Special Reports

Latest report

8 July 2008

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
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Oilseed rape crops look well and have transformed from the poor state many started the year in. However sclerotinia levels, despite generally well timed sprays, are higher in many crops than I had anticipated.

Most of these infections are quite high in the canopy which indicates late infection after the fungicide had run out of steam. Worryingly some crops that received two applications still appear to be infected.

Spring barleys look to have tremendous potential but in thick patches Tipple is showing its weakness against ryncho. On the other hand Quench, with similar treatments, is spotless confirming its rating of 8 against Tipple's 4. Let's hope the maltsters and brewers give it the thumbs up.

Winter barley looks well but varieties are showing their relative competitiveness against grassweeds. I have one field of Sequel with some Retriever in the middle. The Sequel at 110cm tall is very clean visually and beneath the canopy. But the Retriever at 88cm is filthy with brome, blackgrass and volunteer wheat all showing.

Given the very limited herbicide armoury next year, crop competitiveness needs to become a much more important consideration.

Wheats have huge potential, though take-all levels in second wheats are very high sometimes despite the use of Latitude (silthiofam).

Atlantis and Pacifica (both iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium + mesosulfuron-methyl) treatments have been hit and miss on blackgrass and especially brome. Some of this is no doubt due to increased resistance.

A lack of any new chemistry against blackgrass and resistance fears ought to persuade us to avoid second wheats where possible and not put Atlantis under even more pressure.

Septoria levels on some crops on the flag leaf are worryingly high. This shows the need for good timing robust programmes and not being lulled into a false sense of security when the crop looks clean. Oakley unfortunately seems quite badly affected, and I have had reports of lodging in two crops despite very robust growth regulator programmes.

30 June 2008

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
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As this is my last piece for this crop year I've been looking through what I wrote this time last year, and I'm glad to say it couldn't have been more different.

Crops in general look very well, with the odd bit having gone down in fertiliser overlaps. There are some fairly untidy patches of grassweeds, mainly sterile brome, meadow brome that seems to have come from nowhere and ryegrass that has recovered from Atlantis (idosulfuron-methyl-sodium + mesosulfuron-methyl) sprays. That said, most crops look quite promising.

Any winter wheats that didn't get a robust T0 fungicide or had elongated intervals between sprays are beginning to show up. A lot of my wheats had effectively a four-spray regime this year and I don't think it was money wasted.

Winter rape is just ready for desiccation with glyphosate. There are some crops showing a small amount of sclerotinia on higher stems which would imply that it came in late, probably when mid-flowering sprays had run out of steam.

I'm beginning to wonder if sclerotinia risk has more to do with winter temperatures than the weather during flowering.

The only crop that does appear to be suffering is maize which I put down simply to the colder weather we have been having. I've never known the wind come from the north for quite so long as it has done this year. Hopefully we'll have a warm enough July and August to put it right.

The blight risk to potatoes has dropped away considerably and the weather has allowed spray regimes to go on as planned - another major difference from 2007. Let's hope it continues.

Here's hoping for a dry harvest. With fuel costs where they are at the moment we really don't want to fire up the driers unless we really need to.

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24 June 2008

James Boswell - H L Hutchinson, Kent
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After a very wet end of May, with up to a fifth of our annual rainfall in 14 days, crops now look very promising.

Levels of disease have remained very high, and in any field areas unsprayed complete defoliation has taken place - in Consort by septoria and in Robigus by yellow rust. This proves how severe the pressure has been.

All the main fungicide treatments have been applied in good conditions at near optimum timing, with triazole rates remaining high and many crops also receiving a strobilurin - in contrast to last year.

Disease pressure is also high in winter and spring beans and many crops have needed two-spray fungicide programmes.

Black bean aphid have re-infected plants and will need controlling with pirimicarb. The few peas grown this season look particularly well and still standing.

In winter barley the wet weather diseases, rhynchosporium and net blotch, have been well controlled by a well-timed two spray programme, and forward crops are now starting to turn.

Forward oilseed rape crops are approaching desiccation time starting at the end of June.

Yield, as always, remains very difficult to predict. But if the theory of a drought-free June and thin open crops yielding well is true, this must be the season to prove it.

Lots of the better crops are listing without being flat and we hope there are no terrible hail storms as decimated yields last year.

17 June 2008

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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After the deluge of late May light soils are starting to dry out again. The rain has done a tremendous amount of good and there seems to be a large winter wheat crop out there.

Equally both winter barley and spring barley look to be heavy crops with the exception of except some fields of Cassata winter barley which are showing blind grain sites - probably due to the April frosts or rain at flowering during May.

All winter wheats have had their T3 treatment and are between full anthesis to watery ripe stage with Einstein and Cordiale leading the way. Some are showing strange speckling and mottling symptoms, probably because of the very fast growth during late April and May. I hope this is not a precursor of tan spot.

Some milling crops in the local "hot spots" have been sprayed against orange blossom midge.

Winter barley is showing signs of net blotch on leaves three and four as well as heavy pollen scorch - but it is far too late to tackle the net blotch for any economic response.

Most winter rape crops have long finished flowering and have decent sized pods with translucent to white coloured seeds.

It is difficult to asses the true potential of this crop because of the unevenness of the plant density. What is sure is that most fields will benefit from desiccation this year but it will be a challenge to get the timing accurate.

Peas are making a rapid progress with early varieties flowering. Recent rain has increased the risk of mycosphaerella so these crops have been sprayed with fungicide plus pirimicarb insecticide to combat large numbers of aphids.

Most maize crops have received a post-emergence herbicide and the forward ones are at the eight-leaf stage. Where it is intensively grown consider the merits of spraying early next month against eyespot which can cause devastating yield losses.

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9 June 2008

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
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Some of my Crop Watch colleagues last week welcomed the recent rains. I have some growers on heavy land with game cover crops and forage maize rotting in waterlogged ground after receiving a second deluge in ten days, up to 5in in places, who may not agree with their sentiments.

On a more positive note most crops look well. Winter wheats have huge potential and should have just received an ear wash. Flag leaf spray delays caused by the recent weather concern me - time will tell how much disease breaks out on the top two leaves as a result. As usual orange blossom midge has received much attention recently but very few crops justified treatment.

Spring barley has just had its second fungicide and looks exceptional. Many crops are far too thick especially those grown after an application of sewage sludge. I can't remember the last time I had to use so much growth regulator on spring barley.

Winter beans are also on the thick side but podding so far seems good. They have just received their second fungicide treatment, and after last year's experiences may get a third if the weather stays wet.

Fertiliser prices are a joke at the moment. Crude oil has gone up 60% or so in the last year but ammonium nitrate is up 120%. Sounds to me like a little bit of profiteering is going on in the absence of much competition from imported product.

Phosphate I can understand, but potash seems a case of why can't we have a slice of the cake as well?

Nitrogen rates are under scrutiny with some commentators suggesting reductions of up to 50kg/ha based on current prices. Care should be exercised over reductions as large as this. Amongst other things they assume that optimum rates have been used in the past. On modern varieties a reduction of 25kg/ha is probably a more sensible approach.

As far as P and K are concerned targeting these very expensive inputs will be the key to maintaining margins and controlling costs. Up to date soil tests used carefully to take holidays where possible could well save huge amounts of money this year. After all at these prices applying P and K at an index three would be a very expensive luxury indeed.

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2 June 2008

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
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National chlorpyrifos week has arrived early this year. The hype started four weeks ago, first midge seen third week of May, and the hysteria set in during the last three days of May. Of all the potential hazards to hit a crop of wheat I have never known anything demand so many column inches and mental energy as orange wheat blossom midge. That’s my rant over.

Although not as early as last year, wheats have come into ear earlier than usual this year. The difference this year, however, is that it is not because they have gone into survival mode. In fact I would say that wheat crops at the moment look as promising as I’ve ever seen them for this time of year. I will get my come-uppance if they’re all knackered by OWBM.

Winter barley and winter rape are all put to bed. The rapes turned from yellow to green overnight because of the north-easterly winds and some mid-flowering sprays missed the ideal sclerotinia timing. Even so, they should give some protection from alternaria.

I’m getting almost daily warnings of Smiths periods so blight risk in potatoes is currently very high. The trouble is there are very opposing views on the value of systemic fungicides given last year’s increase in pathogens resistant to phenylamides. Answers on a postcard please to……..

Compared with last year, so far agronomy wise this year has been a doddle. The main focus of attention this year has been product supply and now what to do about next year’s fertiliser. But then we can’t have it too easy, can we?

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27 May 2008

James Boswell - H L Hutchinson, Kent
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Winter Wheat

First wheats continue to look very promising but second wheats and any on poor acidic soils look poor and thin.

After a weekend of high winds and three inches of heavy rain, some early drilled wheats have lodged. Septoria tritici continues to be the main disease, although low levels of mildew are beginning to show on stems and bottom leaves. A robust T2 has been applied within the last 7-10 days, which had been delayed due to wind.

With wet soil conditions and certain wheat varieties approaching the vulnerable growth stage, traps need to be set for orange wheat blossom midge to see if they reach threshold.

