Wheat spraying is well under way and ploughing for spring crops continues in good conditions at Leckerstone Farm, Dunfermline in Fife. But about half John Hutcheson's 162ha (400 acres) of oilseed rape is beginning to cause concern.
"I'm a bit disappointed about some of the crops that have been slow to establish. They seem to be mainly in fields that were min-tilled and had all the straw incorporated," he said.
"Fields established by ploughing and/or had straw removed seem to be doing much better."
The reason may simply be down to seed-bed quality and the dry spell after sowing, but he suspects something else may be at work.
"It's just a theory, but I wonder whether there might have been a bit of Roundup left on the straw after we'd sprayed all the barley.
"It's not looking good in some fields - there is a large variation in plant size. But all the rape has now had 34kg/ha of nitrogen, and this might help, but time is running out - the pigeons are coming!"
Establishment method is also driving his wheat herbicide treatments.
"We are spraying for weeds and aphids."
Crops after ploughing are getting 2litres/ha of isoproturon, 0.1litres/ha of Hurricane (diflufenican) and 25ml/ha of Hallmark Zeon (lambda-cyhalothrin).
"For fields are after rape or beans we're adding 0.5litres/ha of Duplosan."
On the min-tilled fields 2.4litres/ha of pendimethalin has replaced the Hurricane to boost grassweed control, he explained.
"One block of wheat established by min-tilling after spring oats has so many oat volunteers that the tramlines are barely visible!
"This will get 50ml/ha of Topik + Crop Oil added to the IPU/pendimethalin mix to kill off these oats.
"The slug problem has largely disappeared as the most at risk fields grow away from danger. But I am still checking."
Some of the oilseed rape is due for an anti-light leaf spot Proline (prothioconazole) spray next week. "We've been giving the wheat priority," said Mr Hutcheson. "But we shan't have to treat the Catana as it's resistant."
To leave a comment you must be logged in.