Last Chance For Grassland Weed Control in 2016
There have been several blight warnings recently and it is important not to stretch spray intervals at this critical time. Combines have been busy in many areas over recent weeks but this week it has been a bit stop start. I would urge all farmers to assess both land intended for reseeding and winter cereals to monitor for slugs as numbers are greater than they have been for some years. Treated seed is a priority if slugs are present. I would like to impress on you the need to carry out soil samples at this time to ensure all nutrients will be readily available to the growing crop.
Grassland Weed Control
Ragwort is appearing in many grass situations at present and is becoming a greater problem especially in lower fertility situations; it is an ‘injurious weed’ and is not permitted to grow unchecked. Ragwort is a biennial plant i.e. it grows from seed the first season to produce a rosette plant and then the following season it will produce a flowering stem, produce seed then die. Ragwort contains alkaloids which are poisonous to all livestock. Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seed with a 70% germination rate and seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to 20 years. Treatment of plants, which are at the rosette stage now, can be very effective and an autumn application allows a check on the efficacy of the treatment to be made in early spring before allocating fields for silage or hay. Autumn is a good time to spray as the grass growth slows down and grass utilization and withdrawal periods are not as critical as they can be in the spring time when stock are turned out. Whilst ragwort is unpalatable when it is green it becomes extremely palatable once sprayed. It is important to remove as much of the root as possible; ragwort can regenerate like docks from its root fragments. A single application of weed killer is unlikely to completely eliminate a ragwort infestation due to overlapping generations of the weed. A follow up treatment should be made in the spring.
Docks are a particular problem in intensively managed grassland, especially where seeds are spread through slurry applications or poaching has occurred. Docks look unsightly, but more importantly, can reduce the grass yield and productivity. Early autumn is often overlooked as a potential time to achieve effective dock control. At this time the dock plant will revert back to vegetative growth. During vegetative growth the plant food being produced in the leaf is moved into the root for storage. Translocated herbicides are moved through the plant along with the food, hence if they are applied at this stage more product will end up in the root giving better root control.
Where clover is not considered important products such as Doxstar, Pastor and Forefront should be used. If clovers are an important component of the sward Squire Ultra should be used .Remember in most circumstances treatment is most effective where a second application takes place within a 12 month period.
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 a desiccant 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.
Good Time to Control Grassland Weeds
There have been several blight warnings recently and it is important not to stretch spray intervals at this critical time.
Combines have been busy in many areas over recent weeks but this week it has been a bit stop start. I would urge all farmers to assess both land intended for reseeding and winter cereals to monitor for slugs as numbers are greater than they have been for some years. Treated seed is a priority if slugs are present.
I would like to impress on you the need to carry out soil samples at this time to ensure all nutrients will be readily available to the growing crop.
Grassland Weed Control
Ragwort is appearing in many grass situations and is becoming a greater problem especially in lower fertility situations; it is an ‘injurious weed’ and is not permitted to grow unchecked. Ragwort is a biennial plant i.e. it grows from seed the first season to produce a rosette plant and then the following season it will produce a flowering stem, produce seed then die. Ragwort contains alkaloids which are poisonous to all livestock. Each plant can produce up to 150,000 seed with a 70% germination rate and seeds can remain dormant in the soil for up to 20 years. Treatment of plants, which are at the rosette stage now, can be very effective and an autumn application allows a check on the efficacy of the treatment to be made in early spring before allocating fields for silage or hay. Autumn is a good time to spray as the grass growth slows down and grass utilization and withdrawal periods are not as critical as they can be in the spring time when stock are turned out. Whilst ragwort is unpalatable when it is green it becomes extremely palatable once sprayed. It is important to remove as much of the root as possible; ragwort can regenerate like docks from its root fragments. A single application of weed killer is unlikely to completely eliminate a ragwort infestation due to overlapping generations of the weed. A follow up treatment should be made in the spring.
Docks are a particular problem in intensively managed grassland, especially where seeds are spread through slurry applications or poaching has occurred. Docks look unsightly, but more importantly, can reduce the grass yield and productivity. Early autumn is often overlooked as a potential time to achieve effective dock control. At this time the dock plant will revert back to vegetative growth. During vegetative growth the plant food being produced in the leaf is moved into the root for storage. Translocated herbicides are moved through the plant along with the food, hence if they are applied at this stage more product will end up in the root giving better root control.
Where clover is not considered important sprays based on the chemicals fluroxypyr, triclopyr or dicamba mixtures should be used. If clovers are an important component of the sward Squire may be used .Remember in most circumstances treatment is most effective where a second application takes place within a 12 month period.
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 a desiccant 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.