A triazole/strobilurin-based T3 is planned for middle/end of next week

Oilseed rape

Oilseed rape has continued to flower longer than was expected due to uneven crops. Mealy aphids were becoming a potential problem, but the cooler wetter weekend has reduced this but may lead to an increase in alternaria. Very few crops are sprayed specifically for this although it can be a very damaging disease.

Barley

As predicted in last month’s report, barley did race through its growth stages and those who missed the opportunity for extra growth regulation will rue this as barley starts to lodge.

Spring crops

Pea aphid is now appearing and needs controlling with an appropriate insecticide.
Winter beans are not as tall as usual but disease levels still remain high. Spring linseed has grown away well and levels of flax beetle have been low. Later sown maize in warm moist soils is growing away well.

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20 May 2008

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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Winter oilseed rape crops are at the mid-flower stage and the majority of these have now been treated against sclerotinia with Filan (boscalid). Most crops have a deceptive appearance of an even crop, but I am afraid that the original thin patches from poor establishment or the infamous pigeon onslaught are still there and this will result in lower yields than last year.

On the plus side, the harvest prices look healthy and should make up for the slightly lower yields.

Winter wheat crops are at the 50% flag-emerged to full flag-emerged stage. All crops have five clean leaves and are showing the benefit of the earlier T0 spray and the timing of the T1 spray which targeted leaf three.

The preferred fungicide choice this time will be based on a robust three-quarter rate triazole, such as epoxiconazole, in mixture with a strobilurin, such as pyraclostrobin at about half-rate. Do not be tempted to delay the application of this fungicide timing, even if the last fungicide was applied only recently. Remember that the flag leaf and the ear together will deliver 70% of the final yield.

Indeed with the higher cereal prices this year there will be a good case for a T3 fungicide at ear emergence stage, not only to supplement the flag leaf spray and protect the yield, but also to reduce the incidence of the mycotoxins.

Winter barleys are at the full ear emergence and look an absolute picture. Every thing being equal I believe the will yield very well.

Spring barley crops are growing at rapid pace and are now starting to cover the ground. There is some urgency to get the herbicide programmes completed, as little spraying was possible last week. The crops are clean at the moment, but it would be prudent to include a fungicide based on prothioconazole with the herbicide.

It would be a good idea over the next few weeks to start mapping those areas of fields where grassweeds have appeared and investigate the reasons for this. Sterile brome has appeared in fields this year where it has not been a problem for many years.

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12 May 2008

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
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Well the weather has finally warmed up, but it’s gone from Alaska to Alicante almost faster than you could travel from one to the other! As a result, crops held back by the cold are now growing at a prodigious rate and racing through there growth stages. This is throwing up a number of nutrient disorders with magnesium deficiency spotted in several places this week.

Oilseed rape crops mostly look well and are progressing rapidly through flowering. Sclerotinia sprays went on at the turn of the month and will give about three weeks protection. With the current high temperatures flowering could well be over in a fairly short period, even crops may therefore not require a second spray. Uneven crops are a different story and will almost certainly need a follow up application in high-risk areas.

Spring barley, which looked so sick this spring, has now really taken-off, some crops putting on huge numbers of tillers. Most have recently been treated with a prothioconazole/ strobilurin mix. Crop growth will need monitoring carefully in the next week so that decisions on the need for growth regulation can be made.

Winter barley crops have now got ears emerged and have received their final fungicide treatment again base round prothioconazole and strob mixes.

Forward winter wheat crops are at flag leaf emerging stage, some of these having only recently received their T1 spray. Despite the fact that in many cases this will have covered leaf two, don’t be tempted into delaying the flag leaf spray beyond full flag leaf emergence, even if the interval is as short as two weeks.

Remember the flag leaf is responsible for about 50% of yield. Rates should be kept at about three-quarter rate of either prothioconazole or epoxiconazole with about 30-40% strob added, pyraclostrobin having the edge in most cases.

Finally lets all cross our fingers and hope that when put to the vote in Europe this month the absurd and loony idea of assessing pesticides by hazard rather than risk is firmly rejected.

The prospect of loosing up to 80% of actives to a bit of ill-conceived, politically correct, environmentalist-appeasing stupidity does not really bear thinking about. Everything is hazardous, taken to the extreme the water we use to dilute pesticides with before spraying should be banned due to the drowning hazard it presents!

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6 May 2008

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
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Most wheat crops have had a T1 fungicide and the most forward wheats have the flag leaf just appearing on the main stem.

The threat from septoria remains very high, with plenty sitting about in the bottom of the crop and rainsplash events happening with monotonous regularity. Low temperatures however, have slowed the disease’s progress through the crop enough to keep on top of it.

For the second year running I am regretting the few second wheats I am involved with, especially if min-tilled. Last year it was the bone-dry April, this year it is the cold temperatures that have stopped them taking up nitrogen and leaving them looking starry and hungry. When you consider the price of nitrogen, the extra growing costs and inevitable difficulties in grassweed control in second wheats, spring barley looks a very attractive alternative on all but the heaviest ground.

I have never seen slug activity as high in spring crops as I have this year. Numerous spring barley crops have needed slug pellets. For the first time ever this year I have seen spring bean plants taken out completely by slugs. Applications on potato ridges have resulted in absolute carnage to the slug populations.

Winter rape has mostly had its mid–flowering fungicide. With regular rainfall through the whole of April and early May, in theory the sclerotinia risk is high, although last year’s experience tells me theoretical risk and final disease incidence don’t necessarily tally.

This is the second year I have not recommended one crop to have an insecticide post-Christmas. One day I’ll stick my neck out so far I’ll get my head chopped off.

Recommendations have gone in to put winter barley to bed. What a lovely feeling!

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28 April 2008

James Boswell - H L Hutchinson, Kent
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Winter barley
Crops are now starting to look better; more green than yellow. Disease levels appear average and with a T1 and growth regulator applied, most barley is looking promising.

If any extra PGR is needed, remember the cut off is before awns visible and as the crop races through growth stages during early-May it is important make an assessment now as this always catches a few out.

Winter wheat
Early-drilled wheat is at growth stage 31-32, with most having received a T0 2-3 weeks ago. It is now having its T1 spray; the main disease being Septoria tritici, and high levels of stem based disease. An appropriate fungicide dose of triazole plus chlorothalonil seems the norm.

Mildew levels are low, but active rust pustules can be found in Robigus where no T0 was applied, which is a major concern.

Winter oilseed rape
This crop has been the bane of growers lives this spring. Pigeons continue to be causing damage and many crops have no main flowering head on the plant - how this will affect yield is unknown, but with a cold, wet April the crop has not yet compensated.

On more advanced oilseed rape, most crops are reaching full flower but in these recent showery conditions, sclerotinia spraying has been delayed and petals have fallen and stuck to the main stem, which will dramatically increase the likelihood of disease.

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21 April 2008

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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The last two weeks have been like walking back into winter. Overnight frosts and the cold easterly winds have slowed the crops right down.

The majority of the winter wheat crops are at growth stage 31, except for Duxford, which is approaching GS 32.This looks to be an extremely good variety but should not be drilled before the middle of October.

There is heavy infection of septoria on the older leaves of most varieties of wheat. Luckily we have had opportunity to apply all the planned T0 fungicides and the first split of the pgr, so these wheats now have adequate protection until the T1 fungicides are applied, when the target will be leaf three. Do not be in a hurry to apply the T1 fungicide before emergence of leaf three or the gap between the T1 and T2 will be two wide.

All the Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) based grassweed control is complete. Where this has not been possible then priority should be given to this activity. The first split of the main nitrogen dressing has now been applied.

Winter barley is at GS 31 and has had its T1 fungicide treatment based on prothioconazole with strobilurin for rhynchosporium and net blotch. Both Pearl and surprisingly Casatta have 10% of the leaf infected with net blotch the latter has seen fresh lesions appear over the last ten days. Unlike wheat, the T1 fungicide in barley is more important than the T2 timing and so requires a doze rate appropriate to the level of disease.

The management of the winter oilseed rape this year is the most challenging that I have experienced over many years. It all started last autumn with poor germination because of the dry weather and ever since there have been three to four growth stages of plants in the same field, and since February the pigeons have been feasting on the rape incessantly.

Left alone the smaller plants would have more or less caught up and grown away, but the continuous cold weather has meant that the crop has been unable to grow away from the pigeons. Week commencing 21 April is expected to be warmer and hopefully the crop will make some rapid growth, but I fear that in some fields un-repairable damage has been done and there could some mediocre yields.

The most forward plants are at the yellow bud to early flowering stage and in some fields accentuated by the cold weather the plants are showing severe '258&publicationId=408">'magnesium deficiency symptoms.

15 April 2008

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
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Spring barley crops are finally growing away from the prolonged cold conditions, the more forward having just started to tiller. Defy (prosulfocarb) applied pre-emergence seems to be doing a good job with little grass or broadleaved weed activity at present.

Oilseed rape crops are still a very mixed bag. Those established in good soil conditions look well, but those crops mauled into wet soil conditions on heavy land with little or no cultivation look pretty dire, and show the extent of the damage to soil structure caused by last summer's weather.

