Well sown, half grown: Get crops off to a good start this autumn

Growers are being urged to plan upcoming cultivations and cropping plans carefully, as a whole host of soil-related risks could compromise establishment of next year’s crops.

That’s the key message from lan Robertson, general manager of Sustainable Soil Management, who says prolonged wet weather has left soils in an anaerobic state, particularly where farms failed to establish а сrор.

Mr Robertson explains that microbial populations in these situations have been challenged by waterlogging and inadequate plants to capture sunlight and feed a healthy population through their roots.

“We must try and drill the next crop into better soil conditions with a reasonable seed rate to turn that around.

“Getting plants and a healthy canopy developing as quickly as possible will soon help to re- establish a diverse soil microbial population. The sun’s energy has to be linked to the soil via plants to do that,” he adds.

The first thing to consider in compromised situations is soil structure, with heavier soils in particular having a profile like a dense chocolate brownie, rather than the preferred light chocolate sponge cake, after the extremely wet winter and spring.

This leads him to recommend carefully planned and targeted cultivations to breathe some air back into the soil, changing the soil environment from anaerobic to aerobic, which in turn allows the right soil microbes to thrive.

Where farms have moved to a no- till system, there may be a reluctance to move any soil whatsoever, but he encourages those in these situations to do so where soils have become particularly tight.

“Getting some air in by mechanics is sometimes the only way. Then you can get some of the sun’s energy pushed back into the soil by living plants.

“My advice where you have any wet holes, bare areas or whole fields left fallow is to get it aerated and get something growing in there as soon as possible. Whatever you do, don’t leave it bare until the autumn,” he explains.

Ian Robertson says that whilst introducing air and roots will help stimulate soil microbial populations in the currently compromised soil conditions, there is also the option of inoculating seed to speed the process up.

GramaxNP is a stable liquid seed treatment formulation that coats the seed with several beneficial bacteria. These release nitrogen, and free up potassium, and phosphate for the plants, which are steadily released over a period of time from establishment.

“You are stimulating a microbial community that provide the key components for plant growth and using a seed treatment is the best way to marry up that community with the crop,” he explains.

There is likely to be a swing to more winter cereals this autumn, particularly winter wheat, as growers look to get rotations back in balance after being forced into spring crops, fallow, or Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) options.

There is also the worry about the drilling window being slammed shut by wet weather again, and many growers are talking about earlier drill dates to ensure they get enough winter wheat in the ground.

Mr Robertson says this underlines the importance of having a drilling plan, ensuring that the worst grassweed-infested fields are drilled towards the end of schedule, even if it means greater logistical headaches.

In addition to grassweeds, there is also an elevated threat from soil bome disease take-all, with a relatively warm winter and wet spring conducive to its build up in the soil ahead of drilling this autumn.

Patchy non-host crops, or SFI options carrying high levels of cereal volunteers and grassweeds could elevate risk to first wheats, and while spring sown cereals are not badly affected, they can increase inoculum that infects following crops.

In these low- to medium-risk situations, Ian says using a biological treatment like GramaxNP can help plants develop a vigorous and healthy root system that is better able to cope with some infection.

However, in higher risk situations, such as sites with a history of take-all or a second or third cereal drilled early, using Latitude (silthiofam) either alone or in combination with a biological is proven to reduce primary root infection and protect yield.

“We don’t want to use chemistry unless we need to. It’s a case of sitting down with your agronomist and assessing each situation on its merit and giving the crop the best chance possible to thrive,” explains Ian. “The same goes for those using home-saved seed. Get it tested early so you know the risks and use a single-purpose dressing to cover any seed-borne disease revealed by the results.”