Hub Site Update – NIAB Headley Hall – July 2023

July 2023 – Hub Site Update

• 12th July: Site visit by the Rothamsted Research teams as they were in the area working at another site.
  • Recommended that proper hare electric fence be ordered and supplied to site.
  • Recommendations for ongoing strimmer and handheld weed control to prevent the weeds with glysophate to prevent competition.
• Miscanthus Athena plot requires Cambridge Rolls if the Miscanthus is not starting to grow.
• Overall, the establishment of plants is looking good. Rain in June and July has been beneficial, unfortunately also to the weed population.
• 27th July: The hub site Manager from IBERS visited the site as he had been in the area. The following observations were made:
  • There is a flush of weeds (charlock mainly) coming through in the plot. The charlock is still quite small so would be good to spray.
  • A line of electric rabbit fencing has been put along one side of the field.
  • It doesn’t look as though the Miscanthus Variety trial has been sprayed. There was no sign of the spray taking effect.
  • All of the woody species plots looked good. Although there was some fresh hare damage to the Black Locust.
  • Most of the woody species were bigger than the plants at IBERS, but the Eucalyptus looked pretty similar. “

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