20 minute read
Arable
Monitor soil temperatures for nitrogen application success
Soil temperatures should be managed carefully to time fertiliser applications for best results on cereals this spring – especially in barley.
Slow-to-climb soil temperatures mean close attention is needed to ensure nitrogen application coincides with the onset of spring root growth and is available for immediate uptake, says Yara agronomy manager Mark Tucker.
Spring growth usually starts once root zone temperatures reach 4.55.0ºC – so fertiliser is taken up immediately rather than sitting unused in the soil. This year, however, soils have been tracking 0.5ºC colder than last year – not helped by over-winter water-logging.
“Track your rising temperature proactively,” advises Mr Tucker. “Look at soil temperatures 5-10cm deep because that’s where a lot of root activity is going to happen.
Keeping momentum
“Soil temperature across the country varies, but is generally at its lowest in early January then starts climbing. It can be getting to 4ºC by the end of February in an average situation. Once growth starts, we want to keep that momentum.”
Although temperature monitoring is used commonly for grassland fertiliser applications, Mr Tucker sees scope for greater use in cereals. Accuratelytimed early nitrogen is particularly pertinent to sustain the optimum number of ear-bearing tillers in barley.
This is important in hybrid barley because it is sown at a lower seed rate, agrees Paul Roche, technical manager for seed breeder Syngenta. Hybrid barley’s vigorous spring growth responds well to a first nitrogen application at about mid-tillering (GS25).
“Early application allows the already-robust root system to scavenge for nitrogen and other nutrients to really give the crop that early boost. Fuelling hybrid barley’s early-season growth in this way also drives its suppression of grassweeds, such as blackgrass, ryegrass and brome.”
Barley guidance
Syngenta started to check soil temperatures at its trials sites a few weeks ago.
Tracking temperatures proactively pays divdends, says Mark Tucker
Once growth starts, we want to keep that momentum
The aim is to get going just as soon as fields dry out and soil temperatures are in the zone – avoiding applications on soils that are covered in snow, frozen or waterlogged.
Current hybrid barley guidance is to apply 30% of the season’s total nitrogen dose at about GS25, says Mr Roche. This should be followed by 50% at or just before GS31, with the final 20% two to three weeks after the second application, typically by the end of April.
To reduce workloads at the time of the final application, or to boost thin crops such as any recovering from waterlogged soils, an alternative programme of 50% at GS25 and 50% at or just before GS31 is another option.
Water-logging will also have caused soil nitrogen levels to decline, adds Mr Tucker. “As soon as we see water-logging going, so that oxygen is available, that’s normally when we expect to see those first roots appearing,” he concludes.
Make most of early fertiliser
Fertiliser applications will need careful planning after a second consecutive wet winter and varying crop requirements, says agronomy firm Hutchinsons.
Indications are that heavy winter rainfall across much of the UK could have increased losses of some of the more soluble soil nutrients, such as nitrogen and sulphur, particularly on lighter, less nutrient retentive soils, so it is important crop requirements are fulfilled as growth increases.
Good potential
“We’re still waiting for results from N-Min testing, but my feeling is that given the rain we’ve had, there will be a low reservoir of nitrogen in the soil, and with crops generally showing good potential, it will be vital to protect that from the outset,” says agronomist David Stead.
“September-sown wheat looks healthy and well tillered, while even late October and early November-drilled cereals are nicely established with two to three tillers. We need to make sure we can maintain this biomass growth and not compromise the yield potential that’s there.”
Main focus
Nitrogen is the main focus for early fertiliser as crop requirements increase significantly as canopies develop. Although NMin tests are best done early in the year, Mr Stead says soil testing to gauge the extent of any winter losses can still help inform later applications.
Several other nutrients, notably phosphate, potassium and sulphur, influence how efficiently plants assimilate nitrogen. Magnesium is also important as it is fundamental to chlorophyll production and any shortfall reduces photosynthesis, which in turn reduces nitrogen uptake.
Check oilseed rape crops and rectify boron deficits
Boron deficiency could pose a threat to the oilseed rape crops this spring following a wet and cold end to winter.
