THE impact of the summer heatwave will be felt by livestock and growers ‘for months to come’, an expert has warned.

Dr Nicola Cannon, principal lecturer in agronomy at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) in Cirencester has raised concerns that the 2018 heatwave will have long-term consequences for crops and livestock nutrition, with farmers having to reach into winter reserves of food and forage:

She said: “The extreme heat and very dry conditions are affecting agriculture in many ways and the impact of this extreme weather is going to be felt for months to come.

“Plants try to protect themselves from losing too much water by shutting down the guard cells which surround their stomata (pores allowing gas exchange).

"But as a result the plants cannot photosynthesise, as CO2 cannot then get in. If plants can’t photosynthesise they can’t grow and therefore productivity is immediately reduced.

“Some stressed cereal plants like spring barley can have almost pink straw which is thought to be a result of drought stress on the leaves during growing conditions.

"Arable crops are generally being reported as about 20 per cent down on normal yields.

"And many farmers with livestock on their farm are really struggling as there is insufficient grass and forage currently growing to meet their nutritional requirements.

“This has serious implications as not only is it an extra job to feed livestock now, but also they are currently eating the food that was being preserved for winter feeding.

"This is creating uncertainty about what livestock will eat later in the year.

“However, whilst cracked soils look very dramatic and dry there are some advantages to this process.

"The natural cracking can help break up compacted soils thereby increasing water infiltration and drainage in the winter as natural channels exist in the soils.

“The challenge for UK farmers is knowing what weather is likely to occur in a season, and that changes year by year."

Students can explore these challenges across the range of courses offered by the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester.

Places are currently available in clearing for a September 2018 start.