Tirlán FarmLife Agronomy Update

AGRONOMY UPDATE AUTUMN 2022

INTRODUCTION

Harvest 2022 has been excellent, the unbroken weather during July and August saw harvest starting early and finishing in record time. The winter crops came in with higher than average yield and low moistures which set the tone for the spring crops reaching record low moistures never seen in this country before. The early harvest has seen a greater planting of Oil Seed Rape and farmers are seeing the benefits in both forward prices for OSR and the yield benefits it offers to the following cereal crop.

The arable area grew to over 320,000 ha in 2022 on the back of a good autumn 2021 sowing window and helped with the Tillage Incentive Scheme from the government at the end of March. The rain over recent days was welcome after a period of soil moisture deficit which will hopefully lead to good sowing conditions this autumn.

The War in Ukraine has brought about many changes in recent months, none more so that the issue around food security and the need to grow enough to feed our people and our animals. Ireland has a long way to go to achieving these goals but at least the mind-set is shifting. The three crop rule for crop diversification has been lifted for 2023 which is seen as a positive move to allow growers greater flexibility on their planting decisions. This derogation is part of an EU response to the war in Ukraine. This been said, farmers that are using break crops are seeing the benefits in soil heath and structure.

In this update we will focus on BYDV and Take-All as they have been a concern in winter crops this past year. We will focus on autumn herbicide and BYDV options for the season ahead.

Grain markets are volatile but cereal prices have been relatively stable since August and this year’s harvest is set to reach record prices. Tirlán the new name for Glanbia Ireland sits well in a tillage context, ‘land of abundance’ where our farming is in balance. The logo or symbol is inspired by the letter úr from the ancient Ogham alphabet translates as earth,soil,clay. The symbol represents the land in balance above and below the soil. Tirlán is increasing our premium contracts offering for 2023 and continues our forward selling options which enable our farmer growers to make informed decisions around their farming practices. Fertilizer price and availability are shaping up to be the main concern around cropping decisions for the season ahead.

I would like to welcome two new agronomists to our team, Conor Hoey covering the north east and Kevin Tobin based in Tipperary and Cork. Our agronomy team are on hand to discuss fertilizer, herbicide and cropping options to help you make informed decisions for the year ahead.

Wishing you all the best for the season ahead.

Fintan Treacy Tirlán FarmLife Agronomy Manager

BENEFITS OF CROP ROTATION AUTUMN WEED CONTROL

There are several benefits to using crop rotation, including improved nutrient cycling, soil tilth, and soil physical properties and enhanced weed control. Crop rotation may also influence the fertility of soil by improving soil microbes and biology.

There are many management strategies for improving soil productivity.

Crop Rotation - A Winner From Many Perspectives

Crop rotations are largely considered an age-old farming practice but they have many agronomic, economic and environmental benefits over "continuous cropping".

Teagasc Research has shown that wheat yields are 11% higher when the crop is grown in rotation compared to wheat grown in a continuous cropping system. The use of tillage break crops especially legumes can allow grower’s significant savings on Nitrogen costs in the following crop. Using this, yield increases and some savings in production costs, the adoption of rotations can significantly boost overall farm profitability.

Crop rotation, in addition to improving yield and profitability over time, will aid weed control, break disease cycles, provide an alternative source of nitrogen, increase soil organic matter, improve soil tilth, and reduce runoff of nutrients and chemicals, as well as the potential for contamination of surface water.

Improved Soil Structure

Annual crop rotations cause dramatic differences in root structure over time. From taproot crops to fibrous-root crops, diversity in root structure will improve the soil's physical, chemical, and biological structure. Soil improvement, in turn, creates a variety of macro pores (the channels in soil that allow infiltration of water, nutrients, and oxygen), and facilitates new root growth of successive crops.

Improvement in soil organic matter and nutrient pools is another benefit because of crop rotation, which can improve soil structure and increase the soil's water-holding capacity.

Diminished Soil Erosion

Soils with good structure improve water infiltration due to increased macro pores. The improvement in microbial communities and soil tilth will also help reduce soil erosion because of more stable soil structure, improved water infiltration, and reduced surface run-off, the mechanism by which soils are lost to streams, lakes and rivers.

Pest and Disease Control

Diversifying cropping sequences takes away the 'host organism,' and disrupts the annual life cycles of diseases, pests and weeds.

Crop rotation or cropping sequence is proven very effective in addressing concerns related to soil, water, and environment quality from long or short-term perspectives. As growers search for better ways to achieve profitability, one management is a robust multiple-crop rotation management system. There are several proven benefits of a multiple-crop rotation system.

For cereal diseases such as take-all, the introduction of noncereal break crop such as Oilseed Rape and Beans or Oats is the best ways of reducing risk in winter cereals.

The proliferation of problematic grass weeds is in many cases as a result of continuous cropping and reliance on the same chemistry with the same mode of action which has caused resistance. The introduction of crop rotation allows for the use of different chemistry with different modes of action. By alternating between winter and spring cropping, growers can introduce IPM strategies to control weeds such as stubble cultivation and stale seed beds.

