Crop Watch North: David Martindale’s thoughts turn to cereal ...

Tag : herbicides

Spring beans are taking an age to come through the ground and incertain areas the pigeons are enjoying a change of diet as thegrowth of the oilseed rape finally forces them elsewhere. Around25% of the spring barley acreage is still to be drilled, and wewon't even talk about potatoes. A decent warm, dry week would solveall the anxieties.
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15 April 2008
Patrick Stephenson - Association of Independent Crop Consultants,North Yorkshire
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Having once again woken up to snow on the ground, it appears thatthe month of March has been lost without trace! Everything has nowhad some fertiliser with the oilseed rape and barley complete.Despite the weather, crops in general look well with goodpotential.
T0 sprays are heading into the usual messy mish mash of T0.5. Tightfungicide supply appears to be raising its head and no doubteveryone will be highlighting the difficulties in managing supplychains.
Cold weather has certainly kept rust issues under "control", butbitter experience tells me they don't disappear! Septoria is present and is my tip for the top disease problem this year.
Winter barleys are in the process of being sprayed, or waiting tobe done, and I am not sure if covered in snow is a wet leaf or not!
Then there is my Cinderella crop, oil seed rape. Just as thedaffodils have looked sad after the frosts so does the rape. Myfriends the pigeons continue to dine at the Michelin three star-rated restaurant andwill do so until growth improves.
Spring drilling has moved onto fodder beet and maize under plasticlets hope the weather improves as land work is now starting tostack up.
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7 April 2008
David Cairns - McCreath, Simpson & Prentice, Berwick-upon-Tweed
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Apart from two days last week it does not seem as though we havemade any progress since last month. Again the rain is batteringagainst the window and temperatures are not what I would callseasonal.
However, we have managed to drill 75% of spring cropping and unlikelast year, germination because of lack of moisture is not aproblem. The earliest drilled crops are growing up nicely and soonas it warms up will start and move quickly.
Winter barley crops are slowly creeping through growth stages andthe important stem-base T1 spray is nearly upon us. We will bebasing this around a strobilurin and cyprodinil mixture as I do notthink you can underestimate eyespot in this crop. Obviously we are looking for growth regulators atthis time, but with temperatures where they are I doubt chlormequatwill be too effective, so it is vital to include Moddus(trinexapac-ethyl).
Winter wheat is moving slowly, just wanting it to warm up so it canstart and pick up some nitrogen. We are finding some pockets of yellow rust and with cool wet conditions it is again increasing importance ofa T0 tidy up spray.
As crops start to move away we will move in to the T1 timing onthis crop as well. Due to excellent results last year I am basingthis around boscalid + epoxiconazole with addition of cyprodinil invery high-risk eyespot situations. It is vital to get thisapplication correct so that we go into flag leaf timing with aclean crop.
Another problem I have been picking up when looking at earlierdrilled crops is '167⬩">'gout fly , the incidence does seem to be lower in Redigo Deter (clothianidin+ prothioconazole) treated crops.
We seem to be seeing a lot of panic buying and stockpiling offungicides which is putting huge pressure on the supply chain atmoment, but I am confident that if growers plan with theiragronomist they will get their first choice products.
Hopefully, like I ended last month, it will dry up again and we cansee our plans start and happen.
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1 April 2008
Andrew Riddell - Association of Independent Crop Consultants, EastLothian
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We have had cold northerly flows for much of the past monthresulting in very little crop growth. Worst affected has been pigeon -damaged rape, many crops having Green Area Indexes of less than1.2.
The forward rapes are close to the green bud stage and willhopefully get a fungicide this week. We have still the final splitof nitrogen to be applied, waiting until it's almost too high forthe spinner before application.
Forward winter barley is past growth stage 30, with Pearl nowshowing increased levels of net blotch and some rhynchosporium . Since no T0 has been applied we may add some Proline(prothioconazole) and call it the T1. Those still tillering willget a T0 as planned.
Wheat is in need of warmer weather to help green it up and get someactive growth before the fungicide and growth regulator will beeffective. Mildew , which was evident a month ago on forward Robigus, has all-butdisappeared with the recent weather. With much of the area sown inAlchemy and Robigus rust may be lurking in earlier sites so whenconditions do allow get a fungicide applied.
Average crops are the best part of a month away from T1 so there isstill time for the early fungicide and first growth regulator splitto be applied.
'167⬩">'Gout fly damage is more evident this spring in early sown crops. I'm seeingit mostly on heavy soils and especially in Robigus. The affectedtillers are swollen and onion like in appearance. The damage isdone and affected tillers will not develop an ear.
Spring barley has been drilled into excellent seedbeds albeit insoil a couple of degrees cooler than usual at this time. Cropsdrilled a month ago are only now rowed up.
Roll on spring!
