In this issue - cpm magazine...CPM Volume 21 No 2. Editorial, advertising and sales offices are at White House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury SY5 8LP. Tel: (01743) 861122. CPM is published

In this issue...Fungal fear page 8Disease control without CTL

Drill direction page 45

Aphid anguish page 82Virus control without neonics

Future of food page 69

InnovationFuture of Food - Welcome to farming’s futureThe NFU has launched a vision for how UK farmers will supply supermarket shelves in 2040.

Digital vision - AI to anticipate your actionsIf farming’s set on a digital trajectory, what does that look like?

Partners in performance - The meaning of greeningBayer has been helping growers carry out on-farm trials.

Pushing performance - Optimising fungicide performanceGetting the correct dose of active ingredient to its target.

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Volume 21 Number 2March 2019

*the claim ‘best read specialist arable journal’ is based on independent reader research conducted by

Research Engine (Mar 2018)

Editorial & advertising salesPO Box 4856, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 9NX

Tel: (01743) 861122 E-mail: [email protected]

Reader registration hotline 01743 861122Advertising copy

Brooks Design, 24 Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1RDTel: (01743) 244403 E-mail: [email protected]

CPM Volume 21 No 2. Editorial, advertising and sales offices are at White House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury SY5 8LP.

Tel: (01743) 861122. CPM is published ten times a year by CPM Ltd and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers

and farm managers in the United Kingdom.

In no way does CPM Ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the advice,recommendations or prescriptions reported in the magazine.

If you are unsure about which recommendations to follow, please consult a professional agronomist. Always read the label. Use pesticides safely.

CPM Ltd is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited material,including photographs.

EditorTom Allen-Stevens

Technical editorLucy de la Pasture

Writers

Design and productionBrooks Design

Advertisement co-ordinatorPeter Walker

PublisherAngus McKirdy

Business development managerCharlotte Alexander

To claim two crop protection BASIS points, send an email [email protected], quoting reference CP/67207/1819/g.

To claim two NRoSO CPD points, please send your name,NRoSO member number, date of birth and postcode [email protected]

Tom Allen-StevensJulian Cooksley

Charlotte CunninghamNick FonePeter Hill

Melanie JenkinsRob Jones

Lucy de la PastureMartin Rickatson

TechnicalDisease control - The trouble with CTLThe future of chlorothalonil hangs in the balance.

Cereal diseases survey - Weeds dictate disease decisionsIs enough consideration given to drilling date and variety choice?

Research Briefing - Buffering weather impacts on yieldImproved root growth at depth plays a vital role in buffering oilseed rape.

Tech Talk - Staying ahead of septoriaSeptoria management has become a balancing act.

Weed control - Making the most of early opportunitiesWeed control in early spring can make for less complicated tank-mixes later.

Theory to Field - Seeing the big picture on herbicide resistanceAn over-reliance is blamed for leading growers down a blind alley.

OSR agronomy - Countering an insidious problemJust over half of OSR crops are carrying cabbage stem flea beetle larvae.

OSR improvement - Care creates a yield gapA number of key differences set higher yielding winter OSR growers apart.

Insiders View - No compromise with this wheatKWS Extase has something for everyone to get ecstatic about.

OpinionTalking Tilth - A word from the editor.

Smith’s Soapbox - Views and opinions from an Essex peasant…..

Last Word - A view from the field from CPM’s technical editor.

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Drills - Tine to direct drill?There’s plenty of choice for those who prefer a tine coulter over a disc.

On Farm Opinion - Drill to fit the forward-thinking farmCover crops are established using direct strip seeding on one N Yorks farm.

Trailers - Make or brake for trailersA sudden stop can make you realise the life-saving potential of good brakes.

Telehandler launch - Cab comforts come firstA brand-new cab leads the features of the JCB Series III Loadall.

On Farm Opinion - Sprayer upgrade designed to lastProductivity’s stepped up for an Essex arable farmer.

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Machinery

Sugar beet agronomy - The race against virus yellowsVirus yellows will be foremost in growers minds this season.

Sugar beet agronomy - Sow for successful sugar beet Establishing sugar beet well sets the foundations for higher yields.

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Roots

long it would be before our sinscaused the world to fold in

on itself.The disputatious ChrisPackham then waded inwith the tweet: “Greedfor money is driving

this apocalypse. Theagrochemical giants’ power

over the farming lobbyistswho have brainwashed the

farmers into thinking that weneed poisons for produce. It’s a lie and earth is dying.”

Chris is probably the mostunhelpful doom-monger of all.We’re assured he earned hisCBE for services to nature conservation, and he’s certainlyreceived plenty of praise fromMichael Gove. But whenever he talks about farmers, I find his comments at best condescending and at worstinsulting –– he’s happy to lobgrenades but doesn’t seem interested in actually working withfarmers to make a difference.

The result is that our doom-monger filter blocks thewhole lot out, including the reportitself. And that’s a shame,because if you read it, it doesraise relevant issues and promptimportant questions. Thedeclines are real and prettyirrefutable, for example. What’smore, many of the studies summarised are relevant to theUK, and habitat loss, linked primarily to agriculture, is thebiggest driver.

But many of the studies arehistorical –– some concludedbefore I started farming, or evenbefore I was born. So I’d like toknow about the positive practices

I’ve introduced, as have hundreds, possibly thousands ofother farmers –– are they makinga difference? Has the declineslowed? Has the ban on neonicotinoids made the slightest difference?

Rather than beat us over thehead with doom-laden statistics,will scientists please work withfarmers to ensure we can andare making a credible difference?

The second report demandsattention, not least because it’scompiled by FAO. One ‘key fact’to pull out, that’s been widelyreported, is that of the 6000 plantspecies cultivated for food, onlynine account for 66% of totalcrop production.

On the face of it, this could bequite alarming –– if we’re onlygrowing nine species of the 6000available, that’s bound to have anegative effect on biodiversity.But equally, it raises a whole host of questions: is it thespecies themselves, or the way they’re farmed that impactson biodiversity? Can you compensate by introducing a variety of species at the fieldedge? Is it really a problem thatwe only grow nine for food, and ifit is, is it more of a dietary healthissue than biodiversity?

Again, if an attempt was made to engage the farmingcommunity right at the start ofthese studies, rather than beat usover the head with the results,they might have asked the rightquestions, and we may evenhave some solutions. And lack offunding is no excuse –– if thosebodies can afford to trot outdoom-mongering statistics in a

Are we reallydoomed?

Tom Allen-Stevens has a 170ha arable farm in Oxon, until the day it gets swallowed up in fire andbrimstone, at least.

[email protected]

@tomallenstevens

I remember on one of my firsttrips to London being struck,at the tender age of seven,by what I heard from a doom-monger at SpeakersCorner in Hyde Park –– it hadnever occurred to me that theworld could actually end, and it would all be because of our sins.

Such prophecies tend to washover us as we get older anddevelop our doom-monger filter.But I find mine has been workingovertime in recent weeks with theseemingly endless reports aboutbiodiversity decline linked to agriculture. Two come to mind: Worldwide decline of theentomofauna: A review of its drivers, published in BiologicalConservation, and the FAO’sState of the World’s Biodiversityfor Food and Agriculture.

With the first, it’s not so muchthe report, and its main findingthat 40% of insect species are threatened with extinction,but how it was interpreted and reported. Even the doom-mongers in the nationaland broadcast press appearedto disagree with each other overthe causes, impact and just how

bid for self-publicity, they cansurely afford the research to workwith farmers to find the answers.

And as UK arable farmers wedesperately need answers andcredible statistics. This wasraised during the combinablecrops session of the NFU conference last month. MikeGreen, biodiversity specialist atBASF, gave a presentation onhow crop production and delivery of environmental services can go hand-in-hand.He raised the issue that farming’scontribution to natural capital is neither properly recorded nor costed.

So when the Cabinet meets infuture years to discuss the valuefor money for the £3.2bn of public funds we currentlyreceive, what statistics will the Defra Secretary pull out?

If we’re not careful it’ll be thevery doom-laden stats that thelikes of Chris Packham enjoythrowing at us to make us feelinadequate, and the funds will besmartly removed. But moreimportantly, if we have no proofthat the good work we’re doing ismaking a difference, we mightjust as well give up, accept ourfate and start preparing forArmageddon.

I was struck by this poster I stumbled across the other day from the 1930s.

Firstly, I was wondering whatwould be the modern farmingequivalent of the then typicalfarmer garb of hacking jacket,bowler hat, tie and jodhpurs?Clearly, we are a scruffier lot nowadays with tractor-brandedoveralls being de rigueur on farm.When we are out and about a

Schöffel over a check shirt seemsto be standard issue. What wouldour grandfathers think?

Secondly, it’s intriguing thatwhoever designed the poster

felt there was no issue inportraying a farmer assomeone who oversawlabourers rather than did

much manual labour himself.One likes to think the modern-dayimage of a farmer is someone hardworking who actually drivesmachinery or physically handlesstock. But maybe the spectre ofthe old moaner leaning out of hisRange Rover is not completelydead.

Finally, there’s the rather basicmessage along the lines of ‘if youbuy our stuff then we will buyyours’. Is that still pertinent totoday’s world or is it about as outof date as the image portrayed? In the early 1930s as a country we were importing three quarters

of our food needs and unemployment levels were over 10%. In contrast today we are 65% self-sufficient and unemployment is at record lows. Today’s messages about promoting British farm produce are all about quality, standards and trust.

If there was a common threadbetween the promotional messages of today and seventyfive years ago it’s probably theappeal to a sense of nationalpride. You can still find UnionJacks underpinning Red Tractorlabels on our supermarket shelvesjust as the ‘Buy British’ logo fronted1930s posters. The question iswhat straplines will appeal totomorrow’s world?

In a post-Brexit marketing andtrading environment how willBritain redefine its place in theworld? As we leave what wasessentially a heavily regulated butprotectionist EU when it came toagriculture, will we need to call fora continuation of that protectionismfor our industry? Without doubt acombination of Defra’s high costregulatory agenda and BEIS’ free-trading globalised view couldslowly throttle British Agriculture.

Take the policy around greenhouse gases as an example.If our regulators bring in measuressuch as fertiliser restrictions toforce British arable farmers toreduce their carbon footprint thenit’s a fair assumption that we willproduce less. If as a result of thatwe import more of our food needsfrom places where global warmingsits much lower down the politicalagenda –– as indeed is the case inplaces like the US and Brazil rightnow –– then the net global effectmaybe to increase CO2 emissionsas farmers elsewhere increase fertiliser use to correct the shortfallproduced here.

The point is that national policies must be seen in their global context. We should remember it’s global warmingwe’re talking about here. There is a clue in the title.

You could make the same

Guy Smith grows 500ha of combinable crops on the north east Essex coast, namely St. Osyth Marsh –– officially the driest spot in the British Isles.Despite spurious claims fromothers that their farms areactually drier, he points out that his farm is in the GuinnessBook of Records, whereas others aren’t. End of.

@essexpeasant

Global Britain

argument for pesticides. If Britainbans a pesticide, then if you donot accompany this ban withsome sort of trade protection thenthe net effect could well be thehome ban simply encourages theuse of that pesticide elsewhere.Our policy makers must alwayskeep an eye on not just what isbeing done to produce food athome but also what is coming inthrough the ports to feed thenation.

When you hear the likes ofJacob Rees-Mogg talking up the post-Brexit opportunity toimport cheaper food whileMichael Gove seems keen toincrease environmental standardsyou realise the farming industrywill need to be on its political mettle when it comes to the danger of bogus policies thataren’t joined up.

6 crop production magazine march 2019

There’s the same common threadof national pride today, but whatwould our grandfathers havethought of exporting ourenvironmental footprint?

TechnicalDisease control

The future of chlorothalonilhangs in the balance in light

of the recommendation by EFSA for non-renewal

of its approval. CPM finds out why this is and looks at the implications of its

potential loss.

By Lucy de la Pasture

Chlorothalonil is the most effective

multisite.“

”

The troublewith CTL

It’s been a decade since the EuropeanCommission moved from a risk-basedassessment to a hazard-based one underdirective EC 1107/2009. But it’s only relatively recently the industry has beenfeeling the bite of the new system, withseveral important pesticides (most recently diquat and metaldehyde) feelingthe teeth of the new regulations duringtheir passage through the renewalprocess.

Now the goalposts have moved, much of the older chemistry is struggling to meetthe new standards and it’s a problemchlorothalonil is currently facing as it’s considered for renewal of approval. Theprocess has been complex and frustrating,according to Maureen Smith, head of regulatory affairs (N Europe) at Syngenta,who are approval holders for Bravo 500.

“One of the main areas of difficulty hasbeen around the metabolites of chlorothalonil

Hazel Doonan explains that if chlorothalonil wereto go, it may not have the usual six months use-up period.

and their effect on the environment. It’s avery simple but reactive molecule, so itforms a lot of metabolites and it’s impossibleto test for them all.

“If you imagine chlorothalonil as being the trunk of a tree, then each branch a firstlevel metabolite, as that branches a secondlevel metabolite is formed and so on,” she explains.

Best approach“We agreed with the rapporteur MemberState, the Netherlands that the bestapproach was to group similar metabolitesinto clusters and then test one or twometabolites from each group. This is in linewith current accepted guidance. Once thedossier was submitted, some of the MemberState experts reviewing the information within the European Food Standards Agency(EFSA) peer review process disagreed withthis approach and consequently found datagaps in the information presented to them.”

In addition, the EFSA peer review processidentified other areas of concern, includinggenotoxicity of metabolites, and ecologicalconcern regarding a high risk to amphibiansand fish, she adds.

Chlorothalonil has been one of severalactive substances caught out by a changeof approach to the genotoxic assessmentsby EFSA in the current round of renewals,which was made without notifying approvalholders, explains Maureen, which explainssome of the data gaps identified in itsdossier following the EFSA peer reviewprocess.

“Chlorothalonil is a multisite so, by its

definition, it has the potential to affect manybiochemical processes. There’s also an element of interpretation of the data aroundsome of the key issues such as the metabolites in groundwater, genotoxic riskassessments and ecotoxic risk assessments.

“One of the other data gaps identified ischronic risk to fish and amphibians butbecause chlorothalonil is a molecule that hasa short half-life in water and typically anacute effect, i.e. it either kills something ordoesn’t, the standard chronic studies, andconsequently risk assessments, tend toexaggerate the reality of the risk.”

Ordinarily interpreting challenges such as these are often left for Member States totake a view on, but chlorothalonil is facinganother major hurdle in its path to renewal


s

Chlorothalonil has the most efficacy of all themultisites as far as septoria is concerned.

Chlorothalonil is the ‘last man standing’ when it comes to ramularia control, points out David Ranner.

which may prove unsurmountable,explains Maureen.

EFSA also proposed a new classificationfor chlorothalonil. It should be noted thatclassification is outside the remit of EFSA,being the accountability of ECHA.

“Under harmonisation, chlorothalonil wasclassified as a carcinogen Category 2.0 butthe European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)are currently considering a proposal toreclassify it as Category 1b. Under 1107,Category 1b triggers a ‘cut-off criteria’ andthis would mean an automatic revocation of chlorothalonil’s approval. To further complicate matters, the ECHA process isrunning behind the decision-making processfor chlorothalonil’s renewal.”

With so many things looking uncertain, the recommendation from EFSA to theEuropean Commission (EC) has been for anon-renewal of chlorothalonil’s approval andon Dec 4 2018, a World Trade Organisationtechnical barrier to trade notification wasissued. The procedure is to then allow 60days from the date of its publication beforechlorothalonil can be discussed at the nextmeeting of the EC Standing Committee onPlants, Animals, Food and Feed (SCoPAFF),which at the earliest will be during the thirdweek of March 2019.

While the industry waits for SCoPAFF togive its verdict, there’s plenty going onbehind the scenes to inform Member Statesof the importance of chlorothalonil becauseof the important role it plays in resistancemanagement in wheat and the control oframularia in barley, adds Maureen.

Hazel Doonan, AIC’s sector head of cropprotection, has been involved in submittingdata to support the case for chlorothalonil in the UK. Even though the outlook is‘unfavourable’, she stresses chlorothalonil’sfuture is still to be decided.

Under EC law, when the proposal for non-renewal is put to a SCoPAFF vote it hasto be backed by a qualified majority. Thatmeans the outcome is weighted so themajority must represent 55% of MemberStates, representing 65% of the EU population, so much will depend on theviews of Germany, France, Italy, Spain andPoland as well as the UK, explains Hazel.

Ireland and the UK have the greatestpressure from septoria due to their rainfall,but Germany has a big problem with ramularia in barley. But even if the numberswere to add up in favour of chlorothalonilbased on industry needs, its completelyunknown whether any particular MemberState’s view would consider this or would be political when it comes to how they casttheir vote.

If ECHA decide to reclassifychlorothalonil, meaning it meets EC1107/2009 cut-off criteria and has to beremoved regardless of any of the otherissues it faces, then Hazel says AIC would lobby to give the UK enough time tomanage stocks in the supply chain followingany decision, provided there was no unacceptable risk to human health or the environment.

Quick revocation“We can’t assume that chlorothalonil willhave the normal six-month sale period and a 12-month use-up period if it is revoked, it could well be less. For growers withchlorothalonil in store ready for the start offungicide programmes, they could findthemselves with a disposal problem if there’sa quick revocation,” she explains.

So what would the impact be on growers?David Ranner, Syngenta’s UK cereal fungicides marketing manager, says thatchlorothalonil provides cost-effective septoriacontrol as well as being an essential tool inresistance management. But in reality, thereare multisite alternatives available whichcould be used in its place, albeit at greatercost.

“The biggest challenge would be ramularia control in barley because alternative options don’t exist. The SDHIsand azoles are now doing very little on ramularia and the strobes aren’t working at all. Chlorothalonil really is the last manstanding,” he says.

“Although breeders are working hard,

there currently isn’t a known source of genetic resistance and no effective seedtreatments for the disease. The biggestthreat is to malting barley where ramulariaaffects quality as well as yield.”

Plant pathologist Prof Fiona Burnettagrees with David’s concerns.“Chlorothalonil has been a win-win in termsof giving effective disease control and a useful anti resistance measure, all at acheap price for growers.

Other multisites such as folpet and mancozeb could help for septoria control if there’s a move to more restrictedchlorothalonil usage, believes Fiona.

“Going forward removal of chlorothalonil,particularly if almost immediately, would give us a lot of concern. For wheat, othermultisites will offer some recourse, althoughother multisites like mancozeb are alsounder scrutiny. All in all, chlorothalonil is themost effective multisite, so it will still be aloss in efficacy,” says Fiona.

“But on barley, it’s critical as folpet doesn’toffer effective ramularia control. Since ramularia developed resistance to SDHI,strobilurin and azoles, chlorothalonil is thesole effective active. If we move to restricteduse then T2 would be the one we mustretain,” she says.

“Broadly, removing chlorothalonil putsother single site actives, existing and new, atgreater risk of resistance development. Weneed to keep working on better varieties and new actives but that’s a longer game,so a quick removal before we have othersolutions would be a big deal. In the bestsense chlorothalonil has propped up programs and covered declines in otherchemistry.”

Irish growers face the highest septoriachallenge and would be the worst affected ifthere was an outright ban on chlorothalonil.Dr Steven Kildea, senior research office atTeagasc, says in Ireland chlorothalonil hasbecome much more than a partner productfor resistance management. It’s needed forthe added septoria control it brings to the


s

s

Disease control

its performance is hard to pull apart fromchlorothalonil but in a high septoria pressureor risk situation he would have lessconfidence in the alternative multisite.

To assess the probable impact the loss ofchlorothalonil would have on the economicsof barley and wheat production in Ireland,Steven reviewed trials data from 2016 and2017, both regarded as moderate diseasepressure seasons, with the addition of asmall number of trials from 2018. He foundwithin the trials data set, the addition ofchlorothalonil to fungicide programmes onwheat had a significant impact on yield,adding on average 0.58 t/ha.

Net margin reductionHe came to the conclusion that ifchlorothalonil was no longer available, themost likely scenario for Irish growers wouldbe an average net margin reduction of over50% in wheat and 65% in barley, for growersachieving national average yields at or justabove break even. There would also be an increase in costs of production ofbetween 8-12%.

“In the medium term the introduction of new fungicides will be welcome andincrease disease control options, however in the absence of chlorothalonil a more rapid loss of efficacy of these fungicides isexpected due to high disease pressure.”

Barley growing is Steven’s biggest concern because it’s not yet known whethernew chemistry will be successful in providing sufficient control of ramularia in the field, he says.

The good news is BASF’s pipeline azole,Revysol, does have good intrinsic activity onramularia, says Ben Freer, BASF businessdevelopment manager for the UK.

“We saw Revysol in wheat and barleyfield trials in New Zealand. It’s clear thatRevysol is a step forward in controlling ramularia from what we saw, in a very challenging disease year. Our observationsfrom trials in Scotland and Ireland wouldvery much support what we saw in thesouthern hemisphere, even in situationswhere prothioconazole was under pressure,”he comments.

“Whilst it isn’t BASF’s place to commenton active ingredients other than our own, weknow that chlorothalonil is under pressurethrough the re-registration process, and if itdoes go, we lose a very valuable tool forcontrolling foliar cereal diseases.

“Revysol, a fungicide innovation, is coming and as a result, programmes willchange with its inclusion.We’re working with other organisations in the industry tolook at the implications of these changes

Removing chlorothalonil puts other single siteactives, existing and new, at greater risk ofresistance development, says Fiona Burnett.

Without chlorothalonil Irish growers would see netmargin reduced by over 50% in wheat and 65%in barley, says Steven Kildea.

Ben Freer was impressed by Revysol’sperformance on ramularia in New Zealand,where resistance is also a problem with otherfungicides.

Ramularia has evolved resistance to all thecurrently available single site modes of action.

in available chemistry, integrated crop management and for programme choices for the future, in which Revysol will be a keycomponent.”

Inatreq, the pipeline molecule fromCorteva Agriscience, will offer a completelynew mode of action but it’s not yet clearwhether it has any potential activity on ramularia. According to the company, the initial registration will be for wheat with barleyto follow.

