13 tweets to sum up crop establishment pressures right now
Oilseed rape crops are being written off and re-drilled in parts of the UK where dry conditions mean plants are not growing away from a barrage of pest attacks.
Without the protection offered from the now banned neonicotinoid seed treatments, growers are almost powerless to defend newly emerging rapeseed crops from being ravaged by cabbage stem flea beetle.
While autumn showers have brought on a flurry slug damage in some areas of the country, other growers have not had the rain and are now desperately short of moisture.
See also: Swing to milling wheats as growers look for quality
Bedfordshire grower and contractor Matt Redman says his oilseed rape crop has failed, although crops he has drilled for other farmers in areas which have had more rain are establishing well.
“Due primarily to a lack of rainfall, the oilseed rape has been written-off. While cabbage stem flea beetle and slugs could be partially blamed, their impact was massively exaggerated by lack of moisture,” he says.
“What is frustrating is that I drilled on field here in the morning, then contract drilled one 12 miles away in the afternoon, which is now virtually edge to edge green and a looks a good crop – the main difference being that they had more rainfall.”
https://twitter.com/Indigro1/status/773529020000534528
Essex grower Ed Ford has been forced to wait to drill as conditions remain too dry for crop establishment.
52 days since this field was harvested. Hardly any volunteers or greening up #drought #southessex #nodrillingyet pic.twitter.com/mrGxrhumqE
— Edward Ford (@Ed_Farmer_Ford) October 5, 2016
In Grantham, Paul Sheardown is regretting his decision to re-drill 6ha of flea beetle decimated oilseed rape.
I re-drilled 6ha where beetles had taken crop. Should have saved my money. Deja vu pic.twitter.com/RciE8wyuIP
— Paul Sheardown (@Shearenergy15) October 4, 2016
Suffolk grower Tom Jewers is seeing high flea beetle and slug pressure in his crops.
See also: Video: How to calibrate your slug pellet spreader
Under pressure 😰 pic.twitter.com/kQ7n6WzJIL
— Tom Jewers (@cutlerstom) October 1, 2016
Don't need many of these to the square meter to finish a wheat crop off! pic.twitter.com/FEZpQNgQUD
— Tom Jewers (@cutlerstom) October 1, 2016
See also: Growers take to spraying at night as flea beetle moves west
The warm temperatures are also cause for growers to monitor crops closely for aphids that may carry the yield-limiting cereal disease barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) or oilseed rape disease turnip yellows virus (TuYV).
Becoming easier to find wingless adults in the last 10 days @MRH_Agronomy @ssmshah @AgriiWest pic.twitter.com/38TK9zW4yL
— Todd Jex (@TJex_RegenAg) October 4, 2016
Two pretty difficult to control problems on this single V-OSR leaf @Kingston22W @WillSharpe9 @coostiebarrey @Blackthorncox pic.twitter.com/fSELe7j6ho
— Sean Lumley (@LumleySean) October 4, 2016
See also: Mild autumn increases virus threat to cereals
In the South, gout fly eggs are easily found in early drilled cereals.
crop report – gout fly eggs easily found on emerged wheat in South – photo reminder of how severe damage can be pic.twitter.com/Yg59tukw33
— Peter Griffith (@PeterGriffith1) September 30, 2016
Watch out #Goutfly about pic.twitter.com/p5fTr3q45H
— Jim Calvert (@coastal16) October 4, 2016
But pests aren’t the only threat facing emerging crops. Agrovista agronomist Bob Sheets points out that having a second attempt at drilling oilseed rape brings added challenges as blackgrass germination gets into its stride.
With re-drilling OSR comes more black-grass than ever 🙄 peak germination period pic.twitter.com/sSWY5ovBxv
— Bob Sheets (@Bob_Sheets) October 4, 2016
Blackgrass dormancy is thought to be high this year, meaning that any of the grassweed seed shed at harvest is likely to take longer to germinate and emerge.
See also: Dormant blackgrass means growers must play the waiting game
It means growers need to be extra patient when drilling if they want to avoid establishing crops being strangled by arable’s nightmare weed.
https://twitter.com/ianholmes20/status/782650877400285184
Ample evidence that you don't always need to cultivate to make blackgrass germinate. pic.twitter.com/j7dXDw9Sj6
— Stephen Harrison (@sjhswa) October 3, 2016
If it's not #flea-beetle it's #blackgrass! pic.twitter.com/lPIfCHJLzm
— trumpington farm co (@trumpingtonfarm) October 5, 2016