With the harvest commencing around the country, a substantial proportion of the winter barley crop has been cut, with the remaining crops to be harvested shortly. Farmers will be turning their attention to the Pre-harvest treatment of spring wheat and especially spring barley. Crops are varying quite significantly in ripeness due to secondary regrowth of weeds and a surge of late green tillers. Secondary tillers could impact farmers grain quality and moisture levels at harvest.

Many crops encountered this regrowth of weeds and a surge of late green tillers due to the dry weather followed by the summer rain. Crops struggled to take up nitrogen that was applied during the dry spell. Crops rushed through the growth stages until the heading stage in May when the rain came. The plants absorbed nitrogen at this stage and began to put some late tillers down.

Now is the time for farmers to assess and identify crops where the use of a glyphosate treatment may be essential to ensure uniform ripening of crops; to eliminate green tillers; and weed presence. NB: The treatment of crops with a large volume of green tillers with glyphosate is vitally important. Most of the immature grain and green plant parts will go out the back of the combine when harvested. However the increased number of green tillers this year could result in a greater number than normal of volunteer plants. Farmers should apply glyphosate on spring barley crops at 30%
moisture; and apply glyphosate at 720-1000 g/ha depending on the greenness of the crop. Pre-Harvest glyphosate cannot be applied to a crop destined for the food chain such as milling oats or malting barley. It is also not permitted on seed crops. Double check this with your merchant.

There is some secondary growth in wheat but it is nowhere near as much of a problem as it is in spring barley crops.

Oil Seed Rape

Oilseed rape is a member of the brassica family and is grown for its oil content. Oilseed rape (OSR) can be sown as a winter or a spring crop and is well suited to the Irish climate with yield potential of 4-6 t/ha for Winter OSR and 2.5- 4 t/ha for Spring OSR.

OSR currently is the most profitable commodity crop and offers a range of benefits when farmers include it in a rotation with cereal crops for both weed control and yield increases in the subsequent cereal crop of 0.5 – 1.5 t/ha. OSR provides options for the control of problematic broad-leafed weeds and grass weeds and offers disease breaks. OSR has a strong tap root which can help improve soil structure.
When sowing OSR ensure pH is correct; pH should be above 6.5. OSR should be sown into a fine firm seed bed from mid-august to mid-September. Pests such as slugs and the flea beetle at the cotyledon stage can be problematic to OSR.

Varieties

PT 275: Proven in the field; very good stander; strong on light leaf spot (LLS) and Phoma disease; normal straw hybrid.

PT 279: Clearfield variety; very good on troublesome weeds i.e. runch, volunteer OSR and charlock. PT 279 is 3 - 5% behind in yield compared to PT 275.

DK Expectation & DK Exclaim: Rapid establishment; strong foliar resistance to LLS; Turnip Yellow Virus and Phoma disease; grows into big canopies so do not increase target seed rate.

LIMING

Liming is one of the oldest and most important methods of improving soil fertility. Soil pH plays a key role in soil fertility. Maintaining soil pH at an optimum level is vital to increase microbiological activity in the soil. Ensuring the pH is correct is also vital to ensure maximum absorption and usage of N, P & K applied through fertilisers which has an added cost benefit to the farmer.

Drummonds offer a full range of soil testing, soil mapping and PCN testing which is backed up with a full agronomy service to suit your cropping needs.

Drummonds also offers a lime and variable rate lime spreading service through our branch network. We promote a top quality finely ground limestone to ensure quick absorption for maximum efficiency.
Please contact your Drummonds Technical Sales Advisor for more details.

Articles written by: Josh Wall, Drummonds Technical Sales Advisor Mob: 086 185 5868.