Weather

There is dry weather in the forecast for the coming days, and this is good to keep disease levels at bay and give time for spraying. Some crops are stressed from dry conditions and others were hit by the wet weather a few weeks ago, with yellow crops and marks in fields from water logging.

There is still water in some tramlines, so those crops are not short of moisture. Thin spring barley crops may benefit from some cycocel to promote tillering. Mid-tillering is the ideal time to apply this product.

Wild oats

If you did not apply a herbicide for wild oats with the weed spray on spring barley and wheat and they are an issue, then you will need to be careful when you apply Axial Pro.

If you used a hormonal herbicide like MCPA or if you used a product like Galaxy or Pixarro you need to wait three weeks before applying Axial. At this stage you will likely need to apply at least 0.6l/ha for wild oat control. For canary grass or ryegrass you need the full rate of 0.82l/ha.

Grass weeds in beans

Break crops like beans are very useful in controlling grass weeds as they provide an alternative herbicide than those used on cereal crops, helping to prevent herbicide resistance and possibly get better control in some situations. If applying Falcon to beans for grass weeds, you need to do so before flowering, otherwise you will need to use Stratos Ultra at flowering.

Beet

The dry weather is not ideal for spraying beet. Weeds are not coming through and the dry, hard ground won’t provide a good foundation for residual sprays. In some fields you may need to hold off on weed control.

Split applications where possible to give two chances to hit weeds. It’s a fine balance to manage as weeds can get too big and if sprayed in poor conditions may not be controlled. Add in an insecticide for Mangel Fly where it is a concern.

Fungicides

Final sprays are going out on winter barley at present and are best applied when the awns are merging for ramularia control, but this might be delayed depending on the previous spray timing.

A lot of spring barley is approaching the time for a fungicide. Disease pressure is low, but there is net blotch in varieties like Planet which are rated a six for the disease. A strobilurin is needed here. Proline and Comet will probably suffice in this weather. Add nutrition where needed and on stressed crops consider a bio-stimulant like seaweed.

BISS

Make sure to get your BISS form completed or an appointment booked with your adviser. You should also decide how much straw to put into the Straw Incorporation Measure.

If you get a customer in the meantime you can take out a parcel. Ask you adviser about the Farming for Water programme and how to sign up. There are payments for catch crops, margins and low-drift nozzles to name just some of the measures.