The wet spring has taken its toll on some cereal crops, which will need careful management to get the best from them. We asked Midlands-based Agrovista agronomist Dan Knight for some management tips.
Some winter wheats across Dan’s area of the Midlands are showing stress symptoms where they have lain wet or where nitrogen programmes have been disrupted by inclement weather.
“If the weather remains rainy and dull there are likely to be added stresses to come,” says Dan. “For example, large amounts of nitrogen applied late or in one go to ‘catch up’ can trigger rapid growth as plants try to re-balance, placing them even further out of kilter.
“Bioscience products can really help put plants back on track, but only by understanding what these products do and, importantly, what they don’t do, can we place them where they technically fit.”
Where stressed crops still have potential, particularly on cleaner varieties where there might be more left in the budget, Dan believes Klorofill at T2 could provide a timely boost for plants as they approach the key yield-building phase.
“Klorofill is a crop enhancer that improves the plant’s natural chlorophyll production process and maximises green leaf area,” says Dan. “It is best applied with the T2 spray, helping to make the plant more resilient and provide more resources to tackle stress.
“It’s these key yield-building timings where we want to maximise photosynthesis and prolong green leaf. We’ve plenty of trial information and experience in the field to demonstrate that the longer we can keep plants greener using Klorofill, the more yield they can build.”
Spring barley
Dan will also consider Klorofill on spring barley. The crop went in relatively late in his area and needs to make up for lost time.
“Thanks to plentiful moisture it is flying out of the ground, so if we can keep the crop going on that forward trajectory until harvest and the weather plays ball the crop still could achieve pleasing results.”
Klorofill at mid-tillering timing will help this by maximising photosynthesis at this important yield-building phase. “If, as expected, the crop moves quickly through the growth stages, this will help alleviate some of the growing pains,” says Dan.
Klorofill – yield response in winter wheat