A POND is one of the features being created in the new-look arable area at a countryside show this year.

The water feature for the Great Yorkshire Show, Harrogate, is intended to further increase the range of wildlife in the area and demonstrate different aspects of conservation planting.

Both novel and traditional crops will be showcased during the show, from July 8 to 10.

Crops such as crambe, camelina and borage will feature next to varieties of winter wheat and winter barley, and there will be wildlife and organic plots.

The arable area first became a feature of the show seven years ago, and has gone from strength to strength.

This year, the aim is to enable farmers to assess the merits of three different farming methods, traditional, novel and organic, against their current cropping.

The majority of the plots continue to show the latesttechnology, with different fertilisers, fungicides and growth regulators.