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Farming Today: Soil biology, Pest control, Bees flourishing

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20/08/2018

Soil biology, Pest control, Bees flourishing

BBC Radio 4 - Farming Today, Soil biology, Pest control, Bees flourishing

A new project aims to analyse the biology of thousands of soil samples to help grow crops.

A new project aims to analyse the biology of thousands of soil samples from across the UK to help grow crops and reduce the use of chemicals.

There are more living things in one teaspoon of soil than there are people on the planet. One gram of soil can contain several billion bacteria from thousands of different species. Farming Today hears how a new project will use soil samples from across the country to help unpick soil biology. British farmers face a constant battle against pests - here there are 70,000 different species that attack agricultural crops. To kick off a week devoted to pests and their control Sybil Ruscoe speaks to the plant health advisor at the National Farmers' Union. The heatwave may have caused problems for many farmers, but in the hives the bees have been busy making honey. In Somerset, flourishing bramble flowers have made it a bumper year for bees.

Presented by Sybil Ruscoe

Produced by Alun Beach.

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