Nutrient Management Guide (RB209) amendments (2020 edition)

RB209 offers best practice guidance in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on application of fertilisers and organic materials to crops and grassland. Since 2017, AHDB has published annual updates to the guidance, with the main changes published on this page. Guidance was last revised in February 2020.

Principles of nutrient management and fertiliser use

• Updated soil sampling and analysis guidance (page 25)
• Updated leaf, now crop analysis, information (page 26)
• Updated information on target soil indices (page 27)
• Updated information on phosphate fertilisers (page 37)

Organic materials

No changes

Grass and forage crops

No changes

Arable crops

• Consistent standard yield for cereal crops applied across N, P and K recommendations:
  • Winter wheat = 8 t/ha
  • Spring wheat = 6 t/ha
  • Winter barley = 6.5 t/ha
  • Spring barley = 5.5 t/ha
  • Winter triticale = 8 t/ha
  • Spring triticale = 6 t/ha
  • Winter and spring rye = 6 t/ha
  • Winter and spring oats = 6 t/ha
• Updated offtake values for arable crop materials (Table 4.11)
• Added guidance on grain analysis to improve phosphate management (page 21)
• Updated phosphate and potash recommendations for cereals – for when straw has been ploughed in/incorporated (Table 4.12) or removed (Table 4.13)

Note: The print edition of Section 4 contains an error. Phosphate and potash recommendations (Tables 4.12 and 4.13) are in kg/ha, not t/ha.

Potatoes

No changes

Vegetables and bulbs

• Improved information for courgettes and pumpkins (page 40)

Fruit, vines and hops

No changes