Arable
A tough end to wettest autumn for many growers
crop than was the case in 2012. The main concern for those
who have managed to muddle-in wheat and barley crops is the fact that only one operation was pos- sible in the conditions – drilling.
Consequences In many cases, a
pre-drill-
IN THE FIELD The end to one of the most challenging years can’t come too soon, says Richard Overthrow
B
y now, the last of the seed drills will have been washed off and put to bed
until spring. The area of winter cereals sown on farms this au- tumn ranges from zero to 100%. But most farms are in the lower half of that range. Of course, some of the seeds sown rotted in the soil so the true picture maybe even worse. True, winter wheat at least can still be sown for a few weeks yet. But 2012/13 showed us such crops don’t necessarily out-perform their spring equivalents. That’s not to say wheat crops shouldn’t be sown if the right weather and soil conditions ap- pear, but it seems more growers are resigned to opting for a spring
ing glyphosate spray had to be missed and we now await the con- sequences with respect to in-crop grass weed populations – even where residual herbicides were able to be applied after drilling. For those yet to drill, be it in
winter or spring, it is important to try and spray off seedbeds be- fore sowing. For well-established winter cereal crops, we usually warn growers to beware any mild spells in December that might kick-start aphid activity and vi- rus spread.
This has been a diffi cult topic with the loss of insecticidal seed treatment but it’s true to say that conditions for late aphid fl ight into crops were not good and the risk from such late activity must be low this year.
Growers with established oil- seed rape crops may have applied propyzamide treatments where these were planned. But as dis-
“
Many growers who drilled crops have been unable to do anything else
cussed previously, even those with good crops wanted to see the extent of any fl ea beetle larva damage before investing further. As a result there may be appli- cations still pending, but by now any presence of larvae should be obvious so there’s little need to wait further. Again, please remember there are no control measures available for these so don’t be tempted into ‘revenge spraying’.
Look to future
Levels of phoma leaf spot were quite high and widespread this autumn, though there was little publicity for this with so few rape crops. Again, if you are fortunate to have a good crop it is important, even if already treated, to watch for fresh infections arriving, up to the end of this month, which may need further treatment if thresh- old is reached again.
At the risk of incurring the wrath of those with little or noth- ing sown, nor likely to be sown, it is worth remembering that if there are any winter bean crops
Timely tips
• Spray off seedbeds before sowing
• Alternatively, wait until spring
• Don’t be tempted to ‘revenge spray’
• Keep watch for phoma leaf spot
• Winter beans can be drilled later
still to plant they can produce re- spectable yields when sown in De- cember or January, though they will mature later than earlier sowings. Similarly, spring beans can be sown from early January onwards if desired.
Hopefully more-upbeat dis- cussions next month. If you can, have a good Christmas.
› Richard Overthrow is a region- al agronomist with NIAB TAG, the UK’s largest independent agrono- my organisation with several re- search centres in East Anglia. For more details, call 01223 342495.
Most potatoes were lifted – but some crops have been lost JH Vaudrey & Son Ltd
Grain storage and handling Steel framed buildings Groundworks All types of concrete Turnkey projects
Phone: 01379 678459 Email:
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14 ANGLIA FARMER •DECEMBER 2019
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