There is recent evidence to suggest that the UK yield plateau for wheat, which has lasted for around 20 years has finally been breached. 

Chris Martin: Technical Manager, North

For the second half of the Twentieth Century following the end of Second World War, wheat yields rose significantly.

This was very much the time for synthetic chemistry to shine. Whenever a problem arose, be it a weed, pest or disease, the solution quickly appeared in a can, and a combination of improved crop husbandry, better varieties an ever-evolving chemistry set led to yield increases of around about 1t/ha per decade. 
From just before the millennium however, this consistent increase in wheat yields pretty much stopped and UK average yields have stuttered around 7.5 – 8 t/ha ever since despite continued improvements with genetics and new varieties.

The reason for this yield plateau is probably down to a combination of factors. 

Poor grain prices and more severe weather events during this period have not helped. Another critical factor in preventing yield increases is poor soil health.

Deep soil compaction (created by more frequent passes of increasingly heavier machinery) combined with over cultivation, a decline in organic matter levels and reduced soil porosity, are all significant contributing factors to a decrease in soil health.

For some, difficult grass-weeds have been the major challenge, and the lack of new chemistry combined with the loss of many established key products has certainly not had a positive effect on yield!

 ""Agrovista are continuing to develop practical grower protocols for key varieties in all situations"" 

The good news is over the last 3 seasons, yields do appear to have improved, and AHDB suggests this is potentially down to several areas. Better grain prices have certainly encouraged farmers to push crops again, and a bigger focus on soil health appears to be key, with more growers looking at all aspects of soil health from improving drainage to increasing organic matter.

Over the past 5 years, based on solar radiation and rainfall levels, the theoretical potential yield of wheat in the UK has been consistently over 20 t/ha. During this period, leading farmers have been achieving over 60% of this potential, whilst the average UK farm is only achieving around 40%. Many of these farms are neighbouring to one another, so it is fair to assume they have received similar levels of solar radiation and water. The difference, therefore, must be how efficiently each individual farm is using this available sunlight, and how effectively they are using and managing their water. 

Read about our development work in the latest issue of Select

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To fulfil each farms potential, we need to focus on improving and maintaining soil health, and then create a growing protocol for each variety focussing on all aspects of husbandry and agronomy from establishment to harvest. This will include a major focus on nutrition, disease control and canopy management to ensure we maximise water use efficiency and convert the available solar radiation to harvestable material as efficiently as possible.

To facilitate this, Agrovista are continuing to develop practical grower protocols for key varieties in all situations. This work has been a fundamental part of Agrovista trials work at our trials hub in Stoughton near Leicester for many years, where we are focussing on optimising fungicide programmes, herbicide regimes along-side pioneering innovative nutrition, bioscience and canopy manipulation programmes.

In addition to this practical industry-leading work at Stoughton, we are replicating this farm-scale work on our regional sites situated throughout the UK, so the development work can be thoroughly tested across a range of different soil types, cultivation and establishment techniques and climates. 

There will be regular opportunities to come and see the work for yourself at numerous open days and evenings over the spring and summer.

You can see a little more about the trials work being undertaken at some of our regional sites this summer.