Pollen beetles are well below threshold and now the first flowers are open in forward crops the risk is over, backward crops still need monitoring for a while yet

Last year's spectacular failure of the sclerotinia predictive system shows that we still have a lot to learn regarding this disease. All my crops will therefore be sprayed with a fungicide at first petal fall this year, product choice revolving around Filan (boscalid) or Amistar (azoxystrobin).

Winter barleys look well and are generally clean. T1 sprays will be going on to these from about the 17 April onwards and will be based on prothiconazole /strobilurin mixes, plus a growth regulator. Broadleaved weeds are virtually absent, which should simplify tank mixes.

Most wheat crops range from growth stage 30-31. Septoria is the predominant disease at the moment. The more forward crops are probably going to hit the T1 timing from about the 21 April onwards, but as always the important factor is leaf emergence, with final leaf three being the target. Careful plant dissection is needed to check this and once confirmed, epoxyconazole or prothioconazole-based sprays at around half rate plus chlorothalonil will be used.

Blackgrass control with Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) this spring has proved tricky, fortunately I did quite a lot in the last week of January in mild conditions and these have all worked exceptionally well. Some of the later applications have gone onto large blackgrass in the recent cold conditions and I fear these will not be as successful, only time will tell!

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7 April 2008

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire

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The most forward Einstein is already at growth stage 32 and has had a T0 fungicide and a decent dose of growth regulator. Most other wheats have either just had, or are about to get theirs now and the backward wheats will probably get an early T1 with a single PGR later on in the month.

Winter barley will be getting a T1 fungicide over the next few days and most winter oilseed rape has had a stem extension fungicide, although there are still plenty of crops (or patches within crops) where the pigeons have had a field day. I don't think I've ever seen such damage come in quite so late in rape before. Rabbits too have come in late and there are lots of badly grazed areas in wheat and barley.

Reports of pollen beetle have started to trickle in for winter oilseed rape, but I've not seen anything worth spraying yet and the recent cold snap should help keep them at bay. The threat of pyrethroid resistance is still an important issue, and I'm taking it quite seriously and avoiding spraying unless absolutely necessary. The backward pigeon grazed crops could be an example.

Some spring beans are just poking through and some have yet to be drilled. There is a lot of ground still too wet to get anywhere near I saw a tractor on the Surrey Weald stuck up to its mudguards last weekend trying to get some fertiliser on.

Waking up last Sunday to six inches of snow was quite interesting. It was all gone by tea-time and I don't think it's done any lasting damage.

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25 March 2008

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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After last week's weather it seems that the winter is not quite over yet. One of my customers told me last week that this is "Blackthorn winter" weather. We had March in February and are having February weather now in March.

Most crops looked extremely well last week but now the cold northerly blast will have set the crops back and might even check some of the disease that is easily spotted in most cereal crops.

However, note that it has been a mild winter by comparison, with temperatures about two degrees above the seasonal average. So the recent cold weather will do nothing to the septoria that can be easily spotted on the old dead leaves of the wheat plants or the pustules of brown rust that are visible on Alchemy and Zebedee. At best the disease will be set back by a few days.

Winter barley, which is between growth stage 24-29, is starting to show signs of rhynchosporium. Fields on light sandy soils are now starting to show typical symptoms of manganese deficiency.

There has been little opportunity to apply Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) to winter wheat for the control of blackgrass because of the weather, so any outstanding treatments should be completed as a matter of urgency.

Winter wheat crops are close to GS 29 and are approaching the T0 timing. It may be appropriate to mix Atlantis with the fungicide where blackgrass is a problem. However note that chlorothalonil mixtures with Atlantis are to be avoided, as it will give reduced blackgrass control.

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17 March 2008

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

Having just been away for a fortnight, it's nice to come back to find crops have not raced away as I'd feared they might. Early Einstein and '27412&langid=96">'Solstice are at growth stage 31, with Claire not far behind.

Later-drilled and second wheats have taken up their earlier nitrogen and now look a reasonable colour. Most early wheats have only just had nitrogen and will soon get their first chlormequat split. Very lush crops will have two doses pre-GS32 and probably some Moddus (trinexapac-ethyl) with their T1 fungicide possibly even following up with '4682&pageno=1&origin=prodsearch">'Terpal (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid + mepiquat chloride) later on.

Claire looks pretty manky in places where mildew-attacked leaf is dying back. but I'm not worrying about it the T0's will include a mildewicide, probably '17565&pageno=1&origin=prodsearch">'Flexity (metrafenone) because I value its contribution to eyespot control.

Most of my wheats will have a T0 this year, as they have done for quite a few years. I am a firm believer in its use as a management tool to buy a bit of time if the weather becomes difficult at traditional T1 timing. Although brown rust levels are no worse than normal in this area for this time of year, last season showed the value of an early triazole to stay on top of it.

Winter oilseed rape has responded to nitrogen and most crops have buds visible, if not extending. Where Fox (bifenox) hasn't gone on, it's now too late. December applications of carbetamide have done a fantastic job, even where a contact graminicide was not included (don't ask!).

Stem extension fungicide recommendations are going in now, but I have many crops where growth regulation will not be a problem.

I've told people not to sow spring beans unless they know they can turn round and spray them. We are so reliant on pre-em herbicides, because post-em treatments (such as they are) are notoriously unreliable and expensive.

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10 March 2008

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

The weather last month was mostly dry but quite windy with sharp frosts. As a result most spring barley is now drilled but remaining Atlantis/ Pacifica (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) applications on wheat are waiting for better conditions. Applications made in late January at the end of the mild spell have worked exceptionally well.

Forward oilseed rape crops are now into stem extension and many have a Green Area Index (GAI) above one, these will shortly receive an application of metconazole for growth regulation and canopy management.

After last year's sclerotinia problems, most crops will fall into the high risk category this year, so a mid-flower spray will be a "no brainer". It therefore makes sense to apply the growth regulation spray, if needed, at early- to mid- rather than late-stem extension so a sensible gap exists between the two applications.

The earliest drilled wheat crops are now approaching growth stage 30, barley crops lag some way behind this. These crops will soon require a T0 spray which will be based on Bravo (chlorothalonil) with a small dose of rust-active triazole (cyproconazole or tebuconazole at 25% dose) added on the rusty varieties.

Remember not too exceed the four week rule and time the T0 spray accordingly. Leaf three, the correct T1 time, will emerge around the 14-21 April so the T0 spray doesn't want to go on until the week starting 17 March at the earliest!

If outstanding Atlantis applications can be made before this to avoid complex mixes including growth regulators the opportunity should be taken since antagonism and reduced levels of blackgrass control have been seen in the past with some products.

Current crop prices have moved the goal posts regarding fungicide use on most crops this year. Spend in the past has been constrained by poor returns and doses have been pegged back. This year the return on investment will be double what it normally is.

Rates should go up accordingly to maximise this return and an increased spend of 25% would be prudent.

Finally with a large crop in the ground globally and lots of speculators in the market I cant help thinking £155-£160 for November feed wheat looks a good price!

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4 March 2008

James Boswell - H L Hutchinson, Kent
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Oilseed rape

Phoma levels have at last declined many crops needed spraying twice in the autumn.

On the forward crops green bud is now showing and many fields have received treatments during the warmer periods of the last 4-6 weeks for broad leaved weeds, especially charlock, poppies, cleavers and mayweed.

Applications of propyzamide plus graminicide have given excellent levels of blackgrass control during the colder snaps. Nitrogen plus sulphur applications have taken place and rape crops continue to look promising.

Winter wheat

Early-drilled September wheat is now at growth stage 30. '167
">'Gout fly larvae can easily be found in wheat tillers, but as they only affect a single tiller, they have caused limited damage.

Disease levels are variable. Septoria tritici is particularly high in Consort and Einstein, mildew is present in almost all varieties on lower leaves, while levels of over-wintered brown rust pustules appear lower than last year. A T0 spray will soon be applied and must be triazole plus chlorothalonil-based and special attention is needed to match actives and dose rates against disease pressures.

Blackgrass continues to grow strongly and not all autumn-applied contact products have been successful and tests for resistance are planned. Please remember if you're spraying is delayed, Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) can not be mixed with Moddus (trinexapac-ethyl) or Canopy (mepiquat + prohexadione calcium).

Winter barley

Still looks various shades of yellow, with early nitrogen now being applied. Levels of rhynchosporium and net blotch remain low, along with rusts and mildew.T1 sprays are at least 5-7 days away.

Pests

Early- to mid-winter pigeon grazing was at low levels, but during the early February cold snaps, flocks grew to huge numbers and have continued to be a big problem as rape starts to stem extend.

With very few spring crops being drilled, pigeon pressure remains high. Worse still have been rabbits, in some areas many growers comment on highest in-field numbers they have seen.

All aspects of control are being adopted and even the expense of rabbit fencing is now an easier financial decision to contemplate.

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25 February 2008

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
(Click to contact)

There is a great variation in the canopy size of crops this year. The early drilled crops of cereals that hit moisture have many tillers and will need good management with growth regulators, albeit, they have good root system.

Some late-drilled fields and especially the second wheats are looking thin and backward.

