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Crop Crack 26.03.11
By Wendy Fearon
Land is drying out well and spring fieldwork is progressing well. Growth has been good this week and crops have greened up well where fertiliser has been applied. Both grass weeds and broad leaved weeds are appearing in crops which did not receive an autumn herbicide. Wheat crops are still showing low levels of disease whilst most winter barley crops have a fair bit of foliar disease on older leaves. Potato planting has begun in some parts of the province and early carrots have also been sown.
Cereals
Much of the later drilled winter cereal crop did not receive a residual herbicide and fortunately the extreme weather conditions through the winter severely checked typical autumn germinating weeds such as fumitory and annual meadow grass. As temperatures rise clods will be broken down on both treated and untreated crops requiring an herbicide treatment. Those wheat crops not treated in the autumn can be treated with OTHELLO and BIOPOWER up to GS32 of the crop.
Applications should be made when temperatures are good and both the crop and weeds are actively growing. OTHELLO will give good control on chickweed, pansy, speedwells, charlock, groundsel and most importantly annual meadow grass. I have spotted a few wild oats over the last week but it is important to note they will continue to emerge over the coming weeks and treatment should be delayed until all of the wild oats have emerged. AXIAL and ADIGOR can be applied from GS11 up to GS39 on both wheat and barley. Where weed control is required a 7 day interval must occur from the time of spraying Axial before applying sulfonyl urea or hormone herbicides. If these products are applied first then a 21 day interval must be observed before applying Axial.
Preparing For Spring Crops
The focus over the last couple of weeks has been on preparing ground for spring crops. Land intended for spring cereals should be sprayed off with glyphosate as ground conditions allow. Roundup Energy is still the best value for money in the glyphosate market with all its additional benefits over generics. Roundup Energy has faster uptake and greater consistency in a wider range of weather conditions. It is important to remember when comparing glyphosate prices the amount of active it contains, Roundup energy contains 450gm/l compared to 360gm/l in most other glyphosate.
The increase in temperature over the last week will encourage pests such as wireworm, slugs and leatherjackets to resume feeding and should be closely monitored. Surveys carried out recently show leatherjacket numbers are significantly higher than spring 2010.Pre ploughing treatments with Dursban or Cyren are more effective than those applied once any damage is under way in the spring-sown crop.
It is essential to soil test prior to planting any crop, whilst it may seem expensive it is money well spent. Farmers must refer to the fertilizer manual to assess what fertilizer will be required. This manual was previously known as RB209 and the farm nutrient calculators online at www.ruralni.gov.uk will help provide you with the information required to work out nutrient requirements essential for optimum yield.
Winter Barley & Winter Wheat Growth Regulation
There are two types of lodging; stem-base lodging and brackling. Stem-base lodging is where the plant folds over at the soil surface as a result of poor anchorage in the soil, and is caused by poor root ball development, more likely when the seedling develops in wet soils that limit root development. Brackling is where the stem folds over part way up the plant, and occurs as a result of an inherent weakness of the variety, very dense canopies, and bursts of rapid growth.
Whilst CHLORMEQUAT (3C) will reduce the likelihood of brackling, it will have no effect on root growth; ADJUST on the other hand is active on both types of lodging when applied at the correct timing.
An application of the growth regulator often goes on with a T1 fungicide application sometime around 1st-2nd node, GS31-32. At this timing it primarily stiffens the stem by shortening the internodes, so reducing the likelihood of brackling. However when applied before the end of tillering, GS29, the growth regulator increases root growth also and so reduces stem-base lodging.
ADJUST will work right down to 1°C and is safe to the crop, particularly when applied in tank-mix with other pesticides. When applied early it also has a very significant effect on increasing tiller survival so improving yield potential. It is an excellent aid to managing more backward crops when applied at mid-tillering, GS22-24, helping these crops thicken out.
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