technical brief January 2017
In this issue
News and crop production advice from Frontier
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Managing late sown winter wheat crops this season
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Managing late sown winter wheat crops this season Making a profit from spring cropping Managing forward rape in an improved market Visit valuable trials to get great green cover results Improving yields and protein with precision
Conditions last autumn allowed many growers to delay sowing winter wheat until late October and into early November. The benefits of this delay are well understood when it comes to grass weed control, but were even more relevant in 2016 with high dormancy and dry soils. Most of these later sown crops appear to have gone into good seedbeds, with residual herbicides applied in good time. After the Christmas break, most crops are at the 2 – 3 leaf stage through to early tillering and depending on the weather in the coming weeks, we should achieve 200 – 250 plants/m2 in the spring. When conditions start to improve, it will be time to turn our attention to the management of these crops. Crop production technical lead, Dr Paul Fogg, explains.
Yield potential A good starting point is to review crop potential. There is a clear yield penalty in most varieties from sowing later, but it is important to put this into context with the fact that establishment was delayed as part of the strategy to control black-grass, which on its own can result in a significant yield penalty: 100 heads/m2 equates to a 20% drop in yield.
Rooting Apart from depressed light levels during the critical grain filling period in 2016, rooting and especially deep rooting is thought to have a significant influence on final crop yields. The wet winter and spring of 2015/16 combined with the condition of some soils meant that roots remained close to the soil surface and crops were unable to access water held at depth within the soil profile later in the year. Recent work suggests that a root length density (RLD) of 1cm/cm3 of soil is critical and that many crops only reach this figure in the top 30cm, relative to crops in the 1970s-80s (Figure 1). So can we do anything to manipulate rooting? Clearly, longer term changes linked to soil health and physical status can be made, for example cultivation policy, placement of fertiliser at sowing and potentially cover crops. For crops in the ground now, consider early use of plant growth regulators to increase root plate spread and depth as well as tillering. Phosphites can also help trigger a response in the plant which can improve rooting, as can some fungicides.
Figure 1: Root length density (RLD) to 100cm soil depth for 17 winter wheat crops between 2004 and 2013. Published in White et al, Journal of Experimental Botany 66 (2015).
Early disease control With plant growth slow over winter, maintaining green leaf this spring will be fundamental in protecting yield potential. Yellow rust and septoria tritici can be found in crops and while no immediate action is required, early intervention may be needed in spring, particularly on more susceptible varieties. Looking at yellow rust in particular, only Costello, KWS Crispin and KWS Siskin have seedling resistance, with adult resistance generally not fully apparent until around flag leaf emergence. Also look for early manganese deficiency, particularly on unconsolidated seedbeds. In summary, review budgets based on crop potential. Look to build resilience into the crop through improved rooting and when it comes to early disease control, review your strategy based on relative risk. To achieve the best results for your business, talk to the experts.
“Rooting is thought to have a significant influence on final crop yields and it’s not too late to take action for this season’s crop.” Dr Paul Fogg
Crop production technical lead
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technical brief
Making a profit from spring cropping Almost 1 million hectares of spring cereals are predicted to be planted in the spring of 2017, including an increase in spring barley of 17% according to the AHDB’s Early Bird Survey. This upward trend of spring drilling is set to continue, largely in a bid to control black-grass. For many growers, spring cropping has been part of the rotation for generations and there will be little change in the area given to spring crops. However, for a significant number of growers, this is a first venture or reluctant return to spring cereals after several years. David Robinson, head of innovation and knowledge exchange and Jonathan Hoyland, grain product manager, examine how to effectively establish, manage and market spring crops for profit.
Margins
Figure 2 shows the impact of margins of spring crops taken from Frontier’s 3D thinking site in East Lincolnshire on true heavy land clay soils. With significantly lower growing costs, spring cereals can look much more attractive. With typical black-grass herbicide regimes in excess of £220/ha, much of the yield advantage over spring crops is lost in outright growing costs. Frontier’s 3D thinking black-grass site at Staunton in the Vale, Nottinghamshire, has shown that when black-grass control is inadequate, costs are high and the yield continues to fall even in the coveted first wheat slot. First wheat yields at this site have been as low as 6.1t/ha despite a full herbicide programme, simply because of grass weed competition.
