Dan Dines - Association of Independent Crop Consultants, Wiltshire/Dorset
(Click to contact)

In the past three weeks we have received nearly 127mm (5in) of rain. Crops have generally weathered this quite well, and there have been only small amounts of lodging.

Wheats look to have good potential, with T3 fungicide applications having been completed. Where T1 applications were delayed there is some septoria on leaf three, but currently leaf two and the flag are clean. Relatively few crops have required treatment for orange blossom midge.

It's proving a bad year for brome, which is increasingly moving off headlands into the main parts of fields. Concerted efforts must be made in the autumn to try to control the weed before drilling the next crops. Dare I mention the plough and later drilling?

Oilseed rape looks well and thoughts are now turning to harvesting method. The rising fuel price will increase harvesting and drying costs. So there is increased interest in glyphosate - on all crops - to improve harvest efficiency and try to reduce the drying required.

Thoughts have already turned to next year's cropping, with a balance needing to be struck between crop husbandry issues and financial implications.

The forecast increases in costs mean budgets for harvest 2009 have been pegged back, but assuming commodity prices remain good there is still a positive margin to be achieved. Crops that have a lower fertiliser input, pulses being the best example, will ease cash-flow issues slightly.

Increases in fertiliser prices and product availability are a struggle to keep up with.

Efforts are being made to obtain organic manures and use them fully to reduce the need for bag fertiliser.

P & K applications will be targeted very carefully this coming season, based on up-to-date soil analysis, and where possible 'holidays' will be taken.

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9 June 2008

Bryce Rham - Association of Independent Crop Consultants, Shropshire
(Click to contact)

Whilst the monsoons seemed to hit the rest of the country we managed about 1.5in of rain which in many respects was just about right. But by Saturday crops were once again starting to show signs of drought stress, particularly on light ground, which I am convinced is primarily down to subsoil issues from last summer' weather (sorry to go on about it!)

The majority of winter barleys have finished flowering with some lodging on headlands, particularly in Suzuka and Flagon. I've noticed that Saffron has blind grain sights. I haven't been able to check many fields or other varieties but will do so this week. I can only think it is damage from frosts during April.

Crops are clean and in the main look well. I will advise most clients to use sulphur next year as there is no doubt in my mind that quite a few were showing deficiency during May.

Most spring barleys are at awn/ear emergence and looking very good.

All winter oilseed rape has finished flowering.

T3 spraying on winter wheat started on 2 June primarily on September-sown Humber, Battalion and Einstein using Prosaro (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) as the strob input was at T1 and T2. Most crops are now at full ear-emergence and flowering and T3s should all be done by the end of this week.

Orange blossom midge numbers are low, and conditions have, in the main, not been ideal for flight. Most crops have leaves 1, 2 and 3 clean with many also showing leaf 4 to be clean to 5% septoria infection. There are odd brown rust lesions but at very low levels if present at all.

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2 June 2008

Neil Potts - Matford Arable

With the recent wet weather, earlier fears about the impact of delayed T1 fungicides and pgrs on some farms are being realised. Septoria is now evident on leaf three where T1 applications were delayed and in some cases there is also some early lodging due to the delay in the pgr programme being applied. As input costs rise steadily these kind of mistakes are going to become increasingly expensive for growers. Every effort should be made to ensure the correct timing of inputs in order to get the best out of them and to avoid the inevitable losses that ensue if timings are missed.

On a more positive note, those crops where timings have been good are looking extremely promising. We must now hope for a drier spell of weather through the flowering phase of the wheat to avoid the usual problems associated with rain at flowering

Winter barley crops have rallied well after looking a bit scruffy through the cold April. Most crops remain relatively disease free, with even rhynchosporium struggling to establish itself this year, which speaks volumes for the efficacy of the prothioconazole-based fungicide programme used on most crops this year.

The winter oat crop has been slow to get going this year, but is beginning to put on some height now. I have had a few reports of the odd field breaking down to crown rust, especially in the variety Mascani, which is supposed to have good crown rust resistance. This is probably the same strain of the disease that also broke down Millenium’s resistance to crown rust. Comments from the breeder would be appreciated.

After a long flowering period the Winter rape crop is on the whole looking better than I ever thought it would after the difficult establishment period last autumn. Pollen beetle have been non-existant or well below threshold this year and every flower has set a pod so hopefully the potential for a good yield is in place. This year has seen many more crops sprayed for sclerotinia than would usually be the case. This should also help to build the potential of the crop.

Winter and spring beans are looking the best they have for several years, with the winter crop poding up well and the spring crop being very free flowering at the moment. Chocolate spot would appear to be well under control in both crops, following applications of Signum (boscalid + pyraclostrobin) at the beginning of flowering. Crops for human consumption or seed should be monitored closely for Bruchid beetle to avoid the potential loss of premium this pest can cause.   

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27 May 2008

Neil Donkin - Countrywide Farmers, Gloucestershire

The majority of crops are looking very promising this year though on the thinner soils they were beginning to look as though they needed some rain. They got that over the bank holiday weekend, with about 30mm falling.

Wheat ears are emerging on more forward crops, flag leaves are only just emerging on the later. Most have now have had a T2 fungicide, some are still to be treated. After the heavy rain over the weekend, any remaining T2 treatments should be applied without delay provided that flag leaves are semi-emerged. 

Wet conditions give an increased risk of ear diseases so for those crops with ears emerging, a T3 fungicide will be very advisable, preferably applied before flowering.

Orange wheat blossom midge is another concern as ears come out. Infestation levels can be checked either by use of traps or by monitoring crops at dusk. The thresholds for spraying are one midge per three ears in feed wheat and one per six ears in milling or seed crops. Given the broad spectrum of the insecticides used for control they should not be applied unless thresholds are reached and only on varieties that do not have resistance to the pest.

Winter beans are now flowering and first fungicides should have been applied. At present chocolate spot is at low levels but rainfall will encourage spread.

Winter oilseed rape has had its mid/late flowering fungicide for sclerotinia and this should also give some protection against alternaria. Where crops have not had this treatment a late/end of flowering fungicide should be considered.

Spring barley is developing well and most crops have had a T1 fungicide along with broadleaved weed control and trace elements. Wet weather favours rhynchosporium and since most varieties are susceptible to it, early treatment is essential. Trying to control it once it is established always seems difficult.