CROP CRACK -  24.11.07
By WENDY FEARON
Clarendon Agricare - How Are Crops Progressing

Cereal acreage is well up on previous years and with many farmers growing this year for the first time it is essential they seek advice from DARD or their local agrochemical merchant to achieve the most from the crop. Overall winter cereal crops are looking well. Early drilled wheat crops are at tillering and later drilled wheat crops such as those after maize or potatoes have just recently emerged through the ground. Winter barley has also tillered well and has good ground cover.

There is plenty of slug activity, particularly on heavier land. The reasonably settled weather throughout October and early November has provided the opportunity for residual herbicides to be applied in good time.

Where herbicides have not been used, the key weeds are annual meadow grass and other grasses. If those are coming through with other weeds you should be considering using one of the broad spectrum herbicides such as those based on pendimethlin (Stomp), flufenacet (Crystal), IPU (Fieldgard)or DFF (Hurricane) whilst the grass is at the seedling stage. Another option may be Koala which is DFF and IPU in a mix for use post emergence only on both wheat and barley.

Slug activity is still well underway and although many crops may now beat this pest there are some that will perish. Slugs will continue working until we start to get regular ground frosts at night. Consequently they will feed on whatever is available to them and late sown winter wheat is a particular favourite.Crops need to get beyond GS12 before they can grow away from further slug damage, so late sown crops must be monitored closely. If leaf shredding is evident, then an application of slug pellets may be needed to protect the crops from further damage. Applying slug pellets under the right conditions for slugs to be active on the soil surface is crucial- apply pellets if soils are moist and the weather forecast is for little rain, low wind and no frosts.

Aphids have continued to fly into crops well into November because of the mild conditions. Growers who applied an aphicide in September or October will need to check crops again in case the flight of aphids have led to an infestation of the crop and subsequent threat of transmission of BYDV.

Most winter oats are well established, and most early sown crops will have had herbicide treatments already. Later crops can generally wait until the spring before treatment, but if meadow-grass has come up, and is likely to be a problem then Lexus Class may be applied up until the end of December.

MACHINERY MAINTENANCE

Agrochemicals and fertilizers are major variable inputs in growing crops and the way they are applied has a great influence on their efficacy.

It is essential therefore that the equipment used to apply them is well maintained and accurate.

Sprayers should be calibrated regularly. One of the most important areas of the sprayer is the nozzle.  Nozzle output should be measured to check that it is the same as the value in the calibration chart for that type of nozzle.  Nozzles with a variation of more than 5% should be changed.

Money spent maintaining the sprayer is money well spent as a properly calibrated sprayer will reduce wastage of agrochemicals and will improve their performance.

Similarly fertilizer sowers should be calibrated and if possible get a tray test carried out to check the spread pattern as striping in crops is often caused by uneven fertilizer application, which again wastes money.