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Autumn drill 2001: Time to spray

- 12 October 2001
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12 October 2001



Autumn drill 2001: Time to spray

By Andrew Swallow and Tom Allen-Stevens

AGRONOMISTS are advising cereal growers to press on with autumn herbicide applications, now the majority of winter cereals have been sown.

Even in Scotland, about half the planned winter cereal area is drilled, says Scottish Agricultural Colleges David Cranstoun, although some growers are still struggling with harvest.

“They wont have ground ready to drill, so may have to major on spring crops next year,” he notes. Aberdeenshire and the Moray coast growers are worst affected.

In England and Wales, better weather has seen the area planted leap to near 75%, says ADASs John Garstang.

But grass weeds in early-drilled crops have thrived in the warm and wet conditions and need controlling before they get too big, he warns.

“Some will be reaching tillering already. If that is the case, get a herbicide on as soon as you can.

“But take care with the wind and follow the isoproturon stewardship guidelines,” he advises.

And its the wind that has frustrated many growers this week, including FWi Farmer to Farmer crop diarists. Click here for more.

Ian Gaunt, who farms 1600ha near Kings Lynn in Norfolk, has a backlog of spraying to be done on both oilseed rape and wheat.

“Some of the oilseed rape is in desperate need of a graminicide to control cereal volunteers,” he writes.

“Wheat drilled in September without any Secur [imidacloprid] dressing is also in need of an insecticide spray.”

Kent grower Andrew Cullinane notes that so far this autumn, the number of available spraying days is half last years.

Hes planning to use Kerb [propyzamide] to help with a sterile brome problem, “but why is Kerb still so expensive if it has been around for years?” he asks.

Lighter winds and sunny conditions have come in across most of the UK on Friday (12 October), says the Met Office.

Showers will develop in the north, but winds will remain light until Sunday.

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