Drilling
One of the main drivers in revisiting spring cropping is to control difficult grass weeds and particularly black-grass. The war against black-grass cannot be won by chemical control alone and increasingly, rotational change has to be part of the solution to maintain high yielding winter wheat crops. Nervousness tends to surround the margins achievable with spring cereals. Work over the last four years shows that this is not necessarily the biggest hurdle and that correctly managed, spring cereals can be profitable. Typical yields from Frontier 3D thinking sites show how yields compared in 2017 (Figure 1). First wheat after a break crop still remains the benchmark yield target as shown in figure 1, but often black-grass issues force a change. As grass weed pressures increase, yields are driven down whilst growing costs increase and despite elaborate herbicide programmes, a poor compromise will be inevitable. The decision to enter into a three year spring crop rotation can look daunting until the possible returns are taken into account.
The temptation is to drill spring cereals as early in the year as possible, but this urge should be resisted if the goal is black-grass control, since longer winter fallow periods are better for black-grass suppression. Drilling in March is far better than aiming for the mid February window, as this can result in higher levels of black-grass and if the weather turns wet and cold as it often does, it can affect spring crop vigour and significantly impact spring cereal performance.
Fungicides With the introduction of SDHI chemistry, spring cereals can give a modest but cost effective response to a wide range of fungicide options, as figure 3 illustrates. Nine fungicide programmes were applied to a crop of RGT Planet. The mean response was 11.3%, but the range between any of the individual programmes was only 0.5%. This resulted in a yield increase of just over 1t/ha and with an average cost of around £40/ ha, this represents a good return on investment. When considering the fungicide options on spring cereals, don’t underestimate the impact on grain quality, particularly for spring barley. Figure 4 highlights the significance of a well timed fungicide programme for screenings.
“Nervousness tends to surround the margins achievable, but well managed spring cereals are financially sound.” David Robinson
Head of innovation and knowledge exchange
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The difference is marked between the varieties, but perhaps the most interesting result in this trial was the way that the fungicides levelled out the differences between the best and worst untreated replicates. The value of this effect alone could add £40/tonne to the value of the end product, even before the yield gain is taken into consideration.
News and crop production advice from Frontier
Malting barley - the new second wheat? Figure 2 demonstrates the financial potential of spring barley compared to a second wheat. However, to successfully market a spring barley crop, selecting the right variety for the intended market and having a marketing plan in place is essential. This plan should be reviewed regularly with a farm trader and amended through the season in response to changes in the markets if necessary. If crops will not be sold at harvest, stores and their abilities must be taken into account too.
Figure 1: Crop type yield, Haywold and Alford, 2016
Several marketing options are available and can be used alone or in combination, including selling flat price, min/max premium contracts and grain pools. Min/max contracts offer a two step approach to selling while entering into a grain pool carries the least risk. The economics of spring barley mean 20-30% of the overall expected revenue comes from achieving the premium. While the barley market is quite vibrant today, demand within the EU is finite. Structurally there is a surplus within Europe, but the majority is located in France and of lower value 6 row malting varieties. Figure 2: Spring crop margins at Alford 3D thinking site
The main brewing markets for domestic and export require Propino, Irina or Planet and growers should aim for an N content within the grain of 1.65-1.75%, with a maximum of 1.85%. There is often demand for tonnages of barley of lower and higher N but the volumes required are limited. In Scotland, the main market is for distilling which requires barley with a nitrogen content below 1.6%. The main variety is still Concerto but in England parcels of Odyssey are also bought. Regardless of market and locality, attention to detail in growing and marketing is essential to achieving a profit. A lot can happen in a short time in the malting market, so be sure to check in regularly with your farm trader.
Jonathan Hoyland
Grain product manager
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% grain retained on top of 2.5mm sieve
“The economics of spring barley mean 20-30% of the overall expected revenue comes from achieving the premium.”
