September 2009 Archives

What a difference a week makes. Glorious autumn sunshine has moved progress into the Usain Bolt category as combines fly through the remaining crops.

Winter oilseed rape is emerging well although later drilled crops will need a drink. With recommendation sheets littering North Yorkshire for pre-emergence weed control it is no surprise to arrive on farm to see large quantities of product still in the shed.

Pest damage currently is low and fortunately the amount of slug pellets applied is much lower than last year. Total oilseed rape plantings will be closer to the normal level this year and with further kind weather, establishment looks to be good.

Wheat and barley drillings are now under way and pre-emergence weed control programmes based around flufenacet are due to be applied. The winter barley acreage will be down slightly as malting premiums disappear and lower yield potential pressurise the economics of output. The spread of wheat varieties being drilled reflects the HGCA Recommended List, namely many.

September has been a month of contrasting weather start to finish. During the first week we had around 75mm of rain in 36 hours, and many fields of oilseed rape drilled just before that rain have suffered from soil slumping and capping.

Since then we've had no further rain, so many fields have plants which are struggling and in need of softer surface conditions. Many crops have yet to receive a herbicide as soils are either capped and few weeds have emerged, or conditions have not been conducive to spraying. We have had moderate winds for the past couple of weeks making spraying impossible and also sucking away moisture.

We have held back from applying metazachor-based products but will get it on once moisture is assured to arrive. Cereal drilling is well under way. On lighter soils wheats after white crops will need more careful management throughout the season. Good rooting is key so to start with and make sure you know the P and K status. Splitting the P and K between autumn and spring will help ensure best use. Target those fields for good grassweed control.

After nearly four weeks with no worthwhile rain, soils are very dry. This is ideal for subsoiling to repair the damage done in the past three wet harvests, but it is also bringing some problems.

There is little sign of weeds or volunteers in stale seed-beds so the choice is to wait for rain to produce some growth or to carry on drilling and try to tackle the problems later.

Most growers are opting for the latter course, but it will result in a heavier burden of weed and volunteer cereals in the next crop.

Against that, provided a good seed-bed can be produced, it seems a good idea to keep drilling. Once it starts to rain, it may not stop for some time.

I am slightly surprised to come back from the lush, sunny Dordogne to the East Anglian "Sahara", which was quickly evident in the noise and dust of farm machinery.

Rape that went in three weeks ago has generally come up well and is now at three to six leaves. But slightly later drillings are struggling in the dry. This has meant many planned sprays haven't gone on yet, be they pre or post-emergence.

Volunteer barley, however, is growing well and is being taken out now as the shading on the smaller rape plants will not help.

Slugs are not a problem, but flea beetle is having to be addressed even where seed dressings were used, particularly on very small uneven stands.

Crops have responded well to a much needed drink and wheat drilling has generally caught up. Crops drilled into better seed-beds after the rain are emerging more evenly than the earlier-drilled wheats which can vary from early tillering to just emerging in the same field.

In most cases pre-emergence herbicides have been applied but it remains to be seen how well they work. Where volunteer beans need to be controlled we are waiting for the crop to reach two to three leaves before applying the one remaining mecoprop-based product with autumn use on the label. All other CMPP-based products are no longer registered.

Alternative herbicides for volunteer bean control are limited to low rate clopyralid (comparatively expensive) and the autumn sulfonylureas.

However, sulfonylurea use in the autumn impacts on subsequent applications - particularly where Atlantis or Pacifica are planned. Where seed hasn't been treated with Deter a foliar insecticide application is planned as aphids are evident in crops. At this rate I can't see a lot of autumn Atlantis being applied due to the delayed emergence of crops and blackgrass. Slugs have not been particularly evident so far due to the long dry period in August and September but since rainfall they have materialised rapidly in crops following oilseed rape and in patches in some fields with a history of slug problems.

