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Crop Crack 26.09.09
By Wendy Fearon
Believe it or not we made hay last week and it was in pretty good shape all thanks to the help of our generous neighbours.There was a great opportunity to get crops harvested and I have seen a few drills working over the last week. Yields of spring barley overall were disappointing. It is very difficult to know what cereal acreage will be this season, but certainly the economics don’t stack up. Farmers should be aware that early drilling of winter wheat dramatically increases the likelihood of a Take-all yield reduction following cereal situations and should therefore use an appropriate seed treatment.
Slugs will be a major threat to crops this autumn with the wet summer months allowing this pest to thrive. Typical damage is hollowing of the seed and irregular shredding of the leaves as the plants emerge.
Aphids also pose a threat to crops this autumn, particularly in early sown fields. With relatively mild temperatures aphid numbers remain high and will quickly move into new crops as these emerge. In this scenario any delay in applying an aphicide gives huge scope for the aphids to transmit Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) into the crop as it emerges.IPU has now disappeared as an autumn herbicide but there are still a fair few options open to growers to control both grass weeds and broad leaved weeds. I can see chlorotoluron being used in a tank mix this season but like most other autumn herbicides it must go on very early. The downside of this product is it does carry varietal restrictions for both barley and wheat a list of which can be found on the Clarendon Agricare website under News.
SLUGS
The wet summer has allowed slugs thrive, limiting natural mortality associated with drier conditions. Cereals being drilled into leys, potato beds or grassy stubble are at greatest risk. Loose unconsolidated seed-beds are most at risk, where slugs can move up to and down from the soil surface as moisture conditions dictate. Typical damage is hollowing of the seed and irregular shredding of the emerging leaves; consequently slug control needs to be considered right at time of drilling.
Slug pellets should be ad-mixed with the seed at drilling, or applied as soon after sowing as possible.
BARLEY YELLOW DWARF VIRUS (BYDV)
This disease is carried by aphids and passed on to the crop when they feed on the young plants. Once infected, the disease cannot be controlled. Therefore control is aimed at prevention of crop infection, controlling the aphids with insecticide at the correct time.
Aphids feeding on these crops as well as other host crops including grass ensure the aphid population is well loaded with the virus, and the mild conditions so far means aphid activity and migrations are high, and mortality low. This all adds up to all autumn crops being as risk of infection, especially those emerging early, which may need a second treatment to keep the aphids out until the colder weather takes over.
An application of insecticide should be made as soon as the crop has 1 fully emerged leaf. Delaying application will leave the crop unprotected at its most critical stage. Like the residual herbicides, product persistency is very dependant on temperature, improving as temperatures fall.
POTATOES
Growers should continue to maintain fungicide protection of the haulm until the crop is harvested or the haulm is 100% desiccated. Timely desiccation is an essential part of good seed and ware production. Diquat is the most widely used farmer applied chemical desiccant .The rate of haulm desiccation is slow and therefore fungicide protection should continue after application. Even after two split applications of Reglone certain varieties of potatoes are difficult to burn off completely and be certain no regrowth will appear. Spotlight Plus is recommended for use after a 7 day interval as a follow up T2 treatment to the T1 application of Reglone and gives complete kill of any stems remaining and stolons below the ground but it is poor on leaves. Crops still in the ground are still vulnerable to attack from aphids and slugs.
As harvesting begins attention should be turning to storage. Good storage depends on minimising damage and contamination at harvest, clean dry stores and where necessary chemical treatment.
FUNGAZIL applied as potatoes go into store will give good control of silver scurf, gangrene, skinspot, and fusarium dry rot during the storage period. FUNGAZIL can be used on ware or seed and has no “harvest interval”.
PEST CONTROL
It is now time to give serious attention to rodent control on your farm as migration indoors starts as the weather becomes cooler in autumn and winter. Rats will spend the autumn and winter eating stored crops and animal feed. In addition rats carry a wide range of diseases including Weil’s disease that can kill humans, and spread salmonella and Brucellosis to livestock.
Compulsive gnawing by rats and mice causes farm fires and damage to buildings.
The most effective way to control rats is to plan and implement a comprehensive baiting program using latest generation bait like STORM.
A thorough survey of the farm is needed to establish where rodents are living and feeding. Look for signs of rats and mice, there will be regular runs between food and nest sites. There will be tracks in mud or dust and gnaw marks will be evident around entry holes. Rats will leave greasy marks as they like to press their bodies against walls as they run.
Rats are prolific breeders. They are sexually mature at 10 weeks, producing 6-8 litters per year and 8-10 offspring in each litter. Females become fertile again within days of giving birth. In ideal conditions a pair of rats can lead to 2400 rats in one year.
STORM bait should be placed close to runs and holes where rats are active. If the bait is covered with boards or lengths of pipe it gives the rat a feeling of security when feeding and also protects the bait from the weather and hidden from other animals, children or livestock. Ideally use a specially designed bait box.
Mice do not move far from their nests which are usually indoors. Place smaller quantities of bait within a few meters of nesting sites.
Unlike inferior poisons that rely on multiple feeds just one little nibble of STORM delivers a lethal dose. STORM is over 200 times more powerful than warfarin, 7 times more active than difenacoum and 5 times more active than bromadiolone based baits.
STORM is extremely palatable and both mice and rats will eat the bait even when other food sources are available.
STORM is available as a waxed block in 0.5kg, 1kg, 3kg or 10kg packs and is resistant to moisture, mould growth and attack by insect pests. It is important to note STORM must only be used indoors in the UK.
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