A decade of improved crop protection products - but are yields improving?

摘要

The last decade has seen some fundamental changes in arable production in Southern England. Farmers have had to come to terms with a dramatic change in subsidy regime, growing economic power of the supermarkets, major falls in agricultural commodity prices and considerable increases in environmental demands. At the same time we have seen greatly improved technology - improved varieties, yield building agrochemicals such as the strobilurins, and machinery improvements, for example, the Vaderstad Rapiddrill. With economic and environmental pressures on one hand and improved technology on the other are yields improving? And if not, why not?