“The level of control of barley diseases isstill under evaluation and it would be unfairto offer a speculative answer to this questionat this stage,” comments Mike Ashworth,Corteva’s fungicide product manager.

Protecting the new chemistry is a keyconcern for the industry and to help protecta mode of action, a partner with an equally

Disease control


mix since the efficacy expected fromSDHI + azole mixes has declined to around65-70% control in Teagasc trials.

“In barley applying chlorothalonil at T2 isstandard practice for ramularia control. In trials last year (2018), the two highest yieldlosses were due to ramularia (15%) andoccurred in winter barley where just SDHI +azole mixes were applied. In barley that’syour profit gone and in spring crops the impact could be even bigger,” he comments.

In anticipation that the dose ofchlorothalonil may be restricted, Steven’sbeen looking at restricted doses ofchlorothalonil in trials to find out how thiswould affect control and when in the programme it’s best to target them.

“If doses were restricted to 1000g then we could manage septoria by usingchlorothalonil at T1 and T2. At 750g, there’sa question whether you load the programmeearly or late but the news that chlorothalonilmay go completely leaves us with a problem,” he says.

Teagasc have also been looking at folpet,mancozeb and sulphur as alternatives tochlorothalonil and Steven admits that whenfolpet’s used as part of a good programme,

s

Disease control

The shift in septoria resistance to prothioconazolemay not be taking place at a rate as high as anecdotal reports suggest. Figures released following routine sampling carried out by Bayershow the resistance of the isolate population ishovering at around the same level in the UK as itwas in 2015.

“Our work shows there’s been a slower evolution of resistance in recent years than perhaps some of the published data show,”says Dr Andreas Mehl, Bayer’s global resistancemanagement specialist for fungicides. “But it stillhas to be managed –– indeed it may be the veryresponsible approach UK growers are taking toresistance management that has contributed tothe apparent slow down.”

Bayer’s survey work involves taking septoriasamples from across Europe and assessing themin the lab for their EC50 value –– that’s the rate of prothioconazole needed to control 50% of theisolates. As the proportion and virulence of theresistant population grows, so the EC50 valuerises. “In the test system we used, a value of4mg/l is quite sensitive, while 9-10mg/l is toohigh,” says Andreas.

These are compared with reference samples–– populations known to be sensitive to prothioconazole –– to give a resistance factor.“So a population with an EC50 value of 6mg/lcompared with a reference sample averaging0.3mg/l has a resistance factor of 20. A factor of30-40 will give acceptable field performance, but50 or above is problematic,” he explains.

“In the UK and Ireland, compared with the restof Europe, there is a very high disease pressureand we see the most frequent use of fungicides,so a high resistance factor is not a surprise.”

Although this then appeared to drop in 2016(see table right), Andreas notes the EC50

values of the reference samples were relativelyhigh in that year.

Disease pressure influences the results, hepoints out. “In a year of high disease pressure,we have a lot of isolates to test, but in a dry year,we get a limited number of samples, which mayskew results.

“But given the UK and Ireland have the highestdisease pressure in Europe, a resistance factor of20-22 is a good number. Prothioconazole isBayer’s most important fungicide molecule and we want to ensure it is effective for as long as possible. The data suggest that there’s aresponsible approach to resistance managementbeing taken by UK growers.”

The picture with SDHIs is somewhat different.The first signs of a shift took place in Ireland in2015, reports Andreas. “We saw 19 septoriastrains with a higher EC50 value for bixafen, butthe resistance factor was no more than 20, so weweren’t too concerned.

“Not all of the mutant isolates identified arecausing a sensitivity shift, and they may also have a fitness penalty. So mutations are worthmonitoring, but they’re not necessarily impactingon SDHI performance.”

In 2016, less sensitive strains showed up againin the Irish population, and also in the Netherlands,and then showed up in the UK in 2017, along withone highly resistant strain.

“Last year, there was no sign of the highlyresistant mutant, but there was a slight shift inresistance of the population of ‘softer’ mutants.Importantly there’s no evidence of a decrease in field performance of bixafen, but it’s worth monitoring these populations,” he notes.

Fluopyram has a lower intrinsic activity againstseptoria, but it’s complementary, Andreas reasons.“Most problematic strains for bixafen show muchlower resistance factors for fluopyram. The strategy of using these two SDHIs with differentcross-resistance in Ascra is working.”

His advice is to keep rates of azole high, but

Resistance rise ‘may be overstated’

Mean resistance factor

tailor the SDHI dose to disease risk. “The azoleshift is generated by using too low a rate. SDHIresistance is a mutation, and selection is drivenby the number of applications you make. So in alow disease year, by all means reduce your useof SDHI, but keep azole rates robust.”

Dr Paul Gosling of AHDB believes growers and agronomists should treat the informationwith some caution. “AHDB-funded fungicide performance research has also shown a pause inthe shift of azole resistance in the past fewyears, but we don’t know if it will last.

“There may be some cross-resistance benefitusing fluopyram, but the practical significance isless clear. Our monitoring shows Ascra doesn’tstand out as a product that’s less affected byshifts in efficacy.”

UPL has completed its $4.2bn (£3.2bn) acquisition of Arysta LifeScience. The deal catapults the new company into the top fiveglobal agrochemical players with approximately$5bn (£3.82bn) in combined sales.

UPL’s global CEO Jai Shroff has launchedwhat he calls ‘OpenAg’ –– a commitment toopen-minded and “win-win” partnerships.

“Through our purpose of OpenAg, we aim

to transform agriculture by creating an openagriculture network that feeds sustainablegrowth for all,” says Jai.

“We believe that UPL can offer a portfolio of technologies in the field from crop protection to innovative hybrid platforms. Our combinedbiosolutions pipeline signals the dawn of a new era in sustainable agriculture as a part of integrated pest and nutrition

New UPL commits to “open” agriculture

management programmes.”UPL says it has received unconditional

regulatory approval for the acquisition fromauthorities in the countries in which it trades–– more than 130 worldwide. The companyhas a portfolio of over 13,000 registrations,with 27 formulation labs and 48 manufacturingplants. Its brands include Advanta Seeds andits mancozeb fungicide Unizeb Gold.

Andreas Mehl attributes the apparent slowdown to the responsible approach UK growersare taking to resistance management.

strong efficacy on the target disease isneeded to mix with it, according to theresearchers. The trouble in barley is thatthere’s no such partner for the pipeline

chemistry where ramularia’s concerned if chlorothalonil goes.

Even though there’s overwhelming support for continued use of chlorothalonil

from an agronomic perspective, the industryis united from manufacturer to researcherthat if the science indicates chlorothalonilhas had its day, then it should go. n


2015 2016 2017 2018UK 20 5 34 22Ireland 19 7 33 23Source: EpiLogic (Germany); 851 isolates.

Technical Cereal diseases survey

Drilling date and varietychoice are two of the most

important decisions growersmake each year. But is

enough consideration givento the interaction betweenthem? CPM delves deeperinto exactly what choices

farmers are making in search of optimum crop

performance.

By Charlotte Cunningham

The more reliant we are on

chemistry, the faster itwill erode – don’t wait

to act.

“

”

Weeds dictate diseasedecisions

In recent years, with blackgrass controlbecoming ever more challenging, therehas been a trend towards delaying drillingas an effective cultural measure for tackling weeds. But just how far has thattrend spread, and what does it mean forthe agronomy of the crop as a whole,especially disease control? Are varietaldisease resistance ratings being usedeffectively and agronomy adjusted according to drilling dates?

With the popularity of later drilling in mind,it comes as no surprise that in a survey carried out by CPM and Bayer that 71% ofwheat growers are drilling crops later thanthey were 10 years ago. Going into furtherdetail, 44% of growers revealed that they drill

Varietal resilience and delayed drilling slow thedevelopment of the disease and effectively extendthe spraying window, says Bayer’s Sam Harvey

most of their wheat between 1 and 15 Oct,with a further 34% drilling even later,between 16 and 30 Oct.

Shift in tacticsIn contrast, only 17% of growers are utilising the traditional drilling window (16-30 September) demonstrating the shift intactics in recent years. “In my experience,there certainly is an increasing shift towardslater drilling, largely on the back ofblackgrass pressures,” explains MaddyVaughan, independent agronomist atIndigro. “Most growers are now plagued by grassweed problems and the cost ofchemistry is on the rise –– as well as theincreasing threat of resistance –– which isworsened by early drilling.”

The blackgrass problem has now becomeso severe that only growers on lighter landseem to be able to get away with earlierdrilling, she adds.

While blackgrass control is one of themain drivers behind growers moving to laterdrilling (62%), the survey showed that 14%of growers include a later sowing date aspart of their septoria management strategy.

According to Dr Neil Paveley, director ofcrop protection at ADAS, there are otherbenefits of delayed drilling that should beexploited. “The shift towards October drillingis, in a way, bad news because growershave clearly been driven to it by mountingblackgrass pressures. Often, with laterdrilling, there is a reduction in yield, therefore, we need to look at where the benefits are.

“In trials we have carried out, shifting toearly/mid-Oct drilling dates can give theequivalent of a whole extra point on the septoria variety resistance rating scale –– something which is a growing area ofconcern for farmers.”

The extent of these concerns was highlighted in the survey. While yield is stillking, with 73% of growers noting it as a keyconsideration when it comes to varietychoice, almost half (49%) also said that septoria resistance is crucial. “Septoria iswithout doubt one of the biggest yield robbing diseases out there,” says Maddy. “In a wet spring the severity is worsened as


s

Often, with later drilling, there is areduction in yield, therefore, we needto look at where the benefits are,explains Neil Paveley.

After 1 November

16-30 October

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What are the two most important factors in variety choice?

Trials at Bayer’s Callow site have shown howvarietal resistance and drilling date impact septoria severity. The company has been usingDNA amplification to measure latent disease inleaf two in plots of KWS Siskin, KWS Trinity and Revelation.

As the latent phase of the disease can beanywhere between 14 and 28 days, Bayer considers this to be vital research. “Althoughleaves can appear green to the eye, inside,mycelia could be spreading and helping createthe next generation of infectious spores,”explains Sam. “Only by looking inside the plantcan you truly get a picture of how the disease is developing.”

A clear finding of the research is just howmuch difference drilling date makes to Septoriapressure, even with a resilient variety like KWSSiskin. Despite its resistance rating of 6.7,significant differences were recorded from plots

drilled on 28 Sept last season compared withthose drilled just 10 days later. “Even though theplots were drilled just 10 days apart, there was a10-fold increase in septoria DNA from the Septdrilled plots,” says Sam.

“Clearly these crops had been exposed to thedisease for longer but they also had more leafarea. Canopy humidity and leaf contact could alsobe a factor. You couldn’t see a difference in thecrop –– it was only when we measured the DNAlevels that the difference became apparent.”

The research also highlighted the value ofvariety resistance. The DNA levels recorded in KWS Trinity at GS32 were only seen in KWS Siskin 10 days post T2 spraying. Clearly,a number of factors influence Septoria pressure–– such as drilling date, winter weather and rainevents –– but these differences were consistentover two seasons.

According to Sam, the real benefits of

Sussing out septoria

cultural strategies come to the fore whenthings go awry. “With our maritime climate,spray delays are a fact of life. Alongside ourdrilling data and variety trials, we treated someplots 10 days after the optimal T1 and T2 timings to replicate rain interruptions. The plotswith the highest levels of disease were thosethat featured an early drilled, susceptible variety which had been further compromisedby delayed application.”

Even potent products like Aviator (prothioconazole + bixafen) and Ascra (prothioconazole + bixafen + fluopyram) willnot fully recover a situation where the diseaseis well established, adds Sam. “Varietalresilience and delayed drilling slow the development of the disease and effectivelyextend the spraying window. This allows applications to be prioritised across the entirewheat area to assist timing accuracy.”

rain splash causes the diseaseto spread up the plant, whichcan massively affect yield.”

According to Neil, septoria traditionally would have comefurther down the list in terms of

importance. However, the issueswith strobilurin resistance in theearly 2000s has driven a changein mindset. “The increasedawareness of strobilurin resistance led to a lot of

discussion about Septoria due to the reduced fungicideefficacy.”

Fewer farmers were concerned about problems like yellow and brown rust, and this could largely be dueto the availability of effectivechemistry to tackle theseissues, adds Maddy.

Yield potentialThe question is, when it comesto selecting varieties, shouldgrowers be opting for yieldover resistance levels? “Theability to deliver yield potentialis what really matters in termsof variety choice,” explainsNeil. “Traditionally, if a varietygave a 1% better yield potential but was more at risk of septoria then we tookthe risk –– yield potential was everything.

“Now, we’re faced with the challenge of reduced performance from fungicides,which makes it more challenging to deliver yieldpotential in high disease seasons, so there is a fine balance to be found.”

With this in mind, varietychoice is an essential tool in the armoury when it comes to protecting crops from the disease, he adds. “If we look

to the problem of blackgrass control, the severity of chemicalresistance has forced growersinto changing their strategy. If we act now and adapt before(septoria) resistance becomes a major problem then we can protect the existing chemistry.

“The more we are reliant onchemistry, the faster it will erode–– don’t wait to act.”

Despite this evident concern,many growers still sway towardsvarieties that have a higher septoria risk. According to Sam Harvey, commercialtechnical manager at Bayer, whilethe survey is only a guide, asdata was gathered by drilling

Cereal diseases survey


s

Most growers are now plagued bygrassweed problems and the cost of chemistry is on the rise, saysMaddy Vaughan.

Chance to reduce fungicide rates across the programme

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Reduce fungicide spend

Reduce need for T0 application

Some timing flexibility

Manage high disease pressure

Not sure

How do you benefit most from varietal resistance?

What are the reasons behind drilling later?

Congratulations to our five luckywinners, Steven Graves, Essex;David Fuller, Berwickshire; RobertShepherd, North Yorks; Alex Pope,Lancs and Nick Rowsell, Hants who responded to the CPM/Bayersurvey on varieties and drillingdates and have each won the fabulous prize of an Amazon Echo.

All five CPM readers respondedto the survey and completed thetie-breaker question, stating whichone week of the year they’dchoose to drill their wheat crop and why. All five answers opted forearlier timings (late Sept/early Oct)

Winner announcement

Cereal diseases survey

date ranges and percentagearea sown, it shows that somegrowers are still prepared togrow susceptible septoria varieties and sow them early.

“I think what is most interesting for me is when webreak down percentage areasown by Sept, the first andsecond half of Oct and in Nov,the results showed that 16% of growers had drilled most oftheir area by 30 Sept,” hesays. “When you separate this by varieties rated 6.0 and below or 6.1 and above(for Septoria resistance), thepercentage of area sown aresimilar –– 21% and 25%respectively.”

A good example of this is RGT Gravity. “The high yielding wheat is relatively vulnerable to Septoria (scoring5.2) and many don’t consider it a good variety for early sowing,” notes Sam. “Yet thesurvey suggests that as much

of this went into the ground aheadof Oct as was planted in the second half of that month.”

According to Maddy, whilegrowers are utilising more resistant varieties, the adoption of later drilling could be a reasonfor justifying less robust varieties.“Yield is still a major characteristicfor growers, and while disease isalso important, many are usinglater drilling to mitigate against the risk of infection, meaning less resistant varieties are still an option.”

For those growers who are optimising later drilling, one of thekey things is to choose vigorousvarieties as these will tiller welland have a better establishment in the autumn, she adds.

While delayed drilling hasample benefits in terms of weedand disease control, there is anundoubtable trade-off with yield.Despite blackgrass and Septoriapressures, 59% of growers saidthat, in future, they may have to

drill more of their wheat beforemid-Oct to try to preserve yieldpotential. “From a yield point ofview, there is a good argumentfor drilling crops in Sept,” saysNeil. “However, this increases therisk of septoria.”

Maddy agrees. “In the future,we hope that more varieties willcome onto the market that havestronger resistance levels sofarmers don’t have to make thatchoice between improved disease control or higher yields.”

While only 13% of growersstated pest management as areason to drill later, lookingahead, Maddy believes thiscould be a more important reason to optimise a later window. “With the news that weare going to lose neonicotinoids,drilling at a later date will coincide with a lower aphid population as migration will havealready occurred, meaning growers won’t need to go overcrops more than once in order to prevent Barley Yellow DwarfVirus.”

For those in problem areaswhere yield penalties are a realproblem due to issues like blackgrass, it may be worththinking about the rotation andconsidering the cost of growingwheat against –– for example –– a spring crop due to the herbicide spend, she adds. “It isimportant to remember though,that drilling later means moreeffective pre-emergence

herbicide usage as well as thepotential to reduce herbicidespending.”

What’s more, 83% of growersalso expressed concerns overstagnating wheat yields in thefuture. “This is a massive concern from an economic and global food security perspective,” warns Neil. “TheUK is capable of producing veryhigh wheat yields and we needto be doing so.”

Organisations such as theYield Enhancement Networkhave members producing double the national yield, and solearning from fellow farmers isthe key to keeping wheat yieldshigh, he adds. “People tend tolook to scientists for the solution,but really, we should be lookingto ourselves and to agronomy ––look at the tools we have alreadygot and consider how we coulddo better.” n

in terms of their ideal sowing window, however, their choices displayed a healthy dose of pragmatism coupled with somesound agronomic reasoning, whichimpressed the judges.

The aim of the survey was toexplore the relationship betweenvariety choice and drilling date andhow growers can use them to minimise the risk of cereal diseaseinfestations. To take part in the next survey, make sure we haveyour correct details by [email protected]


of the crop’s early growth is good rooting soit can maintain yield potential later in theseason, explains Pete.

“A dry, mild autumn is likely to equate to increased early root growth, resulting in

vigorous/strong plants entering thewinter. Our analysis showed that in

Oct, an increase in the averagetemperature of 20C was associated with a nationalyield increase of 0.17t/ha.

“We think that a dry Dechelps avoid water-logging

over the winter which inhibitsroot growth. We found that if

rainfall was 50mm below average,this corresponded with a yield increase

of 0.11t/ha,” he explains.In the spring, weather factors which

influence the size of the canopy come intoplay and researchers found that in a warmMarch, an increase in min temperature of20C was associated with a yield increase of 0.10t/ha.

“This association may be due to an earlieronset of spring growth, without any checksor interruptions in growth and a reduced riskof frost damage,” he says.

The benefit of a dry, sunny April is likely to be due to drier conditions delaying Nuptake, explains Pete. “This helps avoid anover-large canopy and sunny weather hasthe effect of increasing pod and seed set inearly crops. We found a reduced rainfall of50mm was associated with a yield increaseof 0.20t/ha.”

He also points out that dry weather duringflowering in April may lower the level of sclerotinia infection in early flowering crops,which may account for some of the yieldincrease seen.

For May, the highest OSR yields are

OSR National Yield trend (1979-2017)

TechnicalResearch Briefing

New research has revealedthat improved root growth at

depth plays a vital role inbuffering the oilseed rapecrop from yield variation

caused by adverse weatherfactors. CPM finds out more.


The biggest factors driving drought

impact are soil type and root length

density.

“

”

Buffering weatherimpacts on yield

One of the biggest problems with oilseedrape is the variability in its performanceyear-on-year. The average yield in the UKremains well below its genetic potential,though Yield Enhancement Network (YEN)growers have proved higher yields areachievable, points out ADAS head of cropphysiology, Dr Pete Berry.

In 2018, two YEN growers recorded OSRcrops in excess of 6t/ha, he says. “Eventhough last season was a topsy-turvy one,OSR crops generally performed above thelong-term average.”

A new BASF-funded study sheds somelight on why 2018 proved to be a successfulyear for OSR where many other crops struggled.

“The aim of the research was to investigate which weather factors are associated with high or low OSR yields andthen explain the weather/yield correlationsphysiologically,” explains Pete.

By comparing average UK OSR yield data from Defra over 39 seasons(1979-2017) and overlaying this with the

Source: ADAS, 2018

4

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21978 1983 1988 1993 1998 2003 2008 2013 2018

YearObserved Yield Predicition

Yie

ld (t

/ha)

monthly mean weather data from the MetOffice, the ADAS researchers were able toquantify the long-term yield trend throughtime. They were then able to investigate theassociations between monthly weather actors and yield deviations from this long-term trend in yield.

Yield variation“We identified five factors, which togetheraccounted for 37% of the yield variation from the long-term trend and this was statistically significant,” says Pete. “The keyweather influencers were a high maximumtemperature in Oct, a dry Dec, a high minimum temperature in March, a sunny/dryApril and a wet/cool/dull May.”

So how do each of these factors influencethe OSR crop’s growth? The important part


s


Although the weather during autumn has beenshown to be a key influence on how well theroot system establishes, genetics also play a bigpart. Results of research carried out at theUniversity of Nottingham by Dr Steve Rossall,demonstrates the differences in vigour betweenOSR varieties in germination studies under different conditions.

“We looked at germination under a range oftemperatures (70C, 100C and 150C) and found,as we expected, that as the temperature falls,the rate of germination slows down. But moreimportantly, some varieties can still perform well at low soil and ambient temperatures, which isof particular significance in the North andScotland as soil temperatures drop more rapidly,” says Steve.

The study compared conventional varieties

Campus and Anastasia with restored hybrids and showed that generally hybrids are able towithstand lower temperatures. The less vigoroushybrids buck this trend, with Alizze (20% germination after 6 days) and Windozz (45%after 6 days) the slowest to germinate under the coolest conditions tested of 70C. InV1035,InV1155 and DK Exalte were the top performersat the lower temperatures.

“It goes to show that low temperature performance can’t be predicted just on the basisof a variety being a hybrid. Low temperature germination testing could provide useful information to growers to help them find the right variety to get quickly away under less than ideal conditions,” he suggests.

A further glasshouse study investigated rootand shoot development and results showed

Genetics gets OSR off to a vigorous start

Pete Berry explains the study identified five weatherfactors, which together accounted for 37% of theyield variation from the long-term trend.

A good root biomass at depth is often the threadlinking a lesser impact from adverse periods ofweather on OSR crops, says Christina Clarke.

favoured by conditions that allow a longerduration for the crop to set pods and seeds.The study shows an increase in rainfall of15mm and a temperature 10C cooler werelinked to a yield increase of 0.12t/ha.

