixing nodules’ are the result of the symbiosis between the crop roots and soil bacteria (rhizobia). These bacteria are the ‘engine’ of the nodules that fix the atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, subsequently feeding the crop enabling it to produce amino acids. There are a couple of nutrients that are important for that symbiotic relationship – boron (B) and calcium (Ca).

Other essential nutrients, that are directly required in the metabolism of the rhizobia in the nodules, include sulphur (S), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn) and molybdenum (Mo). YaraVita Photrel Pro is a specially-formulated micronutrient mixture, it contains S, Mg, Mn, Mo and B, making it the ideal choice for legumes.

Apply YaraVita Photrel Pro at a rate of 3 kg/ha at 4-6 true leaves, a further application can be carried out in the spring, which is another important timing for winter beans. 

24th Sept 2025

The cut off point for establishing an autumn ley was generally early September but many are now pushing this date later into September successfully. It’s important that these autumn sown leys are managed adequately to ensure they perform the next year.

The autumn weather can make the timing of the first grazing difficult, but in general the first grazing is left too late. New leys should be grazed as soon as the new roots are strong enough to with-stand grazing. We can check for this by using our fingers to see if the root stays anchored in the ground when the plant is pulled.

Early grazing allows light into the base of the ley which will encourage tillering. A light grazing by calves, young stock or sheep is preferable. Bigger animals have more of a tendency to cause sod pull and poaching at this time of year. A first grazing can usually take place when the sward is at 6 – 8 cm’s in height.

Don’t be tempted to allow grass to build up on these new leys for a late cut of silage. This will inhibit tillering, resulting in more open swards which will be more susceptible to weed germination in the spring. Low winter covers will hugely benefit clover performance in the spring.

When spraying for weeds, include YaraVita Croplift Pro (5 kg/ha), in the Tankmix along with your herbicide. The addition of this foliar feed improves the efficacy of the herbicide and alleviates the side-effects of the herbicide on the young grass.

17th Sept 2025

By the time this is published most will have finished drilling oilseed rape, but as some was drilled back in July, there will be a lot of variation around the country.

With predictions of a 20-30% increase in oilseed area for the 2026 season, how can we make sure that crop makes it through establishment and is set up for winter? One of my previous articles spoke of utilising NPKs at or ASAP after drilling, but what other nutrition is required for the oilseed crop?

Oilseed is a very leafy, high biomass crop and therefore autumn growth can easily deplete the micronutrients the crop is able to access in the soil. We don’t want to cause any limiting factors for the crop during the early growth stages, we want the crop to establish a good root system that will set it up well for spring regrowth after winter. Foliar nutrition can indeed help with this.

For those that drilled early an application of YaraVita Magphos K, which as the name suggests contains magnesium, phosphate and potassium. Foliar phosphate is much more efficient at getting into the crop via the leaf and is part of energy transfer in the plant. An early application of 3l/ha to oilseed at the 2-4 leaf stage is a great way to help with root and shoot growth of the young plants and can be added in with a volunteer cereal herbicide for example.

You can then follow that with an application of 3l/ha of YaraVita Brassitrel Pro once the crop gets to 4-8 true leaves. If you only have one chance to spray then apply the YaraVita Brassitrel Pro, it is the crop-specific mixture for oilseed and contains all the key nutrients such as Mg, Mn, Mo, B and Ca, setting the crop up for overwinter survival. Results from long-term YaraVita Brassitrel Pro trials show a yield increase of 0.3 t/ha from an application in both the autumn and followed up in spring, the two applications giving you a 4:1 return on investment.

3rd Sept 2025

With many looking towards drilling winter wheat already this year, have you thought about whether you need to apply any P or K? Utilising soil samples, field history and offtakes will give you the answer, however the timing is more important when thinking about phosphate in particular.  If you only need to replace what has been removed and you’re not wanting to build the soil indices, apply a maintenance dressing to wheat, but wait until spring.   

Phosphate doesn’t stay available in the soil for long, it tends to get “locked-up” with ions (such as Al, Fe or Ca), rendering it unavailable to the crop. However, with temperatures good and no chance of cold, wet soils (yet), there should be enough P in the soil to get wheat through establishment (if Index 1 or above). The main crop requirement for P is between March and May, therefore trying to fulfil this demand in the autumn is not very efficient – you will lose more P than the crop can take up.

If we think about the economics of this spring application, is it better to apply 0-24-24 or straights because they are the cheaper option? Actually, these two options are one of the more expensive ways to apply P & K (and S) due to the additional cost of the extra passes (labour, fuel etc), therefore you potentially lose the savings you made on a compound product through these overheads.