Figure 3: Spring barley fungicide responses, RGT Planet, Haywold 2016
Figure 4: Screenings – treated and untreated. Value to fungicides from grain quality alone could be £40/t
technical brief
Managing forward rape in an improved market In a season where some growers moved away from growing oilseed rape, prices have actually rallied to around £345/t for old crop. Crop production specialist, Paul Cartwright and oilseeds trading manager, Philip Kimber examine how growers with rape in the ground can now protect and exploit its full potential.
Dealing with light leaf spot The threat of light leaf spot is no longer confined to the north and west. Rothamsted Research’s November forecast suggested the risk to crops this season would be similar to last year and significant in all regions. Most of the country falls into the very high risk category, but areas of medium and moderate risk still require effort to keep the disease at bay. Timing and frequency of applications is the key to clean crops. Best control is achieved by programmes that start before the disease gets a foothold and are followed up in good time in spring. Frontier trials from 2015 demonstrated that two spray autumn programmes achieved better control of light leaf spot, even when the disease was not showing leaf symptoms at the time of application. This reinforces the need to adopt preventative fungicide strategies. Stem extension is a key timing for control, but be prepared to spray sooner if symptoms show. Early signs of the disease are often difficult to see, if they show at all. Leaf lesions can be indistinct and confused with frost damage or fertiliser scorch, so it’s helpful to incubate tissue samples to encourage spore germination, making diagnosis easier. Dry leaves should be placed in a plastic bag, sealed and left at ambient temperatures before examination. Spores can take up to 3 days to show, so don’t be too hasty to dismiss the results.
“Light leaf spot is a threat to all OSR this season. For best control, programmes should start before the disease takes hold, with a follow up in spring.” Paul Cartwright
Crop production specialist
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Ideally, all crops will have received at least one fungicide in the autumn, initially targeting phoma and later applications providing light leaf spot protection too. Light leaf spot is a polycyclic disease and once present, the threat does not recede. With every completed lifecycle comes a chance to re-infect any newly grown or unprotected plant tissue and cold winter weather will only slow development, not break the lifecycle. Most fungicides provide protection for around four weeks, whatever the weather and will need topping up. Even if the crop received the latest autumn fungicide in or before early December, another application will be due by January. Depending on ground conditions, this may not be possible and it may not be necessary if kept at bay in autumn, but check all crops to avoid leaving them unprotected if the disease is present and active. If grass weed herbicides have yet to be applied, tank mixing with a fungicide is an option to maintain protection before stem extension sprays. Propyzamide herbicides (eg AstroKerb, Kerb Flo 500) must be applied by 31st January and can be mixed with a range of fungicides except those containing metconazole. The cut off date for carbetamide applications (eg Crawler) is 28th February. These can be applied together with a range of fungicides except prothioconazole, which is incompatible and must be avoided.
Figure 1: Regional light leaf spot forecast for the percentage of OSR crops with greater than 25% affected plants, issued by Rothamsted Research, 8th November 2016.
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Water protection
Marketing
Before making any late grass weed herbicide applications, consider ground conditions and weather forecast carefully to optimise efficacy and prevent any active ingredients reaching raw water sources, particularly propyzamide and carbetamide.
Largely due to world weather events and unprecedented demand, we are currently experiencing some excellent prices for oilseed rape, with values mostly in excess of £345/t for old crop rapeseed.
Control options are now limited if any broadleaved weeds need tidying up after winter. The latest safe growth stage for both bifenox (eg Fox) and products containing clopyralid (eg Galera) is before flower buds are visible above the crop canopy. Clopyralid is another key active ingredient that must be kept out of raw water and its label does not permit use before 1st March, at which time it’s possible for more forward crops to be close to or even past the flower buds visible stage. Check crop growth stages carefully before making any applications this spring.
Boron Stem cracking and weakness can occur following frosts or periods of rapid growth, but could also be a symptom of boron deficiency. Ensure boron is in adequate supply. OSR crops typically require 600-900g/ha, of which half to two thirds should be applied in spring.
