Agronomy Update - April 2021

Jonny Oosthuizen - Bartholomews Agronomist

Once again, the weather at the end of last month enabled groundwork and spraying activities to take place in relatively good time and under very acceptable conditions. Each major application window exploited is a win we should celebrate - especially with the volatile weather patterns we so often experience these days.

Many growers are all drilled up and residual herbicides applied on spring cereals, whilst others are still waiting for the appropriate soil moisture to proceed. April will see spring pulses amongst other crops which require warmer soils being planted. 2nd Nitrogen applications onto cereals are in full swing, and final fertiliser applications onto OSR are very close if not already completed.

April signifies the start of the construction phase of winter wheat. This phase will see it move from first node all the way to flowering in mid-June. It is a key chapter where we will see the arrival and progress of the yield forming leaves above ground whilst the deep roots form below ground. It is essential the crop requirements are met during this time in order to get the best from them.

Some wheat crops would have received their T0 fungicide at the end of last month with most crops likely to have one at the beginning of this month. This is a key timing to hold back and disease that is already in the crop ensuring that suitable products are utilised as talked about in last months article. Folpet should form the base of the program with the single site being determined by your specific factors i.e. variety, disease pressure etc. This is also a great opportunity to split the growth regulators and satisfy the crops requirement for any deficient nutrients such as Manganese. Tissue tests are a great tool to help stay on top of crop health.

Spring herbicide applications targeting broad leaved weeds will also be necessary this month as the products require the target weeds to be actively growing – thus requiring warmer temperatures. This may be applied in conjunction with a fungicide or indeed on their own depending on product choice and target weeds. Some of the post-em grassweed application may have been delayed due to temperatures not being warm enough – if this is the case, prioritise these applications.