Growers should monitor for micronutrient deficiencies and treat rape with boron applications where necessary to get the most from the crop, advises Chris Bond, commercial technical manager for crop nutrition at FMC.
“UK growers have been tormented by wet weather over the past few weeks, with reports of severe flooding and snow across the country. Wet weather is one of the biggest risk factors for boron deficiency, with the micronutrient easily leaching.”
Boron is a key nutrient for rape and has a range of important roles in crop development, particularly in cell division and enlargement. As the crop begins to grow rapidly at stem extension, these processes encourage healthy plant progression.
Boron will also promote successful flowering, pod, and seed development. Mr Bond says a close eye on the situation will pay dividends – especially in a season where there appears to be renewed optimism for the crop.
“We’ve heard many reports that crops were healthy with good canopies going into winter, so it would be a shame to let things faulter at this point in the season as a result of preventable nutrient deficiencies,” he says.
The first step growers should take to halt micronutrient deficiencies should be tissue testing in the early spring when crops are coming out of dormancy. Once growers understand what nutrients are lacking, applications of foliar nutrition can help rectify any deficiencies.
Liquid applications of boron, such as Bo-La or Boron 15, should be applied at stem extension at 2.5 l/ha in at least 200 litres of water. Bo-La also contains a source of molybdenum which is linked to nitrogen utilisation and assimilation into amino acids.
“Micronutrient deficiencies are often easily remedied through nutritional applications but getting on top of the issue as early as possible before visual symptoms develop will help ensure yield targets are reached later down the line,” says Mr Bond.
Any boron deficiencies should be resolve sooner rather than later, says Chris Bond.
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Processor and growers clash over beet support package
• Enhanced support after terrible season • British Sugar ‘will work more flexibly’ • Growers say package is ‘jam tomorrow’
An enhanced support package for sugar beet will do little to stop many growers giving up the crop for good when their current contract finishes, say industry leaders.
It comes after British Sugar offered growers a Beet Package Plus for the 2021/22 crop following a disastrous season. The package includes an enhanced contract beet price with a guaranteed minimum market linked bonus from 80p per adjusted tonne (see box).
Yields during the 2020/21 season were decimated by a bad start to spring, widespread problems with virus yellows disease and a wet winter. Many growers reported yields had halved with poor sugar contents compounding the problem.
As well as enhanced beet price, farmers are also being offered cash flow support with the opportunity to defer their seed invoice interest-free until harvest. But NFU Sugar chairman Michael Sly claims it is worth just 1p per tonne of beet.
Flexible approach
British Sugar said its factories would also operate more flexibly to accommodate beet deliveries, recognising that growers understandably did not wish to operate harvesters in fields that were waterlogged and simply unsuitable for lifting.
A £12m virus yellows assurance fund remains in place. The fund is provided by British Sugar for three years, starting from the 2021/22 campaign, to compensate growers for a proportion of yield losses suffered where virus yellows is present in their crop.
British Sugar agriculture director Peter Watson said: “Following a difficult season in 2020/21, we are pleased to offer this enhanced support package to our sugar beet growers, to help the whole industry for the upcoming season.”
The guaranteed surplus beet price would be fixed at £20.30 adjusted/tonne for 2021/22. “We thank growers for their considerable support over the last year and look forward to working with all our colleagues across the home-grown beet sugar industry in the upcoming season.”
But NFU Sugar board chairman Michael Sly said: “NFU Sugar in no way supports or endorses British Sugar’s Beet Package Plus communication sent to growers and does not believe it is anywhere near enough to stop many growers giving up sugar beet for good.”
Mr Sly, who farms at Thorney, near Peterborough, said NFU Sugar had expressed its concerns to British Sugar about the viability of the home-grown crop for months. Low contract prices, and the rising risk of disease, meant it was no longer viewed favourably by many growers.
“Throughout, NFU Sugar has argued for a targeted package to acknowledge the risks growers have and will continue to face in growing the crop. This has not been delivered.