Growth regulation Application of growth regulators or fungicides with growth regulatory properties should be assessed on a field by field basis. Crops considered at risk of lodging can benefit from regulating to reduce apical dominance. Reducing the growth of the main raceme while encouraging development of the primary and secondary branches helps knit the canopy together and better support itself, as well as increasing potential seeds per square metre.
A record 115mmt US bean crop boosted world stocks to over 80mmt. However, increasing demand from China has kept the market wary of any future production loss. South America, where the crop is currently developing, has seen considerable variation in weather patterns, creating uncertainty. Brazil has seen helpful conditions and early yields look promising, with the eventual crop size put at over 105mmt. We may still see another record soybean crop, but a month of uncertainty has yet to pass before crop size can be accurately measured. Argentina has suffered from high levels of rain and very hot conditions, hampering crop development. These outcomes will be key for price direction in the coming 6 months. This is also the case in Europe. Little snow cover in Eastern Europe has left crops vulnerable to winter kill from severe cold conditions. Little damage has been reported so far, but some areas have suffered considerable stress. Europe continues to have a structural deficit of rapeseed for 2017/18 and will again rely on significant imports from Ukraine, Australia and Canada to balance its requirements. However, Europe is the high price destination for all rapeseed exporting countries.
Which way next for the oilseed market? If we see significant production losses this season, prices could continue to rise. However, the market could still be vulnerable to setbacks should weather patterns remain benign.
Where high plant populations have been established to compete with grass weeds or in an effort to mitigate pest grazing, plants will tend to develop with thinner stems. As a result, growth regulation using products containing metconazole (eg Caryx) can help to reduce losses from stem lodging later in the season. However, if crops are considered backwards, stressed or slow growing in early spring, choose fungicides without significant growth regulation for stem extension sprays to avoid holding crops back any more than necessary. Consider including a growth stimulant to give crops a ‘shot in the arm’ and re-evaluate the need for a PGR at a later stage when crops have recovered from any stress and more active growth is evident.
“Largely due to world weather events and unprecedented demand, we are currently experiencing some excellent prices for oilseed rape.” Philip Kimber
Oilseeds trading manager
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technical brief
Visit valuable trials to get great green cover results Green cover crops have a vast range of benefits, but to reap the full reward there is a lot to consider. To help growers in their decision making, Kings has expanded its trials network even further this season to include over 200ha of land at more than 40 sites across the UK, from Inverness to Folkestone. Kings central technical advisor, Meehal Grint explains why the trials are important and what growers can learn from them. Interest in green cover cropping has soared over the last few years, with farmers and water companies alike looking at the potential for resource protection, nutrient capture, improved organic matter and increased soil biota. Kings is at the forefront of research, with a large network of trials sites, key relationships within the industry and expert technical advisors helping to get results with green cover.
Cover crop selection
Trials site findings Kings green cover trials give growers the opportunity to see the results from various combinations of these factors and development of new varieties too. All trials are on farm, ranging from single season agreements with interested individual growers, to formal agreements with key partners including the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, Natural England and local water companies. Kings also has plots at Frontier’s 24 3D thinking sites across the UK. Six years of Kings trials have already proven that green cover crops bring improvements in soil vitality, nutrient capture and pest reduction. Changing weather permutations and regional variations create different scenarios every year and Kings’ trials are committed to finding the best solutions for growers and their local conditions.
As with any crop, several variables impact performance, including location, soil type, drilling date, rotation and especially variety choice. Brassicas such as mustard shouldn’t be used in a tight rape rotation, for example, as these would exacerbate clubroot and vetch should be avoided in a pea rotation as these crops are from the same family. Oil radish may be better in such a situation due to its clubroot resistance, but again there are differences between species that will suit some farms more than others. Early or late maturing varieties, for example, are available to suit different drilling dates, Tillage radish gives added root penetration and nematode controlling varieties can control soil borne pests such as beet cyst nematode. Alternatively, mixtures provide several advantages, such as different root penetration into varying soil profiles to improve soil structure and increase soil biodiversity and organic matter. Kings Vitality Mix, for example, includes oil radish, vetch, phacelia, rye and oats to improve soil biota and general condition. Mixtures can also be tailored to grower’s individual needs and can often be used towards Ecological Focus Area requirements.