“Wetter conditions during May providegreater water supply for seed filling duringthe summer. It’s something we’ve seen in theYEN crops –– that plants often need to beable to access sufficient moisture from depthin order to yield 6t/ha or more,” adds Pete.

“A cooler May extends the period of seedsetting. All the highest yielding YEN cropshave also had a longer period betweenflowering and desiccation, which enables alonger period for seed setting and seed fillproviding the crop has rooted well enough tocapture water.”

A good root biomass at depth is often thethread linking a lesser impact from adverseperiods of weather on OSR crops. ADAS’sDr Christina Clarke highlights recent ADASresearch (White C A et al, 2015) whichshows on average crops aren’t achieving

critical root length density (RLD) below 40cmdepth of soil.

“For a plant to capture adequate waterand soluble nutrients, it needs an RLD of atleast 1cm length per cm3 of soil, known asthe critical RLD. So the implication for plantsthat don’t achieve this is they won’t have abig enough root biomass to extract sufficientwater and won’t be unable to access it fromdepth,” explains Christina.

Adequate rootingGiven the importance of adequate rooting, in 2018 BASF commissioned ADAS to studythe frequency of drought occurrence in OSR,to establish how often UK crops come underdrought stress.

“We looked at weather data from 2002-2016 at specific sites chosen forspread of regions and different weather patterns; three different soil types to represent high to low available water capacity (AWC) and three different rootingphenotypes –– poor, medium and good.

“We used a model which took intoaccount crop growth and water extractionunder the different scenarios to determinedrought, defined as when the crop comesunder water stress for more than five consecutive days,” she explains.

The results of the study showed very littleregional difference, with all three regionsexperiencing a drought in 40% of seasons.Soil type was more of an influence, with thehigher AWC silt loam soil having the lowestdrought frequency (26%) and the lower AWCmedium sand the highest (69%).

But it was the rooting phenotype of thecrop that was by far the biggest determiningfactor as to how often a crop would comeunder drought conditions.

“There’s a cliff edge effect in drought frequency that results from a reduction in

hybrids had a greater biomass than in conventional varieties, even for Campus whichis one of the more vigorous conventionals,says Steve.

“The effect of the genetics (hybrid vigour)was greater than the effect of seed treatments(Radiate and Take-off), though these bothboosted root and shoot biomass. Anything thatcan help get the crop off to a good start is abonus,” he comments.

The conclusion from the studies is that establishment potential is greater in a crop with high vigour, he adds. “There’s a suggestion that a vigorous plant can withstandmore damage from cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) feeding. So by getting goodestablishment, it gives a greater opportunity for the crop to reach its yield potential.”

Poor rooters (25% crops) Medium rooters (50% crops) Good rooters (25% crops)

Drought occurrence in 90% Drought occurrence in 28% Drought occurrence in 10% of seasons of seasons of seasons

Relationship between phenotype and frequency of drought

Source: ADAS/BASF

Research Briefing

s

root length density. In the medium rooters,drought is predicted to occur in 28% of seasons whereas for the poor rooters, thisoccurred in 90% of seasons,” says Christina.

“The largest difference between the rootphenotypes occurred below 60cm where thehigh, medium and low phenotypes averaged 0.88, 0.68 and 0.23 cm/cm3. This shows the importance of high RLDs indeeper soil layers in order to access waterlater in the season when the upper layershave dried out.

“The importance of the work is that therisk of the crop coming under droughtshouldn’t be ignored even in a higher rainfallregion, as the biggest factors drivingdrought impact are soil type and RLD, both influencing the ability to extract water fromdepth late in the season when the croprequires it for seed fill,” she explains. n

Research Briefing

Understanding the effects that weather events canhave on yield provides the opportunity to managecrops to mitigate their potential impact as much aspossible, says BASF’s Clare Tucker.

“Although we can’t do anything about theweather, there are agronomic tools which can helpoptimise the crop’s yield potential for the season.”

This season crops are very variable coming intothe spring but where crops got away, they’veestablished well. There are also reports of highCSFB larvae in some crops, says Clare.

The next critical phase in the crop’s life is toachieve the optimum canopy size, with the aimbeing a Green Area Index (GAI) of 3.5-4 at flowering.Dry weather during April can help restrict canopygrowth naturally, but nitrogen applications andPGR applications are agronomy tools that can alsobe used to manipulate canopy size.

“Early drilled crops sown at a low seed-rateshould be good rooters and generally have a lowerrisk of lodging, though they may still benefit fromsome canopy manipulation. OSR drilled at thesame timing but at a high seed rate to mitigateCSFB damage, may be thick and will need some lodging protection as well as canopy manipulation,” she says.

Their rooting may also be poor due to interplantcompetition, she points out. “One of the benefits ofCaryx (mepiquat+ metconazole) is the effect it hason rooting and, in trials, application has increasedrooting at depth by 35%, compared with a 25%increase from metconazole and no effect on rooting from tebuconazole.”

“Later established crops will be poor rooters andtheir management will depend on their GAI justbefore stem extension. If GAI is less than 0.8 earlynitrogen will be important, but at GAI’s above the

threshold, Caryx can be used at stem extension.”Trials confirm a GAI of 0.8 as a reliable

threshold for treatment with Caryx. “We’ve put thisto the test again over the last 2 years and foundthat once the threshold has been reached, Caryxapplication results in a yield increase of 0.21t/ha.

“Where there are worrying levels of CSFB

Using agronomy to mitigate the weather

Agronomy tips for managing OSR to protect yield

To help growers get the best out of technologyused in the field, manufacturers continue toinvest in R&D at every level, from the lab toextensive field trials. CPM Research Briefingsprovide not only the findings of recentresearch, but also an insight into the technology, to ensure a full understanding of how to optimise its use.

CPM would like to thank BASF forsponsoring this Research Briefing and for providing privileged access to staff and materialused to help bring it together.

Based on a decade of R&D, in partnershipwith ADAS, BASF has identified three simplerules for spring management, for oilseed rapeto yield profitably. The first is to get the light

into the canopy–– by reducinglodging and creating an open canopy –– the PGR, Caryx, can be useful for this.The second is to maintain water uptake –– by increasing rooting at depth and preventingsclerotinia –– Caryx, Filan and Pictor can helpachieve these aims. The third is to keep theleaves green –– by reducing light leaf spot and maximising Green Leaf Area Duration(GLAD) –– Filan and Pictor have been provento extend GLAD. For more details go towww.basfrealresults.co.uk/OSR

Research Briefing

Tools to buffer a cold Oct

Tools to buffer a wet Dec

Tools to buffer a cold March

Tools to buffer a dull, wet April

Tools to buffer a dry/hot May (and perhaps CSFB larval damage)

Maximise autumn plant vigour by;l Maximising seed-soil contactl Timing sowing to maximise chance of sufficient soil

moisturel Using varieties with high early vigour

General: ensure drainage system in good working orderand minimise compaction

Maximise autumn plant vigour by:l Maximising seed-soil contactl Timing sowing to maximise chance of sufficient soil

moisturel Using varieties with high early vigour l Early N to help stimulate early growth, depending

on GAI.l Minimise risk of Light Leaf Spot by optimising

fungicide strategyl Consider late developing varieties, low biomass in

areas prone to late frosts, Caryx in autumn, to minimise risk of frost damage.

l Delay N fertiliser to manage canopyl Use PGRs at stem extension where GAI threshold

exceededl Careful timing of fungicides to minimise sclerotinial Maximise photosynthesis & canopy duration using

fungicides and late foliar Nl Use PGRs to stimulate lower order branching to

increase number of pods and seeds

larvae in crops, these will move into the main stemand damage the growing point. Caryx applied,particularly at the later yellow-bud timing,increases secondary branching. This, along withlate foliar N, may help the crop compensate forsome of the damage but there is no direct trialsevidence,” adds Clare.

Source: ADAS/BASF


Jonathan Blake says good culturalpractice should be the first line ofdefence against septoria.

Septoria management has become a balancing act between getting good levels of control while not pushing the pathogenpopulation further towards resistance.CPM gets some expert guidance.


efficacy of existing chemistry, whilemaintaining septoria control in thefield. ADAS principal research scientist Dr Jonathan Blake talksthrough how to achieve this inpractice.

Why is septoria a challenge? Septoria is endemic and occursthroughout the UK, though itsdevelopment is favoured by thewetter conditions that usuallyoccur in the west and south westregions of England. Plant breedershave been working hard toimprove variety resistance to septoria, but even the most resistant varieties available justdelay the epidemic rather thanprevent infection from occurring.

Septoria tritici is the biggestyield robber of wheat grown in the UK, capable of causinglosses of 30-50% in some seasons. Even though varietalresistance has improved inrecent years, it remains only partial, meaning a fungicidestrategy is necessary in allwheat crops to protect yield.

The problem with extensivefungicide use is that it can pushthe septoria pathogen populationtowards resistance and this mayhappen gradually or spectacularly,as happened with the QoI’s(strobilurins).

The current challenge is toadopt strategies that help reduceselection pressure on the septoriapathogen and preserve the

Septoria is a disease that causesyield losses every year, with onlyexceptionally dry conditions able to halt an epidemic and reduceyield losses.

Only multi-site modes of actionhave maintained their efficacyagainst the septoria pathogen, witha history of resistance occurring in single-site fungicide groups –– initially in the MBCs, then azolesand QoIs, and most recently theSDHIs. All were highly effectivewhen they were first introduced andall selected for resistant strains ofthe pathogen, resulting in reducedlevels of field performance, which is first seen as a loss in curativeactivity. This degradation of efficacyhas occurred gradually in theazoles, but it was a different story

Septoria management

It’s a time of change.”“


A tougher problem than it was even a decade ago, Septoria tritici now demands a robust,preventative approach. This essential Tech Talk, powered by Syngenta, brings you up to speed with the challenge – including the role of varietal resistance and the importance ofpersistent fungicide protection.

Staying aheadof septoria

Septoria in wheat 20 days afterinfection, as seen through the electron microscope.

Septoria is in the process of evolvingresistance to the azoles and mostrecently, the SDHIs.

More vigilant crop monitoring, adoptionof varieties with better resistance, tightspray intervals and a preventative fungicide programme fine-tuned to disease risk are the key strategies usedby Heathcote farm manager, AndrewRobinson, to stay ahead of septoria.

The 1,150ha farm in Beds has 500ha in winter wheat –– predominantly Group 1 and 2 varieties.The past couple of seasons have seenvarieties with better Septoria triticiresistance as the first line of defenceagainst the disease, as well as theadoption of newer SDHI chemistry.

This season, all four of the farm’smain winter wheat varieties have resistance ratings of 6.4 or above.

“As fungicide chemistry has becomeless curative against septoria, it’sbecome increasingly important for usto be more preventative,” Andrewexplains. “We don’t have the silver

bullets that we used to have, so we’vebecome more vigilant.

“We walk crops more often, pluslook at other factors. We’ll ask: are wegrowing a resistant variety, have we got septoria present, and how does the weather look? All these affect ourfungicide decisions. It’s a risk-basedapproach.”

With blackgrass not a major problemon the land, winter wheat isn’t drilledparticularly late: last autumn’s drillingsspanned from 23 Sept-10 Oct.However, a comprehensive four-sprayfungicide programme, incorporatingmultiple modes of action, forms thebackbone of in-season septoria prevention.

Kickstarting this, T0 has typicallybeen a triazole/chlorothalonil mix, plusan early eyespot treatment for fieldsneeding one; followed by an SDHI + triazole at T1, with the strobilurin

/chlorothalonil treatment, Amistar Opti,added in high pressure situations.

For the main T2 timing, the SDHI-based fungicide Elatus Era hasbeen the treatment of choice for thepast two seasons, tank-mixed withBravo (chlorothalonil), and followed bystraight triazole or triazole/strobilurin on the ear.

“We’ve used Elatus Era since itslaunch. I saw data on its septoria control and prevention and it lookedreally good,” Andrew explains.

By growing varieties with better septoria resistance, he’s had the abilityto be more flexible at the T0 timing,Andrew believes.

“When we didn’t have the moreresistant varieties, we’d have beenmore regimented. But as varieties havegot better, we’ve tailored our inputsaccordingly. We may be less robust atT0, but we’ll always stay on the front

foot against septoria. We also aim tokeep spray intervals to less than threeweeks. This can be difficult, so sometimes we’ll include a T1.5 spray.

“We also alternate active ingredientsand use mixtures for resistance management. As well as includingchlorothalonil, we use a different SDHI at T1 and have no more than two prothioconazole applications in the programme.

Andrew Robinson is using varieties withbetter septoria resistance as his first line of defence, as well as employingnewer SDHI-based chemistry.

for the QoIs where control failedover the course of three seasons.The loss in efficacy in SDHIs is still in progress, its rate of declineappears to lie somewhere betweenthe two extremes.

How can its impact beminimised? Good cultural control practicesshould be the first line in defenceagainst septoria and ADAS, in partnership with NIAB and SRUC,have recently conducted researchinto the influence of agronomic factors on the disease.

The work shows the factors varyin their influence on a septoria epidemic, with varietal resistancethe most influential. Delayingdrilling date by a month also has

a significant effect on septoria levels. By drilling a highly septoria-susceptible variety inOctober, the levels of infectionwere akin to a moderately-susceptible variety sown early.Similarly, the work shows sowing a resistant variety late offers a significant opportunity to reducefungicide inputs.

Seed rate (crop density) hassome effect but not in all cases,depending on the tillering capability of the crop. In low septoria pressure seasons then theaffect of crop density on diseasedevelopment is more apparent,probably because it isn’t maskedby other influencing factors.

What about resistance?The results of independent monitoring of septoria isolates fromthe field and their genotyping byRothamsted Research indicate a further shift in azole and SDHIefficacy. This is backed up byAHDB’s fungicide performance trials which show azoles are nowproviding approx. 50% control ofseptoria in a protectant situation.

SDHIs (used alone in fungicideperformance trials) provide approx.70% control at full label rates, adecline from 90-100% control just

5-6 years ago. Dose responsecurves suggest a high dose isneeded to achieve adequate control of septoria, however thismay impact on selection for resistance so it’s unclear whetherrates should be increased or not. ADAS’s Dr Neil Paveley is continuing work to find the answerto this difficult question.

What is clear is that thedecrease in the efficacy of singlesite chemistry means alternativestrategies need to be consideredto help maintain control of septoriain the field. The reduction in curative activity means there’s apossibility leaf two may be leftmore exposed to infection. In highpressure situations a multisite atGS37 may be advisable to protectleaf two.

A recent survey has highlightedthat around 50% of T2 applications(GS39) don’t contain a multisite,which is a poor strategy in terms of resistance management and the additional protection againstseptoria which they bring to the party.

Why is early managementimportant? Although most septoria infectionspreads to upper leaves by

rain-splash from the lower leaves,physical spread can occur withoutheavy rainfall, particularly whenleaves 3 and 4 overlap the upperleaves as they emerge.

T0 isn’t a timing which gives any significant yield response to disease control. It’s applied beforethe crop starts to extend, soprovides no protection to the yieldforming leaves of the crop. A T0 can be useful to keep a lid on septoria inoculum, particularly if the T1 timing on the most septoria susceptible varieties is compromised, so is often considered an insurance.

At T1, fungicide is targeted at the leaf three fully emerged timing,which generally coincides withGS32 of the crop. Leaf three onlyintercepts 5-10% of light but

Tech Talk


Integrated approach used to head off septoria menace

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Septoria management:top tips

l Choose a resistant variety – this helps delay the onset and severity of the epidemic.

l Make use of multisite fungicides – base programmes around multi-sites to protect existing chemistry and give added septoria protection.

l Pay careful attention to timing– apply T1 at ‘leaf 3 emerged’ to protect the emerging leaf 2.

With difficulty curing it, there’s nosubstitute for staying on the frontfoot against Septoria tritici. Newervarieties with improved resistanceprovide a timely foundation, withGraham providing top-rated septoriaresistance among hard Group 4winter wheats on the AHDBRecommended List and has amongthe highest treated yields in thewetter, septoria-prone west.

The inclusion of multi-site fungicides, such as Bravo,provides important added septoriaprevention plus resistance management. And for flag leaf protection, the SDHI-based

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protecting it from septoria infection reduces the spread ofinoculum up the plant when thecrop is extending, preventing disease from becoming established.

How does that translateinto control? Yield is dependent on light captureby the canopy so it’s important tokeep this green for as long as possible. Each five extra days of full light capture by a greencanopy should be associated with1.0t/ha of extra crop growth.

Leaf two is responsible for 20-25% of light capture and theuppermost leaf in the canopy, theflag leaf, intercepts 40-50% ofsolar energy and together with the ear, is the biggest contributorto yield, so keeping these green is critical.

Applying fungicides at the correct growth stage of the crop isincreasingly vital to get the mostout of fungicides, as their curativeactivity in the field is reducing as

the result of shifts in the septoriapathogen population. Multisites arepurely protectants and need to beapplied ahead of infection to makeuse of their strong anti-sporulantactivity.

Using fungicides with high levels of persistence in the leaf will help maintain protection and maximise late season light capture.

How does chemistryhelp? Research at Syngenta’s JealottsHill facility has been investigatingthe way fungicides move within theplant. It’s important for a fungicideto remain on the leaf for longenough so the active can get intothe plant, whilst also maintainingan effective preventative barrier.The fungicide then needs to reachthe target site of susceptiblepathogens and remain in the plantfor as long as possible to maintaindisease control.

The direction of flow within theplant is also important and, for afungicide, acropetal flow (upwardflow through the xylem) is

desirable, meaning movementoccurs throughout the leaf andpotentially to new growth.

For Elatus Era (benzovindiflupyr+prothioconazole), the movement ofthe solatenol (benzovindiflupyr)component within the plant is slow,so the active accumulates withinthe wax layer of leaves which subsequently provides a reservoirof fungicide. This reservoir ofsolatenol is maintained over a prolonged period due to itslipophilic nature, where it’s slowlymetered into the cells of the leaf,inhibiting spore germination, penetration and mycelial growth.Prothioconazole moves rathermore rapidly and has a highlycomplementary profile alongsidesolatenol.

Although it’s been shown to beslow moving, solatenol also has aslow rate of degradation and ahigh potency against septoria.Good stability, within both the plantand fungal cells, is a biokineticproperty that then comes into

fungicide Elatus Era is an ideal fit.Research during the development

of Elatus Era showed its SDHI activeingredient to provide high potencyagainst the target enzyme in the septoria fungus. It’s also very stable on and inside the leaf, delivering long-lasting protection, and persistsacross the whole leaf better than someSDHIs. That’s important because leafaxils are where moisture accumulates,and where septoria infection can cutoff nutrient supply to the leaf.

play, ensuring sufficient active isavailable to take care of any latentinfection in the plant and ensurelongevity of disease control.

What’s the bigger picture? It’s a time of change –– both in the septoria population and theefficacy of the fungicides availableto control disease. Adopting resistant management strategieshas never been more importantsince preserving the efficacy ofexisting chemistry is essential toboth prolong its life and maintainefficacy at a level that can helpprotect the new fungicide chemistry that’s on its way.

One of these is a new azoleand the other offers a new modeof action for cereals –– Quinioneinside Inhibitor (QiI). Both fungicides are reported to behighly effective against septoria,but good resistance managementpractices will need to be in placeto ensure their longevity. n


Septoria disease cycle

Source: Syngenta

Resistance management guidance in wheat

Source: AHDB/FRAG-UK Fungicide Futures, Practical measures to combat fungicide resistance inpathogens of wheat, 2019.

Tech Talk

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TechnicalWeed control

Getting weed control coveredin early spring can make forless complicated tank-mixeslater, when fungicides go on.CPM finds out how plans are

shaping up.

By Lucy de la Pastureand Rob Jones

Everything seems to be shifting

forward to start earlierthis year.

“”

Making the most of early opportunities

No two years are the same in farming and, so far, there’s been a stark contrastbetween the weather in early 2019 compared with last year’s big freeze and washout.

The Met Office reports that this Jan wasthe driest for 13 years and Feb has seen just 54mm of rainfall. Compare that to lastyear when 133mm fell in Jan alone andwas followed by a seemingly-endless period of cold, challenging conditions forgrowers.

It was April before snow and standingwater cleared to allow many sprayers to travel on the ground. This time around growing conditions have been favourablesince drilling in the autumn, with

Sam Clarke says that taking advantage of anearly window for weed control makes tank-mixesless complex later on.

temperatures unseasonably mild. The knock-on effect for weed control this

spring is significant, believes agronomistSam Clarke of Clarke Farming Partnership. A window for early herbicide applicationslooks to have well and truly opened andthe independent agronomist thinks it’s an opportunity not to be missed.

Mild autumnHe says growers in his patch of Oxon,Warwicks, Leics and Northants are ‘wellahead’ following a mild autumn.“Everything seems to be shifting forward tostart earlier this year and that will apply tobroadleaf weed control too. Where you’vegot crop growth, you’re going to get weedgrowth and crops are well on for this timeof year,” he explains.

Sam reports that residuals went on in a timely fashion following a drilling cycle,which he notes was pushed back wherever possible to manage blackgrassgermination. “Residual stacks have workedwell but there won’t be any firepower left inthem now. You might see a little bit fromdiflufenican products, but not enough tostop a spring flush of key problem weeds.”

Last year, the later applications targetingbroadleaf weeds played to the strengths ofthe sulfonyl-ureas as temperatures were

higher and more constant. Crop growthwas rapid with wheat moving from tilleringto flag leaf in just a few days.

Sam thinks the compressed period for fieldwork limited chemistry options. This year he feels growers have morethinking time and will be able to applytheir herbicides at or before the T1 fungicide timing.

“We’re in a very different place and ifgrowers are going early with herbicides –– in March or early April, when there are wide variations in temperatures –– sulfonyl-ureas aren’t necessarily


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Hitting weeds early delivers a yield benefit and helps spread the spring workload, saysAlister McRobbie.

Weed control

the best fit,” he says. The case for taking out key broadleaf

weeds early is well proven, both in terms ofyield-protection and to ensure weeds don’tbecome too big to be controlled. But thereare two other factors Sam feels growersand advisors will consider in seasons suchas 2019.

