November 2010 Archives

Sitting in my office looking out at the arctic conditions, it is difficult to see much spraying getting done in the short-term.

Soil temperatures will now have plummeted and short of a long extended period of unseasonably mild weather remaining Atlantis/Horus applications will have to wait till the spring. Risk of further spread of barley yellow dwarf virus will also have been reduced in areas that have experienced temperatures as low as -10C.

Most cereal crops have established well and blackgrass levels remain lower than expected. Pre-emergence treatments are still working well and most blackgrass plants that have come through the pre-emergence sprays look fairly sick, hopefully the recent frosts may have finished a few of these off!

After a very balmy autumn, things have changed quickly and soil temperatures are dropping rapidly and growth inevitably will slow down. However, despite some very tricky seedbeds and drillings the wet and relative warmth has meant that everything has germinated and indeed come up well.

The pressure now will come in the planning of spring nitrogen, as some of these later wheat's roots may not enjoy some of the soil conditions underground, especially where beet has come off.

In this particular area, there has been a lot more rain than in other areas, this in turn has meant that there is still a lot of spraying that has not been done and some blackgrass is now tillering. I had hoped to get some Atlantis on to these, but with the current weather slowing growth, this might not happen even with the current advice from Bayer.

Growers have seized recent spray days and many have managed to complete the scheduled autumn applications although where soils are too wet there are still a few outstanding. 

In general, blackgrass pressure this autumn is lower due to a combination of factors including; later drilling dates, more opportunities for stale seedbeds and glyphosate pre drilling with successful pre emergence applications.

Growers still planning to apply autumn Atlantis should be mindful that while December and January applications can work well in milder conditions, the crop should be actively growing. Atlantis applications must be applied at a time that enables the spray to dry on the leaf before the evening dew settles; at this time of year these opportunities are rare. In marginal conditions or where resistance could be an issue good spray techniques are paramount. 

In the last month as usual spray days have been few and far between with this weekend's rain finally making sure we dont get on with any more applications this season. That said I am very happy with crops going in to the winter and travelling up and down the country, I think we have faired the best this autumn in my area.

Wheats are varying between 1-2 tillers and some of the later drilled crops are only at one leaf in fact some of the later drilled crops have been quite slow to get out of the ground mainly due to a lot of these crops not getting rolled. Slug pressure has been low and like I said earlier, most crops are going in to winter in good fettle.

As last season we did push on with pre/peri-emegence herbicides and again seems to have done a very good job although there is more crop damage this season than normal, mainly due to soft growth picking up herbicide. But as  reminded one grower, it is a herbicide and it does show it is working!

One of the few positive things that comes out of a major reduction insupply of a product in the market place is the realisation of just how well we can cope without it. This year, where I would have gone in with Crystal automatically, or where I would have used it at a lower rate for meadow grass control, I have been pleasantly surprised at how effective the alternative strategies have been.

Pendimethalin alone, on good seedbeds and straight after drilling, has worked fantastically in a block of winter barley with a known high population of (albeit as yet not difficult) blackgrass. Higher diflufenican rates (100g/ha plus), particularly in mixture with pendmethalin and prosulfocarb, have worked extremely well.

The grain maize harvest in the region is now largely completed. Although only a minor crop there is growing interest in it as a break crop. Earlier maturing varieties with acceptable yields are a factor in driving this interest, along with more than respectable gross margins.

In most cases the following wheat crop has been successfully drilled behind the maize and emergence of these wheats has been remarkably swift considering the drilling dates. With an increase in the wheat area being grown behind grain maize it will be interesting to see if the perceived increase in fusarium risk manifests itself in these crops.

Personally I have never been able to identify a higher level of fusarium in wheats grown after forage maize, which is a common practice in this region. It remains to be seen whether the larger crop residue left after combining will provide a bigger source of innoculum. Ploughing rather than no-plough cultivations should help to keep this risk to a minimum.

The weather in Central Scotland this last couple of weeks has definitely veered in the direction of winter. Relentless rain has halted most field work and the snow on the hills will keep the watercourses topped up.

Potato lifting has just about finished with odd bits being abandoned. Many of the sown fields have water lying in them. Winter barley, particularly crops on heavier soils, are showing signs of stress and are rapidly changing from green to yellow. Compacted end rigs are going to suffer badly if soils do not get a chance to dry up soon.

Protecting any oilseed rape crops that have not yet had their light leaf spot treatment will be something of a challenge. The benefit of protection in the autumn, especially if we get a long cold winter, is not in doubt so any opportunity to get the sprayer going must be grasped.

The most appropriate products are those based on prothioconazole, giving good protection without being too harsh on backward, stressed crops.

Spraying opportunities in the last few weeks have been restricted to the occasional day in between wet and windy conditions. In general the early residuals in cereals have been applied and have worked well, but there is still a certain amount of post-emergence spraying that hasn't been completed. 

Conditions now are getting borderline for Atlantis treatments with frosts occurring and soil temperatures dropping into single figures. However, these conditions are suitable for carbetamide/propyzamide applications in rape which in many cases are the priority for the sprayer. 

There will also be some broad-leaved weed spraying in oilseed rape chasing the likes of charlock. Bifenox applications are planned once rape crops have re-waxed after carbetamide/propyzamide treatments and will hopefully coincide with some frosty weather.

Despite a quiet sense of satisfaction, vigilance is very much our key watchword this month.

Almost without exception, our cereal and oilseed rape crops have established well and are going into the winter full of promise. And with commodity prices continuing to bring a smile to our faces, we're very much on the alert to nip anything that might compromise 2011 output firmly in the bud.