The first thing a farmer should do before he/ she thinks are about sowing an autumn crop is to identify the weeds that are likely to present in that particular field or block of land. It’s very important that the farmer knows what they are facing into so that through IPM (integrated pest management) practices and chemical choice an adequate level of control is reached. With

1. Pre-emergence

This is generally the recommended approach in most situations especially in early sown crops of barley. The advantage of the pre-em is it kills the susceptible weeds as they germinate so little or no competition with the growing crop happens. The risk of not getting back due to difficult weather is also avoided which is an advantage in heavy land that can track badly late in the autumn. The only downside to the pre-em is that if soil is not adequately moist the chemical may struggle to work to its full potential.

2. Peri-emergence

Peri-em is when the pre-em herbicide is applied to a recently emerged crop but before the weeds have emerged fully or when they’re are quite small. It is a good compromise if the pre-em has been missed for whatever reason. The product choice and rate needs careful consideration as to not harm that recently emerged crop if doing this approach.

direct benefits to farmers through regular monitoring of crops for pests. This enables farmers to make decisions based on observations, and use an optimum mix of pest control techniques and tools which bear in mind the economic threshold level, risks associated with control selection as well as environmental and human safety. The IPM approach is particularly important for tillage farmers, as it has become increasingly difficult to control pests using a single approach. This dependence can also be considerably costly in the longterm.

Summary of Benefits of Adopting a Crop Rotation

• Improved disease control

• Weed control

• Soil structure improvements

• Increase in nutrient availability

• Higher yields in the crops that follow in the rotation

Break Crop Benefits

3. Post-emergence in autumn

This allows for a definite assessment of what weeds are present and allows the addition of an aphicide in the tank mix if needed for BYDV control. This is a good option for early min-tilled wheat after oats where volunteer oats can be an issue 6/7 weeks after sowing. The big problem with relying on post-em in the autumn is the weather and ground conditions not allowing access to fields.

4. Post-emergence in early spring

This is the last chance to get control before weeds start to really compete with the crop and become uncontrollable. In a wet and cold spring it can be very tricky to get the products applied in time and for them to work effectively. The weeds can also be a lot bigger and winter hardened and therefore harder to kill.

The end result – better crop performance and increased profitability.

Written by Tom Hession

Grass Weed Control

Grass weeds such as Wild Oats, Sterile Brome and Canary Grass are very visible this year. Teagasc has also confirmed the presence of Black grass in areas where this weed was previously unknown. Growers should assess fields for grass weed control, taking note of any unusual grass weeds and seek help to identify and put in place an appropriate management strategy.

Grass Weed Identification Brome

Brome in Ireland falls into two main categories. Anisantha bromes include sterile brome and great brome. Sterile brome is the most common of the bromes in the Republic of Ireland, but it is worth noting that there is a significant great brome burden in the north of the country.

The other, slightly less common brome species are known as the Serrafalcus bromes. These include meadow brome, soft brome and rye brome.

Different post-harvest treatments apply to the different bromes. Early post-harvest cultivations are advisable if you have a sterile/great brome problem, but not for the serrafalcus bromes.

Sterile and great brome both have drooping, wedge shaped spikelets, with long spreading awns. Visually, they are quite similar, however, great brome has larger spikelets and the axis of their panicles is hairy, whereas the sterile brome axis is hairless.

Rye brome is more upright than the other bromes. It has a hairless lower leaf sheath in general (not always). Unlike the spikelets of soft and meadow brome, there are small, visible gaps between the seeds in rye brome. Also, if you take a dry, ripe seed and cut it across (cross-section) with a sharp blade, rye brome will have a v-shaped cross-section, whereas soft and meadow brome will have a saucer shape.

Soft brome, meadow brome and rye brome are somewhat more difficult to differentiate, but this can be helped with some useful keys. Soft brome and meadow brome have hairy lower leaf sheaths. The spikelets of soft brome are also hairy, whereas the spikelets of meadow brome are not.

The lower leaf sheaths of soft and meadow brome are visibly hairy.

Note the gaps between the seeds in the rye brome spikelet when compared with the tight packing of seeds in the soft and meadow brome spikelets above.

Grass Weed Identification

Canary Grass

There are two significant types of canary grass in Ireland, the most common of which is lesser canary grass. The other, less common species is known as awned canary grass. Lesser canary grass is extremely competitive and produces a huge number of seed per head, making seed return an issue. Ripe seeds are dark in colour and quite small (~2mm).

Wild Oats

Wild oats are one of the most common grass weeds in Ireland, causing significant yield losses each year when uncontrolled. Long term studies suggest that wild oats can remain viable in the soil for more than 20 years, so control in the field is essential. Like canary grass, certain populations of wild oats are thought to be herbicide resistant in Ireland, but this has not been confirmed. Irish certified seed has ZERO tolerance for wild oats.

Wild oats in Ireland are typically divided into common wild oats (Avena fatua) and the less common winter wild oats (Avena ludoviciana). In the UK, herbicide resistance is more common in the winter wild oat. The two varieties can be identified from one another by looking at the awns on the seeds in the spikelets. In the case of the common wild oat, the three seeds in the spikelet have awns, whereas in the winter variety, the 3rd seed in the spikelet will lack an awn.

