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Cover crops have many simultaneous roles that enhance the sustainability of agriculture compared to leaving land fallow in arable systems. In high rainfall climates, an important role of cover crops is to sequester nutrients, protecting them from loss to the environment. In many livestock intensive regions, organic manures are applied in autumn with land left fallow over winter and then a cash crop is planted in the spring. This practice of extended fallow, combined with the poorly synchronised application of nutrients to cash crop nutrient demand, further adds to the potential for large losses of nutrients specifically nitrogen (N) to the environment through leaching and volatilization. Therefore, if cover crops could respond to these nutrients through increased biomass growth and nutrient uptake, they could reduce these losses. Therefore, it is important to choose the correct species which grows adequately to deliver these potential benefits. In the region this study is conducted, Northern Ireland, there has been little research to investigate not only what optimum cover crop species are but also what species could respond to additional nutrients in the slurry. This study comprises two experiments, in consecutive years, including a combination of three factors: cover crop species (five species; a mixture and a control representing fallow); pig slurry. Consequently, it was found that with good growing conditions, in the trial year of 2018/19, species such as forage rape and tillage radish could significantly (p < 0.05) increase the amount of N contained in their biomass and the soil (to 15 cm) by 70 and 63%, respectively, in response to slurry. Alternatively, when slurry was applied to fallow land (conventional practice), low amounts (14 and 0% in the two trial years, respectively) of the N from the slurry were detected in weed biomass or retained in the soil. This demonstrates a large loss of N from the system. Thus, the integration of responsive cover crops with slurry is a better practice to abate N loss than conventional practice, if slurry applications can not be delayed.

Within the European Union (EU), new plant varieties to be included in the Common catalog of a member state have to be registered on the national list after plant variety testing processes to establish whether the candidate variety is distinguishable, uniform, and stable (DUS) and meets the cultivation or use value requirement (VCU). Technical development, climate change, and changing consumer needs, including the detection of GMOs, necessitate the innovation of plant variety testing methods. In our study, we assessed new characters, testing methods, and inclusion of additional data for the potential to benefit the DUS and VCU protocols. To achieve our goal, we asked experts to fill in questionnaires for the DUS and VCU methods currently used for a selection of common crops, including potato, maize, lentil, oilseed rape, and perennial grass. Within the EU-funded “InnoVar” project, partners sent out questionnaires to 19 European Countries and to 3 countries outside Europe. Surveys were aimed at analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) of the current methods. With their help, it is possible to look for a new direction, opportunity, and strategy to incorporate, together with the innovative new techniques, into the development of the new methods. Our study demonstrated that the SWOT analysis could be used to achieve the set goals. Results obtained after evaluation of surveys confirmed that introduction of new characters such as cold tolerance, nitrogen and water efficiency, etc. has become necessary, as has the inclusion of new test methods (molecular markers, precision techniques, organic farming). The development of high-yielding, disease and/or pest-resistant plant varieties with good adaptability and the accurate evaluation of genotypes play a crucial role in ensuring that farmers can access high-performing plant varieties and contribute to sustainable food production.

Cover crops are typically sown post-harvest of commercial crops, prior to winter, which means that as sowing date is delayed, so will biomass production potential. The wide range of benefits associated with cover crops relies on them to produce sufficient biomass. Therefore, it must be identified how late certain species of cover crops can be sown. In the climatic conditions of Northern Ireland, not only has no research been conducted on how cover crops perform at various sowing dates but also their effect on the subsequent commercial crop yield has not been investigated. Addressing these issue will in turn help provide recommendations to maximise and encourage later sowing of cover crops. Consequently, five species of cover crops were chosen, from a range of families, then sown on 14 August, 7 September and 27 September. This is to mimic when land becomes fallow post-harvest of typical crops/rotations to this region. It was found that tillage radish (Raphanus sativus L.), when sown on the earliest date, could accumulate a maximum of 261 kg/ha of nitrogen (N), whereas, when sown on the last date, phacelia (Phacelia tanacetifolia L.) significantly outperformed all other species and assimilated 70 kg/ha of N. The cover crops were then incorporated into the soil and over-sown with spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). However, the spring barley yield was unaffected by any treatments. This trial shows that the non-leguminous species chosen are highly effective in assimilating nutrients when sown mid-August until early-September.

Integration of cover crops into arable rotations over winter results in difficulty in determining the nitrogen (N) requirement for the following commercial crop. The region of Northern Ireland (NI) has had no previous field research on cover crops and how they may affect N supply to the following commercial crop. Stubble turnips (Brassica rapa oleifera L.) were sown as a cover crop, after the harvest of winter barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and retained over winter. Prior to planting the stubble turnips, pig slurry was applied to maximise cover crop growth. The stubble turnips accumulated 111 and 150 kg N/ha in their biomass. This equates to 79 and 107% of the N requirement of a 5 t/ha spring barley crop, if this N is released sufficiently. In this experiment, the cover crop of stubble turnips was over-sown with spring barley and supplemented with different rates of organic manures (either applied at 50 m3/ha of pig slurry or not applied), and inorganic N fertiliser (0, 70 and 140 kg N/ha), at two different timings (early or late). In the two experimental years, additional N supplied in the form of inorganic N or organic manures, did not significantly enhance spring barley yields. No control area of fallow was included in this trial. However, this study demonstrates that in this region there may be a greater rate of N release from the cover crop of stubble turnips than estimated due to agronomic management practices applied and conducive climatic conditions. This means that in this study location, a reduced N rate programme supplemented to the spring barley is possible, which lead to considerable financial savings.

The aim of this study is to identify species of cover crops that cause an increase in biomass and total nutrient accumulation in response to manure/slurry. This could improve nutrient efficiency and intensify the benefits from over-winter cover crops in arable rotations and improve following commercial crop yields. In a pot experiment, sixteen cover crops were grown for 100 days in response to slurry. Growth and nutrient (N, P, K, Mg and S) accumulation were measured, and then residue was reincorporated into the soil with spring barley (Hodeum vulgare L.) sown and harvested for yield. In response to slurry, tillage radish (Raphanus sativus L.) increased N accumulation by 101% due to a significant increase in biomass and % N (p < 0.05) over its relative control plots. Significant interactions between species and the application of slurry were found in cover crop biomass, cover crop and spring barley nutrient uptake, as well as cover crop carbon accumulation, particularly in the brassica species used. Slurry integrated with cover crops both reduced the cover crop C:N ratio and enhanced nutrient cycling compared to the control when soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) and spring barley crop N offtake were pooled. However, this was not observed in the legumes. This study shows that slurry integration with cover crops is a promising sustainable farming practice to sequester N and other macro-nutrients whilst providing a range of synergistic benefits to spring barley production when compared to unplanted/fallow land rotations. However, this advantage is subject to use of responsive cover crop species identified in this study.

Background—Autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) is integral to the treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), although its absolute necessity in first remission has been recently questioned. We report real-world factors that influence clinical decision-making and outcomes from ASCT in 733 patients with MM. Results—Similar to recent prospective data, we found a significant progression-free survival (PFS) benefit with early versus deferred ASCT (median PFS of 5.1 years versus 2.6 years, p < 0.001); however, there was no significant difference in overall survival (median OS of 8.3 years and 8.6 years, p = 0.21). Patient preference, age, marital status, body mass index, and comorbidities influence ASCT timing. Conclusion—These findings highlight the emerging role of an individualized, shared decision-making model regarding the timing of ASCT between patients and physicians with the myriad of treatment options available in the contemporary era.