The Beet Package Plus offered by British Sugar for 2021/22 It’s been a tough season from beginning to end for sugar beet growers
Sugar beet needs to give growers a viable financial return
Contracts Beet price (adj/t) Guaranteed minmum Enhanced package (no crown, Market-Linked Bonus (adj/t) (no crown new sugar scale) (adj/t) new sugar scale)
2021/22 1-year contract 2021/22 3-year contract £20.30 80p £21.10
“NFU Sugar also urged British Sugar to increase the support for those growers who are honouring their multi-year contracts and so risk big losses again this year. British Sugar refused.
“NFU Sugar urged British Sugar to pay growers some of their 2021 contract in early summer to help with the desperate cash flow situation many growers are facing. Again, British Sugar refused.
Increasing concern
Mr Sly said growers would also see the guaranteed surplus price for 2021 for what it was: a desperate need by British Sugar to help secure all the beet it could get for the coming year given the smaller than normal area being drilled this spring.
“To our growers British Sugar claims poverty, but to the City its parent company Associated British Foods recently announced a £100m profit for the global sugar division AB Sugar, driven in part by improved profitability at British Sugar.
“Market conditions this year indicate British Sugar’s profitability will likely continue to improve. We believe that growers will not be seduced by British Sugar’s vague promises of ‘jam tomorrow’ in this letter to growers, or in its previous communication.”
Mr Sly said NFU Sugar believed in the future of the home-grown sugar beet industry. But he and other growers remained increasingly concerned that British Sugar stance was putting the sector at severe risk.
Agrii eyes bigger market for UK haricot beans
More farmers could start growing haricot beans after agronomy specialists Agrii signed a contract to promote the commercial production of the crop in the UK
The University of Warwick’s research commercialisation wing, Warwick Innovations, has signed a contract with agronomy specialist Agrii to promote the commercial production of UK haricot beans developed by university scientists.
Eric Holub, from Warwick’s Crop Centre, part of the university’s School of Life Sciences, has bred three haricot bean varieties specially adapted for growing in the UK climate and are more suited to standard farm machinery.
Professor Holub said: “Britishgrown beans can help us shift our diets to a healthier future, adding to other UK ingredients to supply the growing trend of flexitarian diets with new markets like BritMediterranean and Brex-Mexican style food.”
Field trials
Under the new contract, Agrii will carry out pre-commercial field tri-
The three haricot bean varieties promise a range of benefits for growers, says Agrii
als and research to enable a proofof-concept and move towards creating a growing model which fits with progressive UK broadacre farming systems.
Red haricot beans have already been grown commercially in the UK – including by Cambridgeshire farmer Tim Gawthroup for specialist food producer Hodmedod’s. These new varieties could now widen the opportunities for growers.
Agrii believes growing haricot beans on a wider scale in the UK will offer a more sustainable alternative to beans currently imported from North America and some African countries. They could also help improve soil structure and help to extend farm rotations.
The three new varieties are white bean Capulet, blonde bean Godiva and black bean Olivia – all selected for their quality, versatility and suitability for different uses. They are fast-cooking from a dry ingredient and also suitable for commercial canning in British baked beans.
Range of benefits
Haricot beans are an excellent source of essential amino acids, dietary fibre and other micronutrients. The new varieties will make a versatile addition to healthy meals made with traditional British-grown ingredients.
Agrii market development and
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Professor Eric Holub after harvesting a large scale field trial at Wellesbourne, Warwickshire
pulse seed manager Peter Smith said the company would be working working closely with Warwick and Princes Foods. “This is a great example of collaboration throughout the supply chain working towards increased UK crop and food production.”
The market is niche but substantial. The UK leading brand of baked beans imports 50,000t of North American beans annually. Agrii head of agronomy Colin Lloyd said haricot bean varieties bred for UK conditions could offer a range of other benefits for British growers too.
Careful management of spring wheat pays dividends
Spring wheat is enjoying a resurgence with more growers turning to the crop after difficult sowing conditions for winter varieties and concern over spring barley margins.
While many growers made a move to spring barley after being enticed by the prospect of a significant premium for meeting a traditional 1.85% nnitrogen malting specification, few considered the potential implications, says Agrii’s Tom Land.