“Some growers say they will address theweed burden between T1 and T2, but inreality, very few will get the time to coverthe acres in that window, so most will belooking at a tank-mix. The difference thisyear is that crops have been growing wellin the mild winter and that’s coupled with a lot of residual nitrogen in soils.

“You have a double whammy therebecause you have luxury nitrogen uptakeand a mild winter which is producing leggycrops, so this could well be a year forPGRs. This is where tank-mixes start to get big and complicated. The priorityneeds to be to protect the flag leaf and ifyour tank-mix is too big, you’re at risk ofcrop damage,” he comments.

“There’s a lot going on to push you awayfrom a big T2 tank-mix and that might lead to a change of approach this season.”

ALS-resistant poppy will be another consideration which influences product

choice, believes Sam. He says it’s an issuethat affects a relatively small area of the area he advises on, but where it exists theproblem is serious.

“Typically you won’t find whole farmswith resistant poppy, but where it’s bad, it’sbad. When you think it can rob up to 40%of the yield, it’s a problem that needs to betaken seriously. Red fields at harvest arenot a good look,” he says.


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you’re going to get reliability. Pixxaro(halauxifen-methyl+ fluroxypyr) is also anoption for those with ALS-resistant poppypopulations.”

Alister McRobbie, cereal herbicide product manager at Corteva Agriscience,says he also expects growers to take theopportunity to get on top of their weed burden early.

“The case has been well proven ––hitting weeds early delivers a yield benefit,and that will be reason enough for manygrowers,” he says.

“But in light of last year’s difficult spring, I think we can expect growers to spreadtheir workload as much as possible andthe Arylex products are a solution for those who want to start while temperatures arefluctuating.”

Zypar (halauxifen-methyl+ florasulam)can be applied from growth stage 11through to growth stage 45 in all wintercereals and 13 to 45 in spring cerealsexcept oats, controlling difficult weedssuch as cleavers, cranes-bill, poppy chickweed and brassica weeds amongst

ALS-resistant poppy is another considerationwhich influences product choice in the spring.

“The fluctuating temperatures experienced early season suit the Arylex products, especially if we get thenuisance weeds, such as dead nettle and speedwells coming early,” he adds.

“We’re seeing ground frosts overnight,but daytime temperatures are reaching12°C at present and it’s good to know

Paul Drinkwater manages 3500ha of crops atthe Abbots Ripton Estate near Huntingdon. Theblackgrass is particularly problematic on itsheavier soils, including the Hanslope boulderclay that makes up large parts of the farm.

This soil type has good yield potential but alsoprovides a favourable environment for blackgrass,says Paul. As a result, he relies on a robust set ofpre-emergence and post-emergence herbicides tocontrol grassweeds in an effort to help the cropreach its potential.

Paul tried Monolith (mesosulfuron+ propoxycarbazone) for the first time in the trickyspring of 2018. “There was a little spray windowin Feb but nothing at all during March. So anything that didn’t go on early was applied inApril, which was very late to get the best result,”he comments.

Last season he also used Atlantis (mesosulfuron+ iodosulfuron) on other parts of thefarm so he could compare performance betweenthe two post-ems and these were notable, hesays. “Looking at the different fields, I think thatfor blackgrass Monolith provided 10–15% morecontrol than Atlantis. On the bigger blackgrass it made a huge difference and I would say that if it has a tiller, I’d definitely use Monolith,”he comments.

Paul believes some growers will consider targeting Monolith on their worst blackgrassareas this spring. Despite good control from

Paul Drinkwater is trying to balance reducingseed return while still growing a profitable cropof wheat.

pre-em herbicides in the autumn, he’s alreadygoing around his fields and identified the areaswhich need treatment so he can apply it as soonas conditions allow.

“We had a really good autumn. It was dry in Sept, but after we started drilling autumncereals there was a sensible amount of rain and pre-em chemistry went on in near perfectconditions. But we will still use a post-em to getsome more control. We’d like to apply it as soonas possible, but you need the same conditionsas any post-em –– it’s no more weatherproofthan Atlantis.”

As in every spring, weather is the big question. The big plus this year is that theground is not waterlogged, and the cold weatherduring Jan/early Feb arrived at the right time tostop blackgrass growing all winter, like it did in2015-16, he says.

Paul was hoping the cold would continue so blackgrass is still small in March, but temperatures have warmed up somewhat duringthe second half of Feb. He intends to applyMonolith as soon as conditions warm up sufficiently as he believes these are the best circumstances to get high levels of control fromthe herbicide.

To ensure the best performance he usuallyapplies Monolith with the adjuvant biopower. Hesometimes adds liquid manganese for certainareas of the farm but the T0 fungicide and

post-emergence herbicide are always separate.Longer-term, he’s trying to balance reducing

seed return while still growing a profitable crop.“The problem we’ve got is that you can stillgrow quite a nice crop of wheat with a high levelof blackgrass. You’re masking everything all thewhile. The yields look pretty good, but the seedreturn can be enormous.”

To improve the situation, he has introducedspring barley into the rotation over the past twoyears and is pleased with the results. However,other spring crop options are limited so winterwheat with a substantial herbicide programmewill remain a central part of his rotation.

Spring top-up for blackgrass


Weed control

Cleavers are one of the most competitivebroadleaf weeds so it can pay to take them out early, while they are still small. others, he highlights.

For winter cereals where a residual herbicide has been used in autumn, Zyparat 0.75 l/ha will control most if not all theremaining key weeds, advises Alister.

“Pixxaro, on the other hand, offers growers and agronomists a way to be more precise in targeting specific weedchallenges, utilising its excellent dose rateflexibility,” he adds. n

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Rothamsted Research undertook large-scaleexperiments under glasshouse conditions tophenotype blackgrass from the network of 71 BGRI farms.

We’ve previously failed to pick

up the early signs of a move towards

resistance.

“

”

Seeing the big picture on herbicide resistance

Research, University of Newcastle,University of Sheffield and Institute ofZoology.

Rothamsted’s Dr Paul Neve highlights thekey findings from the four-year project, whichhas been underpinned by a network of 71farms who have given access to their fieldsand management data.

Blackgrass populations“In most cases we’ve been able to gleaninformation on agronomic practices withinfields since 2005 which has allowed us tooverlay the effects of management on the resistance profile of the blackgrass populations in fields,” explains Paul.

As part of the project, researchers fromRothamsted established the extent of resistance to different post-emergence herbicides across the 71 sites. “We found95% had resistance to fenoxaprop (fop),55% resistance to cycloxydim (dim) and75% resistance to ALS-herbicide Atlantis(mesosulfuron+ iodosulfuron).”

By looking at the agronomy information,researchers were able to deduce that herbicide use intensity is the main driver of resistance evolution in blackgrass, regardless of the mode of action.

“Resistance to post-ems in wheat is conferred by a combination of target siteresistance (TSR) and non-target site resistance (NTSR), with NTSR being themain mechanism. From the managementdata we were able to see herbicide

diversity doesn’t slow the evolution of resistance.”

This presents a bit of a catch 22 situation when it comes to resistance management, he highlights.

“Herbicide mixtures are associated withreduced TSR, but herbicide mixtures anddiversity are associated with higher levels of NTSR. So in effect, by using herbicidesyou’re selecting for resistance regardless of the chemistry you’re using,” says Paul.

That’s not to say mixtures and rotations of chemistry don’t still have a place, hestresses. “They do but within an integrated

An over-reliance on blackgrass herbicides is

blamed for leading growersdown a blind alley, where

they now face a wall of herbicide resistance.

AHDB-funded research islooking at the bigger

picture to help find the best way forward.


For many years the answer to weed problems has been found in a herbicidecan and, until recently, it’s been an effective strategy. In some cases,herbicides have become a victim of theirown success and a reliance on their usehas led to weed resistance developing,with blackgrass being a good example ofa weed that has evolved strategies toovercome the effects of many differentherbicides.

Understanding the evolution of resistance in blackgrass populations and how management practices impact on its development has been the focus of theBlackgrass Research Initiative (BGRI), a collaborative project between Rothamsted


s

approach where diversity is central. Thisinvolves diversity in cropping, rotation andtillage because if you expose weeds to thesame management practices year-on-year,they will adapt to it.”

The BGRI project also looked at the sensitivity of blackgrass populations toglyphosate and although they found no outright resistance, differences in sensitivitybetween populations were evident, says Paul.

“Again, we looked at the managementhistory and found the sensitivity of populations was linked to the intensity ofglyphosate use. So although we didn’t findglyphosate resistance, we need to takenotice because as an industry, we’ve previously failed to be pre-emptive and pick up the early signs of a move towardsresistance and change management

practices accordingly,” he comments.But the problem is much wider than just

blackgrass, explains ADAS weed scientistDr Sarah Cook. “UK populations of wild oats,ryegrass, poppy, chickweed and mayweedare all locally resistant to a range of herbicides,” she explains.

“Resistance issues are also emerging inbromes (Anisantha spp. and Bromus spp.),and although it’s not nationally significant, all are increasing in frequency and for individual farmers can present serious problems.”

Glyphosate sensitivityADAS weed scientist, Dr Laura Davies, identified a reduced sensitivity to glyphosatein some populations of sterile brome in herPhD, published in Weed Science (2019).She’s also leading an AHDB-project lookingat the distribution and sensitivity of bromepopulations to selective post-em herbicides,which includes the ALS and ACCase groupsas well as glyphosate.

“The screening work has shown that thereis variability in sensitivity to ALS herbicidesbut the variability in sensitivity in ACCase’s ismuch lower. The glyphosate findings haven’tchanged from my PhD work, so there’s beenno increase in insensitivity,” explains Laura.

“We’re also looking at application at different growth stages of the weed to findout whether herbicide applied when bromeweeds are large (GS25+) is pushing thepopulation towards resistance.

“Bromes are different to blackgrass andryegrasses as they’re self-pollinating rather

than out-crossing so this may effect the wayresistance evolves,” she adds.

There’s been a cross-over between theBGRI and brome project and in 2017, theBGRI farm network was assessed for thepresence of brome. “There wasn’t a lot ofbrome found and it was mostly sterile andrye brome in margins and headlands. It’s agood example of where there’s already agood approach to blackgrass control, ittransfers across and keeps the brome population low as well,” she comments.

Weed control is a problem all sectors arefacing and it’s clear the answer to weed control challenges isn’t going to be found in what has become a diminishing pool of active ingredients, says AHDB’s Paul Gosling.

“The recent loss of linuron, for example,has opened up gaps in weed control across

Bayer’s Dr Gordon Anderson-Taylor supports thecall for improved knowledge exchange within theindustry. “It can help bridge the gap from researchto the field and support peer-to-peer learning,which Bayer facilitate through their Partners inPerformance programme,” he says.

Both the weed review and brome study arebeing part-funded by industry and Bayer is a partner in both projects. Gordon believes thebrome project is a very necessary and interestingpiece of research in to a weed that has beenlargely neglected by researchers.

“There are very few trials that have looked atbrome as a species, and data is very thin on theground. There’s been a lot of supposition abouthow resistance may be developing in bromes butno data that’s evidence based.

“This makes the work investigating the relativesensitivity of the different species of brome to different herbicides particularly interesting.

Laura’s results will all be new information and helpus know what we’re dealing with,” he comments.

Understanding how resistance may evolve inbrome will help devise strategies to prevent theweed becoming a problem like blackgrass hasbecome, he believes.

Referring to the BGRI finding that the evolutionof resistance in blackgrass has been driven by herbicide usage over the years, Gordon says it’simportant not to keep pushing the blackgrass population towards resistance.

“The only way to do this is not to use herbicidesbut it’s not a position most growers could possiblyadopt,” he says.

There’s still a place for herbicides as part of anoverall control strategy, he believes, but they mustbe supported by cultural methods to help manageblackgrass populations. Every season can throw acurved ball when it comes to blackgrass control,and the past few autumns have been very kind

Herbicides - part of the problem, still part of the solution

–– enabling delayed drilling without problems andwith sufficient soil moisture to get good resultsfrom pre-emergence herbicides.

“When blackgrass populations are low enough,then herbicides can still do what they’re supposedto do,” he adds.

Gordon Anderson-Taylor stresses the importanceof not continually pushing grassweeds towardsresistance by over-relying on herbicides to control them.

Sarah Cook says the weeds literature reviewhighlighted a need to establish a new knowledgeexchange hub to make valuable information moreeasily accessible.

Paul Neve presented the key findings of the BGRI at the 2018 AHDB Agronomist Conferencein Kettering.


Theory to Field

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AHDB Project No 1807258, ‘Review of weedcontrol options for UK crops’ ran from Sept 2018– Jan 2019, at a total cost of £43,000 (AHDB£26,000) in partnership with BBRO, FMC, Bayer,Syngenta, Belchim, Corteva, BASF and UnitedPhosphorus, PGRO and Maize GrowersAssociation.AHDB Project No 211200059, ‘Investigatingthe distribution and presence, and potential forherbicide resistance of UK brome species inarable farming’ runs from March 2017 to Feb2021 at a cost of £218,000. ADAS are leading

the project in partnership with RothamstedResearch, BASF, Bayer and Corteva.AHDB Project No 20123807, ‘Multiple herbicide resistance in grassweeds: from genes to agro-ecosystems’, ran from April 2014 toMarch 2018. Led by Newcastle University,scientific partners include Rothamsted Researchand Universities of Sheffield, Reading, Oxford andYork. Its total cost is £2.8M, funded by BBSRCand AHDB (£280,000). For more information,see www.bgri.info

Research roundup

The weeds review covers emerging technologieswhich may take on a major role in weed controlin the future.

Laura Davies says the brome survey highlightedthe difficulty in correct identification of thedifferent brome species.

the horticultural and potato sectors. Keyactive ingredients for weed control in sugarbeet production, such as phenmediphamand desmedipham, are also at risk of beingwithdrawn from the market and diquat hasalready gone, leaving potato growerssearching for an alternative approach todesiccation.”

In order to take a wider view of weed control challenges, AHDB commissioned a literature review last year, he explains. The objective was to look at weed controloptions on a national and international leveland identify approaches to benefit UK cropproduction across all sectors in the short,medium and long term.

Sarah led the project, which has justreported its findings. “Initially we looked at allthe different weed control techniques beingused across all crops and grouped them intocategories,” she explains.

These were cultural controls (eg drillingdate), non-chemical controls (eg thermalweeding), chemical controls, novel andemerging technologies (eg robotics), digital tools (eg decision support), genetictools (eg CRISPR) and preventative weedcontrol strategies (eg in non-cropped areas).

“We identified the key weaknesses in the lifecycles of each weed and then lookedat how different control methods will disruptthe growth cycle of the weed. We were thenable to propose future strategies for weedcontrol across the industry,” she says.

One of the key findings of the report is that the vast amount of knowledge onweed control that already exists needs to be more accessible to advisors and growers, highlights Sarah.

“There’s more information on weed control known than is readily available

or used by advisors and growers. Using current knowledge better is a very high priority, and a key recommendation of the review has been to develop a knowledge-hub for weed control so it’s more easily accessible.”

Knowledge gapKnowledge exchange from research to thefield is another area identified as ‘could dobetter’ within the report. Sarah explains,“There’s too great a gap between practicaland applied practitioners and fundamentalresearch. The focus for future researchshould be targeted where knowledge gapsin weed biology are hindering developmentof better control options.”

Good stewardship of herbicides wasidentified as being vital across all sectorsand the report echoes Paul’s view that thereneeds to be a more pro-active approach to the identification of high risk uses or situations which could select for resistance.

“Retaining product efficacy, by minimisingresistance and ensuring good practice, issomething over which agronomists andgrowers have considerable control,” addsSarah. “The review highlights that an integrated approach to weed managementis the way forward. As an industry we needto become ready to jump before we’repushed by evolving weed resistances andchanges in regulation,” comments Sarah.

To facilitate this, there’s a recommendationthat weed management strategies should be agreed and communicated widely. Inconjunction, weed control strategies need to be backed up by intelligence so it’simportant to monitor weed species for shiftsin sensitivity so emerging cases of herbicideresistance can be picked up, according tothe review.

“The sheer number of weed control strategies out there show we’re an innovativebunch, but in order to make the switch awayfrom being reliant on herbicides, there needs

to be a change of mindset. Currently pestsand disease are generally viewed as beingmore important than weeds, probablybecause weeds are less catastrophic anddon’t necessarily lead to crop failure.”

The review report also suggests government and industry to come togetherto agree funding for Integrated WeedManagement (IWM). Sarah explains there’s a political desire to maximise non-chemicaland more integrated approaches –– fundingis needed but it’s an area that doesn’t attractcommercial funding.

The final recommendation is that weedresearch and approaches to control need tobe considered more strategically. “Reviewingand compiling information for this review hashighlighted how the current approach toweed control is very often based on specificweeds and/or in specific crops and by usingherbicides.

“A key recommendation is that thereshould be a more strategic approach toweed research and control over the wholecropping system. This will involve puttingweed biology and the weed life cycle at the heart of weed control. A cross-sector,multi-annual approach is therefore vital,”concludes Sarah. n

Theory to Field


TechnicalOSR agronomy

With just over half of OSRcrops carrying burdens ofcabbage stem flea beetle

larvae, some may need a helping hand this

spring. CPM looks at some of the options.


Countering an insidious problem

Farming without neonicotinoid seed treatments has been a challenge for OSRgrowers where cabbage stem flea beetle(CSFB) are a problem. Last autumn was no exception, with CSFB activity leading tothe AICC predicting a whopping 11% ofthe crop may be lost to adult and larvaldamage.

Although OSR is no longer threatened byadult feeding once it starts to grow away, the next stage in their life cycle can be aninsidious problem.

Beetles have continued to lay eggsthroughout the predominantly kind winter,explains ADAS entomologist Dr SachaWhite. “The cold snaps have generally beenshort, so conditions over the winter havefavoured the growth of larvae. At ADASBoxworth egg numbers were assessed ateight per plant in Dec and this hadincreased to 19 in Jan, indicating continuedegg laying and development,” he explains.

CSFB larvae over-winter in the petioles ofleaves, eventually migrating to feed in the

Monitoring of larval numbers over the winter hasshown many crops are carrying a higher thannormal load, says Sacha.

stems in the spring. Infestations can severelydistort plant growth and, if the growing pointis damaged, sometimes kill the plant. Backin the 1980s, researchers looked at theimpact of the larvae on yield and found fivelarvae/plant resulted in a 0.3t/ha reduction inyield (about 10% at that time) and thisbecame the economic spray threshold.

“The data suggested that the higher thenumber of larvae, the greater the reductionin yield. But the threshold was based onwork carried out on old varieties using theagronomic practices of the time.

“More recently we’ve assessed CSFB larvae populations around the country aspart of an AHDB-funded project. We foundfive larvae/plant correlated with 0.5t/hareduction in yield, though this was surveydata and not replicated trials work,” heexplains. “Assessing the yield impact of larvae in replicated trials is being done in acurrent AHDB-funded project –– ‘Integratedpest management of CSFB in OSR.”

Monitoring of larval numbers over the winter has shown many crops are carrying a higher than normal load, says Sacha.

“Larvae have become a big problemacross the country and it’s one that’s gettingworse since the loss of the neonics. Onemonitoring site recorded 19 larvae/plant inearly Dec, which is the second highest number ever detected according to ADASand Fera survey data.”

Crops harbouring CSFB larvae are oftenheld back in their growth during the winterand early spring. Once the economic threshold is breached, strategies to countertheir damage largely hinge around nitrogenmanagement, with pyrethroid sprays an ineffective option due to widespread resistance.

“Struggling crops can really profit from a

good early nitrogen boost, and thelast thing they need is any check

as they come into springgrowth,” says Agrii oilseedrape specialist, David Leaper.

Delaying any PGR untilgreen bud or taking advantage of the less stressful

growth-regulating effect of extratebuconazole in the light leaf

spot spray might be a better bet, he cautions.

“To prevent light leaf spot taking off, it’simportant not to hold back the fungicide toaccompany any later-planned PGR.Otherwise, the disease could have devastating consequences for alreadystruggling crops.”

David suggests a similar spring management approach for crops that lookreasonable but are likely to be carrying significant burdens of CSFB, which according to AICC survey figures accountsfor more than 50% of the national crop thisyear (see box on p36).

Although CSFB larvae are recognised asreducing OSR yields, crop compensationmeans the level of loss doesn’t necessarilycorrelate well to larvae numbers, he adds.Recent research in badly-infested trials indicates that varieties like DK Exalte and DKExpedient, which grow away earliest in thespring, suffer noticeably less loss of mainstems and stunting than later developinghybrids and conventional varieties.

“This makes the type of varieties we’regrowing an important consideration here too.Crops with the best ability to compensateneed all the help they can get, so don’t writethem off because they’re carrying a sizeablelarval burden. Withholding inputs is aboutthe worst thing to do and just makes poorperformance a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“These crops require greater spring

19 larvae/plant in early Dec isthe second highest

number ever detected.

“

”


s

A 2018 survey of the national oilseed rape areapredicts an alarming jump in crop losses attributedto cabbage stem flea beetle attack.

The Association of Independent CropConsultants (AICC) have conducted the surveysince 2016 and in its first year, 77,000ha weresurveyed and overall crop losses due to adultdamage estimated at 7%, with the hot-spot counties, Beds and Herts, worst affected.

Two years later, assessments carried out byAICC members on a massive 25% (151,000ha) ofthe 582,000ha national crop show 74% of fieldswere affected and overall losses at 11%.

The biggest regional increase in pest activitywas seen in the South West, highlights FarmingOnline’s Peter Griffith, who collated and presented the data at the recent AICC Agronomistsconference.

Along with the South West (13%), three otherregions –– Yorkshire (10%), East Midlands (16%)and the South East (12%) –– recorded double

digit percentage losses.“There has been an enormous jump in 2018

in all regions except the East, which is thought tobe because there is less OSR being grown there,”he explains.

AICC members also conducted mid-Dec larvae assessments this season, with agronomists from four regions providing data on 93 OSR fields.

Jonathan James of southern-based CCC Agronomy points to some regional variationin larvae counts, but overall, a hugely significant

52.9% of total plants assessed had five or morelarvae/plant –– the economic threshold for spraying.

