13 minute read
In the field
Resist temptation for ‘magic potions’ on crops
IN THE FIELD
Growers should be patient and resist the urge to over manage backward crops says Richard Overthrow
Many growers will still be looking to complete their autumn cereal planting season – with a reasonable percentage of December sown winter wheat in the ground.
With guidance from the Recommended List safe sowing dates for wheat, further attempts can still be made. It is very well saying spring cereals will perform better if sown now, but seed price and availability understandably means many will stick with plans to sow winter crops.
One bright spot in all this is that these winter-sown winter cereals will have a much reduced input requirement – as long as we can resist the pressure to apply ‘magic potions’ to make the crops recover, none of which are worthwhile.
It is also worth stressing that, late sown and backward cereal crops won’t respond to anything applied this month – although they will need fairly prompt fi rst nitrogen applications later to deter any tiller loss.
It is unlikely that ground conditions will allow top dressing anyway. But any nitrogen applied so far ahead of the start of spring growth will be wasted.
Spring crops
Those planning to grow spring crops, some for the fi rst time, will be preparing soon but February is early enough for any of the crops concerned. Some crops such as spring wheat and barley can be sown this month but only for logistical reasons.
Such early sowing will require more management and won’t necessarily give higher yield.
Spring oats should be held back until March, or late February at the earliest and in any situation where a spring cereal is employed in a grass weed campaign, sowing should not be considered for some time: late March onwards is more typical in these cases.
Spring beans can be sown this month as can any leftover sowings of winter beans.
Sray applications.
Growers with well-established winter cereals may still have outstanding applications of grass weed herbicides such as Broadway Star, or black-grass products such as Hamlet or Atlantis. These should be applied sooner rather than later so look out for suitable weather windows.
Better opportunities will come along later in spring but the target weeds will be bigger and more diffi cult to control. If targeting known spring germinators such as meadow brome, however, some delay may be necessary to allow the weed population to appear.
There may also be applications of propyzamide or carbetamide to go on oilseed rape, particularly where the fate of the crop has only
Many crops are still standing in waterlogged fi elds
Timely tips
• Don’t sow spring cereal crops too soon • Consider sowing spring or winter beans • Hold back from sowing spring oats • Tackle target weeds in winter cereals • Continue watching for light leaf spot
recently be determined. Remember the cut-off is the end of January for Kerb and Astrokerb, and the end of February for Crawler.
Fresh infections
Oilseed rape crops may still show fresh infections of phoma. But any infections developing now are unlikely to affect yield because there won’t be suffi cient time to form signifi cant stem cankers.
But mild and wet periods from now on may encourage light leaf spot – so further treatment for this cannot be ruled out at or even before stem extension.
Some oilseed rape crops have established and grown well so can soon be examined to determine canopy size, with a view to future fertiliser management. Most crops will have no such concerns, however, with canopies that are plenty small enough.
The priority with these is to get some nitrogen and sulphur on next month, to aid their further recovery as spring beckons.
› Richard Overthrow is a regional agronomist with NIAB TAG, the UK’s largest independent agronomy organisation with several research centres in East Anglia. For more details, call 01223 342495.
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Apply for £5,000 grants to protect environment
If you are based in a Severn Trent priority catchment, you could receive up to £5,000 to make environmental improvements on your land.
Through the Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme (STEPS), the water company is offering farmers the opportunity to apply to match fund projects that enhance or protect the local environment.
Dr Jodie Rettino, Severn Trent catchment and biodiversity lead, explains that while water quality is a key focus of the STEPS grants, farmers are also being encouraged to enrich farm biodiversity.
“New options for this year’s funding include hedgerow and woodland planting, pond management plans, and wildflower meadow creation. Farmers can also bring their own ideas to life, through the biodiversity innovation option,” she says.
The STEPS scheme has been running for five years, and last year saw a record number of applications. These successful grants have included cover crops, fencing and pesticide washdown areas.
“Given the recent adverse weather, we know it has been difficult for everyone to complete their projects from last year. So, we have decided to allow farmers to apply again for 2020, even if previously funded work hasn’t been finished.