Nitrogen fertiliser with sulphur is being applied to all cereals. First wheats and barleys will get 50kg/ha and second wheats will receive 75-90kg /ha Nitrogen depending on the Soil Mineral Nitrogen (SMN) levels. Similarly oilseed rape will get 60kg of Nitrogen and 75kg SO3 as enclosed buds are now visible on most crops.

Some backward crops of oilseed rape are showing signs of new phoma lesions and could justify an application of a fungicide such as fusilazole.

Most wheat crops are looking fairly clean with only trace levels of Septoria tritici. Alchemy and Cordiale are showing low levels of brown rust similar to last year and will need watching, considering the problems we had with this disease in some parts of the country.

Some Pearl and Maris otter varieties of barley are showing signs of rhynchosporium probably due to the very wet January, but the recent frosts will have checked it.

Spring barley drilling has started and weather permitting should be complete in the next 10 days. Make sure that the soil conditions are right to drill as spring barley is not a forgiving crop and muddling it in will surely lead to a poor yield. For malting barleys half the nitrogen and sulphur fertiliser should be applied at drilling and the remaining at the two leaf stage.

Check all winter crops for remnants of any weeds left over by the residuals and remember if using an sulfonylurea product then be careful to check the restrictions on sequences. A large number of cleavers are present in some fields. Blackgrass has started to grow and will be treated when weather conditions improve.

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18 February 2008

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

I went into the Christmas lull relatively reassured that whatever happened afterwards it was unlikely that we would be faced with the same problems that we had this time last year.

Even the most forward wheats would not be too forward, and the kind autumn meant drilling had gone on quite late so many wheats were not even much more than 1-2 leaves. The trouble is that we have had an unbelievably mild (and wet) January and these forward crops are now looking uncomfortably strong.

Based on the (possibly naïve) assumption that we can't possibly have the same weather patterns as we had last spring I'll certainly be holding off any nitrogen on these crops until mid - March at the earliest.

We've just had a couple of decent frosts and it would be nice to think that they might do the same job as a PGR. On the plus side the later wheats have had a chance to catch up and now look quite respectable.

Any Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) that didn't get sprayed last autumn (and most crops that needed it got it in good time anyway) will now wait until things start moving properly next month. Spring applications of IPU and CTU can do a very good job on meadow grass but be aware spring crop damage is far more likely to affect yield than autumn damage.

Winter oilseed rape is certainly different from last year. I have no crops that are too forward for early nitrogen and as I write most are having their sulphur/nitrogen dose now.

A lot of Fox (bifenox) and Crawler (carbetamide) recommendations have gone on over the last few weeks and the recent cooler weather will hopefully ensure that they do a decent job.

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12 February 2008

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

Well here we go another season has started. Allegedly we have had a winter I must have blinked and missed it!

Oilseed rape crops seem to fall into two camps, those that have had the unwelcome attentions of pigeons all winter and those that have escaped unscathed. I am pleasantly surprised to see that most of the small crops I was worried about last autumn have made it through the winter and now look quite promising.

Phoma on crops treated last October/ November is now making a return and will be treated shortly. The current high prices make it easy to justify a late second treatment.

Cereal crops generally look well, many carrying more tillers than ideal. Late-drilled wheat crops on heavy or slow draining land don't look so clever. The heavy rains and water logging experienced before emergence have had a dramatic effect on establishment.

Some of these will, with careful management, turn into useful crops, but the odd crop will require re-drilling. Manganese deficiency is starting to appear in the normal "early warning" places and will be treated as required.

Blackgrass levels are generally lower than expected, the much heralded protracted germination has not materialised. This could be due to exceptional pre-emergence herbicide control. I do wonder however if the viability and vigour of blackgrass seed shed last year has been affected by the wet weather and fusarium present at grain fill in the same way as cereal seed was. I would be interested to know if anyone has done any work on this.

Atlantis and Pacifica [iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron] follow-up sprays where needed have already been recommended and are going on as and when the weather conditions are right.

Light soils are drying nicely and I expect by the time you read this that my first spring barley crops will have been drilled. We now have another herbicide option for this crop in the form of Defy [prosulfocarb] pre-emergence on a SOLA. 2l/ha would give very good control of annual meadowgrass and 4l/ha + Stomp [pendimethalin] would be a good starter in blackgrass situations.

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27 November 2007

James Boswell - H L Hutchinson, Kent (Click to contact)

Oilseed rape

Phoma is infecting small backward crops and needs to be treated with a fungicide. Forward crops are becoming re-infected and also need treating.

With soil temperatures dropping to 5-6C, now is a good time to use Kerb (propyzamide) or Crawler (carbetamide) to control difficult grassweeds. Please remember that if a graminicide has already been used and a further graminicide is needed, you can't use the same product twice.

Rabbit and now pigeon damage continue to affect those backward, open crops.

Winter wheat

Wheat continues to grow away very well without being too forward. Pustules of disease can be found, but levels are lower than this time last year.

With good spraying conditions this autumn there has been a wide variation in timings, with flexible herbicides being applied pre-, peri- and post-emergence for grassweed control. The pre-emergence applications seem to have given the best control.

For early blackgrass control, Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) that has been applied within the last three weeks seems to be working well.

Winter barley

Winter barley is looking more forward than the wheat, but fortunately disease levels are average for this time of year.

Winter beans

These are emerging slowly and most have been sprayed pre-emergence with propyzamide mixed with clomazone to improve cleaver control.

Other regional reports:
East 
North
West/South west

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19 November 2007

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
(Click to contact)

Higher than average air and soil temperatures over the last two weeks have resulted in the earlier-drilled crops establishing themselves well and the later-drilled crops have put on extra leaves.

Quite a lot of oilseed rape crops are very uneven this year. This is the result of lack of rain after drilling, but importantly, in many instances poor soil structure due to the wet harvest is responsible. It will be useful to make note of these areas and sub soil before next years crops are established.

Wheat crops drilled in the third week of September are at the two tiller growth stage 22, while the mid-October-drilled crops are at the two leaf GS12. Some early-drilled crops of Alchemy are showing signs of mildew and brown rust, however recent frosts will have helped to check their progress. Winter barley crops are at the four leaf stage.

A variable number of phoma leaf spot lesions are visible in most crops of oilseed rape, across all varieties. Rain this weekend will encourage the development of phoma, so monitor these crops carefully and once the 10% - 20% threshold level has been reached be prepared to spray. I suggest spray the smaller plants up to the four-leaf stage at the 10% infection level. Most crops are now out of danger from Downy mildew as they are beyond the cotyledon leaf stage.

The pre-emergence blackgrass treatments seem to have worked well this year, but blackgrass growth is slow and later than last year. The largest blackgrass is at the three-leaf stage and ready to spray with Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron), but remember to add a good residual partner in order to take care of the high blackgrass dormancy.

This year it is permissible to use a lower water volume of 100 litres per hectare with Atlantis, but I would advise the use of 200 litres/ ha if the crops are dense. Also consider using the Hawk nozzle if possible to improve the chemical deposition on the leaf.

Other regional reports:
East 
North
West/South west

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12 November 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

A month ago many of us were concerned about backward rape crops and their ability to survive the winter. In most cases my rape crops should now be okay and have grown well recently, especially those treated to a small dose of nitrogen!

Most crops have received a fungicide against phoma. Kerb (propyzamide) or Crawler (carbetamide) where needed will be applied once soil temps have dropped another couple of degrees. Crawler plus a graminicide would be the preferred choice if blackgrass is coming from any depth.

Wheat crops following rape are a mixed bag. The benefits of fine well consolidated seedbeds with even distribution and incorporation of crop residues are now evident. On poor seedbeds, with trash problems, slugs have been a nightmare, multiple applications being the norm, with the occasional crop requiring redrilling.

Seed vigour seems an issue this year. This is very evident on one farm which received two different seed lots of the same variety, one is growing away well the other standing still! Oat seed seems even worse, I have heard of one seed lot performing so badly that it has been retested and was found to have a germination rate below 50%!

Pre-emergence sprays applied to good seedbeds have worked very well, the majority of crops carrying only a low level of blackgrass. On very cloddy seedbeds where there is potential to release more seed I am waiting until spring to apply Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron), or using a cheap holding spray for the time being.

The remainder I aim to get on shortly before temps drop too low for effective control. With increasing levels of resistance and a more limited armoury of actives next year avoid using Atlantis where possible.

Most winter bean crops are now in. Pre-emergence herbicide options, now simazine has gone, are limited. Defy (prosulfocarb) + Stomp (pendimethalin) (both SOLAS ) seems on paper to offer the widest broadleaved and grassweed spectrum. Time will tell how well this works in practice!

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5 November 2007

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

Having had one of the most challenging springs and difficult summers for many years we are now coming to the end of an extremely generous autumn. In the southeast we have had the odd spell of rain followed by good sunshine and usually a helpful drying wind.

The result of this is that most winter drilling down here has gone in in ideal conditions, and even the earlier struggling rape has managed to keep itself going, backward though it is.