With the data also showing that earlier insecticide treatments are ineffective in reducinglarvae numbers, integrated pest managementstrategies will be required to tackle the problem,according to his CCC Agronomy colleague Peter Cowlrick.

OSR survey shows jump in flea beetle damage

“Later sowing into Sept to avoid peak adultmigration correlated with lower larvae counts inthe study and that will impact on variety choice inthe future, with more autumn vigour required.”

Peter Cowlrick says integrated pestmanagement is the only way to tackle CSFBnow pyrethroids are largely ineffective.

David Leaper says selecting a hybrid OSR whichgrows away vigorously in the spring can helpmitigate damage.

OSR crop mown off in Jan on JonathanNorthern’s farm in Lincs as part of the ‘Innovativefarmers’ field lab.

For crops infested with larvae, early nitrogen canaid canopy recovery.

management attention to stimulatecanopy development and structuring, as well as the most effective protection againstboth leaf and stem diseases.”

Matching canopy N applications closelyto actual GAIs is crucial in David’s experience. Because the OSR canopy can change so rapidly, he believes N applications are best made based on GAIsmeasured once growth has started in thespring, rather than too early in the season.

In addition to nitrogen, he stresses thatOSR is highly susceptible to shortages ofsulphur, magnesium and boron, and moderately susceptible to molybdenum and

manganese, making it important to avoidimbalances of these nutrients. Agrii tissue-testing trial work also shows a clearshortfall of potash in higher yield crops fromstem extension.

“Actively stimulating the growth of backward crops or those infested with CSFBso they can better withstand the effects oflarval damage is also important. Six years ofour R&D has shown the ability of the growthstimulant, Nutri-Phite PGA to increase OSRcanopy size, greenness and yields. In theabsence of an autumn application, we recommend including it with the stem extension spray at 1.0 l/ha.”

For Herts grower, Jonathan Northern, thesuggested agronomic measures to help thecrop recover from CSFB damage may notbe enough. He farms in a hotspot for thepest and has resorted to trying out a radicalmeasure this year to try and reduce the larval load on his OSR crop.

“It’s last chance saloon for our OSR. Adult

feeding damage is a problem but over thepast few years it’s the larvae that havebecome the bigger problem and if we can’tcontrol them then we will have to switch toan alternative crop,” he explains.

“Last year it was the early drilled cropsthat struggled with the numbers of larvae,with later drillings faring much better. Thisseason the exact opposite is true, thoughwe’re finding inconsistent numbers acrossfields.”

Jonathan has been working with Sacha,hosting trial sites on his farm to investigatealternative methods for CSFB control.

“Sacha was looking for a site where thenew crop of OSR was due to be plantedadjacent to the OSR crop that had just been harvested. The idea was to allow thevolunteer OSR to establish and act as a trapcrop, stopping the CSFB from flying into thenewly planted crop. And there was certainlya reduction in the incidence of adult damagenext to the trap crop,” he comments.

So when Sacha approached Innovative

OSR agronomy


s

Heavy infestations of larvae can stunt and distortgrowth, with plant death if the growing point isdestroyed.

OSR agronomy

Farmers (a network where groups of farmerscan work directly with a researcher to design‘field labs’ or on farm trials) with an idea tocontrol CSFB larvae, Jonathan was keen to join in.

Research carried out in Canada andAustralia showed that where OSR was mownor grazed before the beginning of stemextension to feed livestock, there was noeffect on yield. It gave UK researchers theidea that defoliation may be a non-chemicalway of reducing larval numbers and trials atADAS have backed up the thinking.

“I approached Innovative Farmers to helptransfer the approach, which has lookedpromising at reducing the number of larvaein our research trials, to the field,” explainsSacha.

“We used a mower to defoliate trial plots,removing the leaves that provide a winterhome for the CSFB larvae within their petioles. Machinery that’s practical on a field scale needs to be trialled on-farm andthrough Innovative Farmers, we now have a network of between 7-14 growers using arange of different techniques. Some havealready defoliated a two header-width strip in their trial field and others are yet to do so,”he comments.

Methods being trialled include using a

mower or topper and grazing the crop withsheep over the winter, which could positionOSR as dual-purpose crop where there’slivestock, he says.

Jonathan flailed his two OSR trials in Janwith the aim of taking the crop down to 30-40mm from the ground. The sudden lossof the canopy doesn’t concern him becausethe OSR crop is so resilient and able to compensate, he points out.

“But even with defoliation, we’re not takingall the leaves and larvae out of the cropbecause we have to be very careful not todamage the growing point,” he comments.

Because the GAI will be much lower on the defoliated crop, it will need morenitrogen, believes Jonathan. “There’s been a lot of work over the past 10 years that correlates the N requirement of the crop withthe amount of N within the plant itself, sosmaller canopies need more applied N.

“Where we’ve defoliated, we’ve taken allthe green matter away and need to recoverGAI. Although the debris will decomposeand release N back into the soil, it’s not likelyto happen in time for the crop in theground,” he explains.

So he’s taken Sacha’s work a stage furtherand has a second defoliated strip in the 2hatrial which will receive 40kgN/ha as an early

application, in line with N recommendationsfor a backward crop in the spring.

Sacha plans to monitor larval numbers in the field lab trials during the spring andthey will be taken to yield to assess the effectiveness of the treatments. He’ll also belooking at the relationship between toppingand the foliar diseases –– light leaf spot andphoma stem canker.

“We believe defoliation may be beneficialfor reducing phoma infection. The diseasestarts as leaf lesions in autumn/winter andspreads to infect the stems in the spring. Socutting the stems to remove the leaves andlarvae may also have a useful effect on thelevel of stem canker infection,” he explains. n

TechnicalOSR improvement

Despite the crop’s notoriousvariability, a number of key

differences set higheryielding winter OSR growersapart, according to the latest

industry study. CPM looksinto them in the first of a new series dedicated to

performance improvement.

By Rob Jones

Care creates a yield gap

Oilseed rape can be one of the most frustrating crops to grow. Just when you think you have a production recipereasonably well cracked it seems todelight in kicking you firmly in the teeth.

Just as with any other combinable crop,there’s no single recipe considered to deliversuccess with winter OSR. What may make itharder is that our understanding of the waythe crop works is arguably less completethan the cereals that are for many growerstheir first priority. There are, however, a number of important ingredients which characterise the management of thoseachieving the highest levels of performancefrom their crops.

These have been drawn from a

comprehensive national study of modernOSR growing undertaken over the pastautumn and winter by Bayer. The OSR BigPicture Quiz involved almost 300 growersfrom across the country with average yieldsranging from less than 2.5t/ha to more than5t/ha. They provided a wealth of informationon how they manage their crops and maketheir decisions from variety choice andestablishment through to spring and summer management.

Key differencesDetailed analysis of these data has highlighted the key differences betweenfarms averaging more than 4.5t/ha on theone hand and those doing less than 3.5t/ha on the other (see chart on p39).

In many cases individual crop yieldsclearly reflect factors like soil type andweather outside the control of even the bestof managers. However, taken together, theresults from these growers provide somevaluable pointers for anyone looking toimprove their own OSR performance.

“Unsurprisingly perhaps, some of thegreatest differences we see between the twogroups of growers involves managementaround establishment,” reports Bayer commercial technical manager, GarethBubb. “But we also see noticeable differences in what they’re doing through theautumn and winter and well into the spring.

“Overall, more than anything else, success seems to come down to an

attitude of mind. Those achieving thebest performance treat their OSR with

greater care, attention and flexibility.They set out to produce wellbeyond 4t/ha and don’t shy awayfrom giving the crop what it needsto do so at every stage in the

production cycle. Our latest OSR Big Picture shows this very clearly.”While only just over 10% of the lower

yielding farms in the study grow mostlymainstream double low hybrids, this rises to nearly 40% amongst the higher yieldingunits, with proportionately less growing mostly conventional varieties.

What’s more, over 80% of the higher yielders select varieties for the key traits of autumn vigour, spring vigour, diseaseresistance and pod shatter resistance aswell as yield. This compares with around70% of the lower yielders.

Although the majority in both performancegroups establish their crops with minimumtillage or subsoiler seeding, noticeably morehigher yielding growers use the plough andfewer direct drill. More higher yield growersbase their drilling decisions on conditionsand fewer on calendar date too, while morealso use a starter fertiliser.

In cabbage stem flea beetle affectedareas, drilling when the conditions are best suited to quick establishment or usingvigorous varieties that get out of the groundquicker are the main defence used by thehigher yielding growers, in particular, againstthe pest.

“Getting OSR establishment right is a balancing act,” points out Dekalb technicalspecialist, Will Vaughan-France. “Specifically,it’s about balancing what, when and how yousow with the soil conditions you have, thepest pressures you’re likely to have and thevagaries of the weather, not to mention

Those achieving the best performance treat theirOSR with greater care, attention and flexibility,notes Gareth Bubb.

Success seems to come

down to an attitudeof mind.

“”


Will Vaughan-France believes combinations ofvariety and agronomy that give the mostconsistent establishment are equally valuable.

OSR improvement

workload pressures.“The OSR Big Picture findings echo our

long-standing experience that selecting theright variety and drilling into conditions thatfavour rapid germination and growth is fundamental to success.

“A recent independent study of the establishment success of more than 60 varieties with 400 growers across the country over the two contrasting autumns of2016 and 2017, showed Dekalb Ex varietiesconsistently establishing better than eitherother hybrids or conventional open pollinatedvarieties. What’s more, their advantage wasmost marked under non-plough regimes andlater sowings which tend to present thegreatest establishment challenges.

“As well as one of the best defencesagainst cabbage stem flea beetle, combinations of variety and agronomy thatgive the most consistent establishment areequally valuable in managing other earlyOSR pest problems like slugs and pigeons,”Will notes.

Variety choice may also be a factor in thegenerally lower reliance higher yielding growers place on both autumn and springdisease spraying, according to the Bayerstudy.

Single autumn and spring sprays are highlighted as the norm for most growers inboth performance groups. However, fewer of those averaging 4.5t/ha or more use two sprays in the autumn, with more alsoemploying a single spring disease/PGRspray.

“Varieties with strong phoma resistanceare almost certainly more important in givinggrowers the leeway to delay their autumnspraying than to save a spray,” maintainsGareth. “This allows them to really get on topof light leaf spot early if they need to.

“Just like Septoria in wheat, once you seethe lesions the disease is already cycling. So using our Spot Check service to identifyinfections before they become obvious –– as more higher yielding growers do –– and hitting any ahead of Christmas is really

valuable in giving greater spring sprayingflexibility. As are varieties with a high level of LLS resistance.

“The fact that more higher yielding growers match their spring nitrogen and PGRapplications more closely to Green AreaIndex (GAI) than lower yielders is yet anotherindication of the value of being a bit more‘savvy’ with the crop,” he adds.

“They also tend to be more disciplined in their weed control; use more than one flowering spray if required; base spring andsummer pest management on field-walkingrather the predictor tools; and, trial new varieties for themselves before growing them widely.”

Gareth and Will agree that OSR’s ability to compensate, seen particularly in hybrids, is another aspect that may go

l Use the traits available in the best varieties to give you the greatest management edge and flexibility.

l Keep a close and continuous eye on how your crops and the key threats they face are developing.

l Above all, be willing and able to give themthe inputs they need to perform as well aseach season allows.

OSR Improvement – three key points:

Grow mostly hybrids

Select varieties for key traits

Establish with a plough & drill

Establish with a direct drill

Drill when conditions are most suited

Drill at a target date

Use starter fertiliser

Prioritise pre-em weed control

Use two autumn disease sprays

Employ Bayer SpotCheck service

Use one spring disease/PGR spray

Base spring N on GAI measurements

Base PGR on GAI measurements

Base variety choice on own farm trialling

Proportion of growers

<3.5t/ha average >4.5t/ha average

12%

38%

71%

83%

11%

17%

25%

17%

76%

98%

17%

2%

70%

74%

20%

31%

14%

7%

14%

63%

69%

66%

83%

59%

79%

49%

64%

Source: Bayer OSR Big picture quiz – autumn/winter 2018

Key differences between higher and lower-yielding growers


s

2%


unappreciated by many growers.Too often, they say, growers give up too

early on crops that will, in all likelihood, deliver a decent performance. Holding off on the agronomy essential to help themcompensate then becomes a self-fulfillingprophecy.

“Either that or they base seed rates on theassumption they’ll lose a lot of the crop toflea beetle, slugs or pigeons rather than concentrating on giving the crop the sort of start that will avoid much of these losses. This means a far less efficient andharder-to-manage canopy wherever lossesare less than feared,” notes Will. n

In this latest series, Dekalb is once again working with CPM to share the widest possibleexperience of growers and their agronomistsacross the country in improving winter oilseedrape performance.

This is part of Dekalb’s role in providing trusted support to OSR growers and their agronomists that goes well beyond the mostrobust and dependable varieties that have always been the company’s trademark.

We very much hope you’ll find this

OSR Improvement

Results from the first two years of Oilseed YEN are highlighting a number of potentially fruitfulavenues for performance improvement, believesADAS crop physiologist, Dr Sarah Kendall wholeads the programme.

“It’s early days yet,” she stresses. “With around110 crop entries over the two seasons, we don’t have enough data to establish with real confidence the key environmental and management factors responsible for OSR performance differences. But we’re gettingsome strong indications to guide future investigations and recommendations.”

Last season’s YEN crops had a considerablybetter start than those in 2016/17 and werearguably better set up to deliver, with averageseed numbers of 106,000/m2 compared with95,400/m2. But the long, hot summer meant thousand seed weights of only 4.4g against 5.2gthe previous year. So 2018 yields at 4.65t/hawere noticeably back on the 4.90t/ha of 2017.

“In both seasons we’ve seen a good correlation between average seed number andperformance,” Sarah explains. “On average, 2018crops with 100,000 seeds/m2 out-yielded thosewith less than 100,000 seeds/m2 by 1.0t/ha. In 2017 the difference was 0.8t/ha.

The long, hot summer last year meant thousandseed weights of only 4.4g against 5.2g theprevious year.

“In contrast, yield continues to appear relatively unaffected by crop biomass –– reinforcing the experience of many that good-looking crops often disappoint. It’s the efficiency of the canopy that really matters, not its size.

“We’ve found little, if any, correlation betweenperformance and establishment system, drillingtime, seed rate or levels of either nitrogen or sulphur fertilisation,” she notes. “Although the latter isn’t surprising as the growers involved areprobably already employing best practice here.

“There’s some indication that the best performing half of crops (averaging 5.3t/ha in2018 and 5.4t/ha in 2017) are receiving theirnitrogen, as well as fungicides and PGRs, in more applications than the lower performing half(averaging 4t/ha and 4.5t/ha respectively). Thetiming of applications, in particular, is somethingwe definitely need to look into more.”

The YEN results suggest a positive associationbetween soil health –– as assessed by both soilorganic matter content and soil respiration –– andOSR performance. Far more marked, though, is an apparent link with magnesium nutrition; thebetter-performing crops in both 2017and 2018coming from soils with a noticeably higher Mgcontent. This is despite the average Mg content ofsoils supporting the less well-performing cropsbeing perfectly adequate by accepted standards.

“This and the clear relationship we sawbetween seed magnesium content and yield in2017 and 2018 may reflect the central role themineral plays in chlorophyll and photosynthesis,”Sarah reasons. “It’s also something that deservesa much closer look. There may be a good case forfoliar magnesium if we can establish a causaleffect. In which case, the timing of this feedingmay also be an important consideration.”

Where timing very definitely appears to beimportant, the YEN results indicate, is in the period between flowering and desiccation. In both

seasons, the highest yielding 50% of crops startedflowering earlier and were desiccated later –– onaverage this meant an extra 9-10 days of seedsetting and pod filling.

Taking the accepted figure of a 1-2% yieldreduction for each day of seed filling lost, a five-day difference would represent 0.25-0.5t/ha–– or a good slice of the 1.3t/ha yield differencerecorded in 2018.

“This strongly suggests we should be seekingto maximise seed setting through the floweringperiod then holding off on desiccation for as longas possible,” suggests Sarah. “After all, there’s nosense in working hard to secure the most efficientcanopies and those that stay green for as long aspossible only to kill them off too early. Instead,more patience would certainly seem to be a virtue here –– supported perhaps by pod shatterresistance and pod sealants to limit the risk ofseed losses.

“Improving how and when we do things ––rather than what we do –– look to be the mostimportant ways we can improve both the level andconsistency of OSR performance. We look forwardto providing increasingly accurate guidance on themost critical considerations in these respects asthe YEN programme develops,” concludes Sarah.

YEN registrations for the 2019 season are nowopen at www.yen.adas.co.uk

Learning from YEN

Growers should seek to maximise seed settingthrough the flowering period then hold off ondesiccation for as long as possible.

series valuable in fine-tuning your OSR improvement efforts to secure the most consistent returns from the crop both financiallyand rotationally.

OSR improvement

s

TechnicalInsiders View

KWS Extase, a Group 2 wheat that’s proven

disease resistance doesn’tmean compromising

on anything, may havesomething for everyone

to get ecstatic about.CPM reports.

By Melanie Jenkins

The difference between treated anduntreated yield is one of the most important factors with varietal

selection.

“

”

No compromise with this wheat

KWS Extase isn’t the first French-bredvariety to find firm rooting on UK farms, infact, regardless of current Brexit ructions,the future of home-grown wheat couldwell become more French.

Joining a number of other varieties, KWSExtase is an example of French breedingthat suits UK growing conditions withaplomb. It unifies a standout Septoria triticiscore with an untreated yield unrivalled onthe AHDB Recommended List and has highgrain quality –– likely ticking box after box for farmers targeting reduced reliance onchemical inputs.

Its French parents –– Boisseau x Solheio –– bring different genetics to the UK, introducing new tolerances and resistances,explains John Miles at KWS. “Despite beingbred in Northern France, it’s highly suited tothe UK. Along with Denmark, NorthernFrance is the closest part of the Continent

to the UK in terms of growing environment.”KWS Extase may help farmers tackle a

key challenge up and down the country: that of reduced fungicide efficacy andincreasingly restrictive legislation. “We seevarieties like KWS Extase being useful aspart of a considered disease managementprogramme, particularly with questions overthe future of actives such as chlorothaloniland triazoles,” says John.

Managing disease“We’re investigating the basis of diseaseprotection under a post-2020 regime with the big research and development manufactures. It’s clear that there’ll be a period where managing disease will be hard for agronomists to achieve until newproducts receive approval. This is why KWS Extase is so exciting. We’ll need goodhigh yielding and disease resistant varietieswhen times get tough.”

As well as its 8.1 septoria score KWSExtase has other characteristics that standout, says John. “There’s no point in high disease resistance if the yield is off pace,but this has no yield or disease compromisefor growers to make.”

Bill Clark at NIAB TAG doesn’t feel thatyield is quite as important as it was. “It’s nowabout ease of management and lower risks.”

It’s a good job really, as Barry Barker atAgrii points out: though the variety’s yield isno compromise for such a high septoriascore, it’s certainly not competing with hardfeed wheats. That said, it does seem to bethe complete package. “It ticks all the boxes

with disease and good genetics.”Jonathan Baxendale at Wynnstay Group

has seen varieties that have topped KWSExtase’s septoria score, but these have allhad other weaknesses. “Those before havenot had this complete agronomic package.The only drawback is that it’s not got thehighest out-and-out yield.”

As little as five years ago the highestyielding varieties seemed to be dirty in thefield, says Bill. “There was also always some penalty to having disease resistance.But now we have a high yielding varietythat’s not dirty, we’re moving in the rightdirection.”

Barry Barker says that KWS Extase ticks all theboxes, having both disease resistance and goodgenetics.


s

On the farm, KWS Extase looks to be agreat partner to KWS Siskin, says John.“They have a similar growth habit but KWSExtase is just that bit earlier to mature and I think KWS Siskin will remain the higheryielder of the two.”

In terms of quality, it has a high Hagbergand good protein, but it’s KWS Extase’s specific weight that is most important, pointsout John. “What’s unique is that all varietiesbefore it that had high septoria scores had poorer grain quality. To have both inKWS Extase is a varietal first. At 78.6kg/hl,it’s humungous.”

Frontier trials data backs up the specificweight figures, says Chris. “It’s had the equalsecond highest specific weight alongsideCostello at all of our trial sites.”

The fact that growers won’t need to compromise on grain quality has really stoodout to everyone. “Look at the popularity ofCostello,” says John. “A quality wheat withgood grain means more homes available,giving growers lots of options. If there’s amarket for Group 2s available but the crophas been grown as a feed, then that’s a fewpounds in farmers’ pockets.

But Group 2s are still incredibly importantin the UK grist and there’s a market for them,he adds. French millers also like the variety, which means there could bepotential for export –– and as a ukpapproved variety it offers this opportunity.

However, Chris points out that it’s earlydays in terms of end user interest. “We willlearn more over the next couple of seasonsas millers get access to more tonnage.”

In the UK the variety has stood out to a lotof farmers as it has been the best lookingone on trial sites, says Barry. “Particularly tofarmers based in the West Country as septoria is still a guiding factor.”

However, whether growers select a higher yielding variety or one with greaterrobustness, there’s no ‘cheap to grow’option, warns John. “Though there’s no guaranteed level of savings, there’s definitelythe potential to use less inputs than with varieties such as KWS Santiago.”

As well as KWS Extase, the top five varieties from different groups are quite modest in terms of fungicide spray requirements, says Bill.

He suggests that there’s potential to dropT0 applications with KWS Extase, but itwould still need an SDHI and triazole at flagleaf stage. “But T1 could be very modestand at lower doses.” Growers could therefore slash their fungicide costs by halfcompared with more disease prone varieties.“Having as many as four sprays also createsissues with timings and if you muck thingsup it makes life difficult. So it’s for farmerswanting to reduce the risks of yield loss and save on fungicides. It’ll probably be a two-spray programme variety.”

But varieties still need and will respond to fungicides, says John. “Having flexibilitywith timings is a highly valuable option. KWS Extase can help stop disease buildingif you’re late with sprays. And a lot of sprays are still very good when used as protection –– it’s the eradicant efficacy that’s suffered.

“The more resistant varieties restrict thebuild up of septoria and help protect theperformance of the chemistry as well as theyield that could otherwise be lost if you’relate with sprays,” explains John.

