cent seasons have been caused by is- sues of consolidation, slumping or cap- ping in the top 100-125mm of soil, not by deeper compaction. In such situations, running a sub- soiler through at 250mm deep could make the situation worse. Soil mois- ture content is critical to operations such as subsoiling and mole plough- ing, adds Mr Robertson.
“Subsoiling needs soil to be dry enough for natural fi ssures and crack- ing, but if it’s too dry, there’s a risk of bringing up large slabs and creating an uneven surface. If conditions aren’t right, don’t rush into doing it.” It is also important to remember that cultivation stimulates germina- tion by bringing fresh weed seed to the surface. This can be used to manage blackgrass, where shallow cultivation encourages a chit that can be sprayed off before drilling.
“Remember though, blackgrass
won’t want to grow until September or October, so timing is key,” says Mr Robertson. And ploughing can be use- ful in some situations, such as where there has been a high black-grass seed return that year. That said, any soil movement in- creases moisture losses in a dry au- tumn. Where seedbeds are prepared in advance of drilling, they shouldn’t be cultivated too fi ne to make them more resilient to heavy rainfall.
Cover crops
Whenever soil is moved it is vital to encourage new root growth as quickly as possible – whether from a commer- cial crop, catch crop, or cover crop. This stabilises soil and helps rebuild soil structure, porosity and organic matter. Six weeks or more is generally re- quired for a catch crop to be worth- while. So the main opportunity is between early-harvested crops like oilseed rape or winter barley and a following winter wheat.
Continued on p21 AUGUST 2021 •ANGLIA FARMER 19
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