Crop Crack

There have been several blight warnings recently and it is important not to stretch spray intervals at this critical time.
Although a fair bit of land has been sprayed off in preparation to reseed very little seed has actually been sown. Hopefully September will provide the opportunity to catch up. Combines have been busy in many areas this week where ground conditions have been suitable. 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. Slug pellets should be applied if necessary.

Preparing To Reseed

Livestock farmers have begun preparation for reseeding. The average grazing ley in Northern Ireland is kept down for 10 years. By this time the sward will contain approximately 50% of weed grasses which are lower yielding, of inferior quality, and will be significantly less responsive to fertilizer. Reseeding creates the best opportunity to introduce clover into the sward. The best start to any reseed is good destruction of the existing sward. This Provides good control of deep-rooted perennial weeds and grasses allowing easier ploughing.Burning off will provide a clean start for new seed whilst making weed control in the new ley easier. Choose a glyphosate based weed killer for best results, as only glyphosate will completely kill deep-rooted grasses and perennial weeds. Roundup Energy is rainfast quicker than ordinary glyphosate formulations and has the fastest turn around for cultivations.A period of at least three weeks regrowth after cutting should be left before spraying the sward. Weeds must be actively growing and the correct water volume must be used. To increase utilization of the old pasture plan to graze or cut 1 week after spraying.

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 sprays based on the chemicals fluroxypyr, triclopyr or dicamba/mecoprop 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.
Chickweed is an annual weed and seeds will germinate at any time of year but particularly in autumn when growing without competition from other plants. Common chickweed can produce approximately 800 seeds and it takes 7 to 8 years for the seed bank (supply of viable seeds in soil) to be 95% depleted, insuring an infestation for many years. Because of its ability to produce large numbers of seeds under cool temperatures, common chickweed rapidly colonizes any cool, moist area before winter or spring crops can become competitive.

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.

Pests in Grain

To ensure this season’s crops remain free from pests, stores need to be thoroughly cleaned of any old grain that may be harbouring pests. As pests arise from within the store and not the actual newly harvested crop it is essential to clean the store and associated machinery. An insecticide such as Reldan may have to be applied. Ideally once the grain has been harvested, the moisture content should be reduced to 14% or lower. This is the key value above which grain pests such as mites, beetles and weevils can breed and survive.

There have been several blight warnings recently and it is important not to stretch spray intervals at this critical time. Although a fair bit of land has been sprayed off in preparation to reseed very little seed has actually been sown. Hopefully September will provide the opportunity to catch up.

Preparing To Reseed

Livestock farmers have begun preparation for reseeding. The average grazing ley in Northern Ireland is kept down for 10 years. By this time the sward will contain approximately 50% of weed grasses which are lower yielding, of inferior quality, and will be significantly less responsive to fertilizer. Reseeding creates the best opportunity to introduce clover into the sward. The best start to any reseed is good destruction of the existing sward. This Provides good control of deep-rooted perennial weeds and grasses allowing easier ploughing.Burning off will provide a clean start for new seed whilst making weed control in the new ley easier. Choose a glyphosate based weed killer for best results, as only glyphosate will completely kill deep-rooted grasses and perennial weeds. Roundup Energy is rainfast quicker than ordinary glyphosate formulations and has the fastest turn around for cultivations.A period of at least three weeks regrowth after cutting should be left before spraying the sward. Weeds must be actively growing and the correct water volume must be used. To increase utilization of the old pasture plan to graze or cut 1 week after spraying.

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 sprays based on the chemicals fluroxypyr, triclopyr or dicamba/mecoprop 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.
Chickweed is an annual weed and seeds will germinate at any time of year but particularly in autumn when growing without competition from other plants. Common chickweed can produce approximately 800 seeds and it takes 7 to 8 years for the seed bank (supply of viable seeds in soil) to be 95% depleted, insuring an infestation for many years. Because of its ability to produce large numbers of seeds under cool temperatures, common chickweed rapidly colonizes any cool, moist area before winter or spring crops can become competitive.