Furthermore when the seeds ripen, common wild oat seeds will part after shedding whereas winter wild oat seeds tend to stick together (this observation only applies to shed seed as unripe seeds will tend to stick together in both cases).

Grass Weed Identification

Black Grass

Black grass is the most commercially important grass weed in the UK and much of mainland Europe. This is due to the significant levels of herbicide resistance seen with this weed. There are a number of confirmed populations of this weed in Ireland that need to be monitored closely.

Importing seed, machinery or bales from the UK carries with it significant risk of black grass infestation so extreme caution is advised with any of these practices.

Like the bromes, black grass thrives in min-till and no-till operations, but populations can be reduced with smart ploughing rotations and spring cropping, allowing for the use of a stale seed bed approach.

It is extremely important to note that if a grower has this weed, and a certain herbicide is not proving effective against it, do not use the same herbicide mode of action on the population again, as this effectively selects the most resistant individuals from the population.

• Spring cropping facilitates more than one stale seed bed.

• Spot-spray small populations before they get a chance to produce viable seed.

• Use a well-thought out plough rotation to minimise seed return (burying seed destroys 75% of seed per year), be careful not to plough up old seeds.

Lesser canary grass inflorescence. This weed grows out over the crop canopy when fully mature. Resistance to certain ACCase inhibiting herbicides is suspected, but not yet confirmed in Ireland.

Lesser canary grass can quickly become a serious issue on the farm if not controlled correctly. Serious yield losses can occur if the population grows unabated. Stale seed beds have limited effectiveness for this weed as it is naturally spring germinating. Remember that for weeds with large seed return like canary grass and black grass, you need 98% control to keep the population at the same level.

Left-Common wild oat, note the awn on the 3rd seed in the spikelet. Right- Winter wild oat, 3rd seed has no awn and there may be a small 4th seed emerging, as per the picture.

When identifying wild oats at the vegetative stage in an emerging cereal crop. Look for two features: The wild oat has no auricle whereas wheat and barley developed auricles. Also, wild oat leaves tend to twist anti-clockwise when viewed from above, with barley and wheat leaves twisting clockwise. Bear in mind that identification at the vegetative stage is not extremely reliable.

If a grower suspects herbicide resistance, send seed samples of the weed to be tested by Teagasc (for free). It is worth noting that many British population of black grass are resistant to multiple herbicides so care is advised when forming a management strategy for this weed.

Black grass is easily identifiable, it has long, narrow inflorescences that can be green or plum coloured. It grows upright and can tower over the crop canopy.

• Use competitive crop varieties and a smart rotation, allowing the use of different herbicide chemistries.

Herbicide Resistance

• 98% of UK black grass is resistant to at least one herbicide mode of action, and 46% have multiple resistance due to herbicide metabolism abilities (stats courtesy of Cook et al., 2014)

• If resistance is suspected, send ripe seed samples to be tested in Oak Park.

• Do not use the same herbicide mode of action on the population repeatedly.

• Do not use reduced doses of herbicides as this contributes to the evolution of multiple herbicide resistance.

• Exercise extreme care with machinery that has worked in a field containing black grass to avoid the spread of resistant seed.

Black grass growing in a pot in Teagasc Oak Park, zoomed in to show inflorescences.

Plants produce a large number of seed heads each of which produce, on average, 100 seeds. This makes minimising seed return priority number one when controlling black grass.

If you find populations of black grass in the field, spotspray with glyphosate as soon as possible before seeds ripens and become viable. Exercise extreme vigilance with fields containing black grass. Care must be taken to clean machinery after harvesting affected fields to minimise the spread of seed.

Protocol for reducing blackgrass seed infestation on farm

• Desiccate crop before blackgrass produces seed in order to prevent seed return. Clean down tractor and sprayer before leaving the field.

• Hand rogue plants

• Harvest the crop last – to avoid contaminating other fields

• Turn up fan on the combine as high as possible to blow out as much seed as possible.

Significant population of lesser canary grass growing in a field of spring wheat.

Left to right- Wild oat, wheat and barley auricles. Note hairy auricles of wheat, and curled auricles of barley. Worth notingcommercial oats also have no auricles.

Management

• Irish certified seed has ZERO tolerance for black grass. If importing seed from the UK, ask for a weed certificate.

• Stale seed bed approach works well as black grass germinates in the autumn.

• Later sowing date allows glyphosate application to cultivated stubble.

• Chop the straw; do not bale – to avoid contaminating balers and spreading seed in straw.

• Clean down the combine thoroughly before leaving the field including concave, drums, rotors, straw walkers, grain return pans, intake, header, straw chopper, axels, all covers, all flat surfaces etc. Run the combine before leaving the field.

