Stop-start wheat drilling and variable beet yields – Farmers Weekly
Our crop consultants from across the country give a unique insight into agronomy issues for this season ...
East – Rory Kissock, Farmacy (Essex, Herts, Cambs, Suffolk)
Wheat drilling is very much a stop/start affair within the region as the weather continues to slow progress. Useful rains at the end of September have allowed for sufficient grassweed germination which will receive an application of glyphosate pre-drilling.
Pre-emergence herbicides vary depending on target grassweeds and the pressure each field is under. Cinmethylin, flufenacet, diflufenican and tri-allate can form the base of pre-emergence stacks, with the addition of pendimethalin, metribuzin, prosulfocarb and alconifen where required.
Resistance testing is a good way of under- standing the weed populations you are deal- ing with to ensure you are getting best value for money from herbicides.
Most winter barley crops have been drilled into good seed-beds and have received a pre-emergence herbicide. Ongoing monitoring of these crops as they emerge is important when it comes to slug management, in general slug populations are high and traps should be placed out in fields and if thresholds are met then pelleting would be advised.
Aphid threat
BYDV risk will start as these crops emerge. Crop monitoring for aphids (bird cherry oat and grain aphid) alongside online tools which can be used to record the T-Sum 170 calcula- tion will aid an IPM approach to insecticide applications.
The sugar beet campaign has started and so far, yields seem to be variable, but with good sugar content. Persistent rains have slowed the progress of sugar beet being lifted. Growers are keen to lift, cultivate and drill subsequent crops without exposing cultivated land to too much rain.
Oilseed rape crops are continuing to move, early-drilled crops have established well despite the lack of rain post-drilling when they needed it. The later drilled crops have benefited from the recent rains and the plant populations are good across the board, but the dreaded bank holiday cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) invasions have hindered them more. Some crops have received treatments of lambda-cyhalothrin for CSFB and a graminicide for volunteer cereals.
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