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.

Pre-Harvest Weed Control

Early sown Winter Wheat and Spring Barley crops should be examined to decide whether or not they require pre-harvest treatment for the control of annual and perennial weeds especially scutch, rough stalked meadow grass and thistles.
Roundup Energy is the most effective and consistent product for this treatment. It is a complete product that does not require additional wetter to be effective, even at low rates.
Roundup Energy should be applied when the grain moisture is below 30% which coincides with the hard dough development stage (GS 87). The safe stage is 1-3 weeks prior to harvest leaving at least 7 days between spraying and harvesting.
Pre-harvest Round-up not only controls weeds but also helps to accelerate senescence of the crop making the harvest earlier, combining easier, and reducing drying costs.

Pests in Grain

To ensure this season’s crops remain free from pests, stores need to be thoroughly cleaned of any old grain that may be harbouring pests. As pests arise from within the store and not the actual newly harvested crop it is essential to clean the store and associated machinery. An insecticide such as Reldan may have to be applied. Ideally once the grain has been harvested, the moisture content should be reduced to 14% or lower. This is the key value above which grain pests such as mites, beetles and weevils can breed and survive.

The recent unsettled weather and localized heavy showers are beginning to take their toll on all crops. Continued Blight outbreaks have been reported over the last week and spray intervals should be kept to no more than 7 days with the current high risk weather. Very few winter barley crops have been harvested but hopefully a more settled spell will allow the remaining acreage to be cut. Average yields from winter barley crops are as expected, given the poor conditions in late spring/early summer.

Potatoes

Where crops have reached the end of rapid haulm growth and canopy growth has begun to stabilize good protection may be achieved with fungicides such as Invader, Infinito, Ranman and Revus. Option which is straight cymoxanil may be tank mixed with any of these products to achieve better kickback. Curzate has good curative activity and may be tank mixed if the spray interval is stretched. Where crops are at full canopy growers must pay very close attention to ensure water volumes, spray pressure and nozzle selection are correct to maximize spray penetration of the haulms and reduce spray drift.

Cereals

As harvest begins the most widely used grain preservative, Propionic acid, will be in demand, especially if showery conditions continue coupled with high levels of fusarium present on crops. Propionic acid when applied to moist grain prevents moulds and bacterial activity. It also prevents deterioration, loss of dry matter, nutrition loss and removes the associated health hazard to grain handlers, livestock and the end user.
One tonne of Propionic acid on 100 tonnes of grain gives an additional energy value equivalent to 1.5 tonnes of barley. Therefore as well as preserving the grain it adds significantly to its energy value. The use of Propionic gives the grower greater flexibility at harvest, especially if the grain has a higher than desirable moisture content. If the weather is inclement at harvest Propionic acid offers a sense of security to the grower through its flexible application rates. Over the last few years the benefits of increased starch in the diet of dairy cows have been shown. The most noticeable is the improvement in milk protein percentage, resulting from the breakdown of starch in the rumen to Propionic acid. In order to take advantage of the benefits of increased cereal feeding and the inherent cost benefits, many farmers are making use of home grown cereals in a number of ways: whole crop wheat, maize silage, crimped cereals, dried grain or rolled moist grain. However one of the main problems arising from this increased storage and use of home grown cereals is the growth of moulds and the subsequent development of mycotoxins. Propionic acid is a natural organic acid, which also occurs naturally in the animal’s digestive system. It halts all mould growth when applied to moist grain. If a product can be augered it can be treated – barley, wheat, oats, maize, peas – whole or rolled it makes no difference. However it is essential to increase the application rate of acid when treating rolled grain as this increases the surface area to be treated and also exposes the starch which is more difficult to preserve.
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 Acid 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.
Propionic Acid treated grain can be stored simply on a dry floor. It should not be stored with untreated grain.

PROPIONIC ACID APPLICATION RATES