“Growers bought into the lure of premiums and promises that it was cheap to grow, yet a lot of spring barley grown in a black-grass situation goes as feed, unless on a specialist high nitrogen contract.”
The discount for feed barley can be between £8 and £30/t. Mr Land said reality was sinking in and many growers were beginning to question their chances of reliably achieving a 1.85% nitrogen premium specification.
“For some the pressure at drilling is equally unrewarding,” he said. “Modern spring wheats are at least a match for spring barley and, depending on the season, often out do it. They are strong contenders.”
Important choice
John Miles, of seed breeders KWS, said spring wheat could have an increasingly important – but he emphasises that variety choice remains critical.
“Spring vigour is perhaps the most important feature but this should not come at the expense of grain yield and quality. Strong tillering varieties such as KWS Extase and KWS Cranium usually out-yield less vigorous varieties.
“Specific spring sowing varieties such as KWS Cochise and KWS Chilham have the ‘get up and go’ to compete strongly with weeds plus good all round disease resistance and OWMB resistance.”
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Big demand for ‘high resilience’ wheat and barley
• Challenges put focus on vigour and resistance • Ideal combination of yield and functional traits • Resilience becoming increasingly important
Vigour and disease resistance are becoming must-have traits in both wheat and barley with two stand-out varieties on the new 2021/22 Recommended List attracting considerable grower interest.
KWS Cranium sets important new standards in the Group 4 hard wheat sector including the best yield and yellow rust combination of all listed wheat varieties. And KWS Tardis is the highest yielding two-row winter barley on the new list.
“With the best combination of yield, Yellow Rust resistance and OWBM resistance on the 2021/22 RL, KWS Cranium ticks all the boxes for a high performance modern wheat,” says Kirsty Richards of KWS (pictured).
“It’s got the highest yield of all the RL late drilling varieties and the best combination of yield and straw stiffness on the list plus it has Orange Wheat Blossom Midge resistance too.
“KWS Tardis also rewrites the rules with a performance rivalling many 6-row hybrid varieties achieving a yield of 106% of controls on the new 2021/22 RL – just 1% point behind the highest yielding 6-row hybrid. It’s also got an excellent agronomic package.”
Domestic markets
Frontier seed manager Chris Piggott says challenges around disease in the future and large domestic markets for feed wheat mean KWS Cranium will appeal to growers looking to reduce production risks without sacrificing yield potential.
“KWS Cranium is yielding within 1% of the highest yielding variety on the Recommended List and is part of a select few varieties that combine a Septoria score of 6 and above and a yellow rust score of 8 and above.
“These two particular diseases are the most challenging in terms of yield penalty so to have high genetic resistance is an advantage. Late sown performance is particularly strong.”
Being a hard wheat, KWS Cranium offers a lower sprouting risk for a variety that is slightly later to maturity compared to the alternative soft wheats. To top everything off it also has good fusarium resistance and OWBM resistance.
Mr Piggott says: “High yielding feed
KWS Tardis is expected to have broad appeal
wheat has been a significant portion of the market for some time – with a much reduced potential for not achieving specification – and many destinations local to a lot of growers, there is a great deal of marketing flexibility.
“I think KWS Cranium is going to appeal to a broad range of growers from both in-field performance and marketing perspectives.”
On the barley front, Openfield arable technical manager Duncan Durno says KWS Tardis will have broad appeal for growers across the country.
“Obviously its headline figure is the yield but there’s a lot more to KWS Tardis than just that. It’s got a really strong set of features that will make it appeal to all barley growers wherever they are.
“In the east, that yield figure and high specific weight are really going to make it attractive to any feed barley grower, but the variety’s Rhynchosporium score of 7 helps make it a safe bet wherever you are.
“The good thing about KWS Tardis is that its straw length is not at the expense of standing power as it has a strong lodging resistance score too. Its net blotch resistance is pretty solid as well. The other key feature of the variety is the potential flexibility it will add to rotations.
“With the good oilseed rape crops we generally have in the ground at the moment, this is a crop that could now have a better future in the UK than many were predicting.
“What is increasingly clear, however, is that oilseed rape success depends on having flexibility around sowing date so crops are drilled in the best conditions they can be.”
