Arable


Industry challenges pose opportunities for


independent agronomy • Resistance is key concern for many • Best practice helps save actives • Healthy soils vital for good crops


nnovations in product devel- opment and access to tech- nical trial results helped at- tract more delegates than ever to the winter agronomy confer-


I


ence hosted by the Association of Independent Crop Consultants (AICC) Conference. “Despite the challenges fac- ing the UK arable industry over


the next decade, there is no doubt that these are exciting times for the independent agronomy sector whose market share is increas- ing,” said AICC chief executive and conference manager Sarah Cowlrick.


Biggest conference This was reflected in the largest ever attendance by AICC mem- bers and the wider industry to the association’s recent annual conference, held at Whittlebury Hall, near Towcester, Northamp- tonshire.


The AICC Academy members gain a valuable insight into the industry


New solutions against cereal diseases


While SDHI fungicides are still active against septoria, Jonathan Blake of ADAS says there is some evidence of efficacy decline with ¼ and ½ dose applications drop- ping in the last five years from 90% to 45-60%. To slow down any further drop


in efficacy, Mr Blake recommend- ed using SDHIs only where abso- lutely necessary. Growers should only use azoles and multi-sites at T1 and T2 where possible, al- though there may be scope to re- fine multi-site use.


Mr Blake reported on trials


which showed that when manco- zeb and chlorothalonil were used in combination, there was a syn-


18 ANGLIA FARMER • MARCH 2018


ergy that could boost disease con- trol and yield in some cases pro- viding 0.3t/ha more than when either multi-site was used in iso- lation.


Growing more resistant vari-


eties such as Crusoe showed no significant yield benefit with fun- gicide programmes incorporating two SDHI’s compared with one, he said.


ADAS crop protection director


Neil Paveley emphasised the im- portance of incorporating resist- ance management into fungicide programmes.


“It is important to make


challenging decisions asking if an SDHI is needed at T1, is an azole needed at T3 and consider the addition of a multi-site at T2 and T3. Remember more treat- ments this year mean more dif- ficult control next year.”


The conference is the largest annual gathering of independent crop consultants and the wider in- dustry. As well as providing del- egates with technical agronomy information, it is also an opportu- nity for 42 AICC academy mem- bers to interact and learn from their peers. “We are a movement, and one that is getting stronger,” said AICC chairman Sean Sparling. “As independent crop consult- ants, we have an ever-changing


Paul Gosling, of the AHDB, raised concerns with regards to developing resistance in barley, in line with increasing applica- tions of fungicides. He remind- ed delegates to use alternative chemistry ie cyprodinil and re- sistant varieties where possible.


Optimise seed rates for best oilseed rape yields


Trials data presented at the con- ference re-enforces the message that optimum seed rate for hy- brids and conventional oilseed rape varieties is 25-40 plants/m2 – with some seasonal influence. With current trends towards higher seed rates and either ear- ly or late drilling to combat pest and disease pressure in crops,


More delegates than ever attended this year’s AICC conference


tool box to work from with some exciting new crop protection prod- ucts coming to the market in the next five years, as well as inno- vative crop management tools.


Serious issues “But with this we must also look after what we already have – and take seriously the issues of resist-


Pete Berry said: “To maximise the crops potential to photosyn- thesise through flowering, when seeds are set, the canopy needs to be relatively open at flower- ing.”


The effects of sowing date on yield were not well document- ed, highlighting that there was little impact on yield for crops drilled from mid-August to mid-September, after which there was usually a yield de- crease, again depending on the season.


Dr Berry encouraged del- egates to look at the Oilseeds YEN project for the valuable learnings about characteris- tics and management of high yielding oilseed crops. Doing so would help growers ensure the best chance of growing a success- ful and profitable crop.


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