Early drilled rape crops are now up and away, with two to four leaves, and some may require a growth regulatory fungicide in a few weeks.

These crops tend to be after winter barley, and while the economics of this crop can be questioned, it has clear benefits in respect to the following rape crop.

In contrast, very little rain in September and strong winds have meant late planted crops are sat in dry soil, yet to germinate. There are also some crops with split emergence. Spraying these crops is a bit tricky, with plants at different growth stages, and sprays requiring the crop to be at expanded cotyledon stage.

Many crops have had some autumn nitrogen, but the dry conditions have meant we are yet to really see a response. Slug pellets have been required in some cases.

 

The phrase "no two years are the same" is so true for the drilling conditions compared with last year. There has been rapid drilling progress with seed-beds ranging from dustbowls on earlier worked heavier land to good, fine and firm seed-beds.

Those successful enough to conserve seed-bed moisture have seen wheat crops emerging quickly and thankfully with little slug damage so far. For other crops a good rain will be needed for germination to take place.

Pre-emergence herbicides are being applied where grass weeds are a problem, which is even more crucial in barley as there are so few successful post-emergence options available.

The question of how early to sow second wheats has been asked many times already, indicating how well drilling is going. However, the last week in September is typically the earliest timing when used with a take-all seed dressing.

Drilling is now well under way with most OSR in and up and in most places looking quite healthy. Many crops have had a volunteer spray and in some situations this has been mixed with a post-emergence broad-leaved weed spray such as metazachlor/quinmerac mixes.

Wheat is being drilled as we speak into good seed-beds, with many growers pressing on early not wanting to be left in the same situation as last year, which is understandable. We are possibly coming to the end of a long dry spell in the south and my fear is that once the weather breaks it could be replaced by an equally long wet one.

People are asking about pre-emergence residual sprays in dry weather and generally speaking I would say go ahead and put them on. They won't go anywhere and as soon as it rains they will become activated, and until it rains we're unlikely to get much weed germination anyway.

The slug risk has reduced considerably where it has been dry but it hasn't disappeared. This is a good case for monitoring and perhaps mash trapping. But with all the focus that is on metaldehyde at the moment I would shy away from blanket prophylactic treatments.

Continuing dry conditions in the east are resulting in very uneven oilseed rape establishment.

Where the better seed-beds on lighter soils have caught the odd shower of rain, plant populations are sufficient to make a crop. Thankfully most rape plants have managed to find moisture and have survived.

Nevertheless on heavier soils and in poorer seed-beds rape establishment is down to 10-20% and these situations require a good amount of rain to fully moisten the seedbed and encourage further germination. Even then low plant populations and reduced plant vigour may result in a poor crop going into winter.

There has been quite a lot of leaf miner damage to OSR plants although this is mainly restricted to cotyledons. In some places flea beetle have been active even where the more persistent seed treatments have been applied. Dry conditions may have reduced systemic movement of the insecticide active ingredient within the plant. A foliar insecticide may need to be applied in these situations.

What a harvest. Not as bad as last year but even so a battle from beginning to end, although it has been worse in some other areas. In a few days pretty much all of my clients combines will be put away for another year.

Winter barley yields were not as good as last year with spring barley yields varying from good on the early cut crops to poor on late crops due to loss of heads and major brackling.

Wheat yields were generally good - 11.25t/ha plus on the best fields - but there were some very poor second wheat yields of below 7.5t/ha.

Oilseed rape has been the surprise crop with very respectable yields varying from 3.75 to 5t/ha averages, which I think goes to show we are getting crops in too early and still too thick.

Harvest is nearly complete in this area with the exception of a few crops of beans and linseed.

Yields have been pleasantly surprising. Rape crops nearly ripped up in February have exceeded expectations doing around 3t/ha. Winter barley has reached record yields for many, as has winter wheat. Most spring crops have also done very well considering the dry conditions post-drilling.