WINTER WHEAT

PRODUCT ACTIVE INGREDIENT RATE WEEDS CONTROLLED

FIREBIRD / SHARP TURBO (Pre-em option or early post-em option) Cleared up to GS 23 400 g/l Flufenacet200 g/l Diflufenican 0.3 L/ha AMG, Rough stalked MG, Cleavers, Common chickweed, Common speedwell, Ivy-leaved-speedwell, Cranesbill, Forget-me-not, Field pansy, Groundsel, Dead nettle, Mayweed, Shepard’s purse, Volunteer OSR

FIREBIRD MET (contact and residual) Pre and early post emergence option, cleared up to GS 25 or the end of November

240 g/l Flufenacet90 g/l Diflufenican

g/l Metribuzin

AMG, Italian Rye Grass, Common chickweed, Common speedwell, Charlock, Poppy, Cranesbill, Forget-me-not, Field pansy, Groundsel, Dead nettle, Mayweed, Shepard’s purse, Volunteer OSR

FLIGHT (Pre-em option or early post-em option) Cleared up to GS 30 330 g/l PDM 7.5 g/l Picolinafen 3.0 - 4.0 L/ha AMG, Rough stalked MG, Common chickweed, Fumitory, Poppy, Corn marigold, Common speedwell, Ivy-leavedspeedwell, Knotgrass, Cranesbill, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Shepard’s purse, Volunteer OSR

STOMP AQUA (Pre-em option or early post-em option) Cleared up to GS 30

DEFY / ROXY

(Peri-em option or early post-em option) Cleared up to GS 21

DIFLANIL 500

(Post-em option but can also be mixed with Firebird pre-em)

Cleared up to GS 31

TOWER (Pre-em option and early post-em option) For best results, Tower should be used pre-em.

Cleared up to GS 30

445 g/l PDM 2.5 L/ha Max dose is 2.9 L/ha AMG,Common chickweed, Poppy, Common speedwell, Ivy-leaved-speedwell, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Knotgrass, Corn marigold, Volunteer OSR

800 g/l Prosulfocarb 2.0 L/ha AMG, Rough stalked MG, Cleavers, Common chickweed, Common speedwell, Ivy-leaved-speedwell, Field pansy (moderate), Dead nettle

500 g/l Diflufenican 0.25 L/ha Common chickweed, Common speedwell, Ivy-leavedspeedwell, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Groundsel, Vol OSR, Radish, Nipplewort

250 g/l Chlortoluron 300 g/l PDM40 g/l Diflufenican 2.0 L/ha AMG, Loose Silky Bent, Cleavers, Charlock, Common chickweed, Fumitory, Poppy, Common speedwell, Ivyleaved-speedwell, Cranesbill, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Shepard’s purse, Volunteer OSR, Runch, Mayweed, Forget-me-not

COMMENT

Firebird @ 0.3 L/ha delivers 120 g/ha Flufenacet + 60 g/ha Diflufenican. Two applications per crop permitted. For best results product should be applied pre-em. A good option at pre-em where Bromes are becoming an issue. Should be used in conjunction with Alister Flex where Brome and Blackgrass is particularly bad. Can also be used in conjunction with DFF (0.1 - 0.2 L/ha) to improve control of Vol OSR and Chickweed. Poor on Wild Oats, Fumitory and Poppy. By using in an integrated approach with Alister Flex, good Wild Oat control will be achieved.

Firebird Met @ 1.0 L/ha delivers 240 g/ha Flufenacet + 90 g/ha Diflufenican + 70 g/ha Metribuzin. Post emergence up to GS 25 (early postem). Strong option on Bromes and Blackgrass. Early post emergence product which can be applied with the aphicide timing. Inclusion of Metribuzin to give increased contact activity on grass and BLW weeds. High rate of Flufenacet will improve residual control on grasses. Better on Cleavers, Fumitory and Poppy than Firebird Will not control Wild Oats as a stand alone product.

Flight @ 4.0 L/ha delivers 1,320 g/ha PDM + 30 g/ha Picolinafen. By reducing the rate from 4.0 L/ha, control of certain weeds will be compromised. A good option where a farmer wants to go pre-em and Broadway Star is planned for use in the spring. A good option on farms where Poppy and Marigold is an issue. For best results on AMG, it is advisable to go pre-emergence, especially with IPU beingno longer available. Use with DFF @ 0.1 - 0.2 L/ha if targeting Vol OSR. Flight is poor on Cleavers (pre-em), Groundsel and Mayweed. Contains PDM so will stain sprayers. This is an issue with some growers.

Stomp Aqua @ 2.5 L/ha delivers 1,112 g/ha PDM. Can be used as a method of controlling AMG in Winter Wheat if Broadway Star is planned as the main herbicide for the Spring. Can be used with DFF pre-em to increase control of Vol OSR or as a method of beefing up other products like Tower or Pontos. For best results, product should be applied pre-em. Will not control Wild Oats. Reasonable on Bromes and grass weeds when used as part of a stacked programme, e.g. with Broadway Star or Alister Flex in the spring. The same staining issues that exist with Flight, does not exist with Stomp Aqua due to a superior formulation.

Defy @ 2.0 L/ha delivers 1600 g/ha Prosulfocarb. Syngenta recommend to use product in conjunction with DFF @ 0.1 l/ha. DFF will greatly improve the performance on Vol OSR and Chickweed. Excellent product on Cleavers. For best results, use Defy at pre-em. Less scorch pressure attached to Wheat as there is to Barley. Do not use product peri-em. Defy needs to be used pre-em to control Groundsel. Poor control of Fumitory and Mayweed. Will not control Wild Oats.

