The latest spore trap technology, an operational UAV and a wide range of crop related pest and disease information was seen on the Fera stand at Cereals 2016.

The new spore trap has the latest techniques for assessing disease risk in cereal crops. Designed to catch spores in the field, measure the intensity and species of spores on that specific farm and report on local weather conditions, its findings are sent via 3G to the Fera hub for analysis and then made available as a report on a mobile or tablet device.

Reports can inform disease control programmes in real-time and may offer as much as a four-week warning on disease risk, much earlier than visual damage can be observed, said a spokeswoman.

Also on show will be Fera’s UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) fitted with the latest in high resolution, multi-spectral image capture and analysis.

This permits early intervention and leads to significant improvements in crop health and yield using imagery linked to precise co-ordinates, producing highly accurate mapping.

For example, mapping the advance of blackgrass, identifying areas of crop stress and how highly accurate mapping can benefit the farm in terms of, for example, checking RPA payments, are selling points.