Applying a compound NPKS, such as YaraMila 52S, at that first nitrogen timing gives you a spring PK yield benefit (on average 0.31t/ha), a sulphur yield benefit, as well as enabling you to have a minimal number of passes. Another approach is YaraMila Extragrass applied all the way through the season – both of these options are economically beneficial over applying straights or P&K in the autumn.

20th Aug

With most crops harvested, usually it is the time of year to soil sample. However, this year a) you might snap your spade the ground is that hard and b) we need the soil to be moist to ensure there are accurate nutrient levels and microbial activity – otherwise your results can be skewed.

When soil sampling, consistency is key. Try and sample at a similar time each year with similar conditions if possible – not dry soil one year and waterlogged soil another (unless unavoidable but be aware of how this will impact on the results).

There are a few different types of analysis you can carry out on your soil from Yara Analytical Services (LanCrop). Firstly, there is the Basic which will give you pH, P, K and Mg levels. As the name suggests this is the base level sample, providing minimal information, however still useful for understanding the pH (one of the most important aspects of your soil for nutrient availability).

For more in-depth information there is the Broad-Spectrum (BS) analysis that gives you more nutrients, including micronutrients, CEC and pH. For the full analysis you would want the Broad-Spectrum Extra (BSE) service. This one gives you as above but includes the soil texture classification and Organic Matter.

Finally, there is an additional analysis that you can get if you are interested in your soil biology. The Solvita test as part of Broad-Spectrum Extra Soil Health (BSE SOL), gives you an idea of the health of your soil. Microbes in the soil are measured by the amount of carbon dioxide that is respired from the sample, a low amount suggests a low population, whereas a higher respiration rate suggests a higher microbial population.

Whichever analysis you are intending to use, the main thing is that you utilise the results and get the most out of them. If it’s as basic as correcting your pH or looking at something more complex such as how your soil analysis relates to your grain analysis.

17th July 2025

When looking at nutrient demands of sugar beet the two highest nutrients potassium (450 – 500 kg K2O/ha) and nitrogen (250 kg N/ha). The others, whilst not in such high demand, play very significant roles. Phosphate and magnesium are required in similar quantities but perform very different functions. Magnesium is the central element in the chlorophyll molecule, that gives the leaves their green colour. It is therefore vital for the efficient capture of light coming onto the leaf canopy that the crop has sufficient magnesium.

Phosphate also compliments magnesium as it is required as part of the chemical energy storage pathway. This stored energy is then used to fuel many of the plant processes as it goes through its development cycle. In sugar beet, one such process is the production of sugar (sucrose) in the leaves that is then transported to the roots for long-term storage.

The process of moving the sugar down from leaf to root is an ‘active’ process, itself requiring the chemical energy generated during photosynthesis. Another important part of this process of translocation of sugar down to the root, is the role of potassium. Foliar applications of a relatively low concentration of potassium solution have been associated with increasing the rate of loading of the sucrose from the leaves and into the plant phloem transport system.

Therefore, a perfect foliar product for sugar beet is YaraVita MagPhos K, containing magnesium, phosphate and potassium, enabling efficient sugar production and translocation to the root. Apply 5l/ha at the same timing as your fungicide (check YaraPlus for mixability), if the crop is under drought stress 3l/ha of YaraAmplix Optitrac can also be added for an increase in abiotic stress tolerance.

Maize is a fast-growing crop, putting on up to 50t/ha of fresh weight over a 4-month period. Where there is rapid growth, such as this, the nutrient demand is high therefore ensuring sufficient supply of nutrients is key.

There is a lot of variation in maize crops around the country depending on when they were drilled and if they got enough moisture at critical growth stages. If you have some backwards maize, you might still have time for an application of YaraVita CropBoost. A recommendation early on in maize (4-8 leaf stage) is YaraVita Crop Boost at 5l/ha, supplies fast-acting foliar phosphate with zinc, magnesium and potash for efficient uptake through the leaf. If the crop is also under stress from lack of moisture, biostimulants can help to increase tolerance to such abiotic stresses. YaraAmplix Optitrac was developed to alleviate the impact of abiotic stress conditions and help the plant during periods of high metabolic demand to improve yield quality and quantity, 2 l/ha can be applied with YaraVita Crop Boost.

For those whose crops are further along, once the crop has reached the pre-tassel stage (1-1.2m tall), an application of YaraVita Safe-N 300 can give the crop a yield boost. This helps maximise efficient leaf canopy development. In independent trials YaraVita Safe-N 300, applied at 20l/ha, gave an average increase in fresh weight of 3.4 t/ha. Although quickly absorbed into the leaf, 25% of the nitrogen is present as a slow-release form to give a long-lasting feeding effect for increase yields.