Broad leaf weed control only. Will not control Grass weeds. Ideal tank mix partner with Defy. Mixture of Stride DFF + Diflanil 400 to an overall dose of 0.4 L/ha DFF will increase control of cleavers. Can be used pre-em with Firebird. At modest rates DFF is poor on Cleavers. Very poor on Fumitory and Poppy. Will not control Wild Oats.

Will not achieve any form of control of Wild Oats or Bromes on its own. Do not drop rate below 2.0 L/ha. Stomp Aqua can be included at pre-em to increase rate of PDM which will increase control of grass weeds if known grass weed pressures are high. In order to achieve maximum control of the weed spectrum, product should be used pre-em. By delaying application until early post-em, control of Fumitoryand Poppy will reduce. A good early post-em option since the removal of IPU from the market place. Include DFF @ 0.1 - 0.2 L/ha at periem/early post-em to improve control of Charlock and Vol OSR. It Contains PDM but staining levels are at a much reduced rate compared to alternative PDM products like Flight. Poor on Groundsel. Can be used comfortably at post-em on Wheat and will achieve good control of AMG. One should consider mixing Thor with Tower to improve control of Vol Beans in the late autumn.

WINTER WHEAT

ALISTER FLEX (Post-em option for winter wheat only) Cleared up to GS 29

PACIFICA PLUS (Post-em option for winter wheat only) Cleared from Feb 1st to GS 39

g/l Diflufenican 9 g/l Mesosulfuron 7.5 g/l Iodosulfuron 1.0 L/ha AMG,Loose Silky Bent, Rough stalked MG, Fumitory, Poppy,Dead nettle, Groundsel, Mustard, Pansy White Runch/ Wild Radish, Forget-me-not, Common Chickweed,volOSR, Charlock, Shepherd's Purse, Speedwells, Mayweed

30 g/kg Mesosulfuron 10 g/kg Iodosulfuron 50 g/kg Amidosulfuron

MONOLITH

(Post-em option for winter wheat)

Cleared from Feb 1st and GS 21 - 32

BROADWAY STAR

(Post-em option for winter wheat only) Cleared from GS 11 - 32

500 g/ha (pack/5ha) AMG, Rough stalked MG, Italian RG, Perennial RG, Wild Oats, Blackgrass, Sterile Brome, Great Brome, Rye Brome, Cleavers, Common Chickweed, Mayweed, Charlock, VolOSR

45 g/kg Mesosulfuron 67.5 g/kg Propoxy-carbazone 0.33 kg/ha Increased control over Blacklgrass compared to Pacifica or Alister.Will also control Wild Oats, Rye-Grasses, Sterile Brome, Rye Brome, Loose silky-bent, Common Chickweed and Mayweed

Bromes, Wild Oats, Bindweed, Cleavers, Charlock, Speedwell, Chickweed, Marigold, Creeping Thistle, Pansy, Groundsel, Knotgrass, Mayweed, Poppy, Vol Beans, Vol OSR,

COMMENT

Excellent post-em option on Winter Wheat. This will be a very popular approach going forward this season. Alister Flex will also control Wild Oats. Very good product on Grass weeds and Bromes. Use early post-em in the autumn to achieve good Grass weed and Brome control. If targeting Blackgrass, Alister Flex should be used in sequence post-em following a pre-em application of either Firebird. New formulation of Alister Flex has a wider weed spectrum. Has a tendency to be poor on cleavers so follow up herbicide may be required.

Excellent post-em option on Winter Wheat. This will also be a very popular approach going forward this season. Pacifica will also control Wild Oats. Very good product on Grass weeds and Bromes. Excellent post-em option after March 1st in order to achieve excellent Grass Weed and Brome control. If targeting Blackgrass, Pacifica should be used in sequence post-em following a pre-em application of either Firebird or Vigon. Bio-Power should still be included to maintain product efficacy. Can be used as a mix with Cameo Max to broaden weed spectrum such as Fumitory, Vol Beans etc.

Predominantly a grassweed herbicide with a narrow range in terms of broad leaf weeds. Will control wild Oats. Can be used in sequence post-em following a pre-em application of Firebird. Monolith @ 0.33 kg/ha delivers 12 g/ha Meso + 22.5 g/ha Propoxy. Bio-Power should still be included to maintain product efficacy. Can be used as a mix with Zypar, Thor or Cameo Max to broaden weed spectrum such as Fumitory, Vol Beans etc. Do not mix with PGR's. Stronger option on Bromes and Blackgrass than either Pacifica Plus or Alister Flex.

Will not control AMG so autumn application of Defy or PDM will be required. Reducing dose rate will compromise weed spectrum greatly. Excellent product on Bromes and Grass Weeds. Wild control Wild Oats. Excellent spectrum on Broad leaf weeds. This will be a popular product for spring use on Winter Wheat. The addition of an adjuvant such as Torpedo is recommended to maintain product efficacy.

