Arable deadline looming it will form the core component of early cereal disease management programmes. “There is some yellow rust in wheat which is something we will have to watch, and most growers got an application of propyzamide on oilseed rape to deal with grass weeds in that crop. “In terms of nutrition, there has been limited opportunity to apply nitrogen, sulphur or potash,” he added. “Clearly the extreme conditions are determining what can be applied and when, but we’ve still got to pay attention to detail and get the basics right, whatever the weather throws at us. “What wheat we do have in the ground will be worth looking after!” On a more positive note, Andrew hinted that there was a little more interest in stewardship schemes; the newest in January 2021 will be run under UK rules, rather than European. “This means that inspection and penalty rules will be different, with Defra saying it won’t penalise you if there is a minor inaccuracy. “It seems inspections will become more advisory by Defra to help growers rectify anything that needs changing as well as providing them
with more support, rather than the onerous and penalty-laden system under the European rules. “Also, so that those that join the Countryside Stewardship Scheme are not put at a disadvantage when the new agri-environment funding scheme ‘Environmental Land Management’ begins, growers will be allowed to leave their current scheme at the end of any year, in order to join it. “There’s a way to go before ELM gets established but to date there are some quite positive aspects coming out of it,” concluded Andrew.
North Yorkshire Quoting AICC agronomist Andrew Fisher from his previous appearance in Field Focus (October 2019), he said that “it’s been a very pleasing year” as he looked back at harvest results. Fast-forward five months and the world looks a very different place! Also speaking in mid-February, Andrew said that when it comes to
winter cropping he has growers with everything drilled and sprayed up, growers with nothing completed and everything in-between.
“
Any thoughts of winter crop drilling have now been abandoned. “There are some very good midSeptember drilled crops in non-blackgrass land but that is a minority,” he commented. “At the start of February we thought that spring had arrived early and so there was a lot of drilling activity on lighter land. But then two weekends of deluge arrived in the form of Storm Ciara followed by Storm Dennis. “It will be touch and go if those crops survive.” Andrew said that any thoughts of winter crop drilling have now been abandoned – incessant rain meaning there is no hope of land drying out sufficiently. “The situation facing growers now is that they will have to wait for land to dry out if a decent seedbed is to be achieved for spring crops. “It’s going to be a manic time for
everyone but if it’s the end of March or the beginning of April before they can drill, then so be it. The seedbeds must be right for spring crops. “One benefit of this is that harvest dates will be pushed back which will temper the natural enthusiasm there will be to drill early in the autumn after this season’s experience, and that might help a bit more with blackgrass control.” Of the positives to focus on, Andrew reckoned that there was sufficient spring barley seed available, particularly as a lot of growers will use farm saved seed. Some spring wheat will also be drilled and triticale might feature for those wanting feed for livestock. He said that all the winter barley in the ground had been sprayed and so growers were on top of meadow grass. “There’s not a lot of broad-leaved weeds showing at the moment in later drilled wheat and so grass weeds will be the main target, with likely use of Atlantis/Horus to clean things up later in the spring, making up for the lack of opportunities to target those weeds earlier in the season.” Andrew Fisher can be contacted via email: conker.fisher@farming. co.uk or tel: 07836711918. FG
On average farmers benefitted from
2.0
Yield difference t/ha
1.5
+0.2 t/ha extra yield
using AscraXpro
1.0 0.5 0.0 -0.5 -1.0 -1.5
Discover how you can boost your wheat yields and return on investment at cropscience.bayer.co.uk/our-products/fungicides/ascraxpro/
-2.0 *
Based on 106 farm comparisons, 2016, 2017 & 2018. Ascra 1.2-1.5 L/ha vs on-farm standard.
Ascra Xpro contains prothioconazole, bixafen and fluopyram. Ascra is a registered Trade Mark of Bayer. Use plant protection products safely. Always read the label and product information before use. Pay attention to the risk indications and follow the safety precautions on the label. For further information, including contact details, visit www.cropscience.bayer.co.uk or call 0808 1969522. © Bayer CropScience Limited 2020
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