Back-up plan to help safeguard milling wheat protein levels

Milling wheat growers looking to top up grain protein levels with solid nitrogen in the next few weeks would do well to have a back-up plan in place in case the weather turns dry.  That’s the advice from Agrovista technical manager Chris Martin, who says growers unable who to apply foliar N to the ear, either because they don’t have the equipment or their milling wheat contract forbids it, will need to apply 40-60kg/ha of solid N between GS 37 and 39 to try to hit contract protein levels.
“However, there is a real risk that the weather can turn dry and prevent all of the nitrogen being taken up. Growers then face having to accept fall-back prices or even missing the contract specification altogether,” he explains.  The chances of that happening has increased with the advent of high-yielding milling wheats, whose additional output can dilute grain protein content, says Mr Martin.
“To help overcome this I will be recommending Terra-Sorb at 1.5 litres/ha onto the flag leaf at GS39 with the T2 fungicide spray.
“We have been looking at this product on milling wheats for three years, during which time it has increased the protein content of Skyfall and Crusoe by up to 1.25% and 0.72% respectively. Applying Terra-Sorb at this time has also consistently increased specific weight.”
Assuming a milling wheat premium of £15/t, an application on an 8.5t/ha crop lifting protein from rejection level to full spec would provide an additional net return of around £117/ha, he notes. “But even a small uplift in protein will pay for itself.”
Terra-Sorb is made up of 18 alpha amino acids. Crops can synthesise all of them, but they have a high energy cost, Mr Martin explains.
“It is essentially a stress beater. Applying Terra-Sorb at times of high energy demand, or when crops can least afford expending that energy, can give the crop the uplift it needs. From what we have seen over the past three years, the effect can be pretty dramatic.”