FIREBIRD

WINTER BARLEY

SHARP

FIREBIRD MET (CONTACT AND RESIDUAL)

DEFY / ROXY

(Pre-em option or early post-em option) Cleared up to GS 21

DIFLANIL 500

(Post-em option but can also be mixed with Firebird pre-em) Cleared up to GS 31

TOWER (Pre-em option and early post-em option) For best results, Tower should be used pre-em. Cleared up to GS 30

CONTROLLED COMMENT

Firebird @ 0.3 L/ha delivers 120 g/ha Flufenacet + 60 g/ha Diflufenican. Two applications per crop permitted. For best results product should be applied pre-em. A good option at pre-em where Bromes are becoming an issue. Can also be used in conjunction with DFF (0.1 - 0.2 L/ha) to improve control of Vol OSR and Chickweed. Poor on Wild Oats, Fumitory and Poppy.

Firebird Met @ 1.0 L/ha delivers 240 g/ha Flufenacet + 90 g/ha Diflufenican + 70 g/ha Metribuzin. Post emergence up to GS 25 (early postem). Strong option on Bromes and Blackgrass. Early post emergence product which can be applied with the aphicide timing. Inclusion of Metribuzin to give increased contact activity on grass and BLW weeds. High rate of Flufenacet will improve residual control on grasses. Better on Cleavers, Fumitory and Poppy than Firebird. Will not control Wild Oats as a stand alone product.

Rough stalked MG, Common chickweed, Fumitory, Poppy, Corn marigold, Common speedwell, Ivy-leavedspeedwell, Knotgrass, Cranesbill, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Shepard’s purse, Volunteer OSR

800 g/l Prosulfocarb 2.0 L/ha AMG, Rough stalked MG, Cleavers, Common chickweed, Common speedwell, Ivy-leaved-speedwell, Field pansy (moderate), Dead nettle

500 g/l Diflufenican 0.25 L/ha Common chickweed, Common speedwell, Ivy-leavedspeedwell, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Groundsel, Vol OSR, Radish, Nipplewort

250 g/l Chlortoluron 300 g/l PDM40 g/l Diflufenican 2.0 L/ha AMG, Loose Silky Bent, Cleavers, Charlock, Common chickweed, Fumitory, Poppy, Common speedwell, Ivy-leaved-speedwell, Cranesbill, Field pansy, Dead nettle, Shepard’s purse, Volunteer OSR, Runch, Mayweed, Forget-me-not

Flight @ 4.0 L/ha delivers 1,320 g/ha PDM + 30 g/ha Picolinafen. By reducing the rate from 4.0 L/ha, control of certain weeds will be compromised. A good option where a farmer wants to go post-em. A good option on farms where Poppy and Marigold is an issue. For best results on AMG, it is advisable to go pre-emergence, especially with IPU being no longer available. Use with DFF @ 0.1 - 0.2 L/ha if targeting Vol OSR. Flight is poor on Cleavers (pre-em), Groundsel and Mayweed. Contains PDM so will stain sprayers. This is an issue with some growers.

Defy @ 2.0 L/ha delivers 1600 g/ha Prosulfocarb. Syngenta recommend to use product in conjunction with DFF @ 0.1 l/ha. DFF will greatly improve the performance on Vol OSR and Chickweed Excellent product on Cleavers. For best results, use Defy at pre-em. Has a tendency to scorch Winter Barley when used post-em but crop will recover. Do not use product peri-em. Defy needs to be used pre-em to control Groundsel. Poor control of Fumitory and Mayweed. Will not control Wild Oats.

Broad leaf weed control only. Will not control Grass weeds. Ideal tank mix partner product. Mixture of Stride DFF + Diflanil 400 to an overall dose of 0.4 L/ha DFF will achieve good control of cleavers. Can be used pre-em with Firebird. Poor on Cleavers, Fumitory and Poppy. Will not control Wild Oats.

Will not achieve any form of control of Wild Oats or Bromes on its own. Do not drop rate below 2.0 L/ha. Stomp Aqua can be included at pre-em to increase rate of PDM to increase control of grass weeds if known presures are to be high. In order to achieve maximum control of the weed spectrum, product should be used pre - em. By delaying application until early post - em, control of Fumitory and Poppy will reduce. A good early post-em option since the removal of IPU from the market place. Include DFF @ 0.1 - 0.2 L/ha at peri- em to improve control of Charlock and Vol OSR. It Contains PDM but staining levels are at a much reduced rate compared to alternative PDM products like Flight. Poor on Groundsel. One should consider mixing Thor with Tower to improve control of Vol Beans in the late autumn

The Driving Force to Fulfilling Yield Potential

Soil health is one of the key components to successful crop production. The Irish farming community has placed a greater focus on the health of our soils in recent times, which is leading to a positive impact on the environmental and economic sustainability of farming systems. Crop rotations and cover cropping have become an integral component of management practices on tillage soils. This year we have seen the welcome addition of the straw chopping scheme, which again will improve the structure and functionality of our soils.

The autumn is often a good time for reflection, to look back on the year gone by and assess the decisions made and their outcome on the final yield at harvest. It is a great opportunity to break the year down, analyse inputs applied and identify where improvements can be made.

Continuous tillage soils have been degraded over the years, by harvesting high yields of grain and straw from them, however, in most cases, very little organic matter has been applied back into the soil. With some of the country’s best soils currently used in tillage practices, it is imperative that steps are taken to ensure these soils maintain their high fertility.