Phoma really should be a bigger problem on our rape than it is by now given the warm and wet conditions we've been having. But highly resistant varieties like DK Expower and Excel are proving well able to cope with the challenge both in our SMART Farm plots and commercial crops.

We're keeping a special watch on varieties with lower phoma ratings, though. In particular, infected crops that weren't forward enough for a metconazole spray are likely to profit from higher rate fusilazole or prothioconazole this month to give extra kick-back and protection.

Rain over the last few days and a hard frost this morning will result in sticky soil conditions for those with spraying still to do.

Most crops are now well established, with early wheat at two tillers and oilseed rape anything from six leaves to knee high. Even the oilseed rape on the higher ground of the Cotswolds, which for a long time has struggled, is now looking fit enough to survive the winter.

Unfortunately the blackgrass also is growing well but, provided field conditions allow, soil temperatures are still suitable for Atlantis (mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron) application in wheat when blackgrass has 2-3 leaves. It is a good opportunity to also apply an insecticide for aphid/barley yellow dwarf virus control. Aphids can be found in crops now and a few frosts will do them no harm.

Earlier drilled wheat crops look great as the mild weather continues into early November.  A lot of Atlantis (mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron) has already been applied to earlier drilled wheats, when the blackgrass had reached 1-2 leaves.

With pre-emergence herbicides working so well and mild weather for Atlantis applications, we should obtain high levels of blackgrass control this autumn. The dilemma for recently emerged wheats is whether the Atlantis will be applied pre-Christmas or in the spring. I suspect it will be the latter unless conditions remain mild later this month, as wheat needs to have at least two leaves per plant before using Atlantis.

Slug activity remains low apart from a few hotspots on some heavier land, so keep checking emerging crops.

Potato crops are now safely in store in most areas of Scotland. The level of soil in some stocks is very high, although the clearer and stiller autumnal air days have been helping with the task of drying the crop and starting to pull the crop temperature down. The continual use of crop drying - in many cases by positive ventilation - is crucial in ensuring a successful out-turn.

Many export crops for seed and ware are now being graded out of store. In general, these crops have been well received by overseas inspectors. But the perception and interpretation of different diseases and tolerance levels is a source of discussion and bewilderment in some grading sheds.

The main problem being removed on the grader is potato common scab and this is understandable given the dry conditions around tuber initiation. There are few rots being reported, although the later lifted stocks may tell a different story.

We are nearing the point when the grower's favourite chemical is about to be added to the sprayer, anti freeze.

Propyzamide and carbetamide applications should soon be under way, although this depends on soil temperature, which needs to be 8C or lower at 10cm depth. There also needs to be enough soil moisture to allow these chemicals to work, but at the same time need to be aware of the risk of leaching.

Phoma has now largely been treated, though there will be a need for some fungicide/herbicide tank mixes to be applied, particularly as first sprays going onto varieties with good phoma ratings, or as a second treatment going on to crops treated early.

Barley is still being treating with chlorotoluron (if the variety allows), combined with an insecticide.  The barley on lighter land is also been treated with manganese.

Given the wet and windy weather outside, I am glad to be in the office writing this blog. Fortunately, drilling was completed sometime ago, with later drilled crops now emerging.

Slug problems this autumn have not been too bad and, as a result, fewer pellets have been used, which has to be good news.

The occasional spray miss (control plot) has served to show how well pre-emergence herbicides have worked in winter cereals. There has, however, been more crop effect from pre-em's than we have seen for a few years. Excessive rainfall shortly after application, capped soils, and the high loading of chemicals we are applying are responsible for this damage.

The weather over the last month has allowed most outstanding field work left to be completed.  Cereal drilling, except the odd field after maize, is complete. Due to the wet spell, crops fit into two categories: those drilled recently that after the cold spell are only just emerging; and the earlier drilled crops that are starting to tiller in places.

Unless the autumn stays unseasonably mild and open, it is unlikely that emerging crops will get a follow-up treatment for blackgrass this autumn. In most cases, the large flushes of blackgrass taken out before drilling, combined with good seedbeds and moist conditions, have ensured that most pre-emergence applications are doing a good job.

I would estimate that only 25% of my earlier drilled crops have got enough blackgrass in them to warrant an application of Atlantis (iodosulfuron+mesosulfuron) or Horus (mesosulfuron + iodosulfuron) this autumn. These applications will go on in the next two weeks time. The remainder will just recieve an insecticide for barley yellow dwarf virus control.

Despite the late harvest, most clients are now drilled up with only a small acreage to drill after fodder beet and potatoes. Some are also sprayed up with only oilseed rape crops to spray with either carbetamide or propyzamide. We had our first decent frost overnight last Sunday, when temperatures plunged to minus 5C, which has helped harden off those crops not sprayed as yet.

Winter barley crops are growing rapidly and crop scorch is evident on most. Most forward barley is at GS22. I have one crop of Marris Otter which has signs of rhynchosporium and downy mildew is evident, so we will be applying a fungicide this coming week. All other varieties seem OK. 

Nearly all the winter wheat is in and the majority - about 90% - has been sprayed, either pre- or peri-emergence. Again, there is more crop scorch than normal due to very rapid and lush growth. Most forward wheat is at GS23. I have had very few problems with slugs this autumn with no treatment required on any second wheats and just a few problematic fields after winter oilseed rape. I will be treating the few acres I have with blackgrass this week with Atlantis (iodosulfuron+mesosulfuron) as the blackgrass is now at 2 true leaves and there is still plenty of active growth. I will also have to treat some fields for brome this autumn, otherwise there will be too much to leave until spring.