The team behind novel yet simple technology that reads plant moisture status directly from the stem of permanent crops like grapevines, kiwifruit and apple trees has beaten an impressive line up of finalists to win the 2024 Innovation in Irrigation Award.

It could be the perfect storm. Diminishing margins and rising costs, combined with forecast higher temperatures meaning increased insect pressure on crops.

Syngenta attended the Foundation for Arable Research CROPS event at Chertsey late last year, as a platinum sponsor of this flagship industry event.

Risks posed by chlorpyrifos to humans and the environment now outweigh its benefits, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) says.