February Agronomy Update
The end of the Winter season is now in sight, and we are now seeing some glimpses of Spring with some glorious daytime weather. However, the temperature drop after dark and the white mornings are still reminding us that it hasn’t quite finished just yet!
Andrew Stilwell
The previous Autumn conditions allowed a return to normal for Autumn sown crops which have generally faired well through the Winter. There are moderate levels of Mildew on some Barley crops in some areas, and there are reports of some particularly forward Wheat crops being grazed by Sheep to reduce their biomass in a return to a time-honoured tradition. Septoria is ever present and the monitoring of this begins from now on. Oilseed Rape crops in recent weeks have seen the return of the pigeons with some previously very proud crops being reduced to skeletons, but with some well-timed early N when the temperatures pick up and spring growth commences, these should recover very quickly. In other areas where the OSR has been less affected, disease levels are low, and crops are still waiting to start spring growth. The end of January marked the end of the application period for any products containing Propyzamide, and the end of February is the deadline for any products containing Carbetamide.
February is normally the last quiet month for crop protection from a field point of view, but it is vitally important to use it to plan for the months ahead. Forward planning and communication has never been more relevant with product revocations ongoing, manufacturing issues, product shortages and logistic supply chains at full stretch. Talking to your Agronomist or usual contact about your requirements can help us greatly to minimise the impact of all these issues.
Elsewhere on some of the freely draining soils, early cultivations have begun in preparation for sowing spring crops once we reach the key mid-month timing when the stubble restrictions are lifted, then these will continue in earnest on a much wider area. Please remember the criteria for preparing a spring seedbed where pre-emergence herbicides are going to be used, firm and level finish with the seed being adequately covered as per product label guidance. Also, the all-important weather conditions after application which can greatly affect the efficacy of these applications.
Finally thinking about early fertiliser applications on all crops. Please ensure that any applications are well timed to match new growth whenever this commences. Too early on anything not required may be lost to the environment, which is not only detrimental, but given the current situation a costly mistake as well.