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25 March 2008
Robert Sullivan - Strutt and Parker, Northumberland
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As I sit and write this it is trying to snow and the temperature isnot far above freezing. Oh for a bit of warmth and, believe it ornot, rain. What little bits we have had have been blown off by thestrong winds and so many crops are still looking stressed in spiteof receiving the first application of nitrogen.
Oilseed rape is very definitely in two camps - the very forward andthe hardly moving at all. The majority of those forward crops havenow received a fungicide for light leaf spot with the growthregulatory fungicides being favoured.
The vast majority of crops are just starting to grow, recoveringfrom pigeon damage or still being attacked. Here the intention is for afungicide to be applied when there is a reasonable leaf area to hitas light leaf spot can still be seen where there is enough foliage.On these crops a fungicide without any growth regulatory effectswill be chosen.
Other than the very forward first wheats, everything should havereceived its first taste of nitrogen. The second and continuouswheats have not moved, although their colour has improved. The hopeis that a few more tillers will appear before we get to the end oftillering, otherwise there might be a few thin crops.
With the cold, dry weather, the level of disease is very low.However, with the high grain prices the intention is that a T0 willbe applied to the majority of the crops. Certainly the most forwardcrops are likely to get a T0/ PGR around the end of the month.
To date the problems of securing supplies of the preferredfungicides has not materialised however that could easily change asthe season progresses.
Winter barley crops still have that yellow look about them. Despitenitrogen applied 10-14 days ago, their colour has yet to improve.Only the most forward crops are at growth stage 30 and so for thefeed crops there will be no further activity until early/mid-April. For those of you aiming for the malting market the finalnitrogen dressing is not far away. Again disease levels remain lowwith the cold weather.
Spring Beans and Barley have both been sown into decent seedbedsalbeit the soil remains cold. As a result crops are not jumping outof the ground.
Some nice warm rain would do everything a lot of good!
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17 March 2008
Patrick Stephenson - Association of Independent Crop Consultants,North Yorkshire
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In like a lion out like a lamb! Well the first part was certainlytrue, but in farming terms there were plenty of opportunities tocultivate and drill. Spring drilling is now well advanced andconditions are in general pretty good.
It still leaves many difficult decisions, particularly with poorrape crops, and flood damaged crops. Although higher market pricesare very welcome it seems to make these decisions for re drillingmore difficult!
Crops look well and, bar the most forward crops, have had therefirst top dressing of nitrogen with particular attention paid tothe increased area of second wheat.
There appears to be few signs of '167⬩">'wheat bulb fly , which is probably due to the closure of the York Sugar beetfactory and the reduced risk. A wet January has lead to a dryFebruary and crops have all improved with the potential for goodwheat yields.
Cold snaps and drier weather have appeared to keep disease levelsin check. T0 will be scheduled for the most forward disease-pronewheats, however growers not carrying out T0 will have to be awareof the importance of T1 timings to ensure that we do not open theproverbial Pandora's Box of disease for the season.
Winter barley crops look well, but fields with mosaic virus areeasy to spot and need recording to ensure suitable varieties areplanted next time. Malting varieties will be receiving their finaldressing shortly and with premiums approaching justifiable levelsno extra will be applied.
At long last winter oilseed rape is moving forward and the army of pigeons that appeared determined to graze it to oblivion have started toretreat. I fear though that yields will not be top drawer!
Every new twist in commodity prices brings its long debate on tosell or not and in the case of fertiliser to buy or not! In mycrystal ball this year looks good for commodity prices but harvest2009 could be a different ball game!
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10 March 2008
David Cairns - McCreath, Simpson & Prentice, Berwick-upon-Tweed
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As I write this, the wind and rain is battering against the windowand I am wondering what I am doing trying to look at springfungicides!
However, last week we saw a lot of spring barley drilled in to verygood seedbeds. There is a renewed interest in the crop because oflucrative returns. Growers should be aiming to get nitrogen on asapto help achieve the low grain nitrogen our market requires.
Oilseed rape and winter barley have received their first topdressings and on the whole are looking very promising. Apart fromthe most backward crops, wheat looks to be tillering well so don'trush in with nitrogen to these crops. We are hoping to get T0 on toall our winter barley and winter wheat, this reduces the pressureon the T1 spray for both crops and saves such hefty tank mixes.
Winter barley will get a morpholine and cyrpodinil or low dosetriazole depending on situation and also an application ofmanganese.
Winter wheat will get a triazole and chlorothalonil or mancozeb andaddition of chlormequat to start growth regulator programme.
As I have written all season with crop values where they are, thereturn from inputs has never been greater.
Hopefully it will dry up again and we can see our plans start andhappen! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4 March 2008
Andrew Riddell - Association of Independent Crop Consultants, EastLothian
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Crops have generally come out of the winter looking good and withstrong forward prices the opportunity exists to maximise yourreturn from attention to detail in crop husbandry.