Green cover trials at Frontier's Haywold 3D Thinking site
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Root systems after 13 weeks at our Nottinghamshire trial
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An example
Soil Life
A field scale trial on a Nottinghamshire farm has been sown with strips of oil radish, a rye and vetch mix, an oil radish and Tillage radish mix, Soil Structure Mix and Vitality Mix. Due to high levels left behind by a wheat crop, straw was incorporated before drilling the cover crops in the second week of September. This was a little later than initially intended, as most cover crops should ideally be established during August to allow them to take full advantage of soil temperatures and light levels.
A Soil Life report has also been conducted at the Nottinghamshire site to assess soil structure, organic matter, bacterial activity and broad spectrum nutrients. The report is produced as part of Frontier’s Soil Life service to show the soil’s vitality and overall condition and with expert guidance from an advisor, is then used to inform and develop a bespoke action plan to help soils fulfil their potential.
Cut downs of 1m2 were taken on 8th November to analyse NPK levels and the volume of organic matter going back into the soils. Even at this later drilling stage, the results clearly showed the fantastic scavenging abilities of oil radish (Figure 1). The Defender oil radish captured 114kg/ha of N, preventing this leaching from the field and produced 2.24t/ha of organic material to improve organic matter levels and soil health too. The oil radish and Tillage radish mix captured 77kg/ ha N and produced 1.49t/ha of organic material. These figures are impressive, despite not taking into account the crops’ rooting systems. The results follow a similar pattern to those from other trials sites, emphasising the difference between crops and importance of careful selection to achieve intended goals.
Fresh weight t/ha
Dry matter t/ha
N
Defender Radish
31.88
2.24
114
15
88
Vitality Mix
10.92
0.88
41
5
37
Crop
Oil Radish & Tillage Radish
20.88
1.49
P
In this instance, the report is a great way to compare two areas on the farm and any differences between them that may explain variances in performance. The report clearly showed the trial field to be a Broad Spectrum A loamy sand which explains why KReport No: levels111 and microbial activity are ppm low. The report also provides a good baseline prior to any attempts Customer: Example Field Ca 1 at improvement; resampling this field in 3 or 4 years time will S Na Field Reference: Bottom field Sample Depth: 75/300 mm cover Sample Moisture: demonstrate the longer term effects of green crops. 15% Mn
Observations
Cu
Field Observations Soil Temp
12
Nitrogen
Crop Cover
0%
Nitrogen Content
Soil Condition
Ideal
Phosphate
N
Potassium
N
%
Magnesium
N
Sulphur
N
N
Soil Vitality Index
Soil Texture Class
11
60
6.27
0.68
32
4
32
Soil Structure Mix
8.67
0.65
32
4
28
Figure 1: Analysis of 1m2 cut downs taken after eight weeks from late drilled cover crops at a Nottinghamshire trial
Further trials at the site will see the field split into two. Half will be managed conventionally, with the field ploughed before drilling wheat, while the other half will have cover crops sprayed off with glyphosate before direct drilling wheat. Drilled across each cover crop plot, this will allow the quality and yield of the wheat to be measured and provide further evidence of the effects of green cover on following crops. This process will be repeated the following year, with either sugar beet or spring barley following overwintered cover crops.
Moderate
B
BD 1.45
Silt 18 %
CV 1.693
Clay 27 %
SP 45%
516 Microbial Activity Compacbon Vulnerability
66 Sample Analysis
pH 6.5 Index
ppm
P
2
22
K
2
185
Mg
1+
44.2
Very low
Low
Sands, Loam
OM 3.5% Moderate
High
Sandy Loam, San Very High
Silt Loam, Clay Loam,
Silty Clay
Clay (>45%
Sandy Clay, S
Figure 2: An extract from the Soil Life analysis conducted on the Nottinghamshire trial field
Visit us Seeing crops in a field situation first-hand is one of the best ways for growers to understand the opportunities and challenges in a particular year. Events are held regularly at Kings trials sites and enable growers to hear about the latest experiences from around the regions and also to see the evidence for themselves. For more information and dates, visit www.kingscrops.co.uk or speak to your local contact.
