Oilseed Rape
In many ways this has been a month for wrapping up for the OSR. I applied the final dose of nitrogen being at green bud stage at the beginning of month, bringing our total nitrogen to 200kg/ha for the crop. Being keen not to neglect the micronutrients, Bassitrel and straight Boron were added to the fungicide application during the first week. The fungicide, a generic containing prothioconazole and tebuconazole, gives us a good spectrum of disease control for spring, with only a potential mid-flowering spray left to apply to the crop.
Flowering began in mid-March with our crop of DK Expedient, living up to its major trait of being very quick out of the blocks. Other varieties in trial on the farm, were on average 5-10 days later to flower. Despite very few OSR crops in the area, pollen beetle levels remained below the threshold for a targeted spray and soon themselves turned into beneficial insects.
Flowering itself during March was a dry affair, hopefully lending itself to good pollination. Due to these conditions the decision was taken not to apply a mid-flowering spray to the DK Expedient for sclerotinia as the risk remained very low and the variety making up 75% of our cropping, it will make a useful saving too.
Winter Wheat
Starting with what has been our latest seeding, the field of Gleam drilled on the 5th Feb has had an atrocious first month to be emerging. With a robust seed rate, I have been pleased to see the crop emerged evenly through the ground. As I mentioned in the previous entry, I was concerned that vernalisation or the lack of it could be an issue, however after swatting up I’ve been given some reassurance that it can occur up to 15°c, albeit slowly. I needn’t have worried though as March gave us almost as many frosts (10 in total) as we’ve seen over the whole winter, that combined with a biting Easterly wind which have kept temperatures down.
The Easterly winds in the second half of the month did have a noticeable effect of steadying up growth, especially the newly the emerged crop, but also in an autumn sown crops. Keen to bolster growth and ensure tiller survival, I applied Sulfan to our wheats at 200kg/ha on 2nd March, followed on the 13th with 240kg/ha of 0-24-24. That along with 3l/ha of manganese. With excellent establishment, and a good network of roots anchored into a well structured soil, I’m confident that all of our crops will be in good stead and won’t hesitate to motor on when the weather picks up.
Sowing Date & Grass weeds
Starting with what has been our latest seeding, the field of Gleam drilled on the 5th Feb has had an atrocious first month to be emerging. With a robust seed rate, I have been pleased to see the crop emerged evenly through the ground. As I mentioned in the previous entry, I was concerned that vernalisation or the lack of it could be an issue, however after swatting up I’ve been given some reassurance that it can occur up to 15°c, albeit slowly. I needn’t have worried though as March gave us almost as many frosts (10 in total) as we’ve seen over the whole winter, that combined with a biting Easterly wind which have kept temperatures down.
The Easterly winds in the second half of the month did have a noticeable effect of steadying up growth, especially the newly the emerged crop, but also in an autumn sown crops. Keen to bolster growth and ensure tiller survival, I applied Sulfan to our wheats at 200kg/ha on 2nd March, followed on the 13th with 240kg/ha of 0-24-24. That along with 3l/ha of manganese. With excellent establishment, and a good network of roots anchored into a well structured soil, I’m confident that all of our crops will be in good stead and won’t hesitate to motor on when the weather picks up.
DK Expedient on the 26th March
The same field at the same angle 14 days earlier
Graham Winter Wheat drilled with the dual band coulter
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