“For these reasons, we’ve also decided to extend the application deadline to 14 February 2020, to give farmers some valuable extra time to get applications in,” says Jodie. the different options, and how we could work together to improve water quality and protect the environment, while benefiting operations,” he says.
“Susey helped us apply for our first STEPS grant. We wanted to invest in a GPS autosteer system for our recently purchased tractor but couldn’t justify the spend without additional help.
“We received the full £5,000 match funding available through the ‘farmer innovation’ option and we’ve since cut our pesticide and fertiliser bills by over £3,000 per year from increased accuracy,” he says.
The following year Andrew received another £5,000 (£550/ha) for maintaining six-metre grass buffer margins, to help prevent pesticide run-off and leaching into watercourses.
Most recently, because the grants are flexible, Andrew combined two years’ worth of STEPS applications to receive £10,000 towards a roofed sprayer washdown area and biofilter.
“This coming year we’ll develop the washdown area by applying for another grant to contribute towards a rainwater harvesting system, so we can fill the spray tank and wash off machinery with recycled water.
“We couldn’t have completed the work without the funding and advice from Severn Trent, and I’m delighted to improve productivity in an environmentally friendly way. I’d certainly recommend other farmers in the area apply,” he adds.
Flexible funding opportunities improve operations
Worcestershire-based Andrew Symonds has used Severn Trent grants to improve the farm environment while making efficiencies that have led to impressive cost savings.
Lincomb Farms produce a variety of arable crops including winter wheat, barley and oats, with spring malting barley. In addition to the arable crops, the farm also grows potatoes and Chantenay carrots.
Andrew explains that farming near the River Severn presents the challenge of protecting water quality. But being in a Severn Trent priority catchment has also brought a wealth of opportunities.
“We were introduced to the schemes when our local agricultural adviser, Susey Bamber, stopped by in 2015. She explained about
How to apply
• Visit www.stwater.co.uk/catchment to find out if your land is in a priority catchment • Read the STEPS options brochure to find out about the wide range of options you can apply for, or, contact your agricultural advisor to arrange a visit to discuss what is best for your farm • Once you have decided on the most suitable solutions, you can apply online www.stwater.co.uk/steps
Accurate soil test helps lift nitrogen fertiliser efficiency
• Margins over fertiliser up by £300/ha • Tests boost production and environment • 15% reduction in nitrogen requirement
Abetter understanding of nitrogen fertiliser efficiency and soil testing could boost arable margins considerably, says an expert.
Arable agronomist Allison Grundy, of CF Fertilisers, says many farm businesses would benefit from understanding more about Nitrogen Fertiliser Use Efficiency (NfUE) and the critical role of accurate soil testing in optimising nitrogen applications.
In 2019 farm trials, a combined approach to nitrogen applications delivered an increased margin over fertiliser costs (MOFC) of £280/ha in some crops, she says. In other crops, growers recorded a 10% yield increase by using 15% less nitrogen.
Important area
“Whether you look at it from a production efficiency or environmental point of view, getting the most out of bought-in fertilisers will be one of the most important management areas UK growers will face in the coming years.
“Keeping nitrogen applications to the economic optimum required to deliver yield and quality while achieving the maximum return on investment is a key objective for all growers and understanding NfUE and the importance of soil nitrogen supply is absolutely fundamental to this.”
In simple terms, NfUE is a measure of Nitrogen fertiliser recovered by the crop. It gives growers a valuable picture of how much Nitrogen fertiliser is actually used by the crop and an insight into the impact their fertiliser choices are having on their production efficiency.
Convincing results
“It can also highlight where potential environmental concerns might lie which is an increasingly important factor in modern production,” says Ms Grundy.
Trials have shown ammonium nitrate (AN) convincingly outperforms straight urea in wheat production in terms of NfUE with an average value for Nitram (34.5%N) of 74% compared to just 66% for urea, she says.
“This difference of 8% NfUE is the equivalent of an additional 16% total loss of nitrogen from urea. In crops with an application rate of 200kg/ha nitrogen, this would be equivalent to a loss also accurately predicts additionally available nitrogen – which is the amount forecast to become available to the crop between the spring and harvest.
Adding these to an estimate of nitrogen already contained in the crop gives a true picture of soil nitrogen supply, says Ms Grundy.
“This can then be used with CF N-Calc to produce fertiliser recommendations based on yield and quality aspirations whilst minimising the potential environmental impact and ensuring the investment in nitrogen is made full use of.”
Combining the commitment
Getting the most out of bought-in fertilisers makes economic sense, says Allison Grundy.
of 32kg/ha nitrogen.
“In other words, simply using Nitram resulted in crops recovering an extra 16% or 32kg/ha of nitrogen than they would have done with the same application rate of urea.”
Correct choice
As well as making the correct fertiliser choice to maximise NfUE, understanding the contribution soil N is making to crops is also critical, adds Ms Grundy.
“Unlike conventional soil nitrogen tests, CF N-Min measures to improve NfUE with N-Min can have a significant effect on margins too, she says. “In 2019 trials alone, we’ve seen this approach increasing margin over fertiliser costs by £280/ha in oilseed rape and adding 1.0t/ha to wheat yields.
“In spring barley we’ve seen a 10% lift in yields combined with a corresponding 15% drop in N requirement. “It’s a relatively simple way for growers to increase their own production efficiency and help industry meet future environment objectives.”
Balancing nitrogen supplies explained
The CF N-Min soil Nitrogen test enables farmers to optimise nitrogen applications with aim of balancing mitrogen supply to achieve the maximum economic output.
As well as measuring the amount of nitrogen in the soil at the time of testing, the CF N-Min also accurately predicts what will become available to the crop between the spring and harvest, explains Allison Grundy. This additionally available nitrogen is the amount of nitrogen which will be supplied from the soil at depths between 60cm to 90cm – with allowances made for leaching losses, deposition and uptake efficiency.
Combined together with nitrogen already contained in the crop, it helps determine the total soil nitrogen supply – and it is this final key figure which CF Fertilisers uses in its N-Calc programme, says Ms Grundy.
The N-Calc recommendations help ensure that yield and quality goals are met. It accounts for changes in economic circumstances – and helps to minimise the environmental impact of fertiliser applications by ensuring that applied nitrogen is fully utilised. “This improves the precision of nitrogen recommendations for cereals and oilseed rape and takes the guesswork out of fertiliser calculations,” says Ms Grundy.
First ‘lab in a field’ trial reveals sunnier side of climate change
Scientists in Norfolk used heated fi eld plots to investigate the link between warmer autumn weather and oilseed rape yields.
The fi eld trial experiment was the fi rst of its kind in the UK. Conducted by researchers at the John Innes Centre, Norwich, it found that warmer October temperatures lead to higher rape yields the following harvest.
The crop was planted in autumn and harvested early the following summer. It is known that warmer temperatures in October are correlated with higher oilseed rape yields – but the reason for this trend was unclear.
Rape is particularly sensitive to temperature at certain times of the year with annual yields varying by up to 30% as a result. Results of the study revealed that October temperatures are surprisingly important for the timing of fl owering – and hence yield.
Study author Steve Penfi eld said: “Oilseed rape plants stop growing when they go through the fl oral transition at the end of October, and warmer temperatures at this time of year enable the plant to grow for longer, giving more potential for higher yields.”
“By establishing the link between autumn temperatures and yield, our study highlights an example of climate change being potentially useful to farmers. Cold Octobers have a negative effect on yield if you are growing oilseed rape, and these are now rarer.”
Temperature is critical for oilseed rape lifecycle because it determines at what point the plant
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An aerial view of trial plots heated with cables to mimic the
effect of warmer weather. [Photo credit: Phil Robinson]
goes through the transition from vegetative state to fl owering – with delays in fl owering being associated with higher yields, said Professor Penfi eld.
This vernalisation process is well understood in the lab as a requirement of a prolonged exposure to cold temperature. But an increasing body of research suggests vernalisation might work differently under more variable conditions experienced by a plant in the fi eld.
In this study, the team used soil surface warming cables to raise the temperature of fi eld plots by 4-8ºC, simulating warmer October temperatures. Two varieties of oilseed rape with differing vernalisation requirements were trialled.
Lab tests on dissected plants showed that warming in October conditions delayed fl oral transition by three to four weeks for both varieties. Genetic tests showed genes associated with vernalisation in cold conditions were also highly expressed in the warm conditions.
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