Oilseed rape is responding well to its first application ofnitrogen. Don't forget the Sulphur in this area rape needs35-40kg/ha S.
Where light leaf spot can be found an appropriate fungicide determined by the size ofthe crop canopy should be applied soon. Punch C (carbendazim +flusilazole) is a good product on small canopies, but take note ofcrop total dose if it was used in the autumn.
Mildew is easily found on most winter barley with levels of rhynchosporium and net blotch varying with variety and site factors. Those crops which havereceived nitrogen are beginning to pick up and will shortly need anearly clean up. My product choice will be Torch Extra (spiroxamine)and Kayak (cyprodinil) leaving the triazoles for T1 timing.
Most wheat is now in need of nitrogen. Only on the most forwardfields will I delay application. Sulphur requirement on wintercereals is around 15kgs S.
We may have had slightly more frost this winter than last but witha large proportion of the acreage down to Alchemy and Robigus rust may be lurking in forward canopies. I'm planning to apply Cherokee(chlorothalonil + cyproconazole + propiconazole) on such cropswithin the next couple of weeks when suitable conditions allow.
Some of the earlier farms began drilling spring barley at the endof last week but were very quickly stopped by heavy rain on thelast day of the month. In the last couple of years we have had runinto rather dry spells not long after drilling and barley whichreceived no seedbed fertiliser has looked hungry. Plan to get aproportion of the fertiliser onto the land pre-sowing the balancecan be applied immediately tramlines are visible.
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25 February 2008
Robert Sullivan - Strutt and Parker, Northumberland
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Last week was good and bad here, with some very keen frosts overthe first few days and turning milder but very windy by the end.Hopefully those few very cold days will have done a lot of goodknocking down what disease is around, whilst also having a good goat the runch in oilseed rape crops where no herbicide was applied.
As always with this time of year the temptation to rush out withthe fertiliser spreader will eventually get the better of everyone.This time for the first time in a number of years there is more ofan incentive to get going.
The majority of oilseed rape crops are starting to look for a feedas most have only a Green Area Index of between 0.5-1.0. Pigeons are not helping the situation either, given the fact that they canland in most crops relatively easily.
As a result you should be looking to try and get the firstapplication on as soon as possible, without making a mess! Thisseason I am looking at the benefit of using a nitrogen/ sulphurfertiliser for each application, rather than applying all thesulphur in the first dressing.
A lot of the second and continuous wheats would also benefit froman early application. Certainly those drilled in the second half ofOctober and November need some encouragement as they have very fewtillers at the moment.
Early-sown crops are at the other end of the spectrum and in someinstances it would be tempting to get them grazed off with somesheep - I've never been brave enough to suggest it in February.
Disease-wise, most cereal crops are relatively clean although mildew and net blotch were visible prior to the cold snap. Light leaf spot can be found on the oldest leaves of many crops, so I wouldanticipate that a fungicide will be applied once the new springgrowth has started.
Historically the though process has always been "can it bejustified". Given the fact that the price of osr continues to risethis has now been turned on its head to "why should it not besprayed".
Overall the high commodity prices are making everyone look at allinputs in a different way. Historically the use of T0's and to alesser extent T3's have been questionable in terms of margin overcost. This year every bit of yield is worth chasing and so a fourspray programme is likely to be the norm. The initial T0's/PGRapplications will be starting in two to three weeks time.
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18 February 2008
Patrick Stephenson - Association of Independent Crop Consultants,North Yorkshire
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Spring is in the air! Having suffered 125mm of rain in January,February has provided us with the cold start we hoped to helpfurther suppress the disease bank. Having convinced myself aboutthe justification of a T0 spray doubts start to nag at me.
Mildew that was well established in wheat and barley will hopefully nowbe knocked back. The mild January has helped backward wheat cropsfurther establish themselves and look "full".
The vision of frost and sunshine has lead to the usual flurry ofphone calls about early nitrogen. Unlike last year, this year earlynitrogen will be a priority on the large number of backward wheatand rape crops. This coupled with a pigeon population whichresembles the entire Chinese population! Means that fertiliserspreaders will be moving this week.
Crops which are badly grazed by vermin will receive some genuineTLC with 125kg/ha product this month and next. Sulphur is now astandard application, in this dressing for rape and some cereals.
Looking for phoma and light leaf spot infection is particularly challenging as short of dissecting halfthe local pigeon population there appears to be few leaves to see!
Needless to say I can find them and once again star my internaldebate on spraying them.
The dynamics of high commodity prices make you re-visit many areaspreviously glossed over. The yield response required justifying aspray application at £140/tonne or £300/tonne is a lot less thanwhen cereals were around £60/tonne and rape at £140/tonne.
