Wales Farmer 26 CROPS


Growersonstandby for arush of slugs


■ Numbers up afterrecord wet spring


By Anwen Humfrey


FARMERS and growers are being advised to pre- pare for an increased slug threat later this summer after the wettest April on record created ideal con- ditions for slugs to


reproduce. According to David Glen, an independent slug specialist with Styloma


Research and


Consulting and aformer lead researcher with the Long Ashton Research Station, the current weather conditions areperfect for slugs. “April to Mayisanimportant


peak of the breeding cycle and with conditions as they are, slug activity will be very high so pop- ulations areprimed to increase significantly,”hesaid. Slugs represent athreattoall


crops,but their potential to inflict economic damage is perhaps greatest in high value crops such as field vegetables. The


Horticultural


Development Council (HDC) estimates thatslugs cost the sec- tor £8m ayear in lost output. In arable crops asingle slug can kill up to 50 wheatseeds in the first week after drilling. The preference forwinter-


sown crops,the increased area of oilseed rape and the trend towardslighter cultivation tech-


niques have all helped swell slug populations over the last 20 years. David Glen warns growers not


to be misled into thinking the dry conditions of the last three years will have reduced slug popula- tions to safe levels. “Slugs areextremelyresilient


creatures capableofsurviving harsh environments beforebreed- ing rapidlywhen conditions suit. Growers should be assessing the levelofslug activity in the run up to harvest and in stubbleafter harvest to determine the size of the threattonextyear’s crop,” he said. The threshold for


wheatcrops is four slugs per trap in stubble, butinstubble beforeoilseed rape,research has shown thatjust one slug per trap is enough to sig- nal the need foraction. Conventional practice has


been to laytraps after cultiva- tions,but beforeemergence of the next crop,though this can give afalse impression of slug numbers,saysDavid Glen. “Research has shown thatdis-


turbing the soil profile disrupts slug behaviour to the extent that indications might suggest alow population burden when the opposite can be the reality.” Cultivations areanimportant


part of slug control though it will not remove the need forpellets in high risk situations. “Those following adirect


drilling approach run agreater risk of sustaining slug damage. Cloddy seedbeds and wetweather around the time of drilling increase the damage risk whatev- er the method of cultivation, so


GIVEAWAY: Limagrain’s Pocket Guide of Forage Crop Trial Results is available for free.


ON THE MOVE: Slugs can travel up to five metres anight.


be prepared to applypellets at or around the time of drilling, ideal- ly just after the crop has been rolled,”hesaid. “The potential fordamage is


so greatthatwaiting foractivity to become visible means it is too late.” “It’salso important to use a


high quality pellet to get suffi- cient active ingredient into the slug to be fatal. Metaldehydeis the most cost-effective means of control and capableofexception-


al levels of control when applied in suitableconditions. “Tobeeffective,slugs must


ingest sufficient bait otherwise they can recover. Some pellets, such as TDS from De Sangosse, contain an attractant and afeed- ing stimulant to ensuresufficient active is ingested and cause paral- ysis.


“Slugs arefree-roaming crea-


tures capableofmoving up to five metres anight and able to detect food from 60cm away,soit


is important to achieve an even spread of pellets across the soil surface foradequate control.” Careshould also be taken to


avoid applying pellets to cloddy soils beforeheavy rain as they will be washed down the soil pro- file and not found by the slugs. Moreinformation can found


at www.desangosse.co.uk and www.getpelletwise.co.uk while advice on trapping can be found at HGCA Topic Sheet No.84 availableatwww.hgca.com.


Take aleaf out of turnip book


LIVESTOCK farmers looking for aleafy buffer feed for their cattle this summer to offset grass shortages, can take advantage of the hybrid stubble turnip variety Tyfon. The turnip’s leaf accounts for around 75% of its DM yield. Limagrain’s Martin Titley said: “Tyfon is unique –it’s across between astubble


turnip and Chinese cabbage. So it produces acrop which has more leaf than root, thereby providing ahigher protein content overall than typical stubble turnip varieties. “It will yield around 4t/ha of DM in total, with the majority of this being found in the leaf.” Tyfon can be sown from May through to August, and is ready to graze 12 weeks later.


Takeabreak to up your margins


GROSS margins in excess of £1,500/ha will be among the ben- efits of growing herbage seed pre- sented to prospective growers by British Seed Houses at Cereals 2012. As the companylooks to


increase its contracted acreage to meet rising demand forits highly successful UK-bred Aber vari- eties,seed production manager John Fairey says ahigh financial return is just part of the reason whyherbage seed is nowavery attractive break crop option. “Herbage seed is arguablythe


most profitablebreak crop at the moment, butthe overall rotation- al benefits arealso significant


and should certainlynot be over- looked,”hesaid. “Weshall be talking to farm-


ers whovisit us at Cereals about the benefits thatatwo-year herbage seed break bring in terms of improved soil structure and increased soil organic matter levels. “Weshall also be pointing out


howherbage seed crops can help to improvecontrol of grass weeds,for example,and will leave clean ground thatcould be used forother seed crops.” British Seed Houses is offering


attractive herbage seed growing contracts thatreflect the high demand forthe Aber perennial


SOWING THE SEED: And pulling in the profit.


and hybrid ryegrass varieties bred at the Institute of Biological, Environmental and RuralSciences


(IBERS)


Aberystwyth University. Developed over a30-year


grass breeding programme,and nowmarketed


worldwide as Aber High Sugar successfully


Grasses,the varieties continually featurestronglyfor yield and quality in the independent rec- ommended lists and have good agronomic characteristics as seed crops. Nowactively seeking new


growers,British Seed Houses offers afreeagronomyservice as


For the latest Wales farming news: walesfarmer.co.uk


part of its commitment and will be launching anew advisory booklet at Cereals 2012, June 13th to 14th, in Lincolnshire. British Seed Houses will be


present at the event on stand E551 alongside plant breeders from IBERSAberystwyth University.


Send us your news and pictures


email: wfeditor@ walesfarmer.co.uk


For early sown crops, the re-growth potential of the leaf should enable at least two grazings to be made.


For more information visit www.limagrain.co.uk to download a factsheet on stubble turnip options from the forage crops section.


LIVESTOCK farmers can evaluate which forage crops to grow and which varieties give the best yields, using afree Pocket Guide to Forage Crop Trial Results, produced by Limagrain UK. The 12-page pocket-size booklet contains information on the performance of different varieties of swedes, kales, forage rapes, fodder beet and stubble turnips, along with information on crop energy contents and economic value. Limagrain’s Martin Titley said: “There are no official recommended lists for kales, swedes and turnips. However, Limagrain has been running forage crop trials for nearly 20 years, and has amassed ahuge dataset on how different varieties compare. “The performance figures in this booklet are not taken from just one year of trials, but across many, making them a reliable source of information for livestock farmers.” He added: “Variety selection has abig influence on the feed value of agiven crop. For example, the difference in DM yield between the best and worst performing stubble turnip varieties is 1.5t/ha, and for forage rapes, 0.7t/ha.” For afree copy of the Pocket Guide to Forage Crops, farmers can call Limagrain UK on 01472 37141, or for more information, visit www.limagrain.co.uk.


July 2012


Forage answers at your fingertips


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