Control is just as important in feed wheats
Control is just as important in feed wheats
BEN Cannon plans an extra close look out for wild oats this spring on the 243ha (600 acres) of chalky boulder clay he runs in partnership with his father at Hyde Hall, Sandon, Herts.
Control is just as important in feed wheats as in premium milling types to avoid triggering a long-term problem, he says.
Previous infestations suggest up to one-third of the land is at risk from the weed. "We have some really bad patches which are small enough to rogue by hand."
Despite its potential savings patch spraying does not appeal. Missing a few stragglers can soon lead to a reinfestation, he says.
Blackgrass drives his autumn herbicide programme, and until two years ago the backbone, apart from a rigorous stale seed-bed approach, was isoproturon.
"But I believe we were starting to get resistance, although I have not had it tested. So we have turned to Lexus/Stomp and now use very little pre-emergence, though I did try one particularly bad field with Crystal last autumn."
Plans in the wet autumn of 2000 went somewhat astray and Hawk was substituted for the Stomp on later sowings. The mix seemed to work well on both blackgrass and wild oats, says Mr Cannon.
"My main worry this year is that we were all drilled up by the first week in October." Unlike autumn 2000, conditions for crop and weed establishment were ideal, and the danger, given the change in herbicide approach, is that there will be plenty of strong wild oats to tackle before long, he believes.
"The Crystal, Lexus/Stomp sequence has done an excellent job on the blackgrass. It is the wild oats that need watching now.
"I have not seen a big problem yet, but there could also be a lot of late germinators coming through, so I will be keeping a very close eye on things. The autumn programme has already cost us at least £12/acre and with grain prices as they are I certainly do not want to spend any more."
Spring controller for some years has been Topik, usually applied in March or April when the oats are not too big yet still present a reasonable target, he says.
"We have used Wildcat and it seemed to be OK on wild oats. But Topik has a real go at any blackgrass left over as well."