In winter wheat on heavier soils we have seen a bit of slug damage, but as we were expecting a lot worse, most growers had plenty of pellets ready to rectify the situation. Also prophylactic treatments after winter rape have been very worthwhile with reports of “carnage” being witnessed shortly after pellets have been applied.

The open autumn has meant all programmed pre–emergence treatments have gone on as planned and most have been followed up with a post-emergence spray. I have to say that either due to very effective pre-em applications or increased dormancy (about which I’m actually very sceptical – there’s plenty of blackgrass coming through with the crop where a good pre-em hasn’t been used) many follow-ups have not had the planned Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) and have ended up with just trifluralin + (where necessary) a drop of CMPP +/- pyrethroid.

Crops that had no pre-em planned have largely been recommended their autumn herbicide. It’s lovely to think that many crops will be put to bed for the winter before the middle of November! (The Tabloid-predicted Siberian winter will prevent any late in-flights of aphids).

All winter rape has had a phoma spray. Larger crops are well into threshold and as there are many small plants about the risk of leaving them is too high. Over the next month when soil temperatures drop I will be putting in carbetamide and propyzamide recommendations on fields where grassweeds are a known problem.

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30 October 2007

James Boswell H L Hutchinson, Kent
(Click to contact)

Winter barley
Barley is looking well and looks clean and disease levels remain low. Grassweed levels are increasing and blackgrass and ryegrass and will need controlling very soon, with a contact herbicide. Some forward barley is at growth stage 15.

Oilseed rape
Oilseed rape variation is becoming more pronounced. Forward crops are now at boot height and will need extra canopy management. These fields have had at least one phoma spray and if the wet, mild weather returns and disease pressure rises they will need a follow-up phoma spray.

Poorly established, thin crops continue to need close monitoring. Downy mildew, cabbage stem flea beetle, slugs, pigeons and more noticeably rabbit damage has got to be addressed as some plants are only at 1-2 true leaves.

With soil temperatures at 12C its still too warm for propyzamide/ carbetamide and a mild week is also forecast.

Winter wheat
Drilling has gone well over the last 10 days and is now all-but complete. Many crops emerged quickly and lots were sprayed at peri-emergence with a residual herbicide to boost grassweed control and a pyrethroid for BYDV was added.

As far as BYDV is concerned, a follow-up or second split application may well be needed if the weather forecast for mild conditions is correct.

Slugs continue to be a major problem and warm, mild nights will only increase the risk. Many have had a seed dressing to reduce slug activity, but with such high pressure a sharp eye is still needed.

During the late summer early autumn there has been an increase in rabbit fencing and pest control, soil sampling, liming and P and K holidays have been closely addressed.

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22 October 2007

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/Wilts
(Click to contact)

Nearly 95% of the crops have now been drilled. The soil is still warm and after the recent rain all crops are growing rapidly.

Earliest-drilled wheat crops are at the four-leaf stage and barleys have two leaves.

Oilseed rape is giving some concern, with some fields containing plants with six leaves and others only at the cotyledon stage, these being infected with downy mildew.

Hopefuly the weather will stay mild for some time otherwise these small plants will perish. This time last year oilseed rape crop was wall to wall and most plants had 8 to 10 leaves.

All crops are being affected by very high slug activity, which is the worst I have seen. The most seriously affected fields are those that were ploughed with cloddy seed beds and those with wheat following oilseed rape.

Some fields have already been treated 3 times. I advise applying the full recommended  rate of a good quality slug pellet at the earliest opportunity.

Large numbers of winged aphids have been seen on newly emerged wheat and barley, hardly surprising given the mild weather. Seed treated with Deter (clothianidin) will have about eight weeks’ protection against BYDV-spreading aphids.

Others will need early attention with a pyrethroid insecticide. It may be possible to tank-mix a herbicide, but beware complex hot mixes on tender crops, especially during frosty weather.

Some blackgrass has come through the pre-emergence sprays because of the earlier dry weather, and is already at the two-leaf leaf stage. This will need treatment soon.

Oilseed rape plants are now showing phoma leaf spot lesions and need urgent action where 10-20% of the leaves are affected.

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16 October 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

Oilseed rape crops range from fully expanded cotyledons to 4-6 leaves,sometimes in the same field.

Provided the mild conditions prevail, late and backward crops stand every chance of making it through the winter.

But in the coming weeks extra vigilance will be needed over slug and pigeon control.

Some small crops are showing high levels of downy mildew on the cotyledons but hopefully once the first true leaf appears they will grow away from this. Phoma has yet to put in an appearance.

Cereal drilling is progressing well. Early seedbeds on heavy ground proved rather cloddy to say the least. In some instances slugs have hollowed out grain despite best efforts at control.

Populations after rape are at record levels and some fields are already receiving a third application of pellets. In some cases Deter (clothianidin) seem to have had little effect in reducing hollowing.

Is it a case of slugs not reading the product manual, an over-optimistic claim or record slug numbers?

Some redrilling is likely, provided seed is still available. Given the high levels of fusarium this year, I ould not advise using untreated grain out of the barn.

Some crops have high levels of aphids and need treating soon. At current temperatures crops without an insecticidal seed dressing will be at risk of BYDV about 2-3 weeks after emergence.

Most of my wheat crops have received a pre-emergence spray. Crops with high blackgrass levels will be treated shortly with an IPU/Hawk(clodinafop-propargyl + trifluralin) mix to take some of the pressure off Atlantis later on.

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9 October 2007

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

Wheat drilling is now well under way and by the time this goes to press many people will have finished. We had some welcome rain last weekend that softened up the clods and have resulted in some near perfect seedbeds.

 Slug activity is still quite high and I’m glad most farms stocked up with pellets in readiness for the rain triggering the slugs into action. The limit on IPU rates has meant an increase in the use of pre–emergence sprays and fingers crossed they should work very well given the seedbeds and the moisture.

Oilseed rape has pretty well fully emerged, with some slug losses here and there, but not much has required re-drilling. It always amazes me how resilient winter rape is, and provided it is not actually eaten by slugs or (usually) partridges, how it manages to struggle through in the end.

At the time of writing I haven’t seen any phoma in any crops yet, but if it does come in, with small plants, control will be all the more important, and getting in early with flusilazole, difenoconazole or prothioconazole is the message I want to get across. Having been slightly sceptical of autumn growth regulation in the past I see even less reason to use those types of fungicides this year on small, backward rape plants.

I still have some crops waiting to be combined. Lupins and millet have refused to go off and even with desiccation; some are unlikely to be combined for a week or so. Let’s hope the Indian summer stays with us at least until they’re in the shed.

Forage maize has largely been cut, some dying off early because of eyespot.The grain maize, having been planted much later, seems to have escaped the worst of it.

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1 October 2007

James Boswell H L Hutchinson, Kent
(Click to contact)

Oilseed rape drilling is down by about 20%, with crops variable by field rather than in-field. Early crops that found moisture have 6-7 true leaves and look very good.

A graminicide for grassweeds, insecticide for cabbage stem flea beetle and clopyralid for thistles has already been applied. Phoma can now be found and will need controlling as soon as possible.

Unfortunately not all oilseed rape has established well. Some went into dry seed beds three weeks ago and has only germinated over the last seven days as rain arrived. These crops are still at high-risk from slugs if it remains damp and flea beetle if the weather is dry and bright.

Keep checking regularly for slug activity, setting traps, and looking for any shredding on grassweeds.

Wheat drilling may be up by 25% this season. Drilling started from the first week of September into drying seed beds. Seed rates varied from 140-260seeds per m2. The first rains arrived seven days ago and seedbeds have since improved.

Last week saw pre-emergence herbicides applied. There has been a huge increase in pre-emergence herbicide demand for grassweed control this season and product flexibility (pre- and peri-emergence) is important as crops now being drilled into moist seedbeds will emerge within 5-7 days.

Remember to keep monitoring for slugs in wheat. On heavier land drilling and rolling can be an opportunity to culturally reduce grain hollowing and subterranean slug damage.

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24 September 2007

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
(Click to contact)

Creating seed-beds on heavier soils is turning out to be a nightmare this year due to the wet soils underneath. Where the seed-beds are cobbly then expect a poor germination and establishment of the crop. This in turn is going to result in low competition to the grass weeds and indeed the residual herbicides themselves will perform less effectively.

Couple this with the high dormancy of  blackgrass this season and the result is a testing scenario for grassweed control. So to help out, use stale seed-beds for as long as possible and also use slightly higher seed rates to produce a strong competitive crop.

Where the seed-beds have been fine the oilseed rape crops have emerged quickly and evenly and are now at the one true leaf stage. Volunteer cereals are coming through fast and will need spraying quickly in order to help the parched crop establish.

In most cases it will be necessary to spray the crop again to control the second flush of volunteer cereals and the blackgrass, but remember that the new rules prohibit the use of the same graminicide molecule twice in the same crop unless it is against a different target.

This time last year there was phoma present in rape crops and some had already been sprayed with a fungicide, but this year with the dry weather the risk at present is low. I have noticed turnip sawfly larvae in fields of volunteer oilseed rape.This is some two weeks earlier than last year.

As I write it has started to rain, and with the forecast for further rain later this week, slugs could be a problem and be prepared to apply some slug pellets.

