Discs to the fore…
Discs to the fore…
No-till tactics must suit the soil type. In the last of our series on alternative cultivation strategies, Gilly Johnson hears how heavy discs meet the challenge on soils from light brash to heavier silts.
WHY abandon the plough in favour of a no-till strategy? In our previous articles on no-till tactics, weve outlined a range of benefits – cost cutting, easier workload, earlier drilling, and so on.
But heres one man with a different motivation. Gloucestershire grower Neville Crook has a simple, but fundamental aim: he wants to improve establishment by putting the seed in at the right depth, over variable soils. He needed a system which worked just as well on Cotswold brash, clay loams and silt.
"We were ploughing and pressing, then using a power harrow drill combination. But it wasnt working. The system was slow – we were lucky to do 40 acres/day – and as we got into the back end of the year, the power harrow just wasnt putting the seed into the ground properly, particularly in the clay soil. We might as well have been broadcasting seed. Not surprisingly, establishment was poor and the slugs had a field day."
Problems were different on each field. The soil wasnt draining well on the silt – land was overworked, and slumped. The light brash didnt need the power harrow treatment. Crops on the clays were gappy.
Time for a re-think. So he took the plunge and invested in what some might consider an expensive alternative: heavy Simba discs and the Väderstadt Rapide combination drill. This type of strategy has been tagged the "EcoTillage" system, where it is used in conjunction with a post-harvest Roundup (glyphosate) treatment.
Initially he tried to make do with lighter discs, but these couldnt cope with the straw residues in the clay. But the Simba heavy discs work well, and Mr Crook aims to use just one pass, rather than two, where possible, to keep costs down. Land is rolled after discing.
An extra 160hp tractor is hired in for 10 weeks to satisfy the high demand for horsepower.
This autumn he hasnt ploughed at all – but its taken a four-year switch-over period to convince him that this is practicable. "We can see that where we havent ploughed, establishment is easier."
A little credit may be due to Sibutol Secur (imidacloprid) insecticidal seed dressing, which prevents BYDV transmission. "Weve used it for the first time this autumn and it looks as though the slugs dont like it either."
Mr Crook is introducing about 36ha (90 acres) of spring cropping – probably oats – to help keep on top of grassweeds, now that ploughing has gone. "We dont have resistant blackgrass, but weve everything else. Autumn Roundup pre-drilling isnt enough on its own."
Hes been able to make savings on seed for the earlier drillings during the first week in September. The aim is to finish by the first week in October.
Have yields benefited from the new tactics? "Its hard to tell because of the strobilurins," says Mr Crook. "But wed like to think so. Bar second wheats, our yields improving all the time."
Mr Crooks cultivation system is an example of the reduced tillage tactics being promoted by a new group: the UK Soil Management Initiative (SMI).
Launched on 23 Nov 1999, the objectives of the group divide into two parallel strands – the environment, and profitability. It wants to:
• promote the adoption of cultivation systems which are designed to protect and enhance soil quality
• minimise soil erosion and water pollution
• maintain or enhance financial returns to producers.
SMI is an independent group with an impressive membership which includes: ADAS, The Environment Agency, Focus on Farming Practice (CWS), A Forsyth (Farm Work) Ltd, The Game Conservancy Trust, IACR Long Ashton, and the Soil Survey and Land Research Centre. Commercial agchem and machinery members include Monsanto and Simba International.
Theres a European link; SMI is a founder member of the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF). Through this body, European funding has been made available. Sister organisations are now set up in other EU member states with the same agenda.
Watch out for SMI events in 2000. The plan is to hold a series of national and regional meetings covering such topics as:
• grass weeds
• crop protection (ICM and tillage)
• erosion
• pollution and wildlife
• cultivation costings
• tillage and training
More information on the UK SMI can be obtained from the co-ordinator Robert Wise on 01787 278727; fax 278927; e-mail smi@farm.co.uk