“But fungicides are still an insurance policy and there’s a benefit to protecting theresistance in the plants,” he urges. “Growersalready mix actives and modes of action in the sprayer tank. Post 2020, good disease- resistant varieties will increasingly

come to be seen as another mode of action.But if we don’t protect them, they’ll losesome of that strength –– so use varieties and chemicals together to make resistance optimal. It’s simple stewardship of a variety–– make sure it’s not here today and gonetomorrow.”

KWS Extase looks like a really good toolfor those with septoria problems, agreesChris Piggott at Frontier. “Its resistance isjust outstanding. In the next year or two wewill lose key chemicals. So the geneticresistance will play more of a role in areaswhere pressures are high.”

Cleanest varietyThe variety has the highest untreated yieldon the RL, scoring 95% of the control, but itstill has a six percentage point response to fungicide, points out John. “Even thecleanest variety has a response to chemistry; if you’re growing KWS Extase, it’s still worth looking after.”

It has also been trialled by Frontier andChris has not been disappointed by whathe’s seen of it. “Trials have reassuringlybacked up what it says on the RL. The disease levels are low in it at our sites,even where there’s high pressure.”

He’s also observed that on Frontier’slighter land site, the yield result was good.“It’s a high-risk rust site but it was the highestyielder there. The untreated yield is also very strong.”

Chris Guest at Gleadell agrees that theuntreated yield is outstanding. “As a riskmanagement tool, it’s a no brainer for mostUK farmers. In my opinion the differencebetween treated and untreated yield ––which shows the level of yield at risk –– is one of the most important factors with varietal selection given the issues surrounding fungicide active loss.”

Over the past few years, earliness, maturity and robust grain quality in laterdrilled wheats have become more important,says John. “We lean on varieties more, soqualities like earliness are far more importantthan others.”

However, it’s still important to schedulevarieties so things like spraying and harvesting can be done in a block, he adds.“This way varieties can be done a bit at atime. KWS Extase’s earliness of movement inspring and its early maturity allow the spreadof logistical management.”

Chris agrees that there’s a trend towardslater drilling. “A lot of our trials are trying toreflect what happens on farm and similar toKWS Siskin, KWS Extase has been fast todevelop and then tillers well –– so it’s suitedto the main window.”

Jonathan Baxendale thinks the seeds supply of KWS Extase will sell out this year.

Disease resistance in varieties is going tobecome even more important as the chemicalarmoury is depleted.

Insiders View


s

Insiders View

UK treated yield (% control) 101.2

UK untreated yield (% treated control) 95.0

Resistance to lodging without PGR 7.2

Resistance to lodging with PGR 8.1

Height without PGR (cm) 88.7

Ripening (days +/- JB Diego) 0

Mildew 6.4

Yellow rust 8.6

Brown Rust 6.5

Septoria tritici 8.1

Eyespot [4]

Fusarium ear blight 5.9

Source: Winter wheat AHDB RecommendedList 2019/20

Chris agrees that its septoria score hasprompted a lot of interest. “As a Group 2 this could narrow interest, but a lot of othervarieties are now grown out of their Groupand people are increasingly looking to growGroup 1s and 2s as feeds. It’ll suit those whowant grain quality and want a high yielding,protected feed. Growers are looking to have more options –– whether that’s diseasecharacteristics or markets –– and this is a variety that does many things and not just one.”

Though it’s a tall variety, it has got stiffstraw, says Bill. “It’s taller than most but isstiff so growers can still use a good PGRprogramme on it.”

The only box KWS Extase doesn’t tick isthat there’s not enough around for everyoneto grow it this year, says Barry. “It also needsa difficult year to fully test it, but there’s noreason to believe it would perform badly in aworse year. I’ve seen it over several yearsand the yield performed well last year compared to others, which boosted it up relatively speaking.”

Jonathan concurs that KWS Extase is likely to sell out this year. “Seed supply is relatively short and Wynnstay is expecting to sell out, so get in early.”

As with all new varieties, it won’t be readily available in large quantities in the firstyear, agrees Chris. “As much as is availablewill sell, which does look good from our perspective.”

According to Barry, it could be one of thetop varieties for the next three years or so.“It’s certainly the best to market this year.The top three varieties in the UK over thenext three years are likely to all come fromFrench breeding. It’s interesting that thegenetics that are standing out are those fromthe Continent and would not necessarily

have been picked out over here.”The limitations on stock seed this autumn

mean it’ll likely have 2-3% of market sharewith a big increase the following year,explains Barry. “KWS Extase could accountfor 7-9% of the wheat in the ground from2020, similar to Skyfall and Graham.”

It’s likely to take market share from Group4 varieties as some farmers will wish to growit as an out-and-out feed, says Barry.“Probably a good 50% of its sales will be togrow it as a feed wheat and there’ll be a bigdemand in the 100-mile radius around Bristolas it looked very good in our trial sites in theSouth West.”

Chris suggests that its market share willlikely top out at 10-12%. “Within a couple ofyears it could get to this level if it performsas well on farm as it has done in trials.”

The key is that KWS Extase is a versatile

KWS Extase at a glance

With the future of active ingredients in question,varieties like KWS Extase will play a big role indisease management, says John Miles.

and reliably high-yielder, says John. “It willappeal across regions and offers somethingfor everyone.” n

Insiders View

In a year of unprecedented uncertainty, wheatgrowers would be wise to aim for varieties thatwill open up both domestic potential and exportdemand. This is the view from AHDB marketspecialist David Eudall.

“We’re on the cusp of change. It requires a greater and clearer collaboration throughoutthe supply chain with both a greater physicaltonnage and quality requirement.”

He believes Group 2 and 3 are where theopportunities lie. “Other countries are betterthan the UK at producing high-yielding feedwheats, and Germany for example is better athigh-protein bread wheat. But the Group 3 softwheats –– that’s our niche. That’s the quality UKgrowers can meet consistently and the overseasmillers like.”

The area grown to Group 3s is tracking arecovery from its all-time low in 2017 of just95,000ha, with 178,000ha expected to begrown for harvest 2019. Group 2 varieties arebelieved to be at the same level or slightly lowerthan the 226,000ha grown in 2018. “Millersreally want the Group 3 area to be sorted outfirst and also want a consistent supply of Group2 varieties,” he says.

The balance of supply will come from Group1 and 4 varieties taking 460,000ha and883,000ha respectively, which should result in a 15M tonne crop. “We’re expecting a largerarea of quality crops than we’ve seen in recentyears, so there could be export opportunities if harvested quality holds up.”

On the demand side, the shortfall in the 1Mtonne Group 3 domestic requirement is currently

David Eudall believes the domestic grain marketrequires both a greater physical tonnage andquality requirement.

met by Group 4 soft wheats, says David. “Butmillers want a consistent supply and qualitythey can use. The key thing is that Group 3varieties tend to successfully meet the full10.7% protein, 180 Hagberg and 72kg/hl specific weight required.” (see chart below)

“But if Group 2 varieties are targeted at alower spec market, they perform better, witharound 31% success rate. So if growing these varieties, it’s important to find a marketand a spec you can meet and grow for it,”notes David.

On the agronomic side, some of the latestvarieties to join the AHDB Recommended List“set a new standard” in terms of septoriaresistance without yield or quality compromise,points out Christine Lilly of Frontier.

“The barrier to improved farm performancehas now been lifted, and there’s a real improvement in these varieties,” she says.“But we shouldn’t rely solely on the genetics,nor the chemistry to achieve their potential.”

Trials carried out by Frontier have compareduntreated wheats with a good septoria scoreagainst the same varieties given an optimumfungicide programme, where rates have beenreduced below the full dose. “There may beopportunities with these wheats to reduce fungicide inputs –– they may not need a T0application, for example, and the T1 spraycould be a robust triazole with chlorothalonil,”reasons Christine.

“However, decisions must be appropriate toseason-specific weather and disease pressure.Appropriate fungicide programmes must beused to protect yield.”

Group 3 variety KWS Firefly and Group 2wheat KWS Extase are examples of varieties thatare “Brexit-proof” and should be considered as“tank-mix partners”, believes Will Compson, ofKWS. “As far as Group 3 is concerned, there areno candidates coming through, so the varietiescurrently on the RL are likely to be the ones ofrelevance going forward.”

Firefly has joined the RL at the top of theGroup 3 category, with a septoria score of 7.0 notes KWS wheat breeder Mark Dodds.

“It has the highest Hagberg of any biscuitvariety, while testing over a number of seasonshas shown it consistently performs within spec–– we’ve always been quietly confident aboutthe variety.”

Good agronomics offer “a bit more security”in terms of fungicide application windows, headds. “It’s also very short and very stiff and hasorange wheat blossom midge resistance.”

Extase’s septoria score of 8.1 gives it anuntreated yield a full seven points clear of thenext best variety on the RL, points out JohnMiles of KWS. “But it’s not just about septoria.

“The variety’s early maturing with a stiff stemand a fast speed of development in the latedrilling slot, helping against blackgrass. It alsohas very good and robust grain quality –– all the other varieties with good agronomics havelower quality.”

There’s limited seed supply of KWS Extase,expected to take 1.75% of the 2019/20 wheatmarket. Greater quantities of KWS Firefly will beavailable, expected to take 2.25% of the market,boosting the area of Group 3 wheats grown forharvest 2020.

Make your wheat choice Brexit-proof and a tank-mix partner

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

82%

43%

31%

12%

% M

eetin

g f

ull s

pec

Group 1 Group 2 full spec Group 3 Group 2 mid spec

Insiders View

Source: AHDB Cereal Quality Survey, 2018


Proportion of UK wheat crop meeting full spec

There’s plenty of choice forthose who prefer a tine

coulter over a disc whenseeding direct. CPM rounds

up a selection.

By Peter Hill

Machinery Drills

A trailed hopper and rear-mounted

coulter frame can handle dry or liquid

fertiliser.”

“

Tine to direct drill?

The minimum disturbance offered by adisc coulter has its merits, especiallywhere blackgrass is a problem. But formany direct drillers, it’s not the favouredmethod of getting seed into the ground.

Soil type or the presence of a large volume of stones may dictate the tine asthe best coulter. There’s a risk with discsof hair-pinning trash into the seed channel,or smearing the slot in some soil types,especially when conditions are less than ideal. And sometimes just a little disturbance is needed, even when drilling direct.

Fortunately, growers have plenty ofchoice when it comes to tracking down amachine for direct sowing with a tine, withvarious configurations, ways in which theycreate the tilth and leave the seed.

The Cayena deploys three rows of TineTeC heavy-duty chisel openers.

AmazoneThe trailed Cayena is available in a singleworking width of 6m, deploying three rowsof TineTeC heavy-duty chisel openers withbolt-on wear blocks, unless easy-workingsoils allow the ‘regular’ version to be used.

Both are mounted on trailing arms withrubber inserts in the frame clamp allowingsome vibration and also three-way displacement around stones and otherobstructions.

Straight discs added ahead of the tinescut through trash and the coulters are followed by an Exact S levelling/coveringharrow and then an 800mm diameterwedge-ring tyre roller.

Seed and fertiliser are meteredindividually on the Cayena 6001-C comboversion but are then combined in the seed pipe.

The wide-working Condor trailed drillcomes in 12m and 15m widths, with soilengagement solely the preserve of theConTeC pro heavy-duty tine coulters.

Tungsten carbide/cobalt alloy tips aimto minimise wear in abrasive soils and upto 120kg of pressure is available at thetines, which are arranged in three staggered rows with rubber clamp insertsallowing movement over the surface.

A close-coupled wheel, either air- or

foam-filled or Otico flexi type, providespressing and depth control duties andmechanically-driven metering rollers operate through a Vario gearbox; ditto for the down-the-pipe fertiliser system.

Available in 3m and 6m working widths,Amazone’s Primera dedicated direct drill(main picture) uses chisel tines in anassembly with a close-coupled steel hoop clearing trash and a steel dish roller regulating the depth.

Parallel linkage incorporating torsionspring lower links and an auto-resetspring-loaded upper link allows horizontaland vertical break-away.

Seed covering is performed by thecombination roller immediately aft of thetines plus an Exact harrow, but a packer


s

Amazone Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper (litres)

Cayena 6001 S 6.0m T 166mm 3600

Cayena 6001-C S+F 6.0m T 166mm 4000

Condor 12001 S+F 12.0m T 250mm or 8000333mm

Condor 15001 S+F 15.0m T 250mm or 312mm 8000

Primera 3000 S+F 3.0m T 187mm 4200, 5000 or 5800

Primera 6000-2 S+F 6.0m T 187mm 4200, 5000 or 5800

Claydon Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper (litres)

Hybrid M 3 S 3.0m M 333mm 1750

Hybrid M Fert 3 S+F 3.0m M 333mm 2455


Hybrid M 4.8 S 4.8m M 320mm 1750


Hybrid T 4 S 4.0m T 308mm 3500

Hybrid T 4 Fert S+F 4.0m T 308mm 3500

Hybrid T 4.8 S 4.0m T 320mm 3500

Hybrid T 4.8 Fert S+F 4.0m T 320mm 3500

Hybrid T 6c S 6.0m T 316mm 3500

Hybrid T 6c Fert S+F 6.0m T 316mm 3500





Cross Slot Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper (litres)

Cross Slot PW3 S 3.0m T 158mm 2600



Cross Slot 6 S+F 6.0m T 222mm 2 x 1200

Dale Drills Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper

Eco-Drill S 3 S+F 3.0m M 125-250mm 1500kg



Eco-Drill M 3 S+F 3.0m T 125-250mm 2000kg




Eco-Drill L 6 S+F 6.0m T 125-250mm 3000-5000kg



Eco-Drill XL 10 S+F 10.0m T 125-250mm 3000-5000kg

Eco-Drill XL 12 S+F 12.0m T 125-250mm 3000-5000kg

(Note: M-Mounted, T-Trailed format)

Tine drill tech specs

Horsch Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper

Sprinter 3 ST S 3.0m T 250mm 3000kg

Sprinter 3 ST S+F 3.0m T 250mm 3800kg






Sprinter 8 SW S+F 8.0m T 285mm 8000kg




Note: Sprinter ST - frame-mounted hopper; Sprinter SW - trailed hopper, rear-mountedcoulter frame.

McConnel Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper

Seedaerator 3000 S 3.0m M 333mm 650 or 1250kgSeedaerator 3000 S 3.0m M 333mm 650 or 1250kg + TwinTank 120kg

Simtech Aitchison Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper (litres)

T-Sem 300A S 3.0m M 187mm 750 or 1050

T-Sem 300 S 3.0m M 150mm 750 or 1050

T-Sem 300AP S 3.0m M 187mm 1000

T-Sem 300P S 3.0m M 150mm 1000

T-Sem 400AP S 4.0m M 182mm 1000

T-Sem 480AP S 4.8m M 188mm 1700

T-Sem 600AP S 6.0m M 188mm 1700

Sumo Seed/fertiliser Width Row spacing Hopper (litres)

DTS 3 Toolbar S 3.0m M 333mm front hopper

DTS 4 Toolbar S 4.0m M 333mm front hopper

DTS 3 S 3.0m M 333mm 1600

DTS 4 S 4.0m M 333mm 3000

DTS 4 S 4.0m T 333mm 3000

DTS 4 G&F S+F 4.0m T 333mm 3000

DTS 4.8 S 4.8m T 320mm 3000

DTS 4.8 G&F S+F 4.8m T 320mm 3000

DTS 5 S 5.0m T 333mm 3000

DTS 5 G&F S+F 5.0m T 333mm 3000

DTS 6 S 6.0m T 333mm 3600

DTS 6 G&F S+F 6.0m T 333mm 3600

DTS 8 S 8.0m T 333mm 3600

DTS 8 G&F S+F 8.0m T 333mm 3600

DTS 9 S 9.0m T 346mm 3600

DTS 9 G&F S+F 9.0m T 346mm 3600


Drills


Drills

Soil engagement on the Condor is solely the preserve of the ConTeC proheavy-duty tine coulters.

All Claydon Hybrids feature the OptiTill set-up of a leading tine, followed by aspring tine coulter and band-sowing boots.

roller aligned with each rowcan be added.

Claydon HybridWith mounted models from 3mto 6m and trailed versions in4m to 8m widths, there’s plentyof choice in the Claydon Hybridrange.

Trailed versions can haverubber press wheels or shouldered trash cutting discs across the front of theimplement, and all feature theOptiTill set-up of a leading tineto loosen soil and create adrainage channel, followed by a spring tine coulter on the same trailing arm with interchangeable points andband-sowing boots.

Alternatively, a flat trash-cuttingdisc or a twin tine kit can replace

the leading tine and there is atwin-tine coulter for single-linesowing in wet, sticky soils.

Seed covering is by paddletines and a levelling harrow;paddle tines and presswheels; a two-row levellingharrow; or press wheels followed by a levelling harrow.(For more, see On FarmOpinion on p54)

Cross SlotThe trailed Cross Slot drilldeploys two rows of Bakerinverted ‘T’ coulters, eachlocated alongside a notcheddisc, with liquid fertiliser placement where availablebeing delivered from the wing section opposite theseed outlet.

This combination is mounted

s

The trailed Cross Slot drill deploys two rows ofBaker inverted ‘T’ coulters, each locatedalongside a notched disc.

Common to all Dale Eco-Drills are chisel tinesarranged in three rows in staggered pairs.

on parallel linkage with hydraulic cylinderlift-lower also providing damage protectionand downforce.

A pair of close-coupled angled presswheels closes and firms the slot while also providing depth control.

Wing folding on 4m models and widerenables the drill to travel on its on mid-mounted flotation tyres.

Dale Drills Eco-DrillThe Eco-Drill comes in tractor-mounted ‘S’versions and trailed ‘M’ format, both with aframe-mounted hopper; ‘L’ models with ahopper at the rear mounted directly abovethe field support/road transport wheels,and in ‘XL’ form with a seed cart carryingthe coulter frame.

Common to all are chisel tines arrangedin three rows in staggered pairs on parallellinkage with adjustable row spacing.Optional fertiliser placement is via the front coulter when in wide-spaced configuration.

A hydraulic cylinder on each linkageassembly provides coulter suspension and damage protection, while Dale’s ownserrated press wheel is shaped for seedrow consolidation while also providingseeding depth control.

All trailed sizes above 3m have wingfolding to 3m for travel on transport wheelassemblies.

Horsch SprinterThe Duett double seed row wing tine coulter features on the Horsch Sprinter,protected by a coil spring mechanism providing up to 285kg of pressure.

Horsch’s PPF system dispenses fertiliserseparately at the coulter below seeddepth; ST versions with a frame-mountedhopper handle dry fertiliser only, while on SW models, a trailed hopper and rear-mounted coulter frame can handle dry or liquid fertiliser.

A tyre packer can be installed acrossthe front of all versions to provide supportand also seedbed consolidation when

Drillss

The Duett double seed row wing tine coulter features on the Horsch Sprinter.

The tractor-mounted Seedaerator can be equipped with a staggered row offlat trash-cutting discs or a soil-loosening tine.

working on cultivated ground but stand post-coulterequipment comprises two rowsof flexible covering tines and achoice of 650-780mm diameterpacker tyres.

McConnel SeedaeratorThis tractor-mounted drill canbe equipped with a staggeredrow of flat trash-cutting discs ora soil-loosening tine and presswheel ahead of the two rows ofwing tine coulters.

These come in a choice ofdimensions from 60-170mmtwin row, all mounted on parallel linkage and with a coilspring providing complianceand damage protection.

A soft press and depth control close-coupled on thecoulter parallel linkage closesand consolidates the resultingtilth, with one or two rows ofpaddle tines or levelling harrowtines available as further finishing elements if required.

Micro fertiliser placement is available on the TwinTankmodel.

SimTech Aitchison T-SemA 3m ‘box drill’ hopper withground-drive metering and gravity-fed coulters is a noveltyin this range but all other T-Semdrills use central metering rollers and air distribution.

Common to all is a row of flattrash-cutting discs or a Pneuflexroller ahead of inverted ‘T’ coulter points arranged in three rows, each on its own double-coil flexible tine.

The simplicity theme continueswith a chain covering harrow,which on pneumatic models can be replaced by a flexible tine packer.

Liquid or dry fertiliser placement can also be had.

Sumo DTSThere are trailed versions to 9mwide and mounted models in ‘one piece’ and weight-spreadingtoolbar-plus-front hopper configuration in the Sumo DTS range.

Straight trash-cutting discs are followed by a tine for soil


s

s

s

Drills

Drills

The choice for disced direct drills is far from limited, with a number of recent and forthcoming additions shaking up the market.

Just launched at SIMA 2019 (after CPMwent to press –– see April issue for details) isKuhn’s new Aurock triple-disc seed drill. It offersthe capability to establish crops under cover, inminimum tillage or direct drilling conditions.

Targeting the growing conservation agriculture sector but with the versatility forwider applications, the Aurock is launched in a 6m format and will be available from thissummer.

With either single or dual-metering options,it offers the versatility of managing approachessuch as dual cropping or sowing one row in twowith independently managed sowing depths.

The Aurock is an ISOBUS-compatiblemachine, available with the Kuhn CCI 1200 or CCI 50 control terminals.

Väderstad’s dedicated direct drill is the Seed Hawk, although the model hasn’t beenavailable to UK growers for about four years,says Väderstad UK’s Andy Gamble.

“These machines are not designed forEuropean agriculture due to their transportwidth. But anyone with a Rapid already has theoriginal Väderstad direct drill –– System Discwas added later to create extra tilth in dry seasons, and the toolbar can be lifted out ofplay if direct drilling in good conditions.”

In high trash situations, such as in covercrops, you can remove the CrossBoard andswitch to the three-row kit that’s now available,he adds. “The Rapid gives you the penetrationand depth control needed for heavier soils,while the third axle of seed coulters allow heavyresidue to pass through.”

Lemken has the Solitair drill, available in various formats, which is neither a tined nordirect drill. “But the beauty of Lemken’s crop

Flexible systems give discs a cutting edge

Kuhn launched its new Aurock triple-disc seeddrill at SIMA.

A three-row kit is available for the VäderstadRapid.