Straw Chopping: This measure has seen large uptake in its pilot year, particularly with crops that have high a high carbon value such as oats and oilseed rape. This process returns some valuable P and K back into the soil, which will lessen the requirement for chemically applied nutrients in the following crop.

Tackling Take-All

With the 2022 harvest wrapped up and we take a look back at the year gone by, there was a lot of success stories with high yields achieved across the country. Winter wheat and spring barley crops in general were excellent. However, winter barley showed huge variation in yield, which left many growers disappointed after all their hard work throughout the season. This poses the question as to why did winter barley disappoint while other cereal crops done very well. Take-all may be some of the reason for that yield variation.

What is Take-All

Take- all is a soil borne fungus (Gaeumannomyces tritici) that affects the roots of the growing cereal crop. Inoculum in the soil from the previous crop can infect newly sown autumn seedlings.

There is two sources of infection to take-all:

Primary infection: This occurs in the autumn when inoculum has built up in the soil. This affects newly sowing cereal seedlings.

Secondary infection: This occurs in the spring/summer, especially in situations of high primary infection. Infected roots spread the disease to the developing crown roots. This is more prevalent in warm, moist soils. The pathogen is active when soil temperatures are above 10-12 degrees.

As the growing season progresses, roots infected with take-all will start to shut down and this will affect the plants ability to absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil. When take-all is severe, the plants root system succumbs to the disease and this will result in the premature ripening of a crop. This results in whiteheads across a field, often in patches, with those ears having poor shrivelled grain and in some cases no grain at all.

Cultural control methods to prevent infection:

Ploughing will bury most of the inoculum, which will be in the top 100mm after harvest. This gives the plant time to establish with reduced levels of early infection.

Minimum tillage can leave highly infected soil near the surface and in the root zone of the newly sown crop.

Volunteer cereals

Volunteer cereals and some grass weeds such as scutch/ couch grass and some bromes can carry the take-all infection from one crop to another. It is important to spray off fields with glyphosate to remove volunteer cereals and other weeds.

Drilling date

The level of take-all inoculum in the soil falls rapidly after harvest. Delaying the drilling date is a sensible approach to reducing the risk of infection. The weather conditions before, during and after sowing control the level of risk to the crop. As the pathogen is active when soil temperatures are above 10–12˚C, ideally delay sowing date until soil temperatures are below this. Sowing first cereals before second/third cereals will also help reduce the severity of the infection.

Seed rate

The seed rate and the quality of the seed is important to mitigate the risk of take-all infection. Using certified seed and reducing seed rate in vulnerable fields can reduce the take-all risk. The higher the seeding rate, the higher the root density which will lead to more primary and secondary infection.

Nitrogen application

Applying nitrogen earlier to second/third cereal crops can reduce the impact of take-all on that crop. As take-all affects roots it is important to apply nutrients to the crop before secondary infection takes place. Crop uptake of nutrients will be restricted and inefficient at a later stage.

have been positive this season, which in turn leads to high nutrient offtake from the soil. This nutrient offtake, needs to be resupplied to the next growing crop to ensure another successful growing year.

Rotational strategies

Rotation is the best way to reduce the risk of Take-All on your farm. The more diverse rotation the better with different break crops and a longer cycle between cereals.

Break crops include OSR, oats, beans, peas, beet, shortterm ley, vegetable crop.

Cultivations

Fungal growth in the soil can be restricted in firm seedbeds. It is important to try and roll fields after sowing to try consolidate the seedbed. However, on heavy soils or soils sown prior to heavy rain, can lead to compaction. Compaction can restrict root growth and increase the severity of the disease on the plants root system.

Phosphorus

As phosphorus has an impact on root growth, rectifying phosphorus deficiencies will enable the crop to survive more efficiently in take-all risk slots.

Chemical control methods

Foliar fungicides have no control over Take-All leaving the only chemical control available to seed treatments. It is advised to use Latitude dressed seed where there is a potential Take-All risk.

Written by Barry Purcell

BYDV Pressure and IPM Strategies

With seed treatments confined to history for now, IPM strategies for the control of BYDV are crucial. BYDV has the potential to reduce winter barley yields by up to 40% while also having the ability to reduce yields in winter wheat and winter oats. IPM strategies will have to be implemented as a method of combating the devastating effects of infection in a crop. On a positive note, the recent introduction of BYDV tolerant varieties such as Joyau, which had a successful harvest in 2021, is surely a sign of things to come.

Currently, we still have access to insecticides but the level of resistance amongst the grain aphid population (the primary vector of BYDV) to these is now alarmingly high. It has also been found that the grain aphid can now detoxify pyrethroids, which is an additional resistance tool. In short, we can no longer rely on pyrethroid insecticides to fully control BYDV. However, Pyrethroid insecticides will form the backbone of an effective aphid control strategy. The active Isoclast is also available this autumn for BYDV control. Isoclast has both systemic and translaminar activity, effective by contact and ingestion and provides knockdown and residual activity. The active is relatively new and there is no known resistance. The insecticide Teppeki is also approved for use on winter barley. Teppeki contain the active Flonicamid and has both translaminar and systemic action with no known resistance. The use of an systemic insecticides is advised later in the autumn or early winter when growth has slowed down if required.