Wheat drilling started last week and where blackgrass is expected to be a problem a robust rate of a pre-emergent herbicide has been applied.

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17 September 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

Well, our year of extremes continues. Some heavy and low lying fields are so wet at depth that the last fields have only just been cleared, but the dry weather of the last three weeks means cultivated ground is very dry and knobbly.

Oilseed rape varies from crops established early, in good soil conditions on lighter soil types which look well, to seed lying in dry cobbles waiting for rain to have any chance of germinating!

Slugs remain an ever-present threat and constant vigilance is required. Most of my crops have had an insurance dressing of a metaldehyde-based pellet straight after drilling. Some direct drilled or autocast crops required two or more applications, with very evident thinning if these were delayed. Most have had a pre-emergence spray but in really dry cobbly seedbeds I have elected to wait and see what emerges!

Stale seedbeds are proving tricky to achieve. Early cultivated ground has produced a good chit of blackgrass, but soils moved recently in the dry spell are unlikely to produce much of a chit at all.

This coupled with the increase in Atlantis (iodosulfuron + mesosulfuron) resistance and the high dormancy of blackgrass seed this year is going to test pre emergence sprays to the limit. Robust pre-ems with good persistence should therefore be the norm.

Delaying drilling, until we have a chit, would help the situation but with heavy soils close to field capacity below cultivation depth it would be a very brave man indeed who waited this autumn!

Due to very high slug numbers following rape I had intended to pre bait, in a damp spell, with a cheap pellet 4-5 days pre drilling. This is looking increasingly unlikely now. The next best defence will be to drill at least 35mm deep, consolidate well and apply a dose of pellets immediately post drilling on problem fields to reduce the population before the crop emerges.

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11 September 2007

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

Having been away for a fortnight it’s nice to come back and find that most of the combining is now over with the exception of a few spring beans, linseed and lupins.

Wheat yields this year are down by anything between 10-25%; most simply never made up from yield lost during the April/ May drought. However, high prices and good premiums for quality have helped keep spirits up.

Oilseed rape has been drilled into seedbeds of varying quality. Heavy soils are still like pudding underneath, and where clods have been brought up some are baking out leading to some fields struggling to germinate due to lack of moisture!

I have recommended most fields have a protective layer of slug pellets of some sort as slug numbers are exceptionally high. On min-tilled situations volunteers are already at a stage where they will need taking out and most of mine will be combined with an early post – emergence broad leaved weed herbicide e.g. Novall or Katamaran (metazachlor + quinmerac). We are already seeing activity (on volunteer rape) from Turnip sawfly caterpillars, so a pyrethroid will also be included.

Where it is wet underneath, particularly on soils with high clay content, I am questioning the value of subsoiling too early if the result is only going to be like cutting through cheese. In the past, I’ve seen top cultivations done first, followed by a well – adjusted flat –lift type subsoiler two or three weeks later work very well.

Early moved rape and pea stubbles have had an excellent chit of volunteers and grassweeds, providing an excellent opportunity to clean up with glyphosate. The importance of this strategy cannot be overstated. With a rate limit on IPU, potential loss of trifluralin and growing reliance on (and therefore resistance to) sulfonylureas this has become an essential part of autumn cultivation programmes.

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4 September 2007

James Boswell H L Hutchinson, Kent
(Click to contact)

Winter wheat

With wheat harvest results now available yields have been variable. Yellow rust proved easier to control than the persistent brown rust. '1915&sec_id=353">'Robigus has yielded better than expected even in crops with high levels of disease.

'1916&sec_id=353">'Cordiale, Consort, Gladiator and Einstein have all yielded well where a full three to four spray fungicide programme was used. Most growers are keeping the same varieties and blaming a very difficult season rather than their variety choice.

Oilseed rape

Again very variable yields due to sclerotinia and localised severe hail damage that decimated crops. Undamaged areas averaged 3.4- 4t/ha. Castille is still the most popular variety.

Drilling oilseed rape is well underway and seed-beds are looking fine although now starting to dry out on top. Many growers will apply a pre-emergence spray, with five main active ingredients - metazachlor, quinmerac, dimethenamid-p, trifluralin and clomazone – to choose from. Each has specific herbicide strengths.

It is important to know which weeds to expect with differing establishment methods. Thistles continue to germinate on undisturbed Autocast fields and will be controlled in late autumn with a clopyralid-based product.

Oilseed rape drillings will be down this year by up to 20% with a big increase in second and continuous wheats. Poor second wheat yields due to take-all need to be addressed by considering a more specific seed dressing.

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28 August 2007

The harvest is nearly over with all of the oilseed rape, winter wheat and winter barley nearly done and only some spring barley to be harvested.

Yields have been marginally lower than last year, but considering the dry April we had this year and coupled with a very wet May and June, the harvest has been very pleasing.

Winter wheats have yielded a touch under 4t/ acre, winter barleys 3.25 t/acre, oilseed rape at1.75t/acre, and spring barley at 2.8t/acre. We did not have the brown rust pressure that the rest of the country had - either we were just plain lucky or we chose the correct fungicide molecules and got the application timing just right! The only disappointment has been winter oats, which were light as a feather.

Thoughts are now focussed to the next season. Fields, which are due for oilseed rape, have been sprayed with glyphosate and will be drilled this week. The majority of fields will be sprayed pre-emergent of the crop with a mix of trifluralin + metazachlor or trifluralin and then followed with metazachlor post-emergence.

Carefully calculate the seed rate depending on the variety and whether the variety is conventional or a hybrid to avoid an over thick canopy in the spring .For conventionals use about 75 seeds/ m2 and hybrids use about 60 seeds/m2 .It has been forecast that the slugs could be a problem this year so do not forget to factor this in and also take in to account the seedbed conditions.

With the damp and cool summer this year the grass weed dormancy is likely to be high, so try to adopt stale seedbeds and spray these off with glyphosate in order to reduce the burden on the ever-shrinking armoury of grass weed herbicides.

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9 July 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

What a year of extremes. No rainfall at all in April, six inches in May, then up to eight inches in June! So have we learned anything from this year?

Oilseed rape desiccation has hopefully all been done by now. The crop is showing quite high levels of alternaria and botrytis in places, which, coupled with the obvious sclerotinia and the need for two phoma sprays last autumn, means the optimum number of fungicides on rape this year was five!

Winter wheat crops, in my area at least, seem to be standing remarkably well considering the weather. Disease-wise brown rust pressure has diminished, but inevitably septoria, fusarium and the ear complex are coming to the fore. Again this year the more robust and better-timed the fungicide policy, the cleaner the crop looks.

Spring barley crops also look well. With the dry April and then lots of rain in May and June it concerns me how many will make malting. It might be the year for a high nitrogen malting contract!

Chocolate spot levels in winter beans are high and the thicker crops are obviously the worst! They are well podded now and further action is unlikely to show a return.

Thoughts are turning to next years cropping. Second wheats, on purely economic grounds, look good and inevitably farmers will be tempted to grow an increased area. Such a move will put more pressure on Atlantis (mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium) and drive resistance further.

I had one horror (now confirmed as target site resistance) last year on continuous wheat sprayed the last week in October in perfect conditions on small blackgrass, and the level of control was only 5%! This clearly shows the need for a carefully balanced rotation!

So I am now one year older and wiser and look forward to next season and reporting on the challenges it presents! Good luck to you all with harvest.

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3 July 2007

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

Over the last two weeks we have had 350mm rain (14 inches). And I understand we’ve been the lucky ones; my sympathies go to our colleagues up north.

Most oilseed rape crops are well past the ideal timing for desiccation, but most will be sprayed anyway as broad – leaved weeds are growing through. Powdery mildew is rife (but only on the bits of stem that haven’t already been killed by sclerotinia!)

Fungicides are now running out on the wheats, with septoria creeping in. Not much we can do about it now so I’ve stopped looking.

Some winter barleys have greened up again with side tillers producing an ear; some farmers are horrified, others are thrilled.

Spring barley has thickened up to the point (after the safe Terpal (2-chloroethylphosphonic acid + mepiquat chloride) timing) where they have started to fall over, helped by the latest wind and rain.

Winter oats that came into ear at about ankle – height (and therefore missed a growth regulator) are now coming up to my chest but appear to have withstood the weather. Varietal resistance to crown rust has been very noticeable this year with Dalguise being the poorest and Kinross the best among the varieties I’m involved with.

Spring beans are looking good but chocolate spot started to creep in where the last fungicide was put on any more than weeks before; with plenty of flowers still around I considered it worth going back through if an opportunity arose.

On top of everything else this has turned into one of the worst blight years in potatoes many growers can remember. It’s difficult to maintain a 4 day spraying program if it doesn’t stop raining for 2 weeks!

If I were to retire now I might join Tony and become a peace negotiator in the Middle East. It’d probably be a lot less challenging…

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26 June 2007

James Boswell H L Hutchinson, Kent
(Click to contact)

Oilseed rape
Most crops are starting to change colour and desiccation will start as soon as there is a break in the weather on the most forward crops.

