While the kinder spring has been a blessing in many cases, autumn-sown crops aren’t home and dry just yet. With cereals showing promise, preserving their potential is now the name of the game. CPM explores some of the priorities.
“Given fungicide applications have been timely, growers have set crops up well.” TIM HORTON
By Janine Adamson
Despite the dry spring being much-welcomed on the whole, as the old adage goes: too much of a good thing…but aside from a little moisture being on wish-lists, what else could be in demand as the season progresses?
Agrii’s Tim Horton says following a reasonably poor autumn, crops have enjoyed the spring sunshine and therefore been able to improve their rooting capacity. “It’s certainly looking more hopeful now than the past few years, providing there’s a little rain where required, situations appear in control.”
But with the current heatwave (end of April), his main concern is brown rust, particularly if temperatures continue to soar. “However, given fungicide applications have been timely, growers have set crops up well so it should be a case of maintaining that,” he adds.
Something which he hadn’t anticipated seeing this year in such abundance, is gout fly. “Although it’s a pest we observe most seasons, levels in autumn crops were much higher this year, exerting greater damage.
“And while crops are now bouncing back, no doubt helped by the kinder spring, it highlights the dangers associated with earlier drilling – something growers may have risked to ensure they had a crop in the ground before the weather turned.”
As is widely acknowledged, there’s little that can be done for this season’s autumn-sown crops, but Tim reminds there remains hope for spring wheats. “As the next generation evolves, this is the riskiest time for spring wheat. A well-timed pyrethroid spray can provide reasonable control, but timing is critical.
“As soon as you can see eggs on the leaf, they must be targeted within seven days,” he stresses.
While Tim is optimistic, Somerset-based agronomist Peter Waltham says for his region, it’s been another tough season, and as such, there’s much crop variability.
“Following Harvest 2024, all hopes were pinned on rectifying the poor, anaerobic soil conditions through remedial work. Unfortunately, with yet more brutal weather, there were limited opportunities to do so.
“So crops have been stressed – as exhibited through poor vigour – and there’s also been some herbicide damage due to the big autumn tank mix stacks used to get back on top of burgeoning grassweed pressure. These are the main factors behind the variability.”
Peter, who advises for Agrovista, has been encouraging growers to join him during field walking to provide the evidence behind his decision making. “Commodity prices are appalling to be honest, it makes it really difficult to weigh up and decide what can be realistically spent on a crop even when there is potential.”
He adds that he’s already encouraging growers to consider their cultivation plans for post-Harvest 2025. “We have to get some air into soils to repair the damage from repeatedly tough conditions. Therefore, now is also a great opportunity to identify poorer performing areas of fields while there’s a growing crop, in readiness for later. This also includes remedial work for drainage.”
With his location in the West, Peter is anticipating an explosion of septoria at some point. “Despite its slow start this season, septoria isn’t what it was years ago – it’s evolved genetically, is virulent and very difficult to control.
“This makes fungicide choice tricky – it’s critical to select the right actives, the right timings and the right doses.”
Sumitomo Chemical’s Ruth Stanley believes this could involve re-thinking the approach to a T3. “While T1 and T2 often receive the most attention, the target of a T3 is two-fold. It either provides a top-up for disease control, particularly brown rust, or, is to target fusarium; the overall purpose being to preserve a crop’s potential,” she says.
Depending on the required end-goal, this has an implication on spray timing, adds Ruth. “An earlier application during flowering (GS59) is the best position for additional brown rust activity, whereas going slightly later (GS63-65) will offer fusarium control.
“Used alongside the characteristics of an individual variety, this means anticipated spray timings might have to be tweaked,” she advises.
A product she suggests could be used in the T3 slot is Sakura/Soleil (tebuconazole+ bromuconazole) because it offers the ‘best of both worlds’ whether that’s targeting brown rust or fusarium.
“Equally, bromuconazole is an active which isn’t used so much at the moment. It offers a slightly different option in a programme and so helps to contribute to anti-resistance strategies.
“But at either T3 timing, it’ll protect the canopy and ear, mitigate stress and avoid bleaching, seeing the crop through until harvest,” she concludes.
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM.
For more articles like this, subscribe here.
Sign up for Crop Production Magazine’s FREE e-newsletter here.