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12 February 2008
David Cairns - McCreath, Simpson & Prentice, Berwick-upon-Tweed
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Firstly, a happy and prosperous 2008 to all readers.
Crops on the whole in this area seem to be coming through thewinter well despite large amounts of rainfall and the water tablebeing high constantly. There are small amounts of mildew and net blotch to be found on winter barley. Wheats appear to be relativelyclean, but I do expect high levels of inoculums to be present.
Obviously with commodity prices where they are we are going to seea different approach to crop protection this season. Growers haveinvested in seed, fertiliser and cultivations on crops and everybit of yield is worth chasing so I think we will see rates offungicide increase as the return is there to be had.
Because of increased demand for crop protection products worldwidewe are naturally seeing a firming in prices and potential productshortages on some key products so farmers are advised to plancarefully with their distributor to ensure supply.
We managed to apply autumn herbicide to 80% of our winter cerealsand on the whole has been very effective. We will wait and see ifany tidy up is required at the T1 timing.
Probably ground conditions are going to determine fertiliserapplications to crops, but earlier crops are looking well and havesufficient tillers and I am not a believer in rushing in withfertiliser on anything apart from backward crops.
Again because of better returns we are seeing an increased interestin spring barley. One of the main limiting factors to varietychoice is seed availability so again growers are advised to plancarefully. Contracts this season are very lucrative and qualitywill be well rewarded so investment in this crop is going to beworthwhile for the grower.
By next month we will see crops starting to move on and we can lookat the very cost effective T0/ growth regulator application.
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26 November 2007
Andrew Riddell - Association of Independent Crop Consultants, EastLothian
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As fieldwork draws to a close for 2007, crops are generally lookingwell in East Lothian, reports Andrew Riddell.
Mid-September sown oilseed rape looks very respectable with goodroot growth and sufficient leaf canopy, although pigeons could be a problem on some sites.
Earlier-sown crops have needed less canopy management than usual,as seed rates are being better managed.
Cereals generally look well, although slugs have been difficult to contain on some ploughed sites.
Early vigour problems have been very common. Many seed lots hadvery high fusarium levels and dormancy levels were also variable - fortunatelyfavourable weather has allowed these slower fields to recover.
Spring malting barley contract are now available. Seed supplies aretight, so decisions need to be made soon.
The initial meeting of the Lothian and Borders Arable Monitor farm,organised by SAC and HGCA , took place recently. A large number of farmers attended, whichshould give rise to some very informative discussions over the nextthree years of the project.
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19 November 2007
Robert Sullivan - Strutt and Parker, Northumberland
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I still cannot believe how dry it is. In fact some of the morebackward oilseed rape crops appear to be suffering from droughtstress. Certainly there is negligible moisture within the rootingzone.
The majority of crops have an even spread of plants across thefield. The concern is the size of the individual plants going intowinter and coping with pigeons etc.
All crops now are showing signs of phoma and given the relatively small size of the majority of plants afungicide has been applied. Trace elements have been included basedon tissue analysis, especially boron, whist several clients havealso included Phosphite to hopefully improve rooting. Time willtell how effective these have been.
The majority of cereal crops have now been sprayed with an autumnherbicide/ insecticide mix. Scorch is noticeable on a number ofbarley crops, no doubt a combination of being too dry and the cropnot being hardened off.
Given the very dry conditions I have encouraged farmers not tospray in the last fortnight given the risk of scorch. This isunheard of, as normally we are trying to find opportunities whensprayers can travel without leaving ruts. How the weather haschanged.
Slugs in general seem to have been beaten into submission, although oneor two clients are still being troubled in small areas of fieldswhere seedbeds were poor. Now we are starting to see other pestsattacking crops - namely rabbits and in certain areas rats.
The rabbits have already grazed areas down to ground level, whilstrats have literally destroyed headlands of cereal fields. Given thenumbers present there does not appear to be an obvious way tocontrol them, without a significant amount of hard work. Any helpwould be appreciated!
As spraying is completed, attention turns to other activities. Ifyou have not had any soil analyses done recently, now is the timeto get out and gather some samples together. Given the fact thatfertiliser prices continue to rise, more precise targeting ofnutrients to meet the crops requirements would make sense.
Often significant savings can be made over current practices,especially where FYM is being applied. Knowing where you are isessential for future planning. Where P or K has only recently beenapplied, wait until post-Christmas before soil sampling to ensureyou get a realistic result.
Other regional reports:
East
West
South
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13 November 2007
Patrick Stephenson - Association of Independent Crop Consultants,North Yorkshire
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It hardly seems possible that we are as dry as a bone in November.It seems sacrilege to say that a drop of rain would be welcome!Unfortunately all crops have not responded to the lovely weather,and a school report on them would contain the phrases