With 4-5 inches of rain this month most crops are fortunately still standing or listing. Sclerotinia can be seen in places and especially where the petal fall spray was omitted due to dry weather. There are also very high levels of mildew on leaves, which may lead to a reduction in yield.

Beans
Chocolate spot is very active, although chlorothalonil + approved triazole sprays are working well. Bruchid beetle insecticides have been applied, but damage from this pest remains very difficult to assess until after harvest.

Winter wheat
Yellow rust levels seem to have decreased, while brown rust remains very active. Septoria and mildew levels remain low, but ear fusarium levels remain high. The majority of growers have applied an ear spray which should prove to be a profitable decision.

2008 variety choice will be a major decision for many, but with disease levels being extremely high and spraying conditions impossible at times, it is important to bear this in mind when making a final decision.

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19 June 2007

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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Winter wheat crops have continued to recover after the mini drought in April, and as I said in my earlier column they are full of promise, with exception of some second wheat crops on thin sandy soils where some take all is now obvious.

With the cereal prices rising beyond belief and the wheat price rising to £112/tonne for late October early November there is the prospect for some healthy gross margins.

Where the right chemistry has been chosen and the timing has been good the crops are clean of disease and in many instances have five clean leaves. In this difficult disease year the use of good quality adjuvant such as Transcend have clearly shown there value.

Spring barley crops have improved tremendously but the only downside is that there are far too many secondary tillers because of the earlier lack of rain. Whilst these will help with the yield I fear that there could be high screenings and some low specific weights. This will mean that good quality malting barley could be at a premium.

Labels permitting it would be advisable to apply a second fungicide where the first fungicide was applied more than three weeks ago.

Winter oilseed rape crops have started to turn shade yellow but the seed within is still green and there is a lot of grain filling still to happen. Some turnip saw fly damage has been noticed where pods have been stripped open. On farms where this has been noticed there could be further attacks this autumn in the new crop.

It is time to map areas where blackgrass control has not been satisfactory and investigate for possible reasons. If resistance is suspected then blackgrass seed samples should be taken for testing but make sure that the seed is mature before taking the sample. When the seed is mature it usually falls off on shaking the seed head.

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11 June 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

T3 or no T3 is the question most people will have answered by now. Most T2 sprays were late and many went onto booted crops or the emerging ear. Despite this I have, with the exception of bullet-proof varieties for brown rust, applied a T3 to all my wheat crops.

Given the level of inoculum and the speed at which brown rust with a latent period of only four days can spread, it was, as they say, a “no brainer”. Alchemy in all areas and Robigus north of Milton Keynes are both carrying high levels of this disease and where the canopy is thick, robust flag leaf sprays hardly seem to have slowed its advance up the plant at all. Those of you not applying a T3 must therefore be very brave indeed!

Spring barley crops have just had their second fungicide and although rather short, have thickened-up nicely and look to have reasonable potential.

I have had to treat some winter bean crops for black bean aphids, together with their second fungicide recently, so check crops carefully.

What has gone wrong this year regarding sclerotinia control? With dry soils inhibiting germination of sclerotia, and the survival of apothecia, ascospore release should have been low.

With no rainfall at all during flowering to assist petal stick the decision not to apply a mid flowering fungicide also seemed “a no brainer” at the time. Why then are levels of sclerotinia in crops the highest for a number of years?

Where late stem extension sprays where applied the situation is better, indicating that it came in right at the start of flowering. Obviously the much-trusted predictive system has let us down this year. Lets hope an explanation of why is forthcoming, otherwise a prophylactic mid-flowering spray is soon going to have to become the norm.

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4 June 2007

We are coming to the end of what has been one of the most challenging seasons I have ever known. Unprecedented situations have made decision making very difficult and many recommendations have had to be disregarded as crops raced through their growth stages.

Winter wheats have now at least got a bit of colour to them and some crops look quite good from the side of the road but many are very thin when you walk through them. We must expect some yield loss this year.

Disease-wise they’re all pretty clean, with a bit of yellow rust in some Robigus and brown rust in other varieties, but considering fungicide inputs are generally down by the equivalent of one application this year, I can’t believe how clean some of these wheats look.

I thought winter oilseed rape was going to be the crop of the year until varying levels of sclerotinia, ranging from the odd plant to horrendous levels, began to surface. It doesn’t seem to matter whether they had a mid-flowering fungicide or not and the real mystery is that not one of my winter rape crops had a drop of rain from the beginning to well after the end of flowering.

It seems like we’re going to have to re-write the rule book for sclerotinia, as this year was considered by many (myself included) to be one of the lowest risk sclerotinia years ever.

Winter barleys are beginning to turn and wheat is well into grain fill. With flowering finished well before the balmy evenings began '167'blossom midge risk should be minimal this year. Lets hope that’s not a prediction that comes back to bite me on the backside.

All the indications are for an early harvest down this part of the world. Good. Roll on next season.

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29 May 2007

James Boswell - HL Hutchinson, Kent
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After 40-45mm of rain last weekend, thankfully most crops are still standing - although one or two under trees or on overlaps are ‘listing’.

Disease pressure is switching from rust, back to septoria, so, with the T3 timing fast approaching, a high rate of triazole (2/3 to full rate), with good activity against fusarium will be essential. Be careful when applying products after flowering, as some have early cut-off dates.

Forward wheat is mostly at flowering, so '167'Orange Wheat Blossom Midge isn’t really a problem – I haven’t seen any and the wet, windy conditions won’t be conducive to the pest.

Mildew hasn’t been much of a problem yet. Bits of virus are showing up, but not as bad as expected.

Oilseed rape looks exceptionally well, although spray timings for thistles were missed, so there are a lot of thistles appearing above short crops. These could cause problems during combining, so may need treating with pre-harvest glyphosate.

Slug numbers are increasing following the wet weather and a lot are grazing the flag leaf. Keep an eye on these, as control may be needed this autumn.

Late-drilled spring crops are still very uneven, but are starting to even-up. Some linseed is likely to start flowering next week, while other crops have only recently emerged. This will make weed control much more difficult, and you must watch growth stages carefully.

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21 May 2007

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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This season is continuing to be a very testing year. Wheat crops raced through from growth stage 33 to 39 in a matter of days. An eight week dry spell of weather with the prospect of a low disease year has now turned in to a high disease season with the arrival of 30mm of rain.

Yellow rust has got into Robigus and Hereward, and brown rust is obvious in Claire and Alchemy. Last time I saw yellow rust in this part of the country was as long ago as 18 years ago in cv Slejpner.

Most wheat crops are at growth stage 45 to 49 and have been sprayed with a robust three quarter rate triazole + strobilurin fungicide during last week, albeit in less than ideal conditions.

A high rate of triazole such as epoxiconazole with good curative activity is a must this year in order to keep the septoria out. The strobilurin will help protect against the rusts. If the wet weather continues then there could be a good case for a T3 fungicide for quality and to supplement the flag leaf sprays.

Wheat plants are now picking up the abundance of available nitrogen and seem to be full of promise.

Now that we have had sufficient rain '167'orange blossom midge pupation will start soon. Monitor the wheat crops at dusk on still evenings when the midge will be making flights. On farms where there has been a history of midge problem then use two pheremone traps per field. 20 midges per trap over 2-3 nights is the required threshold.

Winter barleys are at full ear emergence with some at early flowering and have already received a T2 fungicide. Winter barley crops are very variable. Some look to be extremely promising while others on thin and less fertile land seem to have given up the ghost because of the dry weather.

Oil seed rape crops have finished flowering and the oldest pods have translucent seeds, growth stage 6.1. The plants are clean of disease, have a good canopy structure and every thing being equal the crop should do well.

Crown rust has come through the first fungicide in winter oats and will urgently need a fungicide treatment. The oat crop is short this year and there is little chance of crop lodging.

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15 May 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

Normally we would only just be deciding on a flag leaf strategy on wheat but this year most T2 recommendations have been made.

Septoria levels pre rain where low and the plan was to trim T2 triazole doses from ¾ rate to nearer ½ rate, with a view to topping up and protecting the ear later on. The main target was brown rust which has been a constant problem this year.

The focus will now have to change and if we are delayed much beyond 15 May on forward crops dose rates will be increased to offer more kickback against latent septoria infections caused by the recent rains.

Given the extra kickback required and the continuing brown rust threat, epoxyconazole should be the triazole of choice in most situations with ½ rate strobilurin added for its physiological effects and to boost brown rust control.

Thoughts will soon turn to '167'Orange Blossom midge control. Last year by careful use of pheromone traps, coupled with a low risk year I only treated three fields for midge! Given the environmental profile of chlorpyriphos and the relative ineffectiveness of the current alternatives I hope the same situation arises again this year!

Winter beans have started flowering and have just had a fungicide to protect against chocolate spot and bean rust which is unusual this early on, normally bean rust only appears in June but it is already present in many crops.

Most of my spring barley crops look remarkably well given the dry conditions and they certainly show the value of retaining moisture in the seedbed and drilling into it.

Black grass control in the dry conditions has predictably been very difficult, and now has mostly got too big to get effective control! T1 applications have begun based on prothioconazole plus strob at 25% dose of each.