The Sky EasyDrill is specifically designed forconservation agriculture systems.

establishment system is that it’s modular –– theSolitair is designed to work in conjunction with acultivation tool in a single pass if required,” saysthe company’s Richard Relph.

He advises those looking for minimum disturbance, or a strip-till system, to opt forLemken’s Dolomit. Available in a 3m or 4mworking widths, this pre-loosener has 60cmwide wing shares that work the soil at a 35cmdepth, which allows mulch seeding in a singlepass, when used in conjunction with theSolitaire.

The Sky EasyDrill is specifically designed for conservation agriculture systems, with theversatility to drill direct into cover crops, stubbleor cultivated land. A single-disc notched coulter,angled at just 3.5°, moves as little soil as possible, but enough to create a tilth, says Sky Agriculture. A dual metering system, splithopper and optional small-seed Prohopper offera plethora of dual-cropping and placementoptions.

Horsch’s Avatar is the company’s dedicatedconservation agriculture/direct drill. Two rows ofsingle-disc coulters at a row spacing of 16.7cmand a clearance of 33.4cm per row cope withharvest residues and catch crops, says the company. It’s available in 3-8m working widthswith the standard 5000-litre double hopper orthere’s the Avatar 12, available with a seed waggon of up to 12,000-litre capacity for larger units.

The 750A is John Deere’s well proven andpopular direct drill, suitable for establishing acrop straight into cover crops. It’s available in3m, 4m and 6m working widths with an 1800 or 2300-litre hopper. With a single-disc coulterangled at 7°, the 750A can drill with minimumdisturbance at depths up to 90mm, while coulterpressure can be varied up to 250kg.


Straight trash-cutting discs on the DTS arefollowed by a tine for soil loosening and to

form a drainage channel

loosening and to form a drainage channel,with auto reset protection and up to 250mmworking depth.

Rigid wing tine coulters follow, sowing in a 50mm band or 35mm line, from seed boots each mounted on a trailing,pivot-mounted arm.

Hydraulic cylinders on parallel linkageprovide coulter suspension and obstructionprotection, while a pair of serrated seed

Drills

Not every tined drill is suitable for drilling direct into stubble or cover crops, nor will slot into a single-pass system. But they offer

The Primavera is billed as a low-cost seed drillfor min-till systems.

considerable benefits in terms of cost and inconditions that simply aren’t suitable for directdrilling.

Kuhn offers the Megant drill to those wedded to tines, especially on heavy or rockysoils. It’s available in 4.8m, 5m, 5.6m and 6mformats, all with a 1700-litre hopper. It’s notdesigned for direct drilling, but includes Kuhn’sQuantron S electronic seed-metering system.

For tined enthusiasts, also available throughOpico is Maschio’s Primavera. Available in 4-6m working widths with a 1500 or 1700-litre hopper, it’s billed as a low-cost seeddrill for min-till systems. Four rows of tined coulters are designed to work in trashy or stony conditions.

The Megant drill is suitable for heavy or rockysoils.

covering discs followed by a foam-filled rubber tyre combine consolidation withdepth control.

Fertiliser placement puts nutrients into the root zone from the seed coulter. n

s

Tine after tine can be sublime

Cover crops establishedusing direct strip seeding

provide significant agronomic, economic and ecological benefits on one

N Yorks arable farm where they’ve been

grown since 2014

By Julian Cooksley

Machinery On Farm Opinion

Drill to fit the forward-thinking farm

“Cover crops are doing one hell of a jobhere,” enthuses N Yorks grower GrahamPotter. “We began growing them in 2014and they’ve become an established partof our system. The results have beenunbelievable.”

Low organic matter was traditionally an issue across the 20 types of soil, fromblowing sand to heavy clay, farmed byW Potter and Sons, based at TopcliffeGrange near Thirsk. But in just four years,the index has increased from 1-1.5 tobetween 4-4.5. “That’s amazing in such a short time,” remarks Graham.

“The cover crop mix includes vetch, oil

Graham Potter has achieved good results fromthe combination of cover crops and direct stripseeding at Topcliffe Grange.

radish, phacelia, clover, buckwheat andoats which work very well together andwith chopped straw to provide a deepmulch which is very beneficial for earthworms and other insects,” he explains.

Pilot studyTopcliffe Grange is one of three farms in the area that are taking part in a pilotstudy for Yorkshire Water, which is encouraging farmers to grow cover cropsto reduce environmental issues such assoil run-off during very wet weather. This is the first year of the study, which isdesigned to improve the structure of soils in the River Swale catchment and get them to act like a sponge so that rainfall is absorbed, held in the ground and released slowly.

“Run-off has been a problem on somefarms which use conventional cultivationsand leave land bare over winter becausesoil, nutrients and chemical residues,including metaldehyde, wash down intorivers. We were keen to participate in theproject and work closely with CatchmentSensitive Farming to achieve the bestresults,” Graham states.

Graham’s the third generation to farm

Topcliffe Grange. Bordering the RiverSwale, the farm once employed 11 staff,with sheep, pigs and cattle which returnednutrients and humus back to the land. But those all went many years ago and


cropping now includes 38ha of covercrops, 42ha of first wheat, 61ha of secondand third wheat, 46ha of high-erucicoilseed rape, 8ha of fodder beet and 6haof grass.

“The Government is set on moving away from direct area-based payments in favour of schemes which deliver moreenvironmental benefits, so we’ve been progressively changing how we farm for several years. There’s no point in farmingland unless it can be done profitably,because that’s a waste of expensive inputs and reduces average yields and profitability,” notes Graham.

He uses Gatekeeper crop-recordingsofware to produce margin maps whichhighlight areas where this is the case. “If we can’t fix whatever issues are causing it that area goes into a mid-tierscheme, such as cover mixes for birds,” he explains.

“For three years we’ve used a drone tomap our crops for issues such as weedsand slugs, then that data generates variable-rate maps which are used for everything, from seed rates to agrochemicals and fertilisers. If we cansave inputs we will do, because all the savings mount up and become very

The number of tractor and man

hours fell dramaticallybecause it was a quick

job to get crops in the ground, in one

pass.”

“

Drilling is carried out using RTK guidance to an accuracy of 2.5cm, allowing him to put spring barleybetween cover crop rows, while second and third wheats are also inter-row sown.

On Farm Opinion

s


significant. Attention to detail hasallowed us to reduce our production coststo well under £100/t for wheat: we believeit’s important to do that because of all thepolitical uncertainties currently surroundingthe farming sector.”

A key factor in achieving that was the

move from traditional methods of cropestablishment to strip seeding in 2013. “I first saw the benefits in WesternAustralia, where I worked my first harvestin 2001 and went back every year for thenext ten years,” he says.

“The most progressive farmers there

always use the latest technology and mostswitched from discing and drilling to directseeding. Many of the drills in Australia useangled discs or low-disturbance tines andwork well in dry soils, but that configurationis totally unsuitable for UK conditions.”

Improve timelinessWorking in Australia highlighted forGraham the need to move away fromplough-based crop establishment –– hisaim was to reduce the time and cost ofestablishing crops, improve timeliness andbenefit the farm’s ecology. “Also, I wantedto operate the farm myself so that in addition to any savings in establishmentcosts I didn’t have to pay someone else todo a lot of work which was unnecessaryfrom an agronomic point of view.

“My uncle bought a Claydon Hybrid drillin 2012 and despite the exceptionally wetautumn and spring he achieved very goodresults, so I thought that if it would workthen it would cope with anything.”

After visiting the Claydon farm in Suffolkthe following year he bought a 4.8mClaydon Hybrid drill to fit in with his 24msystem. “It was simple, well made, costvery little to maintain and made a big difference to farm profitability through savings in establishment costs. I hadn’texpected higher yields, but they were apleasant surprise,” comments Graham.

Previously, half the farm was ploughedand on the other half he used a Sumo Triofollowed by a KRM disc-type combinationdrill. “But this was expensive, labour intensive and time consuming. I and apart-time employee clocked up hundredsof tractor hours every autumn just turning


The new 4.8m Claydon Hybrid trailed drill features front shouldered discs, which allow it to workeffectively directly into cover crops.

The 215hp John Deere 6125R is used to pull the 4.8m Claydon Hybrid drill at 10-11 km/h, covering thefarm comfortably in just four days.

On Farm Opinion

s

The ITEC system, controlled through a screen onthe corner post of the cab, ensures absoluteaccuracy and reduces driver fatigue.

the soil over. We spent three weeksploughing the farm and it took two weeksto drill it.

Graham’s cost of establishing wheat was £116/ha, which included £47/ha forploughing, £57/ha for drilling, plus £12/hafor rolling. Using the Claydon System, however, he was able to establish all thecrops himself for just £76/ha –– £14/ha forthe Claydon Straw Harrow, £50/ha fordrilling and £12/ha for rolling.

“The number of tractor and man hoursfell dramatically because it was a quick jobto get crops in the ground, in one pass,behind a 205hp John Deere 7830, which

handled it comfortably at 11-12 km/h.”Two or three passes with the 7.5m

Claydon Straw Harrow after harvest are followed with the Claydon Hybrid drill –– a system that takes just four days. “The condition of the land has improved significantly and because it was better able to support the weight of followingmachinery I could spray or apply fertiliserwell before other farms in the area.

Yields increased steadily, he reports,from 8t/ha with the previous systems to10.5t/ha in 2013, 11t/ha in 2014 and theycontinue to climb. “The Straw Harrow isessential to distribute chopped straw evenly across the field, control weeds and keep on top of slugs.”

Graham carried out on-farm trials to seewhat difference stubble height makes tohow well the Claydon system works ––some stubbles were left at 30cm, some at 25cm and others at 15cm. “The drillworked best when the stubble is 15cmhigh, which also produced the best germination and crop, so now I set thecombine’s header to that height and thechopper to cut the straw as short as possible.”

The Straw Harrow passes through once

a week between harvest and drilling –– atotal of three or four passes on OSRground and two or three on wheat. Hehighlights that it’s becoming increasinglyimportant to deal with slugs effectively.“Seasons have changed, and we’ve hadno hard winters to naturally reduce pestpopulations and disease issues.

“Where slugs are an issue it doesn’tseem to matter how many pellets you throwat them, within the limits allowed, so onsome fields I take advantage of hot, dry

Deep-rooting cover crops help to drain andaerate the heavy soils, making them much easierto work and more resilient.


On Farm Opinions

Double-rolling seedbeds after drilling has beenvery effective in reducing slug numbers and noslug pellets have been applied in the last 12 months.

weather after harvest to go over the stubbles with the Straw Harrow at up to25km/h to knock out as many slugs, nestsand eggs as possible. In 2018 it was soeffective that we’ve not needed to use any slug pellets.”

Volunteers and weeds are left to chit andthen killed off with glyphosate before drilling,rolling and applying a pre-emergence herbicide. The Straw Harrow is also used tobreak down any clods which remain on thesurface of heavier fields after drilling, soplants are better able to germinate, and herbicides work more effectively.

“After five seasons, in 2018 I traded in the4.8 Hybrid M mounted drill for a new 4.8mHybrid T trailed model to allow diammonium

phosphate (DAP) fertiliser to be applied at drilling as this helps the crop establishquickly, especially where there’s a largeamount of chopped straw. The trailed modelalso allows us to use front shouldered discsand can drill directly into cover crops, whichis important now they’re a permanent featureof our system.”

The new Claydon Hybrid will drill up to53ha a day, he says. Establishing his first and second wheats in around four days, thishas allowed him to take on contract drillingfor other farms.

“For the past two years I’ve used the ITecPro control system on the 215hp John Deere6125R. This ensures that the drill is loweredand raised exactly where needed so thereare no overlaps when turning on headlands.It saved 1t of seed last year, worth approximately £500. It also automates thewhole process –– raising the implement,turning the tractor and then dropping backinto work all done for you –– which makes itmuch easier and leaves me feeling muchless tired at the end of a long day.”

For the first time this year Graham’s usedthe 6m Claydon TerraStar. “It was bought toproduce slightly more tilth than the StrawHarrow on certain soils, under certain conditions, and that’s made a big differenceto weed germination. We’ve also moved to

There’s been a noticeable improvement in soiltexture since cover crops were introduced.

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Farmers at AHDB Monitor farms have been comparing machinery costs at a series of meetings over the winter.

At one event in Pembrokeshire last month,AHDB machinery ‘guru’ Harry Henderson andJames Turner from Strutt & Parker led 15 farmers through a discussion on how they couldput accurate, detailed costs against their farmlabour and machinery.

Monitor Farm host Tom Rees displayed hisown machinery costs. “Being a small farm,I thought our machinery costs would be fairlyhigh because we don’t have the area to spreadit over. But what became apparent once westarted getting the results of our own machineryreview back, was that by using large kit, runningit for a long time and doing repairs in-house –– this makes economic sense for us.”

Tom’s total arable labour and machinery cost,at £403/ha, was around the average for all 22AHDB Monitor Farms to have done a machineryand labour costs review. He keeps machineryand implement costs extremely low because |thefamily can do a lot of the repairs themselves.|But his total arable labour costs are high incomparison with the group.

Still scope to cut machinery costs

Tom Rees keeps costs low because the familycan do a lot of the repairs themselves.

Based on data from all Monitor farms (whichmay not be a sufficiently large dataset to bereliable), characteristics of those with the lowest25% of costs are:l Depreciation below £63/hal Low repair costs through tactical hiring

and experiencel Diesel use below 100 l/hal Farm size 500-1000 ha

Harry notes that every farm is different, andurges others to do a review and start using thedata to make informed decisions. “There’s nosingle strategy to suit everyone. It’s important tobear in mind that having the lowest possiblecosts isn’t necessarily the aim –– machineryalso needs to be reliable and fit for purpose.”

The AHDB Machinery costing calculator isavailable as a pdf or Excel spreadsheet –– go toahdb.org.uk/machinery-costing-calculator

Optimum cultivationsClaydon’s Opti-Till crop establishment system isfive times faster and three times cheaper thanplough-based techniques, dramatically reducingestablishment costs, according to the company’sfounder Jeff Claydon.

double-rolling all seedbeds, often on thesame day as drilling, to achieve better consolidation and make it a less attractiveenvironment for slugs.

“The recycled gypsum we apply to provide sulphur and help to break up theheavy clay soils also helps to dry out andkill slugs. This has been very effective andlast year we didn’t need to apply any slugpellets. It all adds up to a considerablecost saving and, what’s more, it’s better for the environment,” he notes. n

The aim is to create the optimum amount oftillage for all soils and conditions. The ClaydonTerraStar, Straw Harrow and TerraBlade are usedfor stubble and weed management, in addition tothe Hybrid mounted and trailed drills, togetherwith the firm’s Cambridge rolls. All have beendesigned with a minimum of wearing and movingparts to keep operating costs low, says Jeff.

“Opti-Till has transformed the economics of crop production on farms in over 30 countries worldwide,” he claims. There’s a cost saving calculator on the Claydon websitewww.claydondrills.com/savings-calculator


On Farm Opinion

Agricultural engineering consultant Andy Scarlettwith the BrakeSafe device that machinery dealersuse to test tractor and trailer brakingperformance.

It’s only when you have tomake a sudden stop that

you realise the life-savingpotential of good trailer

brakes. CPM looks at how to avoid making that

moment a gamble.

By Peter Hill

MachineryTrailers

Make or brake for trailers

Fading trailer brake performance is easilyoverlooked in the hustle and bustle of abusy season but one that really needs tobe addressed in timely fashion. Not onlybecause of the safety implications, butalso because of the hefty costs that canbe incurred from relying too heavily ontractor brakes to bring outfits to a stop.

The issue of trailer braking performancehas been brought to the fore again withthe prosecution of a farming business forinadequate brake maintenance after ayoung farm worker died following a tractor crash.

It comes as a timely reminder to farmersand contractors that silage and grain trailers standing idle for much of the yearwill soon be pressed into service again,travelling along farm tracks and on publicroads carrying heavy loads of grass and grain.

At stake here are worker and publicwelfare issues, machinery maintenance

and repair costs and the public image offarming.

Yet making sure the braking performance of trailed farm equipment is fit for purpose need not be an expensiveor time-consuming affair.

Up to scratchOnly regular inspection and adjustment tocompensate for brake shoe wear, as wellas formal testing of older trailers to see ifthey can adequately cope with currentfarm transport expectations, will ensurethat trailer brakes are up to scratch.

But what does ‘up to scratch’ mean in this context?

According to agricultural engineeringconsultant Dr Andy Scarlett, it meansachieving a balanced braking effort from atractor and trailer combination, with boththe tractor and the trailer contributing thesame braking effort relative to their weight.

“If the trailer doesn’t make its due contribution, the tractor brakes have to work harder to slow the outfit,” heexplains. “At best, that will result in additional wear and higher servicing costsand at its worst an outfit that is less stableand could be prone to jack-knifing underheavy braking.”

Yet regular inspection and occasionalperformance testing can help avoid such issues.

“In many cases, it will just be a case ofadjusting the existing set-up to achieveoptimum performance,” says Andy.

“In others, it may require upgradedcomponents that, at most, would costaround £400 per tandem axle trailer, whichis a minuscule proportion of the trailer’svalue to the farm business.”

As an illustration of ‘balanced braking’performance, he cites the example of a typical 16t tandem-axle trailer with suspension, flotation tyres and a roll-oversheet weighing-in at around 6t empty.

With a full load on board, the trailershares about 3t of its gross weight with the

Merely driving along a flat

surface and slammingon the brakes with the

trailer empty will simplynot do.”

“s


tractor via the drawbar, whichleaves 19t on the axles.

“The accepted norm for anyvehicle capable of 40km/h ormore is that it should achieve 45-50% braking efficiency,” Andy points out.

“So the trailer’s brakes need to achieve a braking force equivalent to 45-50% of theweight on its axles to deliverbraking performance that matches the tractor’s capabilities.”

While new and other trailersjust a few years old should beequipped to achieve that standard, older units may not, or may have been modified in away that diminishes their brakingperformance.

“In some instances, older trailers won’t have brake actuators of sufficient size andthis is the component that translates hydraulic or air pressure into movement at thebrake shoes,” he explains.

“Some will also lack a load-sensing mechanism to prevent wheels locking up bymoderating the braking effortwhen the trailer is running empty or partially laden.”

He also highlights the negativeeffect on braking of replacingoriginal tyres with taller ones toachieve increased flotationand/or greater ground clearance.

“A taller tyre generates morerotational torque, which can onlybe compensated to maintainbraking performance by adjusting the actuating

mechanism to deliver moreshove at the brake shoe,” Andy emphasises.

Establishing for sure whethertrailer brakes are, indeed, “up toscratch” requires a properlystructured dynamic braking test–– merely driving along a flat surface and slamming on thebrakes with the trailer empty willsimply not do.

Machinery dealers throughoutthe country can carry out such atest to measure the capabilitiesof both service and parkingbrakes on tractors and trailers, as well as other heavytrailed equipment such asmanure spreaders and slurrytankers, big seed drills andtrailed cultivators.

Dealers offering this serviceuse the agricultural version ofBrakeSafe, a device producedby Turnkey Instruments that was originally developed in association with BAGMA, thedealer trade organisation, theDepartment for Transport and theHealth & Safety Executive (HSE).

This purpose-built test kit provides an informed measure ofwhether brake mechanisms needto be adjusted or upgraded byrecording various parametersduring a dynamic test.

Once positioned securely inthe tractor cab, the BrakeSafeunit uses an accelerometer tomeasure peak and mean deceleration, while also recording the test speed, stopping distance and time

Trailer braking equipment may simply need adjusting to keep performance upto scratch.

Trailers

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A balanced outfit (top) a 200hp tractor weighing8.5t and carrying 3t of the trailer’s gross weightvia the drawbar. The tractor’s braking systemgenerates 5.75t braking effort –– 50% of itsgross weight. A 16t capacity trailer places 19t in total on the axles when carrying a full load, so the braking system needs to generate9.5t of braking force to meet the 45-50%braking effort norm for vehicles capable of more than 40km/h.

An unbalanced outfit (bottom) –– with thetrailer generating only 8.2t of braking force dueto incorrect brake actuator/lever arm geometryor an actuator too small for the job, applies 1.3tof thrust through the drawbar so the tractor musttry to make up the difference to achieve 50%braking effort for the outfit as a whole.

taken to stop from the point the brakes areapplied.

A pedal force transducer or switchingunit connection to the tractor’s hydraulic orair brake system records the brake pedalforce applied and any slope in the testcourse can be taken into account to ensurea ‘true’ result.

A built-in printer provides an instant hardcopy of the results, which can also betransferred to a computer for the farmrecords.

BAGMA provides training of experiencedagricultural technicians in the use of the system, including refresher training, which isconsidered advisable every five years, and

The right balance to brake even

The size of the brake actuator (in this case acombined air and hydraulic unit), and thegeometry of the connecting rod relative to theperforated brake operating lever influence atrailer’s braking performance.

Trailers

dealers can have their BrakeSafe calibratedannually to ensure it consistently deliversaccurate results.

There’s no standard charge for such atest but BAGMA’s Keith Christian indicatesthat dealers are unlikely to charge morethan £100 per trailer; and some will do itfor less, especially if they are asked toalso carry out any chargeable remedialwork on trailers found to under-perform.

Trailer brakes that do not come up tostandard may simply need adjusting, s


The TILLY Your Trailer campaign aims toencourage farmers and contractors to voluntarily have their trailers regularly servicedand inspected, and to get operators into theroutine of making daily checks before theyoperate a tractor and trailer combination.

The family behind the campaign urge farmers to ensure that trailers are in best possible shape for hauling seed and fertilisersin the drilling season and grain, oilseeds andstraw at harvest.

Machinery dealers supporting the campaignprovide a certificate and apply a sticker to certify that a trailer or any other heavy trailedequipment used on the road has been servicedby a qualified mechanic.

A list of 18 routine checks for operators to carry out is recommended before the equipment is used; they include checking thatproximity and brake lights are in good workingorder, that the hand-brake performs as itshould, and inspecting tyres for condition andcorrect inflation.

