Guest Speaker Prof Steve Dorling provided the perfect backdrop of data on how changing weather patterns had impacted on farming and how they are likely to continue to do so at an alarming rate.
Presentation 1 Welcome - Dr Vicky Foster
Vicky kicked off the 2020 events with a warm welcome to guests and an overview of BBRO activities and future actions
Presentation 2 Our changing climate - Prof Steve Dorling
Prof. Steve Dorling set the scene for the BBRO BeetTech20 Conference explaining how the recent and forecast changes to the UK weather pattern could impact on agriculture
Presentation 3 Mitigating changes and exploiting existing varietal traits - Dr Simon Bowen
Do you know if the different traits of your chosen varieties will add to your yield potential? Does canopy structure or disease ratings really make a difference? Simon explains the work currently being undertaken by BBRO and what this could mean for growers.
Presentation 4 Managing soils under extreme weather conditions - Stephen Aldis
The autumn of 2019 reaped havoc for many in the sugar beet growers, with many having to harvest in less than ideal conditions. With the drilling season soon to be upon us, Stephen talks about managing your soil to mitigate the damage and create a good seed bed for the season ahead.
Presentation 5 Pests and diseases - Prof Mark Stevens
Mark is the guru to speak to when it comes to sugar beet pests and diseases. Here he explains what we might see more of as the climate changes and some of the potential positives for the sugar beet crop - as long as careful management is applied.
Presentation 6 Crop canopy responses - Georgina Barratt
Georgina is in her last year of PhD study, bringing to the platform her 'Bountiful' knowledge on leaf stomata, water and carbon uptake.
Presentation 7 BBROplus and Benchmarking - Dr Toby Townsend
We've all heard the word 'benchmarking' being bandied about. Many have found it a powerful tool to compare one year's growth against another but how about comparing your sugar beet crop to others. BBROplus is a new section on the BBRO website open to growers and it includes an easy to implement tool that allows growers to benchmark their yields against previous performance and against others. How do you fair?
Presentation 8 Shades of yellow - Dr Simon Bowen
Can you tell your virus from your deficiency? Take part in Simon's Shades of Yellow quiz and see how well you know your beet crop and potential issues.
Presentation 9 Virus: review of 2019 and lessons learned to the benefit of 2020 - Prof Mark Stevens
2019 was a bit of a landmark year for sugar beet and virus management. Following the loss of neonic seed treatments the industry rallied together to monitor aphid migration and assist in the control of virus spread.
Presentation 10 Virus Yellows and Goliath trial - Dr Alistair Wright
Dr Alistair Wright has been instrumental in the planning and delivery of one of BBRO's largest and most important trials to date - Goliath. This trial investigated the impact of virus yellows across a number of existing and new varieties. The view from the provides a stunning view of the progression of the virus and some clear glimmers of hope in finding resistant material.
