Some older Miscanthus crops are not fulfilling their yield potential due to issues like compaction, and simple remediation practices such as subsoiling and ground cultivation can increase crop quality and yield significantly.
One Lincolnshire field which has seen a yield increase of 32% due to remediation work belongs to David and Jonathan Wright.
The 11.5ha crop of Miscanthus sits on loamy, clay soil which is wet lying, and the remedial work took place in the field highlighted on the map in 2013.
“The crop had two passes with a Simba-Solo and two passes with a set of Cambridge rolls,” says Jacob Duce, Terravesta sales and marketing manager.
“More recently, the field has had Fibrophos applied to it and was sprayed with bacteria last year,” he says.
“The yield for 2016 harvest was 251 tonnes, which averaged 7 tonnes per hectare. In 2017 the harvest was 300 tonnes, averaging 9 tonnes per hectare,” says Jacob Duce, sales and marketing manager for Terravesta.
“Remedial works will subsequently increase the fields income by approximately £1,820.00 in 2018,” adds Jacob.