Choose Propionic Acid For Effective Grain preservation
Grain Store Hygiene
Some winter barley crops have been harvested. In order to ensure harvested crops are kept free from pests,stores need to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure any debris that may be harbouring pests is removed.Pests arise from within the store and not from harvested grain.Reldan 22 can be applied to empty stores to combat grain store pests.
Potatoes
The risk of blight remains high with great variations in particular areas due to localised showers. To try and keep crops free from blight where pressure is severe, requires short intervals appropriate for high risk and also the use of fungicide products with curative activity. Fungicides with good rainfastness will be very beneficial given the current spells of heavy rain, especially because it’s been difficult to accurately predict the timing and location of showers.
Propionic Acid
Propionic acid has an energy value of 1.5 times that of barley, so as well as preserving the grain it also adds to its energy value. With Propionic treatment, harvesting can take place when there is still surface dampness on the grain, dew or rain. Harvesting can start earlier in the morning or after rain and continue later at night, giving a quicker more flexible harvest, which leaves extra time for autumn cultivations. By harvesting before grain is fully ‘ripe’ a higher yield is also obtained, reduced shedding losses may save 200kg per hectare.
Natural vitamin E levels in moist grain, whether treated or not, are destroyed during storage. When moist grain forms a major part of the diet a mineral/vitamin supplement high in vitamin E should be used.
Grain at 18% moisture will require application of 7 to 8 litres of propionic acid per tonne and an additional half a litre added for each percentage of moisture above 18%. Application to rolled cereals or beans should be increased by 10%. Moisture levels should be checked regularly during the day to ensure that the correct application rates are used as it has been well established that under treatment of grain will fail to halt mould and bacterial activity. The flow rate of the auger should also be checked to calculate the treatment rate
Treated grain can be stored simply on a dry floor. It should not be stored with untreated grain.
Time For Pre-Harvest Roundup Planning
There has been much discussion recently on the sustainability of glyphosate as an active ingredient. A decision was due at the end of June regarding licence renewal for the nest five years but with Brexit dominating the news, the European Commission has decided to give glyphosate an eighteen month extension. It is important to note that labels must be followed and best practice guidelines adhered to. The three proposals put forward which are to minimise use in public areas, banning tallow amine formulations and pre-harvest use have now been devolved to member states. It will now be up to each individual state whether or not they decide to implement the above mentioned. Some manufacturing companies have already decided to cease making tallow amine formulations.
Pre Harvest Glyphosate
Ground conditions have deteriorated in the last few weeks with the thundery showers yet winter barley crops are ripening well and thoughts will now turn to grain quality, moisture levels, and ease of harvesting. This year in particular grasses and other weeds are a real problem in many fields. Pre harvest application of glyphosate is an essential tool to improve the efficiency of harvesting, giving a range of benefits:
Harvest management
-all green tissue removed – ripens any green stems, leaves and pickles so allowing cutting to start earlier in the day & continue for longer
-no green pickles reducing overall grain moisture and drying costs
-less grain lost over straw walkers caused by green material during threshing
-faster straw clearance reduces length of weather window required
-limits sprouting in laid crops
Scutch & general weed control
-the most effective time to control scutch in tillage ground
-desiccates any other green grass & broad-leaved weeds present, facilitating lower grain moisture, faster harvesting and sooner baling of straw
Note however, do not use glyphosate on any crops where seed may be saved for re-sowing.
Independent trials carried out over a number of years in GB looking at the effect of using Roundup in various replicated treatments consistently show moisture contents being reduced by 2.0-2.5% at harvest compared to plots where no treatment is applied.
With different formulation types having different strengths of active per litre and therefore different rates of use, which offers the best performance in the field, and best value for money? First off, it is not the price per drum that should be compared. With different formulation types having different strengths of active per litre and therefore different rates of use, it is the price per acre treated that should be compared, and what level of performance is being obtained from each. Glyphosate itself is not very soluble therefore it depends very much on the salts and wetter’s to enhance its performance. Tallow amine products de-wax the leaf surface and cause cell damage, whereas the ROUNDUP ENERGY wetter does not damage the leaf surface, so the uptake of glyphosate into the leaf is much more effective than with the ETA product, and the level of long-term kill achieved from ENERGY is significantly greater.
The potassium salt in Roundup Energy is also taken up significantly faster than the isopropylamine salt; as a result ENERGY is rainfast within 1 hour of application and cultivation can commence as soon as 2 days after application whereas the IPA glyphosate products need a minimum of 6 hours to be rainfast and 5 days minimum before cultivating.
Application should be made once the grain moisture gets down to 30% or below, ideally 10-14 days (and not less than 7 days) before cutting. An easy and reliable test to estimate this 30% moisture level is to press the thumbnail into a number of grains; if the indentation holds on all the grains the crop is ready for spraying.
