SWsuccess for min-till, so far…
SWsuccess for min-till, so far…
MOST minimally tilled wheats have come through the sodden winter remarkably well in the south-west, according to Agrovista agronomist Arthur Hulls.
"It is fair to say that the technique seems more suited to lighter land. But I have only one farm this spring where minimum tillage has not worked. Whether that is simply through waterlogging or because of slugs it is hard to tell. We pelleted three times."
Most min-till crops also follow break crops, he notes. "It has been rather less successful after cereals.
"I even have one field which went direct into sprayed off turf on light red soil with a Vaderstad. The contractor was quite reluctant to do it, and until about a month ago it looked quite sad. But for the past week you would not have known it had been direct-drilled. Its progress has been quite staggering."
At the firms demonstration site, on former farmers weekly barometer Richard Paynes Manor Farm, Heathfield, Somerset, all the minimally tilled plots (Arable, Jan 5) will produce a reliable crop, notes southern commercial manager Charles Coslett.
"The plant populations are good, and many plants have tillered well despite the wet weather.
"If we had to say which was the best looking plot now it would be the one sown by the Horsch CO tined coulter drill." By December the machine had established the most plants, although the Horsch DSD produced more tillers.
Comparison
"Interestingly, when comparing the control field next door, conventionally drilled two weeks later on Oct 4, there is no doubt that all the minimum tillage plots look ahead in terms of growth stage, and they seem to have fared better over winter."
Bad weather meant no fertiliser went on either field until Apr 18.
Wet soils preventing spraying until Mar 3 means there are also some unsightly clumps of ryegrass volunteers among the plots. "We could tackle them with Grasp or Topik, but we cannot justify the spend of an overall treatment," says Mr Hulls.
All the plots will be taken to weighbridge yields, and the results made available to farmers registering on the web-site: www.agrovista.co.uk *
SOUTH-WEST MIN-TILL DEMO
• All plots through winter well.
• Delayed spring fertiliser.
• Ahead of conventional sowing.
• Horsch CO drill best so far.
Wheat establishment by minimum tillage was good and marginally more satisfactory with a Horsch CO tined drill than four other machines in Agrovistas south-western demo. But that was after beans, says the firms Arthur Hulls. Elsewhere after cereals (as here) the technique has been less successful.
SWMIN-TILLDEMO
• All plots through winter well.
• Delayed spring fertiliser.
• Ahead of conventional sowing.
• Horsch CO drill best so far.