Article taken from The Press and Journal
Farmers in the north-east must not be fooled by healthy looking crops and ensure their crop protection schemes are maintained, according to a leading agronomist.
Grant Reid, who works out of Angus for Agrovista, says that although overwintered wheat, barley and oilseed rape looks good and healthy throughout the majority of the east of Scotland, it is vital that crop potential is protected by the right programmes, and, crucially, correctly timed sprays.
“Compared with the unnaturally mild winter of 2013/14, we’ve been helped by this year’s much more normal weather patterns, with frost helping to dry out many waterlogged fields, as well as keeping much of the early season mildew at bay,” said Mr Reid.
However, spores of many diseases – including mildew, as well as septoria in wheat and light leaf spot in oilseed rape – make new leaves on all crops vulnerable to infection, added Mr Reid.
“The main issues are likely to be in cereal crops, despite the frosts, Septoria is already visible on older leaves, and it won’t take much for this to spread on to emerging new leaves,” said Mr Reid.
“In oilseed rape, light leaf sport is top of my list of targets as crops start to extend, because many growers didn’t manage to apply a fungicide spray last autumn.”
He said he had yet to see any signs of light leaf spot in crops, but weather conditions suggested it could be a “lurking problem”.
“Rothamsted’s light leaf spot forecast for the area suggests that 87% of crops are 25%, or less, affected, which is three times the level predicted for last year’s forecast,” said Mr Reid. Other priorities in some parts of the north-east will be the application of a spring herbicide and possibly rolling, where frost heave has been particularly rife.
Mr Reid’s early spring recommendations for inter barley are to apply to T0 fungicide to Torch (spiroxamine) for early disease control and the addition of Flexity (metrafenone) where mildew is present. He also recommends the addition of the PGR Canoy (mepiquat chloride and prohexadione-calcium), to help with tiller retention, along with some manganese and copper.
For winter wheat, he recommends T0 sprays based around cyproconazole, with some Canopy PGR and manganese.
“For crops with mildew present I will be adding in some Corbel (fenpropimorth) and/or Flexity to gain early control,” said Mr Reid.
Oilseed rape with forward canopies will have a lot of nitrogen within plant biomas, so some crops may need some early growth regulation to reduce the likelihood of lodging, he said.
For the stem extension sprays, Mr Reid recommends inclusion of crop nutrients, such as Multitrace-B, which contains sulphur, boron, magnesium, nitrogen, manganese, zinc and molybdenum. For the fungicide at this timing, an option could be a tebuconazole based fungicide. If the crop is very forward, he suggests that the tebuconazole could be mixed with Caryx (metconazole and mepiquat chloride); the only oilseed rape PGR product on the marked which cites reduction of lodging on its product label.
“The potential is certainly there for Scottish crops, but protection and care over the coming two months is vital if overwintered wheat, barley and oilseed rape is to yield,” he added.
Crop Status at a Glance
Wheat – Apart from late-drilled crops following potatoes, the majority of crops went in early and are at four leaf or early tillering. Frost has stopped any mildew that was present and septoria can be seen, but only on some of the older leaves.
Winter barley – After the pre-Hogmanay “yellowing phase”, crops have tillered well and are looking good. Mildew levels vary, low levels to no disease, but frost will have dealt with what was present.
Oilseed rape – Unlike south of the border, flea beetle damage to oilseed rape crops has been minimal, and in the main, crops are looking well. There is some pigeon damage, and with persistent pigeon pressure likely, smaller crops should be looked after to avoid their ravages. Crops range in growth stages, with the majority at ground to ankle height (about six leaves). Root mass is extensive, and with root “collars” mostly at round 1cm wide, crops will have a good start once growth starts in spring.
Farmers in the north-east must not be fooled by healthy looking crops and ensure their crop protection schemes are maintained, according to a leading agronomist.
Grant Reid, who works out of Angus for Agrovista, says that although overwintered wheat, barley and oilseed rape looks good and healthy throughout the majority of the east of Scotland, it is vital that crop potential is protected by the right programmes, and, crucially, correctly timed sprays.
“Compared with the unnaturally mild winter of 2013/14, we’ve been helped by this year’s much more normal weather patterns, with frost helping to dry out many waterlogged fields, as well as keeping much of the early season mildew at bay,” said Mr Reid.
However, spores of many diseases – including mildew, as well as septoria in wheat and light leaf spot in oilseed rape – make new leaves on all crops vulnerable to infection, added Mr Reid.
“The main issues are likely to be in cereal crops, despite the frosts, Septoria is already visible on older leaves, and it won’t take much for this to spread on to emerging new leaves,” said Mr Reid.
“In oilseed rape, light leaf sport is top of my list of targets as crops start to extend, because many growers didn’t manage to apply a fungicide spray last autumn.”
He said he had yet to see any signs of light leaf spot in crops, but weather conditions suggested it could be a “lurking problem”.
“Rothamsted’s light leaf spot forecast for the area suggests that 87% of crops are 25%, or less, affected, which is three times the level predicted for last year’s forecast,” said Mr Reid. Other priorities in some parts of the north-east will be the application of a spring herbicide and possibly rolling, where frost heave has been particularly rife.
Mr Reid’s early spring recommendations for inter barley are to apply to T0 fungicide to Torch (spiroxamine) for early disease control and the addition of Flexity (metrafenone) where mildew is present. He also recommends the addition of the PGR Canoy (mepiquat chloride and prohexadione-calcium), to help with tiller retention, along with some manganese and copper.
For winter wheat, he recommends T0 sprays based around cyproconazole, with some Canopy PGR and manganese.
“For crops with mildew present I will be adding in some Corbel (fenpropimorth) and/or Flexity to gain early control,” said Mr Reid.
Oilseed rape with forward canopies will have a lot of nitrogen within plant biomas, so some crops may need some early growth regulation to reduce the likelihood of lodging, he said.
For the stem extension sprays, Mr Reid recommends inclusion of crop nutrients, such as Multitrace-B, which contains sulphur, boron, magnesium, nitrogen, manganese, zinc and molybdenum. For the fungicide at this timing, an option could be a tebuconazole based fungicide. If the crop is very forward, he suggests that the tebuconazole could be mixed with Caryx (metconazole and mepiquat chloride); the only oilseed rape PGR product on the marked which cites reduction of lodging on its product label.
“The potential is certainly there for Scottish crops, but protection and care over the coming two months is vital if overwintered wheat, barley and oilseed rape is to yield,” he added.
Crop Status at a Glance
Wheat – Apart from late-drilled crops following potatoes, the majority of crops went in early and are at four leaf or early tillering. Frost has stopped any mildew that was present and septoria can be seen, but only on some of the older leaves.
Winter barley – After the pre-Hogmanay “yellowing phase”, crops have tillered well and are looking good. Mildew levels vary, low levels to no disease, but frost will have dealt with what was present.
Oilseed rape – Unlike south of the border, flea beetle damage to oilseed rape crops has been minimal, and in the main, crops are looking well. There is some pigeon damage, and with persistent pigeon pressure likely, smaller crops should be looked after to avoid their ravages. Crops range in growth stages, with the majority at ground to ankle height (about six leaves). Root mass is extensive, and with root “collars” mostly at round 1cm wide, crops will have a good start once growth starts in spring.