Crop Watch: How a new herbicide fits in weed control plans – Farmers Weekly

Favourable conditions have seen some fields after maize that were destined for spring barley to be drilled with wheat while north of the border, farmers are taking advantage by liming land for spring cropping and carrying out drain repairs.

This autumn sees the arrival of a brand new herbicide and some of our agronomists consider how it fits in with weed plans.

Since my last Crop Watch report in June, harvest has been and gone, and autumn drilling is nearly completed.

I wrote back then that the harvest looked like it had potential, and pleasingly that was realised.

There were good yields of grain and straw on the winter crops, although spring barleys were more variable, which looked like being the case back in June.

This year, we had easily the earliest maize harvest I’ve experienced.

Some crops in the drier regions suffered and were coming off in the second half of August, although the majority were harvested by the middle of September in most parts of Devon and slightly later in Cornwall.

Yields of maize varied a bit, but overall yields were average, and with the quality looking reasonable.

With an early harvest of cereals and maize, there has been a great opportunity to allow grass-reseeding, with just enough moisture to allow establishment.

Grass growth in the past month has been strong, with a lot of late silage made to boost stocks, particularly for those that have had to buffer feed.

As I write, it feels like autumn drilling of cereal crops is almost completed. It’s been perfect conditions for sowing in the past two to three weeks, as good a sowing period as I can recall.

Most crops have gone into good seed-beds, and the weather has given the opportunity to get pre-emergence herbicides on the winter barleys-mainly pendimethalin/picolinafen products, but also some flufenacet/diflufenican mixes.

Similarly, wheat crops have had the same approach. Fortunately, blackgrass isn’t a big issue in my area, which makes the approach more straightforward and cheaper.

Crop establishment has been quick this year, and some crops have had an early post-emergence herbicide and aphicide together.

There are plenty of aphids about, reinforced by the Rothamsted aphid reports, so this will be a year to be vigilant about the barley yellow dwarf virus threat.

There are also reports of high gout fly numbers just to add to the mix. The plus side is with the relatively dry conditions, slug pressure has been lower, with only a few incidents where slugs have been active.

After three consecutive difficult autumn sowing periods, it’s a relief to experience the easiest one for a number of years.