Crop Watch – Farmers Weekly
Crop Watch - Farmers Weekly ...
Conor Campbell, North (Northumberland)
Wet weather throughout March hampered progress in field. Crops that were fortunate enough to receive some early nitrogen prior to the rain were very grateful. Thankfully, a spell of nice weather allowed us back into the fields last week to get, for many, their first dressing of nitrogen on to crops.
Some spring drilling has started in the Scottish Borders, but very little has been done around Northumberland.
However, we are by no means late yet. Last year most spring barley came through in extremely dry conditions, something I doubt will be an issue this year.
Moisture will be plentiful at drilling and should get crops off to a great start.
With everyone poised to make a start on spraying when conditions allow, our attention turns to prioritising what to do first and when.
Personally, I have lodging and disease suppression at the top of my list.
While weed control is extremely important and very visual, in most cases, their impact on yield is far less than lodging or allowing disease to take over.
Septoria pressure varies with sowing date and variety, but with the wet weather you can begin to see the disease on the newer leaves.
As crops are at GS30, attention will turn to a T0 spray. There is much debate around the validity of this timing and how much yield benefit we see.
I think it’s important to consider that it helps to ease the pressure at T1 and is also a good opportunity to improve overall plant development.
Winter barley
Winter barleys have been very grateful for some nitrogen, as they were becoming increasingly easy to pick out from the roadside.
T1 is just around the corner for many, and robust rates will be required, with plenty of net blotch, rhynchosporium and brown rust to be found.
Oilseed rape seems to have missed the memo about the wet conditions, as it continues to shoot for the skies.
The yellow haze of early crops has started to fill the countryside, as we look to travel, for many, with our first fungicide.
Traditionally, we would look to cover these at early stem extension for light leaf spot, but this is now starting to look like an early flowering spray.
Consider product choice if this is your first time through, as I’ve been noticing a lot more disease when walking crops.
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