There is a lot more focus today to reduce environmental impact as much as possible. With more of a spotlight being shone on agriculture for emissions such as GHGs (Greenhouse gasses), being able to calculate your carbon footprint as a farmer is increasingly relevant.

At Yara we developed abatement technology which greatly reduces emissions (by up to 90%) of N2O (a GHG) from nitric acid production. Nitric acid is required in the process of manufacturing nitrate fertilisers, therefore greatly reducing the emissions from this process means that Yara’s nitrate-containing fertiliser’s carbon footprint is also reduced by 40%.

Once the fertiliser gets on to farm however it is up to the user ensure that the carbon footprint continues to reduce through best farming practice. The carbon footprint of fertiliser can be reduced at both production and application through technology and best practice.

To get the most of the fertiliser at farm level, you want to get the best Nitrogen Use Efficiency (NUE) from the fertiliser that you can. This comes from product selection, timing, rate, weather conditions, crop demand, soil properties and more to ensure that the fertiliser you are applying gets to the desired location and is taken up by the crop. By ensuring all these factors are taken into account, another 10-30% carbon savings can be made by minimising losses through leaching or volatilisation.

Therefore, by product selection and best practice growers can reduce their carbon footprint by half when using Yara’s ammonium nitrate fertilisers such as YaraBela Axan or Sulphan.

With new season fertiliser it’s key to think about what nutrients you actually need so you don’t end up with a shed full of straight N in the spring, without a sulphur strategy. Plants require sufficient sulphur to utilise nitrogen correctly due to the 
close relationship between the two nutrients. Trials show, on average, the response to sulphur is 0.85t/ha in cereals and 0.5t/ha in oilseed.

Sulphur should be applied little and often, the same way you would with  nitrogen, because it has the same leachability characteristics. Sulphur applied in this way typically increases the yield by an average of 0.50t/ha for wheat and oilseed, compared to a single application of sulphur.

However, the source of sulphur applied also makes a big difference. Some forms of sulphur have to undergo an oxidation process before they become plant-available (this is weather-dependent), whereas Sulphur in the sulphate form is plant-available and crops can utilise it quickly and efficiently. Meaning you’re not slowing down any vital growth momentum in the spring.

Quality of the product is also a key factor for buying decisions. Does it spread the required distance evenly and give a good spread pattern? Fertiliser is a big investment therefore buying a product that has a good CV, hard granules/prills (no dust), uniform size and shape (no segregation), all nutrients in one granule/prill (even nutrition in the field) means an overall reliable return on investment.

Another consideration should be ammonia emissions. During dry conditions there is a greater risk of volatilisation, and therefore ammonia being released into the atmosphere. The emission factor for urea is 24% whereas ammonium nitrate (AN) has one of the lowest ammonia emissions at 3% (NT26 wheat data). So, by using AN rather than urea you are reducing ammonia emissions by 8 times - making it the best option for cleaner air.

YaraBela Axan (27%N 9% SO3) and YaraBela Sulphan (24%N 15% SO3) are high quality NS compounds which deliver these attributes and more. Ideal for a multitude of crops when applied throughout the growing season, reducing the requirement of straight nitrogen, for a more efficiently grown crop.

Maize can produce up to 50t/ha of fresh weight in just 4 months, meaning a lot of nutrition is required and therefore a substantial root system too.

Phosphate (P) is an important nutrient, key for growing the root system the crop requires to sustain the rapid growth, as well as being part of the transfer of energy within the plant. Maize also requires a lot of potash (K), with total uptake being ~200kg/ha, similar to nitrogen. Most of this is used in the leaf and stem and due to the amount of biomass produced you can see why there is a high demand for K.

Once the crop has sufficient biomass a foliar application of phosphate and potash is the best way to overcome early deficiencies - giving the crop a boost in energy levels and helping regulate water, both of these will help the crop develop a better root and shoot system and support later growth.

YaraVita Crop Boost contains foliar phosphate and potash together with useful amounts of zinc and magnesium. Applying it at the 4-6 leaf stage onwards is effective for fast, efficient uptake through the leaf.

During times of stress, biostimulants can also help maintain a healthy plant which can lead to a better yield. Yara produces YaraAmplix Optitrac (formerly Biotrac) which is a product containing Ascophyllum nodosum as well as nutrients, it was developed to alleviate the impact of abiotic stress conditions such as drought.

