Crop Watch – Scotland/North
Patrick Stephenson – independent agronomist
April is a wonderful weather month! If you don‘t like what you‘ve got wait an hour and it will change. Wet weather over the weekend has stopped all land work and it looks like a dry week will be required before serious activity can begin again.
Sugar beet drilling is well advanced and the first post emergence sprays are on. Potatoes are another cup of tea with little set yet.
Spring barley crops are ready for weed control with the addition of a low rate morpholine to prevent mildew build up.
Winter barleys which received T1 sprays, on time, look well. Crops still awaiting treatment or just having received it have worrying disease levels.
Wheat crops are due for T1 sprays now and rate adjustments could be on the cards if spraying is delayed. Worrying levels of mildew in Claire have necessitated the use of eradicant treatments in the T1 mix – a cost not accounted for.
Robigus is shooting up and following some problems with vertigo last year I think additional growth regulator treatments could be required.
Once again Atlantis (mesosulfuron-methyl + iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium) appears to be doing a fantastic job and it reminds me of IPU twenty years ago. I hope Stephen Moss‘ prediction of a short life for the product, in terns of resistance, is not correct.
A few oilseed rape crops have received pollen beetle treatment but most crops will receive some disease control in the next couple of weeks and a review of pest issues will be taken then. Please don‘t forget the bee keepers at this time of year!
All these comments and not one mention of SFP, ELS, HLS and data capture maps. It must be a dream!
Return to Crop Watch homepage
12 April 2005
Peter Wastling – McCreath Simpson & Prentice
(Click to contact)
Mild, wet conditions in March have curtailed much of the action on Borders farms, with the Cheviot Hills returning to snow topped candescence at the end of the first week in April.
The consequence of mild, wet weather is leggy winter cereals which will require attention to detail with growth regulators. Growth stages range between 30 and 31 so growth regulators can now be combined with a T1 fungicide spray.
Weather conditions are perfect for rhynchosporium and septoria tritici so a strobilurin/ triazole in barley or a strong performing triazole mix in wheat are probably worth considering.
Recent suggestions that Robigus might avoid early attention are superseded with reports of crops already suffering from yellow rust.
Control of active yellow rust will be achieved with a morpholine plus a reasonable rate of triazole. A cheaper triazole might be considered in this situation.
For mildew susceptible varieties like Option and Claire that have active mildew, use a combination of fenpropidin and a protectant like Flexity (metrafenone) or Fortress (quinoxyfen).
Winter oilseed rape in the area is generally very uneven so most crops will benefit from an application of a growth regulatory triazole. Pollen beetle levels are high in most crops, so the addition of an insecticide to control this infestation will almost certainly be necessary.
Spring beans are just appearing and should be checked for the presence of pea and bean weevil as the mild weather conditions that have favoured the build up of pollen beetle will also favour this insect.
Spring cereals are only just emerging and there is still a large proportion of the spring barley still to be sown.
Return to Crop Watch homepage
5 April 2005
Ron Paterson – Robertson Crop Services
(Click to contact)
Winter crops continue to respond well to spring nitrogen. Monitoring growth stages this week (w/e 10/04/05) will be important, as crucial application timings are imminent.
Oilseed rape is developing rapidly, and most crops have wintered well, with minimal pigeon damage. Plant populations are quite high and fungicide treatment with growth regulator affect is advised. Many crops of Elan appear very forward (first flowers opened).
Most winter barley crops are at GS 30-31. Crops that did not receive autumn herbicides should be priority for broad-leaf weed treatment (contact only now).
With stem base browning and rhyncosporium a threat, T1 dose rates need to be kept high. As crops approach GS 31, growers should be planning growth regulator programmes. Manganese deficiency continues to affect many crops, so look out for pale green patches in fields.
Winter wheat growth stages vary from GS 30 in September plantings to GS 15-21 in November-sown crops.
Septoria is very noticeable on Riband grown in Aberdeenshire – a T0 spray of triazole+ chlorothalonil is recommended.
If no sulphur has been applied through spring fertiliser, a powder should be applied with T0 spray.
Watch out for leatherjacket attack on spring barley crops following grass, as egg numbers are high.
Return to Crop Watch homepage
29 March 2005
Allen Scobie – Scottish Agronomy
(Click to contact)
Last week‘s weather transformed crops from purple, blue and brown to a rich dark green.
Most winter barley T0 sprays to clean up old rhynchosporium and mildew infections are now on and the crops are moving into rapid stem extension.
Light leaf spot infections in oilseed rape have been severe this spring, so it is good to see plant breeders are working to improve varietal resistance.
Crops of the hybrid Elan were spotless before their spring spray and volunteers of older more susceptible varieties stood out in the crop due to severe LLS infections. Crop growth stages vary from the rosette stage to flower buds raised.
Most wheats have picked themselves off the floor after the ravages of early March frosts and snow.
The area sown to Robigus increased substantially this season and it stands out as being greener and carrying much less Septoria tritici than the older soft wheats it aims to displace. It also appears to be less susceptible to Manganese deficiency and, if this observation can be verified, we might consider omitting the T0 spray.
Heavy showers have hampered the progress of spring barley sowings.
Return to Crop Watch homepage
22 March 2005
Patrick Stephenson – independant agronomist
(Click to contact)
The brief winter snap has now gone, and from being dressed like Scott of the Antarctic its now jumpers only.
In mid February the crops looked very healthy and T0 for wheat looked distinctly possible. Mildew susceptible varieties like Claire were full of disease.
As usual septoria tritici was easily visible, particularly on susceptible cultivars. But a cold snap and plenty of snow has certainly trimmed of some excess growth and disease.
The new ‘in‘ crop colour is purple, with nearly all rape crops and many wheat crops being particularly pretty. Winter Barley on the other hand is bright yellow.
Up to March 14 very little top dressing or spring drilling had been done, but I can smell burning rubber and white steel flashing everywhere now. By next week everything will have had some spring nitrogen, with all the rapes having sulphur and some of the cereals too.
I awoke the sleeping chemical distributors with the first growth regulator and herbicide orders for winter barley. Now, at long last agronomy matters usurp Entry Level Scheme and Single Farm Payment at least for a little while
Overall, the crops look good, with autumn herbicide treatments having seemingly done their job. Of course, this will do nothing for forward prices!
Return to Crop Watch homepage
