Lessons from Harvest 2026

Looking back at the conversations since harvest, the debate regarding whether to continue growing cereals in favour of alternative crops has been frequent. However, the results are pointing more towards managing these crops with targeted nutrition, rather than complete abandonment.

This year, a Wiltshire based grower embarked on a second-year trial of comparing the inputs and outputs of growing his direct drilled, October sown wheat under different treatments. Two crops of Fitzroy were treated differently in their approach to disease, nitrogen and nutrition, with a crop of conventionally grown Bamford as a standard.

At T0 there was some active yellow rust in the Nutrition Fitzroy and so had one small dose of tebuconazole. I think a nice take away in this trial is that, despite the use of a small amount of fungicide, the grower continued to follow the nutritional approach was it was finished. He didn’t discard the plan, he acted quickly for the season’s needs and returned to the nutritional programme. This is a perfect example of adaptive farming - neither completely regenerative, nor conventional, just a well grown crop.

A particularly exciting component of the nutritional trial is the no PGR spend. Because of the silicon and trace elements, this grower was able to avoid any worry that his wheat would go flat. With good levels of silicon for cell and stem strengthening, and zinc and potassium for stem strength, he was able to mimic a PGR in favour of nutrition (there are other things to consider within this, which can be discussed with your local Aiva consultant). For those with livestock, it’s interesting to consider how much straw you might be missing out on with each application of a traditional PGR.

When spraying conditions are few and far between, having the peace of mind that the products we do apply are guaranteed to be delivered to the plant is key. Aiva uses the simple, yet highly effective Flex Technology in manufacturing. Flex Technology utilises amide N complexes to ensure nutrients complexed together are taken into the plant in stable compounds which are larger and released slowly into the plant. This means that even when we’re applying a lower percentage of a substance, take the nitrogen in this trial for example, we’re bridging that gap with precise delivery. Foliar amide N short circuits the metabolic pathway as it is less prone to volatilisation and requires less of the crop’s energy for utilisation, making even tricky nutrients bioavailable. It’s not a case of asking yourself how much was applied, but how much was physiologically available to the plant.

This grower joined us on our Seed Drenches online seminar last month. Here are a few of the conversational highlights:

“I didn’t have a panic moment! I didn’t graze it due to weather, I would have liked to do that, but I left it completely alone for this trial. “

“I passed once more in the autumn for the nutrition, other than that I don’t think there was a difference between the traditional and nutrition.”

“Fitzroy under the nutritional treatment was the tallest crop without the PGR. However, the Bamford was grazed which is worth noting.”

Looking ahead to Autumn drilling we can confidently say that crop given a headstart maintained their vigour throughout the season. Adding some nutrition into your liquid applicator, or at the 3-leaf stage spray, could be the difference between a crop that merely grows, and one that stands on its own two feet. After all, a crop well sown, is a crop half grown.

In our online seminar on seed drenches, this grower remarked “It really opened my eyes to what can be achieved with balanced nutrition. I’ve read about it, I’ve heard about it, but seeing with your own eyes is believing”. I think that speaks for itself.

For access to the online seminar recording where you can rewatch the conversation with our Wiltshire grower, please see the video below.