“Six years of Kings trials have already proven that green cover crops bring improvements in soil vitality, nutrient capture and pest reduction.” Green cover crops have a vast range of benefits
Mo
Shallow Sand 55 %
Moderate
77
Zn
(Based on Biological / Physical / Chemical Parameters)
K
Rye/Vetch
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Fe
In Field Nutrient Deficiencies
Meehal Grint
Kings central technical advisor
Page 8. News and crop production advice from Frontier
technical brief
Improving yields and protein with precision A decade of SOYL trials data shows clear benefits to variable rate nitrogen over best practice flat rate application, with increased yields and increased protein content. As the key period approaches for acquiring the images needed to achieve these results, SOYL technical manager, Simon Griffin examines the benefits of the SOYLsense variable rate nitrogen service and how it works. SOYLsense essentially measures crops with sensors mounted on satellites and uses the data to place nitrogen only where it’s needed. With a network of different satellites, SOYL can guarantee a pass over the UK almost every day through the growing season between February and March. These images are collected on a weekly basis and used to create maps showing the variation in crop biomass across a field. Biomass and Leaf Area Index are related to nitrogen uptake and as these measurements change across a field, N application rates can be varied to optimise N inputs and achieve maximum yields. Benefits are measured using a method devised by SOYL that can assess the different treatments in a meaningful way, at field scale as part of the commercial management of the field. This means the results are directly applicable to actual farming scenarios and work with field scale variation, rather than having to extrapolate plot scale results on the assumption they will work in a real farming context.
The figures The example in figure 1, an Oxfordshire field of light sandy loam to clay in 2016 trials, showed a yield advantage of 0.26t/ha for variable rate nitrogen over a uniform application rate. At a crop price of £140/t for winter wheat, this would be a financial gain of £36/ha.
Figure 1: A 0.26t/ha yield advantage from SOYLsense over flat rate nitrogen
This is in line with SOYL’s trials data which shows a benefit of 3-9%. SOYL’s trials have involved hundreds of fields of winter wheat, winter barley and winter oilseed rape, testing variable rate nitrogen across all main soil types and in all regions of the UK. Throughout this period SOYL has also tested a number of
different nitrogen models and used different parameters to establish the best variable rate nitrogen model to optimise yield and protein content.
Protein Variable rate nitrogen has also led to an increase in grain protein content in winter wheat. Using the nitrogen reverse N model on the last application, particularly on milling wheat, allows more nitrogen to be applied to the higher biomass and therefore potentially higher yielding areas of the field. This not only pushes these more fertile areas of the field to encourage yield optimisation, but also maintains the N to yield ratio so that N grain content is not diluted in these high yield areas. SOYL trials have shown protein increases of 0.25-0.83%.
Other benefits The variable application of N in response to changes in crop biomass across the field means that nitrogen uptake is optimised, which will lead to a more even canopy than that established under uniform application.
Figure 2: % yield benefit, variable rate nitrogen compared to flat rate
Earlier in the season, this will involve putting less N on very fertile areas to control tillering and leaf area and reduce the incidence of lodging in high risk areas. A more even canopy will mean that a subsequent flat rate application of fungicide will have improved efficacy compared with a more variable canopy. It will also be noticeably easier to combine, with less overly thick areas allowing a more constant speed and increased output to be maintained.
“Ten years of SOYL trials show variable rate nitrogen has a yield benefit of 3-9% and can increase grain protein content too.” Simon Griffin
SOYL technical manager
Page 8 Always take professional advice before making crop production decisions. Frontier has a team of over 140 professional agronomists, backed by a technical support team and network of trials and demonstration sites. To arrange to speak to an agronomist get in touch with us today info@frontierag.co.uk or call 0800 227 445.
Get in touch: email info@frontierag.co.uk or call 0800 227 445
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