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8 May 2007

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

When I reported in early March (see below) that I had wheat crops with leaf three emerging I had people telling me things like “That’s impossible, day length is not long enough” etc. That same Einstein broke into ear on 28 April, closely followed by Solstice and Claire.

Most September and early October-drilled wheat is now well into booting and everything will have its ears out by mid-May. Septoria levels are as low as I’ve ever seen them but I’ve kept triazole levels up to keep on top of any brown rust.

Most have had an earlier T0 and have just had a T1 which doubles up as a flag leaf spray. Unless something changes dramatically, most wheats will only have one more fungicide and if it stays dry only a cheap one at that.

I don’t see '167'blossom midge as a risk at all at the moment – it’s too cold and windy at night and we haven’t had any rain to stimulate adult midge emergence.

We had 4mm rain this morning – the first measurable rain for nearly eight weeks. Many of these crops have not been suffering from lack of moisture as much as they have been suffering from lack of nitrogen.

Early-drilled wheats on light soils have suffered most, especially those that have had urea. Early fears that they would fall over have now been replaced by fears that they have lost too many tillers.

Now that they are coming into ear no matter what the weather does it is difficult to see how they can compensate for what they have lost so on those crops that are visibly suffering I have cut final nitrogen rates back by up to 30 kg/ha.

Winter barley also came into ear very quickly and has had a low dose of fungicide to put it to bed. Spring crops have struggled in places but are now mostly all through, but the dry conditions have meant that pre–emergence herbicides on peas and beans are not working as well as we’d hoped.

On some maize crops I haven’t even bothered with a pre–em herbicide. If I’ve known that I’m going to be back anyway with a post-emergence, I can’t see the point in spending £15 on a residual which probably isn’t going to work.

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1 May 2007

James Boswell H L Hutchinson, Kent
(Click to contact)

Oilseed rape
Oilseed rape continues its long flowering period, with no appreciable rain in Kent over the last 5-6 weeks. Some growers have decided not to spray the traditional pre-petal fall spray, as the risk of sclerotinia has reduced.

Seed weevil can still be found in areas and continues to be a problem that needs treating.

Winter barley
Crops have suffered quite badly in the prolonged drought on the lighter soils. rhynchosporium and net blotch levels have been low along with mildew. Brown rust continues to be a disease causing most concern and with crops now out in awn, it should be made a priority for treatment with a triazole.

Winter wheat
Some stronger wheats on fertile soils, or those that received early nitrogen applications look surprisingly well and seem to be coping with the dry weather relatively effectively.

Lots of forward crops have flag leaf now fully emerged, Einstein and Solstice being very forward. Septoria tritici risk has obviously declined along with mildew, but rusts continue to be very active. Brown rust pustules can be found in many crops and will be the main disease concern at T2 which will begin next week.

Strobilurins should be added to the triazole to improve rust control and help reduce crop stress.

Other crops
Serious pea and bean weevil damage continues and needs immediate attention. Residuals are proving less effective than normal.
Linseed Flax beetle is also very active.

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23 April 2007

Swaran Bachoo - Agrovista, Hants/ Wilts
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The dry weather has caught me on the hop. Whereas the majority of the winter wheat crops received T2 sprays around 5 May last year, this spring the flag leaf has appeared some two weeks early.

Winter wheat is also marching through the growth stages and the leaf three appeared on 15 April - one week ahead of last year. One field of mid-September drilled Solstice grown near Amesbury in Wiltshire already had the flag leaf 50% emerged.

If this pattern of mild winters and warm springs is here to stay, then we shall have to review the early drilling dates and consider growing the slow developing varieties later into the autumn months, and I should take time to brush up on the little agronomy knowledge that I have of growing oranges and olives.

The majority of winter wheat crops reached growth stage 32 last week with 80% to 90% of the leaf three emerged. These crops were sprayed with Ceandu (epoxiconazole + metrafenone) against septoria and mildew.

There is little eyespot present, but where 10% of the tillers are infected then these crops, along with second wheats, were sprayed with Tracker (boscalid + epoxiconazole). There is also some physiological greening value from this product.

Although the disease levels are at trace level, do not underestimate the risk of septoria and I advise an application of a good T1 fungicide at the correct time to ensure that there is a maximum of four weeks gap between T1 and T2 (flag leaf) fungicide.

Watch out for brown rust on the risk-prone varieties such as Alchemy, Cordiale, Claire, Solstice, Soissons and Zebedee.

Most oilseed rape crops are at mid-flowering stage with some racemes showing 20 pods on them. Astrid is the exception, which is only at the early flowering stage.

I have seen more vertical stem splitting in the rape crop this year then ever before. I believe this has been caused by the very warm days leading to a fast growth during the day followed by the exceptionally cold nights.

Linseed crops drilled into good seedbeds are now coming through the ground, but are being savagely grazed by the flax flea beetle. Spray with a pyrethroid as soon damage is seen.

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16 April 2007

Nick Brown - Chemega (ProCam Group), Berks/Bucks/Oxon
(Click to contact)

Oilseed rape is now well into flowering, some crops have simply put up one main stem and branching is quite sparse, hopefully these will fill in when, and if, the remaining nitrogen gets into the plant!

Sclerotinia risk is low at the moment and if the current weather continues, few crops will justify a mid-flowering spray. Most crops had a mid-stem extension spray of metconazole and if this went on at yellow bud, it will give some protection anyway.

Seed weevil populations and any developing mealy aphid colonies need monitoring. Weevil thresholds should be strictly adhered to because any pyrethroid insecticide treatment for weevils will, since they are still in the crop, drive pollen beetle resistance even further.

Spring barley crops are mostly establishing well, except where drilling was into dry soil. Graminicide applications for either blackgrass or wild oats will be very interesting this year!

There is probably still some more to emerge when it rains and treatment in these dry conditions is likely to result in poor control. Wild oat problems can be left a while but blackgrass is likely to get too big soon for effective treatment. Timing will have to be precise and if it doesn’t rain very soon will be a compromise.

Wheats this year seem to have the widest spread of growth stages I can remember for any given drilling date. Some heavy land crops that were waterlogged early on are really struggling with poor rooting systems to pick up applied nitrogen and appear very backward.

T1 treatments have started, based around epoxyconazole or prothioconazole, all with chlorothalonil included. Dose varies according to disease pressure, drilling date and variety. Care is needed assessing which leaf is emerging and the aim should be to ensure leaf 3 is 60% out before spraying.

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10 April 2007

Tod Hunnisett - Chichester Crop Consultancy, Hampshire
(Click to contact)

Despite the waterlogged ground resulting from the rain in February and the cold dry March, many crops are still further ahead than normal. Most oilseed rape crops are in full flower and I have seen some Einstein in sheltered fields with leaf two emerging.

Most wheats are well into growth stage 31 and are receiving a T0 fungicide and PGR, with quite a few also having had a previous chlormequat dose 2-3 weeks back.

Nitrogen uptake has been slow, but now the daytime temperatures have risen (even though the nights are still very cold) crops are eventually changing colour. Deep nitrogen tests indicate that the February rain has depleted nitrogen levels to the lowest we’ve seen for a few years.

Oilseed rape suffered most from the wet weather. It went from very lush before Christmas to stunted, blue plants on all but the best draining soils. It then bolted in response to the increased day length and added nitrogen only to be blasted by a freezing north easterly wind.

I have seen masses of plants with vertical splits in the stems about 5–10 cm long which I can only put down to the weather.

I have never seen winter rape before in full flower where you can see every drill row. These observations may have no affect at all on final yield but they are still things I’d rather not see.

I have taken the threat of pyrethroid resistant pollen beetle very seriously and as such I have made the decision not to spray at all; as it worked out the rapid flowering of the rape crop diluted any thresholds anyway.

Everything has now had some nitrogen. I shall be finishing off the rape over the next 10 days or so (although I would like to have somebody experiment with late foliar nitrogen) and the wheats will be getting their main doses before the end of April.

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3 April 2007

James Boswell - H L Hutchinson, Kent
(Click to contact)

Oilseed rape
There are some good-looking, even crops and early-drilled forward rape is at early flower.

Many crops are uneven, mainly due to serious pigeon and rabbit grazing. Where this is the case, close monitoring is needed, as high numbers of pollen beetle are starting to be found.

If numbers reach threshold, treatment will be needed and pyrethroids have been the norm but resistance is a big concern in the south. Tests have been carried out to confirm this and early results have found resistance in Kent. A new active thiacloprid may be used, but this is a much more expensive option.

Barley
Crops are now starting to change colour from yellow to green as temperatures rise. The first growth regulators and fungicides have been applied, but rapid growth and weak-strawed varieties need a follow up PGR. Awns will soon appear so watch growth stages closely!

Winter wheat
Most crops are very strong and delayed nitrogen and '167'gout fly have helped reduce tiller numbers. Septoria tritici is rife and yellow rust in untreated Robigus could be found at the end of March.

A T0 has been applied on strong crops, but Einstein in particular seems to steam through the growth stages, so please check growth stages when applying chlormequat, as some wheat is already past growth stage 32.

Please take special c