FREE AND OPEN TO ALL - BOOKING ESSENTIAL
Come and join us in the field to learn more about this unique study for yourself and find out how cropping approaches can impact on soils and system resilience.
The Sustainability Trial in Arable Rotations (STAR) is a long-term fully replicated field-based study which started in 2005. The project uses farm scale equipment on large field plots. Long-term rotation studies are rare in our industry but they provide powerful agronomic and financial information for UK farmers.
Project Overview
- The STAR project is a long-term rotational systems study examining the interaction between four different cultivation methods.
- The impact of rotation and cultivation on weed burden, soil structure and mycotoxin risks are becoming increasingly apparent as the study progresses.
- Considering yields over all crops in the rotation, the difference between cultvations systems is small. The plough-based cultivation system is tending to give the highest yields but margin is barely distinguishable across systems.
- Tillage decisions seem to be more cititcal in break crops. Rotational choices have tended to have a bigger impact in margin than primary tillage decisions; with winter cropping rotations giving the higher margins.
- STAR treatments; the study has a total of 16 treatments and three repicates. Four rotations, four cultivation systems - Winter cropping, spring cropping, continuous winter what, alternate fallow (ended 2018)/herbal ley, annual plough, deep tillage, shallow tillage, managed approach.
The STAR project is supported by The Morley Agricultural Foundation, The Felix Thornley Cobbold Trust and, historically, The Chadacre Agricultural Trust. The STAR project continues to contribute to wider collaborative research and is used as a platform for educational studies at both under-graduate and post-graduate level. This open event is provided as part of the Morley LoTS initiative; Niab working with The Morley Agricultural Foundation and Morley Farms to deliver a unique and impartial agronomy focused training, research and education capability in East Anglia.
