Arable Rescue mission needed for
backward cereal crops • Priority is to make most of potential • Many fields leſt undrilled until spring • Ensure nutrition to give crops a liſt
B
ackward and slow-emerg- ing winter cereal crops will need careful nurtur- ing through winter to minimise any further growth setbacks, say agronomists. Winter cereal plantings are down by as much as 90% in parts of the UK after the washout au- tumn, says ProCam agronomist Tom Smith. Crops which were drilled later than planned will need some TLC to set them up properly for spring, he adds. Where cereals have been plant-
ed, some are only now just emerg- ing, says Mr Smith. Many are sat in less than ideal seedbed condi- tions. But a glimmer of hope is that wheat has been quoted at £150/t for November 2020, so it will be im- portant to make the most of crop potential, he notes.
Waterlogged soils
“Boosting shoot and root growth are likely to be the main prior- ities,” says Mr Smith. “Assess fields on an individual basis. Plants may need help with ear- ly chlorophyll production so they green-up and photosynthesise ef-
ficiently to fuel growth. “Cereals sat in waterlogged soils will also tend to produce shallow roots because they don’t need to search out moisture. You only have to think back to 2018 to what happened to poorly-root- ed crops in a dry spring. “Treatments such as mi- cro-nutrients and bio-stimulants could therefore come into their own this winter to ensure early nutrition isn’t limiting and to give crops a lift.”
ProCam evaluations on the ef- fects of these types of treatments on early cereal growth has shown significant improvements with some products, says Mr Smith, but it is important to choose the right one.
Reducing stress
Micro-nutrients and bio-stimu- lants aren’t expensive but Pro-
“
Introducing fungi to wheat boosts their uptake of key nutrients – helping reduce their reliance on fertilisers, according to research- ers at Leeds University. Fungi which form partner- ships with plant roots provide significant amounts of phospho- rous and nitrogen to a cereal crop, say the scientists. The fungi con- tinued to provide nutrients under higher levels of carbon dioxide – a finding with important impli- cations for future food security. Lead researcher Katie Field, from the Leeds University School of Biology and Priestley Interna- tional Centre for Climate, said:
16 ANGLIA FARMER •DECEMBER 2019
It may be kinder to crops to avoid complex herbicide tank mixtures
Cam analysis suggests there isn’t a one size fits all approach for every crop, he adds. As always, growers should assess crops on a field-by-field basis. “As well as boosting growth, look at other ways of reducing crop stress. With weed control, it may be kinder to crops to avoid complex herbicide tank mixtures if you can, and instead apply the components in a sequence. “As we approach spring, also be mindful of the effect that fo- liar diseases such as yellow rust and mildew can have on back- ward crops. When plants have lit- tle green leaf area to begin with, even small infections can cause serious damage.
“The aim is to protect green leaf area and to save as many till- ers as you can.”
Spring cropping Delays in drilling have pushed farmers in many areas to switch to spring cropping. This is reflect- ed in an increase in queries re- garding seed supplies for spring crops, with some sought-after ce- real varieties already said to be in short supply. The AHDB says the situa-
tion echoes 2012, when a wet au- tumn also forced many growers to switch to spring cropping. The AHDB planting and variety sur-
Backward crops may need help with rooting and chlorophyll production
vey showed that the spring bar- ley area for 2013 harvest nearly doubled as a result.
The field bean area also in- creased that year, by 26%, poten- tially driven by the later drilling dates of winter beans combined with a move to spring beans.
Fungi could reduce reliance on fertilisers
“Fungi could be a valuable new tool to help ensure future food se- curity in the face of the climate and ecological crises.”
Results of the study were published in the journal Global Change Biology. Although fun- gi were not a silver bullet for im- proving the productivity of food crops, Prof Field said they had the potential to help reduce re- liance on fertiliser. Plants
can give 10-20%
of the carbon they draw from the air to their fungal partners – in exchange for up to 80% of their required phosphorous intake. These fungi can also help
pests and disease.
Fungi spores geminating during the experiment
plants increase their growth, nitrogen levels, water uptake, and defend the plant against
While some varieties of the wheat grown by farmers form these partnerships with benefi- cial fungi, many do not. The re- searchers therefore suggest there is potential to develop new vari- eties of wheat less dependent on fertilisers. Researchers measured the amount of phosphorous and ni- trogen by chemically tagging it. Skyfall wheat took up far more phosphorous from the fungi com- pared to two other varieties as- sessed, acquiring 570 times more than Avalon and 225 times more than Cadenza.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