Looking at independent trials where we applied, in combination, both YaraVita Crop Boost and YaraAmplix Optitrac, yield of maize increased by 4.4t/ha versus the control (control plot had full NPK application). Setting up the crop and preparing it to deal with abiotic stress periods is key to keeping crop growth momentum and maintaining productivity.

With continued dry weather for parts of the country, there is the worry that crops could start to be affected by the lack of moisture, this is classed as an abiotic stress to the plant.

So how can we help crops through this stressful period? One way is to ensure there are no nutritional limiting factors, making sure the crop has all the key micronutrients required. Alongside this we can use biostimulant products that are specifically designed to help with stress associated with drought- conditions.

YaraAmplix OPTITRAC was developed to help alleviate the impact of abiotic stress, such as drought-stress, whilst helping the plant during periods of high metabolic demand and ensuring processes, such as flowering and grain/fruit set, are stimulated.

It contains a carefully selected blend of nutrients designed to reinforce the action of the bioactive compounds derived from Ascophyllum nodosum, well-known for its improved nutrient uptake, stress tolerance and overall plant vigour. All of these factors can help get the plant through testing times when water is the limiting factor.

Another important thing to consider is whether biostimulant products will tank mix with nutrients that might also be required. OPTITRAC is very tankmixable with most YaraVita products, if in doubt you can check the free Tankmix service from Yara using the YaraPlus app. All tankmixes that have been carried out will appear in the app, if the mix you are looking for isn’t there you can request it from our lab.

With recent dry weather (at the time of writing this anyway!), crops are looking good this spring. Once cereals reach stem extension they put on a lot of biomass in a relatively short space of time, this can lead to deficiencies which in-turn can cause potential yield-loss.

Looking at Yara Analytical Services (LanCrop) data there are a number of deficiencies that we see every year coming through in cereals – magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc. These nutrients have important roles in a number of processes within the plant, therefore being deficient in 1 or more (which the majority of samples tend to be) will affect the yield.

Magnesium, which is part of the chlorophyll and therefore vital for efficient photosynthesis, is required during this period of rapid growth. Not having enough Mg will mean less light capture and therefore affect crop development and eventually yield. Manganese deficiency is likely this spring because it is made worse by cool, dry weather. Look out for chlorotic spots and streaks which turn grey-white to brown and combine together on the younger leaves.

Tissue testing is the only way to detect some deficiencies, there is a stage where the deficiency is present, but you don’t see the symptoms (hidden hunger) – this could be the case for copper and zinc. When you see the symptoms, the yield is already being affected therefore tissue testing should be used as a preventative measure, rather than firefighting once the crop is already deficient and showing symptoms. If you don’t want to carry out a tissue test you could apply a multi-nutrient product such as YaraVita Gramitrel on cereals. It contains the specific nutrients required for cereal crops and can be used if tissue analysis isn’t for you. Long-term independent trial data shows that, on average, there is about a 0.55t/ha yield increase from Gramitrel at T1, giving a 7:1 ROI.

Firstly, happy New Year, let’s hope 2025 is a success! Hopefully it is not that long until crops start to regrow as we move towards spring – a critical time for winter crops. After lying dormant, they enter that period of rapid growth where a lot of important processes occur, we need to make sure that they are set up correctly for that period.

Early spring growth period in cereal crops is an essential phase during which the foundation for high biomass is established. Biomass is a fundamental prerequisite to achieving high grain yields, this biomass is the result of achieving a good population of main shoots and tillers. The tillering phase commences after leaf 3 is fully expanded and generally finishes when the ‘double-ridge’ stage of development is reached (i.e. just before GS 30.) This growth stage is typically reached by mid-March. The final number of tillers can therefore be manipulated through the appropriate use of inputs, such as nutrition (namely nitrogen).

When trying to judge how much nitrogen to apply at the first timing there are some factors to take into account – when was the crop drilled, plant populations, forecast weather and how much nitrogen you think the crop has taken up overwinter (mineralisation)?

More often than not it has been the right decision to go on with relatively high rates of 70-100kgN/ha in the form of an NS compound such as YaraBela Axan. However, there are some tools out there that can help with this decision on what rate to go with. Within YaraPlus app there is a photo analysis tool that enables you to take some pictures of your crop (cereals and oilseed) at this timing to give you an estimated N-uptake value. This can take the guesswork out of how much mineralisation there has been and what has made it into crops. This means we can adjust the rate of nitrogen accordingly, potentially increasing nitrogen use efficiency. When we use tools for subsequent applications, such as the N-Tester, we can really start to make the most of our investment in fertiliser.