The major downside to this is appalling prices which, coupled with the crippling fertiliser prices this season, has certainly taken the shine off what should have been a vintage year.

Rape crops are establishing well despite the dry conditions and slug activity is currently relatively low. Don't be fooled into a false sense of security. I have growers with high levels of slug activity and some who have had to re-drill. Be vigilant if we get any rain this coming week; expect slug activity to increase massively.

The 22.6mm of rain we had at the beginning of September has completely disappeared, and some of the later emerging oilseed rape on heavy land looks in need of a drink. However I will not tempt fate by saying we need some.

Where rape has been established in the conventional way it has all been treated pre-emergence with the first dose of herbicide. My preferred product choice has been Shadow or Katamaran Turbo (dimethanamid-P + metazachlor + quinmerac), as it worked exceptionally well last year.

Rape crops established via the sub-soiler technique that are at the fully expanded cotyledon stage are about to be treated post-emergence in mix with a graminicide. Product choice depends on whether blackgrass is present.

With such dry conditions, there is very little evidence of slug activity. Where headlands have been treated I have recommended ferrous phosphate based products.

Slowly we are progressing through harvest and I keep telling myself that we are in a better position than last year, although after days like Thursday and Friday when 30-40mm of rain fell it is difficult to believe.

Yields and quality have been dictated by the weather last autumn. Wet conditions have taken their toll on winter barley and second wheat yields and drought in some areas this spring penalised some spring barley yields. Weather at harvest has raised a few quality issues with barley. Despite being generally low nitrogen and screenings, some barley was ripe when the bad weather struck and has suffered germination problems. Unfortunately, if it has germinated once it can't do it again, which is again leading people to look at cropping and wonder what are the best options.

We have seen a lot of oilseed rape sowings into fairly ideal seed-bed conditions and very rapid emergence. Most of this has gone in after winter barley, which again shows the rotational benefits of winter barley. Oilseed rape is a major crop in this area as growers are looking to again establish a larger first wheat area in their rotation. I can see rape plantings going on for another week or two, particularly with varieties like Excalibur with its hybrid vigour. Weed control is being done pre-emergence when ground conditions and establishment technique allows using mainly metazachlor and quinmerac or, alternatively, at fully expanded cotyledon in conjunction with volunteer cereal control.

When combines have not been going and ground conditions allow, some early wheat has been planted as fields become clear. Popular varieties seem to be Viscount, which has done very well, and Oakley, despite negative publicity on yellow rust. It is a disease we can control with a sound fungicide programme.

At the time of writing there is still a significant acreage of wheat unharvested, some oats still to cut and most of the bean crop still out in the field and the weather pattern is very reminiscent of last year.

We are, however, further on with the harvest than we were this time last year and at the moment there is no widespread sprouting of grain, as occurred last year. Those crops that have been harvested have by and large performed ahead of expectation, especially when you recall how thin and stressed most crops were last winter.

The wheats, in particular, have been performing well, despite having looked decidedly average right up to the point of harvest. The high yields are in part down to very high specific weights, with some crops being in the mid to high 80s kg/hl. Some of the older varieties have shown well this year with Deben, Einstein and Gatsby recording some very high yields.

Lear has yielded exceptionally well and stood well despite a poor rating for standing ability. It showed outstanding resistance to septoria throughout the season.

The majority of the harvest is now complete, apart from a few fields of wheat which still remain. With improved weather forecast for this week, the prolonged harvest will, at last, be finished. On the plus side, yields have been good. Winter wheats have averaged about 10t/ha, winter barleys at 7.8t/ha and spring barleys 6.75t/ha, but many spring barley crops have failed the malting quality due to high nitrogen levels.

A lot of rape crops were drilled in the last 10 days in weedy min-tilled stubbles, with a view to spray with a metazachlor-based herbicide and glyphosate pre-emergence. Unfortunately the weather beat us again. The rape seed has chitted and the crop has just started to come through. These fields will now need to be sprayed post-emergence without the glyphosate as soon as the majority of the crop has emerged. Spraying before this stage can lead to crop damage, especially if there is heavy rain on light soils, but spraying later will lead to an ineffective weed control.

