Crop Watch North – Farmers Weekly
Thankfully, my weather prayers have finally been answered and the past couple of weeks have seen a real improvement ...
The rain suddenly disappeared from the forecast and the sun came out to play.
Fields quickly began to dry out and, dare l say it, are starting to go the other way now. I’ve been caught once or twice expressing how “a few mil at night wouldn’t go amiss for these spring crops”. Perhaps my wife has a point – I’m never happy.
The last of the wheat T2s are on and thankfully so, I’ve had several reports from around the county of yellow rust appearing on leaf two prior to treatment and sprayer misses are terrifying to look at. Generally, wheat crops have plenty of potential and need looking after right up until the combine.
I appreciate the current situation, with prices for harvest having slipped back, is concerning, but our foot must be firmly pressed on the pedal for a bit more time yet. I think the debate of “to T3 or not toT3″ has been answered and I would strongly suggest treatment at ear emergence.
For those looking to push crops, a strobilurin will help maintain the green area and yield potential. Bear septoria in mind, as I’m sure this will need keeping under control as long as possible.
Pod sealants
OSR flowering has all but come to an end. Again, the potential in these crops looks good as the pods begin to fill. Discussions will soon turn to early pod sealants for those who can. I feel the uptake of this increases every year and the results can be seen. Don’t be afraid to give it a go, even if you are running a trailed sprayer, as you push the tramlines down when they are still green, which helps when desiccation comes around. Spring cereals have come through very well despite being drilled later than we would have liked. They seem slow to get going however, as the ground begins to dry out.
Weed control is all but finished and our attention will turn to disease treatments. They will soon begin to race through the growth stages, especially if soil moisture is lacking, so be mindful that sometimes going what feels like too early will inevitably be the correct timing.
As show season approaches, I hope you all get the chance to get away from the farm. There will be plenty of variety trials around to start the discussions for this autumn.
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