Cultural control measures should also be used as part of an integrated pest management strategy: delaying the sowing of cereal crops will minimise the potential for aphid colonisation, while cultivating the soil at least three weeks before drilling and burying or destroying any residual trash and preparing well consolidated seedbeds will minimise the risk of direct transfer of the virus via green bridges.

BYDV is spread primarily by the grain aphid whose flight and mobility is largely driven by temperature and green area. Crops emerging (green area) in favourable temperatures (+ 5 – 7 degrees) is very conducive to BYDV. The result of all of this means that our IPM strategy is now going to have to be geared around sowing dates and sowing strategies in the autumn, reducing green bridges, selecting fields based on aspect and geography while also considering overall cropping rotations.

Regular crop monitoring will be essential. As soon as the first vectors are identified, a targeted application of a suitable pyrethroid insecticide should be made. This is especially important during the early growth stages of cereals as the earlier a crop becomes infected with BYDV, the greater the effect it will have on the crop’s development and yield. If conditions remain mild throughout the autumn and into early winter it may be necessary to make additional applications to control successive populations of aphids, but care is needed to ensure insecticides aren’t applied unnecessarily. The key is to remain vigilant until temperatures fall low enough to prevent further aphid activity. It is important to make sure each wave of aphids is treated as soon as possible. Use of technology such as the BYDV Assist APP developed by Syngenta will help with crop monitoring and more targeted approach of insecticides.

As well as regular crop inspections, BYDV Management Tools that calculate when aphids will be active in a given location based on DD (days degrees) thresholds are available from Teagasc.

BYDV Risk Assessment and Management Strategies

SEP

HIGH RISK

Consider sowing colder and latest ground first

Sow seed at increased depth to slow down emergence

Consider sowing wheat before barley at increased depth and reduced seed rate

Insecticide at 2/3 leaf stage (gs 12 / 13)

Follow up insecticide again (Temperature dependent)

OCT NOV

MEDIUM - HIGH RISK (location and temperature depending)

Consider sowing colder and latest ground first

Insecticide at 2/3 leaf stage (gs 12 / 13)

If temperatures reside above 5 degrees at 2/3 weeks later, a follow up insecticide will be required

Possible follow up insecticide again (Temperature dependent)

Hybrid Barley varieties have the ability to withstand later sowing dates

MEDIUM - LOW RISK

(Temperature dependent)

Insecticide may be required at 2/3 leaf stage (gs 12 / 13) if temperature remains above 5 degrees

Possible follow up insecticde in the spring if favourable conditions persist

Regular crop monitoring will be essential. As soon as the first vectors have been identified, a targeted application of a suitable pyrethroid insecticide should be made.

2023 OUTLOOK – MANAGING THE RISK

Few will disagree that 2022 has been a pretty good year for Irish grain growers. A unique combination of record high prices, excellent grain yields and quality and glorious harvest weather has delivered very good returns to growers this year. Yet, an ominous cloud lurks on the horizon, in the form of unprecedented rises in input costs, particularly fertiliser, for 2023. Given that current forward price offers for harvest 2023 grain lie €30-40 per tonne below those received in harvest 2022, it would be easy to take the view that grower margins on 2023 are not viable at those prices and consequently grain prices must rise to compensate for increased input costs. However, it might be foolhardy to assume that both these views are correct and it is worth examining these in a little more detail.

Potential 2023 Crop Margins

Table 1 below shows an extract from a Teagasc publication of preliminary cereal crop margins for 2023 using the prevailing fertiliser and grain prices in October 2022. As examples, the margins on an 11 t/ha (4.5 t/ac) crop of winter wheat at €728/ha (€295/acre) and on an 8 t/ha (3.25 t/ac) spring barley crop at €569/ha (€230/ac) should be deemed as quite reasonable starting points for harvest 2023. Growers have the opportunity to lock in these margins by availing of the current grain prices on offer for harvest 2023 and this should be strongly considered, particularly by anyone purchasing fertiliser at the current high prices.

Cereal Crop Margins 2023

Grain Price Direction for 2023

Historically, input prices have tracked grain prices rather than the other way round. Grain price is fundamentally a function of supply and demand and while we are all well aware of the continuing threats to grain supply emanating from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and seemingly increasingly disruptive global weather patterns, it is worth remembering that global demand for grain is not likely to remain static either. Higher grain prices in 2022 have had a consequent negative effect on demand, especially in terms of feed usage by the pig and poultry sectors which are the dominant destinations for feed grains.

There is some logic to the claim that rising input prices will lead to less grain crops being planted, which in turn could reduce global supply; however, as yet, there is no clear evidence that this is happening to any great degree.

In summary, it is difficult to think that without further disruptions to Black Sea exports and negative weather events, grain prices are unlikely to continue on an upward trajectory into 2023. Of course, both of the above are entirely possible and significant price “spikes” are probably quite likely; however, in the current environment of enormous uncertainty there is huge risk associated with waiting indefinitely to see what direction price might take over the coming months. If forward selling at current prices can guarantee a reasonable margin on some proportion of a grower’s crop, should that not be given strong consideration?

Written by Donal Moloney

Abbey Quarter Kilkenny R95 DXR1 Ireland www.tirlanfarmlife.com