Winter wheat drilling will start after the end of the second week of September and winter barley soon after. But before that we will create a stale seed-bed and spray off with glyphosate to reduce the grassweed burden and also the risk of aphid infestation. Before drilling the cereal crop, carefully work out the seed rate based on the 1000-grain weight. Take into account the target plant population, drilling date and seed bed conditions. A low seed rate non-competitive crop can lead to difficulty with blackgrass control. Where blackgrass is a problem, delay the drilling and use a higher seed rate.

In damp cloddy seed beds slugs could lead to serious plant loss. In oilseed rape crops, slugs are already grazing leaves and cutting the off the stems. Before drilling the seed lay layers, mash slug traps in the shape of a W to determine the need for slug pellets. Remember the new guidelines which prohibit the use of slug pellets round headlands next to water and ditches and the maximum dose of 700 grams metaldehyde per field between January and December in any one year.

If you are growing winter barley you really have to be prepared to throw everything at blackgrass control pre-emergence since the post-emergence options are now so limited. I will use Defy/DFF/flupyrsulfuron-methyl (Lexus) mixes at robust rates which worked exceptionally well for me last year.

Harvest progress is rather stop start. We have been plagued by a soft, warm southerly flow for much of the recent period - blight conditions, not conducive to good combining.

Barley yields are good, but in this area we are having pre-germination problems with spring varieties. The rejection rate on well-priced contracts has been high with similar barley finding a buyer on the spot market, albeit commanding a relatively small premium to feed.

Moistures have been high, so careful drying or conditioning is a priority for maintaining quality.

Looking to next year, it is good to see oilseed rape being established and emerging quickly in the moist conditions. An early post-emergence herbicide based around metazachlor should be planned on crops established by broadcasting.

Most of the cereal harvest is now complete, though there is still wheat to be cut on higher ground. Beans and linseed are yet to be combined in most areas.

The first priority after harvest is to produce false seed-beds to encourage weed germination. This is a very important first step in the fight against grassweeds, particularly blackgrass and sterile brome.

Blackgrass seeds should have low dormancy following warm, dry weather in early summer. So it should grow rapidly in moist, fine tilths and can then be killed with glyphosate.

If the dominant problem is with meadow, soft or rye brome, the seeds from these should be left on the surface for a month to ripen fully before cultivation starts.

Extremely dry conditions in the south-east during the second half of August have led to oilseed rape establishment difficulties.

Direct-drilled and Autocast crops that went into early into moisture have reached the expanded cotyledon stage and are growing away well. Slug damage is minimal though vigilance and baiting are recommended. Cabbage stem flea beetle damage is at low levels.

Crops drilled recently into drier seed-beds are more variable and in some cases sowing is being held back until rain arrives. This is delaying applications of residual herbicides until the crop has reached its first true leaf.

With record wheat yields last year the most popular varieties seem to be Cordiale and Solstice, although we're still searching for the ideal variety to fulfil the south-east's Group 3 demand.

It's been a dry start. Despite dry soils, growers have forged ahead with rapeseed drilling and in the main seed-beds have adequate tilth and the seed is well covered. As crops begin to emerge slowly some seed remains dormant waiting for rain; thankfully there's little evidence of chitted seed that has struggled and died.

Those who have delayed early residual herbicides because of the dry conditions should be ready to apply these soon after most of the crop reaches the expanded cotyledon stage - before weed emergence.

As cereal volunteers become competitive, aim to take them out swiftly with the first contact graminicide; this may be necessary soon, particularly where the crop follows barley.

Where relevant these graminicides can be mixed with the post-emergence spray, but always check product labels for compatibility. Following rain, struggling rapeseed will appreciate 30kgN/ha.