05/03/24 - Fertilising by drone, heritage wheat traits and multiple lambs

In between the rain, farmers have planted crops many of which are now battling for growth in saturated ground. Waterlogged soil is a poor growing medium, and it also means farmers can’t bring machinery onto their land to give the plants fertilisers or pesticides to help them grow. Some are now turning to drones to deliver preparations instead, so at least the soil is not disturbed. But, if the ground is still draining, does that mean more danger of pollution from nutrient rich water running off the fields?

A new project’s been launched by farmers and scientists, to uncover special traits found in heritage wheats, which could boost productivity in modern commercial varieties. Scientists at the John Innes Centre have been working with the Watkins Collection of heritage wheats gathered in the 1930s from 32 countries. Unlike modern wheat, some of these ancient varieties can interact with bacteria in the soil to allow them access to more nutrients.

And, it's lambing time - we visit a smallholding in North Yorkshire where all the ewes are pregnant with either triplets or quads!

Presented by Anna Hill
Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons