8 minute read
Consider take-all risk as early-drilled second wheats set to surge
A combination of factors is pushing growers to consider planting more second or third cereals. Farmers Guide takes a look at the risks and how they can be mitigated ahead of the autumn drilling campaign.
Is oilseed rape worth another shot? Or should I grow more wheat? Do I drill earlier to avoid being caught out by bad weather? These are all valid questions that growers might be asking when formulating cropping plans for this coming autumn.
With strong prices, many will opt for more second wheat and if drill dates are brought forward, take-all risk will increase in many situations. This is leading many agronomists to advise the use of a Latitude seed treatment to protect yield.
Rotational disruption Grower experience
It has been a di cult time for combinable crop producers over recent seasons, with extreme weather preventing a signi cant area of winter wheat being planted.
On top of wheat woes, many have been forced into a reduced oilseed rape area or are walking away from the break crop altogether due to ea beetle pressure.
Zantra agronomist Chris Bean (right), who advises growers across south east England, says many arable businesses have been moving away from second wheats too, put o by the additional risks and costs of getting crops to harvest in good shape.
However, with rotations in disarray after two wet autumns and alternatives to oilseed rape less lucrative, he believes momentum has shifted again and more second wheat could be drilled this autumn, if conditions allow.
The rotational disruption may also mean that a chunk of that wheat goes in after a couple of spring-sown cereals, where elds didn’t get drilled in the autumn or oilseed rape failed.
“Of course, the nal thing that might happen this year is that some will say: ‘To hell with late drilling’, because they can’t a ord to get caught out again,” Mr Bean comments.
“They will drill a week or so earlier than they might have done, to ensure they have a crop that earns them a margin.
“All these factors will drag take-all into conversations, as risk is higher in early-drilled second wheats and although build up isn’t as severe after spring cereals, it is still a signi cant factor,” he adds. weather preventing a signi cant area of
Mr Bean points out that not every farm or soil type will necessarily have a take-all problem, even where it might be expected if textbook even where it might be expected if textbook logic is applied. logic is applied. He most often advises farms with lighter soils, which are known to be higher risk because they can be prone to drought. As the soil-borne fungus attacks the roots, symptoms are exacerbated once the land dries out and the crop becomes water stressed. There is also more space for take-all hyphae to spread and cause secondary infection in more porous soils.
However, Mr Bean says on some farms with high-risk soils, growers may get away without any severe symptoms, while in similar situations a few miles down the road it can be a di erent story.
“I’m not sure if that is down to variety choice or how soils are managed, but knowing eld and farm history of take-all is an important part of decision making.
“One thing we have been trying to do is grow varieties naturally suited to the second wheat slot. Milling wheat is widely grown in the south and Zyatt has done well for us,” shares Mr Bean.
Heavy land
Bartholomews agronomist Justin Smith (right) agrees that take-all doesn’t always appear in the places where you most expect it, with severe symptoms seen on both the high-risk chalky downland and weald clays he oversees across Kent and Sussex.
In the past two years, the heavy land has su ered from waterlogging, which has compromised rooting in his wheat crops. These wet periods were then followed by a dry spell in the spring – this has seen take-all have a signi cant impact as crops mature.
“These blocks of extreme weather seem to be getting more common and it’s resulted in us seeing more take-all on heavier soils,” explains Mr Smith.
Advising a number of mixed farmers, second wheat is an important crop for his clients and like Mr Bean, there will also be a signi cant chunk drilled after spring cereals this year, too.
He says part of the integrated pest management strategy for take-all in second cereals includes attention to detail when preparing seedbeds to ensure they are well-structured and free from root-hindering compaction.
Following that, later drilling should be considered, but he acknowledges the nervousness about delaying late into October, given the previous two wet autumns.
On top of cultural reduction of risk, Mr Smith says he always raises the option of using a Latitude (silthiofam) seed treatment with his growers, as it is the only chemical seed treatment with take-all reduction on its label.
Whether it is used ultimately comes down to whether the grower is willing to invest.
“Some will not want to spend the money and gamble. In some seasons, you might get away with it, but those that have experienced 30–40 per cent yield loss from take-all now see it is a no-brainer.
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“I see it as the starting block in a wider strategy for take-all, with correct nutrition, an Amistar fungicide application at T0 and a Moddus growth regulator programme to encourage rooting all building resilience against the disease,” concludes Mr Smith.
Push back
Mr Bean has also seen push back on seed treatments in general, not just Latitude, which is a concern – particularly in extreme seasons such as those seen over the past two years.
Where growers have barn dipped and drilled undressed seed, plant numbers tend to be down and rooting poor.
He says that if second wheat crops aren’t managed correctly from the start, whether that’s cultivation, seed treatments or establishment, it puts crops on the back foot right from the start.
“Yes, using home-saved untreated seed is convenient and lower cost and, in some cases, you can get away with it. However, things can go awry, and you’ve lost a lot of potential in that crop.
“A key thing that people tend to forget is that even crops with lower potential need looking after with inputs in a relatively similar fashion but without the return at the end,” he explains.
Mr Bean has also seen growers shy away from Latitude, which is relatively expensive, and go with alternative fungicide seed treatments to cut costs.
These can control a range of seed-borne diseases, including bunt and smut, and claim to help encourage rooting, but have no direct impact on the take-all pathogen itself.
Zantra has conducted trials in second wheats comparing the two treatments and found that Latitude is the strongest option in a second wheat situation for take-all.
Winter barley
Mr Bean says another crop potentially at risk from take-all is winter barley and a Latitude seed treatment is often overlooked, despite the bene ts it can provide when the crop is grown as a second or third cereal.
He is seeing it make a comeback in rotations across his area as growers look to get a better entry into oilseed rape, with a mid-July harvest allowing elds to get turned around for drilling by the start of August.
“Obvious symptoms like white heads are less evident in barley, as it comes to head that bit sooner, but it is still impacting on roots given the right conditions.
“We have been using Latitude in winter barley crops now for several years and see some signi cant responses where the disease is a problem in both hybrid and conventional varieties,” notes Mr Bean.
Cost bene t
The most signi cant barrier to growers using Latitude in winter barley is cost, which is ampli ed by the reality that barley is typically sold at a £30/t discount to wheat.
Certis seed treatment specialist Tim Eaton acknowledges that in both crops, it can seem like a signi cant investment when considered on a per tonne basis.
However, growers can utilise the company’s Latitude Cost Bene t Calculator, which draws on a huge historical trials dataset to work out what return on investment they might get in their own situation.
“You can enter the planned seed rate, how much you might have sold your grain for and the cost of Latitude from your supplier and it gives you a tangible bene t of treatment based on your own information.
“Obviously the rst line of defence against take-all is rotation, but there will always be situations where growers will opt for consecutive cereal crops, and Latitude is the most reliable way of reducing primary infection where there is a risk,” adds Mr Eaton. FG
Key messages
• Second wheat area predicted to rise this year • Growers also likely to drill earlier to avoid weather extremes • Take-all risk is heightened in these situations • Consider a Latitude seed treatment to protect yield • Don’t forget about take-all impact in winter barley.
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