Campaign supporters say this process not only acts as a reminder to check thatequipment is up to scratch, rather than simply

The TILLY Your Trailer campaign aims toencourage farmers and contractors to haveheavy trailed equipment professionallyinspected and serviced regularly.

jumping on and driving away, while providing a paper trail as evidence of a farm business

taking a responsible approach to the issue.The TILLY acronym (Trailer Inspection,

Life-Saving Legislation Yearly) comes from thename of a pet Beagle whose 19-year old ownerdied following an accident with the tractor andtrailer he was driving, which was attributed topoor brake condition and performance.

Trailers

which is why there are spare holes inthe brake-operating lever arm –– assumingthe uppermost hole is not already providing the connection, that is.

The lever arm turns a cam to push thefriction shoes against the brake drum, somoving the connecting rod from the actuatorunit up a hole results an increase in the forcegenerated through greater leverage.

“Just remember to also reposition theactuator on its axle mounting bracket ifnecessary to keep the connecting rod atthe optimum right-angle to the operatinglever arm,” advises Andy.

When adjustments do not produce thedesired results, the next option is toupgrade the actuators to a larger size.

It’s advisable to get professional adviceat this stage because it’s important to have a set-up that is neither under- norover-specced for the trailer.

Air-only actuators are available foraround £20 apiece, while combinedair/hydraulic actuators cost £50-£60 each.

Both are relatively straight-forward to fitfor someone savvy with spanners, saysAndy, but he recommends leaving theinstallation of components such as trailerload-sensing and safety break-awayvalves to professionals. n

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TILLY keeps trailers in check

A brand-new cab leads thefeatures of the JCB SeriesIII Loadall. CPM finds out

what’s different and takesthe machine for a drive at

its launch at the company’sheadquarters in Staffs.

By Tom Allen-Stevens and Nick Fone

Machinery Telehandler launch

It’s focused firmly on the agricultural

operator.”“

Cab comforts come first

With all the glitz and glamour you’dexpect from a major new introduction to the agricultural machinery market,JCB has launched its Series III Loadall,boasting increased lift performance,improved safety and driver comfort.

Most significant among the new features, though, is the all-new CommandPlus cab, designed primarily with agricultural operators and owner-drivers in mind, says JCB. The Uttoxeter-basedmanufacturer has lavished £8M and50,000 manhours over five years on developing the new range, with a

staggering £6M spent on the cab alone.The new Loadall may be a bid to

reaffirm JCB’s leading position in the agricultural telehandler market. Introducedin 1977, it was the first telescopic materials handler seen on farms, and JCB’sfirst foray into the agricultural market. Sincethen, a third of the 240,000 machines thathave rolled off the production line havefound their way onto farms.

“Just over 40 years ago, the JCB Loadalltelescopic handler introduced farmers to a revolution in mechanised materials handling,” says JCB chief innovation and growth officer Tim Burnhope.

Successive innovations“Through successive technical innovations in JCB engines, smarthydraulics and advanced transmissions,the Loadall has continued to deliver outstanding productivity, performance,durability and cost-efficiency.”

The Series III development representsthe biggest R&D investment Loadall hasenjoyed in its 42-year history. “It’s focusedfirmly on the agricultural operator, with theall-new Command Plus cab that’s quieter,wider and longer, with an improved drivingposition, controls that are easier to locate

and use, and an instrument display that islarger and more informative,” continuesTim.

The new cab will be manufactured in abrand-new £50 million JCB Cab Systemsfactory being constructed near the company’s other manufacturing andassembly plants in Uttoxeter, Staffs.

Detailed engineering and ergonomicsstudies, and a programme of end-user consultation went into the new cab, saysJCB, designed to meet the visibility, comfort, control and practical demands of discerning operators. The headline resultis a cab that’s a full 50% quieter.

It’s 12% roomier, has a neater control


A staggering £6M has been spent on developingthe cab that’s 12% roomier, has better all-roundvisibility and is a full 50% quieter.

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Visibility has been improved by 14% upwards toa raised bucket or fork by uninterrupted glazingthat sweeps up and over the operator’s head.

layout and provides considerably morededicated storage space. Visibility to thefront wheels and beyond has been

improved by the low-set dash panel andby 14% upwards to a raised bucket or forkby uninterrupted glazing that sweeps up

and over the operator’s head. The aim hasbeen to build on the Loadall telescopichandler’s all-round visibility –– especiallyto the right side thanks to the low-setboom and compact engine cover –– byfocusing on the operator’s view forwardsand upwards.

Sophisticated solution“A single-radius sheet of curved glasswould have been the simplest solution,”notes Tim. “But this was rejected becauseit brought the windscreen too close to the driver’s face. So we opted for a more sophisticated solution –– a multi-radiusdesign that maintains a sense ofspaciousness behind the wheel withoutdistorting the view out, and provides acontinuous field of vision from the low-setbottom edge of the glass to the top edgeabove the operator’s head.

“The Command Plus design brings atransformation in forwards and upwardsvisibility that we believe sets new standards for operator productivity, safetyand driving ease –– it’s a cab without compromise.”So what else is new?l An increased lift performance for all 6, 7

and 9.5m models in the telehandler line-upl Optional Chassis Sway hydraulic

levelling at the front axle for precision load placement

l In-cab and external pressure relief for attachment change-over

l Distinctive new colour scheme, ‘Loadall’ and ‘JCB’ branding but familiar overall appearance.There are four models in the new Series

III range, with up to 200kg increased loadcapacity over their predecessors –– the6m lift 538-60, 7m 532-70 and 542-70, andthe 9.5m high-lift 536-95. The heavy-lift,bulk handling 560-80 with 8m lift height

The Series III Loadall was launched with all the glitz and glamour you’d expect from a major newintroduction.

Telehandler launch

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There’s up to 32t towing capacity, with a twin-linehydraulic rear-braking system.

The cab is less cluttered with more yellow-painted grab handles than your average tube train carriage.

The JCB EcoMax engines remain unchanged, butthere’s a new 40km/h TorqueLock 4 powershifttransmission.

Telehandler launch

and 6t lift capacity remain the same, andthe 536-70 LP continues unchanged withits existing low profile cab for poultry shedand other low height applications.

Equipment levelThere are Agri (including Agri Smart Powerand Agri TorqueLock 4), Agri Plus, AgriSuper and Agri Pro variants as before.These provide a choice of features andequipment levels, and options coveringLED lighting packages, towing hitches andfront-end implements from the JCB Agrirange of attachments.

Power units are unchanged –– the 4.4-litre and 4.8-litre JCB EcoMax enginesserve up a choice of 55kW, 81kW, 93kWand 108kW (75hp, 109hp, 125hp and145hp) outputs.

But there’s a new 40km/h TorqueLock 4powershift transmission with four-speedtorque converter lock-up for the 81kW(109hp) engine to provide more performance and better fuel economywhen travelling and towing than the regular30km/h four-speed transmission.

The six-speed JCB Torque Lock auto powershift and DualTech VT hydrostatic/powershift transmissions, which are both capable of 40km/h, continue unchanged. n

Telehandler launch

Swinging up into the new cab, the first thingyou’ll notice is how much less cluttered it feels.There’s now a complete absence of rockerswitches on the dash with virtually all machinefunctions handled by two of banks of rubberisedbuttons on the armrest. Backlit, the icons arelogical and easy to fathom.

Just forward of these and off to one side from the joystick is a BMW-style twiddle-and-click dial that’s used to navigatethrough the new colour screen. While the introduction of computer controls on anymachine will inevitably cause sighs and sharpintakes of breath (especially on a loader),JCB’s approach makes some sense.

By moving the plethora of dials, switches andbuttons to the armrest and screen, it makes for a cleaner, less jumbled cockpit.

The main computer home screen showsengine rpm, speed, temperature, fuel andAdBlue levels just as you’d expect from a normal dash. But on top of that it gives you aread-out from an inclinometer to show howlevel the machine is. It also shows boom angle,which lights are on, what gear is selected,heater/AC settings and which steering modeyou’re in. There’s no longer a rotary selectorswitch for 2WS, 4WS and crab, instead a shortcut button takes you straight to the rightmenu and the main dial is used to scrollbetween them.

Control-wise the heater and air-con panel isthe only remaining switchgear left on the dashpanel. (Set-and-forget climate control is now an option).

With good reason there’s been a fair bit ofwork put into the ventilation set-up. Being brutally honest the old arrangement was barelyup to the job and the new system is a marked improvement.

It runs under positive pressure to keep dust

So what’s changed from a driver’s point of view?

By moving the plethora of dials, switches andbuttons to the armrest and screen, it makes fora cleaner, less jumbled cockpit.

and other undesirables out. Like any car-type set-up it’s now possible to switch between re-circulated and fresh air. Cleverly the diverter valve that does this job is linked to adoor switch so that when the door is opened,it too opens. Then, when the door is shut itreverts to the re-circ position if required.This means that big downside of positively pressurised cabins –– hard-to-slam doors –– is avoided.

The ventilation ducting is sculpted around the steering column and along the side of thecab in a way that gives maximum blast to theglass. In combination with a more efficientheater matrix and 10% more airflow, it meansdefrost times have been cut by two thirds,according to JCB.

As a result of the re-arrangement inswitchgear, it’s been possible to streamline thedash so that it now swoops lower than before,improving visibility down to the wheels and theattachment carriage when it’s in its lowest position.

Views skywards have been bettered too.By doing away with the cross-member thatpreviously divided the front screen from the roof panel, there’s now an uninterrupted vista all the way through the lift arc, from right downlow back to the highest point of the boom’s travel.

It’s all very well having acres of glass but it’sanother thing keeping it clean. A twin-bladedwiper set-up clears the forward-facing glazingwhile a brace of opposed wipers sweep the roofleaving less than 10% of the glass unswept.

While this feeling of spaciousness is lovely,how does it benefit the bigger-boned operator?

Slight increases in width, height and lengthmake for a 12% increase in volume, accordingto JCB, and access is improved thanks to aswing-up steering column borrowed from the

firm’s loading shovels and Fastracs. On top ofthat, as an aid to hauling yourself into thethrone, there are now more yellow-painted grab handles than your average tube train carriage.

Usually at a premium in telehandlers, there’sactually plenty of storage space on these latestLoadalls. Around behind the seat there’s a liftout bin for stilsons, string and the occasionalspringer spaniel. There are two cup-holders, aproper clamp-up phone holder and a pre-wired hands-free microphone that connects tomobiles via the Bluetooth stereo. There are twinUSB ports and another pair of standard 12vsockets for charging.

Thanks to a whole raft of work done by the engineering team you might even be able tomake yourself heard over the hands-free kit. By doing away with various holes in the cab structure and adding all sorts of sound-absorbing cladding both inside and outside, JCB claims to have reduced noiselevels at the driver’s ear by 50%. That’s all goodso long as you get out of the habit of drivingaround with the upper cab door latched open.

There’s so much more time to

get through the workload.”

“

Sprayer upgrade designed to last

Extra spraying capacity offered by a newChafer Interceptor self-propelled sprayerhas opened up a range of possibilities forEssex arable farmer John Metson, and he hopes that it’ll be a long and fruitfulpartnership with the machine.

“The Interceptor replaces a 21-year-old2500-litre Gem Sapphire, and I hope to keepit for a similar length of time. It’s the lastpiece of the jigsaw in a programme to update the farm equipment,” John comments.

He purchased the 4000-litre, 24m boomsprayer sight unseen, as he explains.

“Chafer has a very good reputation, so I knew it would retain its value and while thesprayer is used for chemicals only at themoment, the stainless-steel tank and powder-coated booms mean that it would be suitable for liquid fertiliser if I decide togo down that route.”

Cropping 300ha on mainly heavy land,John has switched to all winter cereals for2018/19 taking advantage of the goodautumn conditions, and says that spring canbe tricky to travel on the soils.

“We keep the same tramlines each yearwhich helps, but you do have to be patient

The Interceptor replaces a 21-year-old sprayer,and John Metson hopes to keep it for a similarlength of time.

in the spring, so the extra capacity will helpget over the land and maintain timeliness.”

He comments that the latest technologyavailable on the sprayer was another attraction, with air-activated GPS auto-section shut-off helping to increaseaccuracy.

Extremely precise“It’s extremely precise, which not only avoidswasting chemical through overlaps, but alsomeans that I can accurately calculate exactly how much chemical is required foreach field, and in future years, order onlythat amount. This would also be especiallybeneficial if I decide to go with liquid fertiliser.”

MJ Metson and Son has a 6m Horschdrill, so a 30m boom was one option to consider, but John chose to stick with 24mdouble-fold F series booms.

“We sometimes spray for neighbours, whoare all 24m. But if they go to 30m in thefuture, additional sections can easily befitted to make the boom 30m,” he explains.

It’s the extra tank capacity that’s makingthe real difference, he points out. “Our fieldsare mainly 16-20ha, so the 4000-litre tankmeans we can really get over the ground,covering 40ha in one load. There’s so muchmore time to get through the workload.”

Chafer’s manual plumbing system waschosen for simplicity, and John commentsthat the logical layout and powerful induction hopper means that it’s possible toget even complex chemical mixes in whilethe water fills up

He adds that the sprayer is easy to drivein the field, and while the land is mainly fairly

flat, auto boom-levelling is very effectivewhere it’s needed.

“It’s a bigger machine than its predecessor, but you soon get used to it and it’s very manoeuvrable.”

He also praises the all-round visibility from the spacious cab, and its logical, user-friendly layout.

“The Teejet Aeros controller is verystraightforward to use. I simply put the application rate and chosen nozzle in on the touch screen and it sets up from there.We work at 100 l/ha for fungicide and 200 l/ha for pre-ems and it has proved veryaccurate. I’m looking to go to RTK guidancein the future to enable the tramlines to be put in with the sprayer rather than the drill,which will help with travelling, and the extrarepeatability will be useful.”

He adds that the stable boom is especially useful for increasing accuracy on pre-ems, a feature seen on his visit toSprays and Sprayers at the Cereals event –– post purchase –– to check it out againstthe competition.

Productivity’s stepped up for an Essex arable farmer

following the purchase of aself-propelled Interceptor.

CPM finds out.

By Rob Jones

Machinery On Farm Opinion

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First seen at Cereals 2016, Chafer’s self-propelled Interceptor is designed for themedium to large-scale arable farm. It can be fitted with a 4000 or 5000-litre tank and boomsranging in size from 24m to 36m.

The machine’s 215hp six-cylinder Deutz TCDtier 4 engine puts power to a Bosch Rexrothhydrostatic drive. Automatic dynamic tractionforce distribution compensates for changes in terrain, adjusting wheel motor displacement togive better traction.

A dynamic braking system uses a combination of hydrostatic deceleration and independent mechanical braking operated by afoot pedal. This is claimed to reduce stopping distances while preventing over revving of theengine.

The cab boasts good all-round visibility, withclear and unobstructed views of the spray booms through the full wide rear windscreen.All controls including a multifunction joystick are logically laid out in the operator consul,and you can move these to suit. Along with fullclimate control and multi stage air filtration, thecab offers a large buddy seat complete with a

Interceptor steps in with high specification

The cab boasts good all-round visibility, withclear and unobstructed views of the spraybooms through the full wide rear windscreen.

refrigerated compartment.If you’re familiar with the Chafer Guardian and

Sentry trailed sprayer range you’ll recognise thespray pack –– the signature stainless steel tanksincorporate a deep sump for complete tank emptying, aggressive tank agitation and internalbaffles.

The 24-30m F Series booms can be upgradedto the 30-36m G Series, supplied with a highcapacity centrifugal pump. All booms can be specified with Chafer Contour automatic boom leveling which can now offer “Sub Zero” inclinationfor hilly terrain. For liquid fertiliser users all boomscan be specified with duo react air-controlled nozzles which can accommodate ChaferStreambars.

Also available on the Interceptor is theePlumbing control systems, which is controlled via external and in-cab 7in colour terminals. Allplumbing modes can be activated by the push of a button, rather than having to move manual taps.ePlumbing includes the eFill automatic filling software that allows you to preselect desired filling volumes of both the main spray and rinsewater tanks, so you can concentrate on chemical

induction without the fear of overfilling.Automated cleaning of the full liquid system

is handled by eClean. You select the type ofwashout required, with the amount of rinse waterand duration taken to clean each plumbing loopon the sprayer being fully programmable. Onceyou start the cycle running there’s no furtherinput required –– just spray out the washings at the end.

Automatic boom section control is fitted asstandard to all machines in the range, andhydraulically operated auto steer can also be fitted as an option.

was another plus for me.”Access to the tank and engine for

inspection and maintenance is another areapicked out for praise, with large platformsboosting safety.

John admits that his purchase of asprayer which apart from Chafer’s provenspray pack was largely untested raisedsome eyebrows locally, but says that theback-up has been good.

“We haven’t had any problems, but one ofthe Chafer team is local to here, plus they’realways at the end of the phone if you needthem. Setting up the sprayer when it wasdelivered was also very straightforward, withtwo fitters on hand to talk me through it.

On Farm Opinion

“The boom rides on a mast rather than aparallelogram, the same as on the Gem, andI always found that to be very stable, so it

“All in all, I’m very pleased with thesprayer and look forward to using it for many years.” n

Simply put the application rate and chosen nozzlein on the touch screen of the controller and it setsup from there.

It’s extremely precise, avoiding wasting chemicalthrough overlaps.

s


Farmers are on the front line of

this revolution in howthe nation’s food is

produced ”

“

The NFU launched at itsconference Future of Food

2040 – a vision for how UKfarmers will supply the

supermarket shelves in 20years’ time and how farm

businesses will adapt tothe challenge. CPM reports.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

InnovationFuture of Food

Welcome to farming’s future

A flexitarian consumer, increasingly concerned about dietary health anddemanding to know more about wheretheir food comes from; food produced byautonomous robots, responding to signalsfrom a plethora of nanosensors in thefield that direct inputs precisely to where they’re required; a farmer who’s harnessed the use of big data inmanaging risk and knows exactly when,where and how to intervene; a farm on which mitigation of climate changecommands a currency and conservationis managed as a profitable crop.

This is the Future of Food in 2040,according to the NFU, launched at its conference last month. “Farmers are on

Andrea Graham interviewed more than 50industry leaders and commentators to pulltogether the vision of farming’s future.

the front line of this revolution in how thenation’s food is produced,” says NFU headof policy services Dr Andrea Graham. “We have time to adapt to avoid some of the trip hazards.”

Vision of the futureShe interviewed more than 50 industryleaders and commentators, farmers, scientists, environmental groups, government representatives, retailers andeconomists to draw together a vision ofthe future. The report, based on over 100 hours’ worth of these conversations,covers four main areas:l What we’ll be eatingl How we’ll be producing itl How this will impact on British food

and farmingl Opportunities for new markets.

Diets will evolve, and while fads willcome and go, there is a trend towardsdish-based meals and away from thosewhere a primary protein is the focal point,as the population ages and becomesmore urban. Dietary health is set tobecome more important, but harder todefine is how the rise in food-to-go willsquare with the renaissance in cookingfrom scratch.

With 41% of meat-eaters now classedas flexitarian, consuming it only occasionally,the trend away from traditional meat may

continue. But it could be replaced with in-vitro meat and insect protein, ratherthan an increase in plant-based food.

“One of the key things to take from thisreport is the drive there’ll be towardsgreater transparency,” notes Andrea.“We’ll see ever-greater scrutiny of our production and processing systems, driven by consumers and providedthrough new technologies such asblockchain.” High standards on environment, safety and welfare willbecome the expected norm.

New breeding technologies (NBTs) willbe ubiquitous in 20 years, with CRISPRone of the methods of gene-editing thatwill bring crops with enhanced diseaseresistance and stress tolerance, providedconsumer acceptance is handled correctly. s


Vertical farming will see huge growth to becomea multi-billion pound industry.With 41% of meat-eaters now classed as

flexitarian, the trend away from traditional meatmay continue. Photo: Shutterstock nd3000

Rothamsted Research is launching a new fundto support innovative on-farm research, with allprojects to be thought up, co-designed, and runby farmers. Each farmer involved will receive upto £3000 to cover the eligible costs of runningtheir trial.

Part funded by AHDB, the aim of FarmInn is toprovide real world, scientifically robust solutions tothe challenges currently faced by UK agriculture.“We all know what these are, but no one is moreacutely aware than farmers themselves,” saysproject leader Dr Ian Shield.

The plan is to support about seven projectsin the first instance, with farmers paired with anexpert in the field, to address the challengesand explore issues together. The FarmInnscheme is unique in that it will also provide freeaccess to Rothamsted’s researchers and facilities.“FarmInn gives farmers a chance to find solutionsto the things that matter most to the agriculturalcommunity,” continues David.

“Any proposal that addresses the efficiency,productivity and sustainability of farm businesseswill be considered. We want to hear from thefarmers themselves.”

Farmers are being asked to submit their ideavia a short, simple application form and projectswill be chosen by a panel of Rothamsted staff,who’ll then assign a suitable scientist to workwith the applicant to produce a project plan.

The initiative will work closely with theInnovative Farmers scheme which already has

an established network of farmers and growersrunning on-farm trials. “The two will complementeach other greatly,” notes Dr Kate Pressland,programme manager of Innovative Farmers.

“We anticipate some of our Field Labs graduating to FarmInn to give them the potentialto be scaled up and more rigorously tested.Likewise, some FarmInn applications may bereferred to our scheme for proof of concept testing or as a pilot to more detailed research.”

Innovative Farmers will have representationon the FarmInn Steering Group along with AHDB,Agri-Tech East, LEAF, and the NFU. The FarmInnSteering Group will allocate appropriateresources once the project plan has been completed.

Head of arable knowledge exchange at AHDB Tim Isaac believes it fits in well with theirinvolvement with Innovative Farmers and AHDB’sown network of Strategic and Monitor farms.“FarmInn champions our preferred farmer-ledapproach while focusing on farm-based trials as the key to unlocking improvements in productivity,” he says.

“This initiative will help in the faster dissemination of learning that the industry rightlydemands. Furthermore, by combining sciencewith practice it should also help to identify newapproaches that are both robust and relevant.”

Rothamsted will be working with AHDB tomake sure the findings from the initiative areshared as widely as possible, says David.

Farmers get funding for on-farm trials

FarmInn brings farmers together with scientiststo find solutions to the things that matter most tothe agricultural community.

“Linking Rothamsted Research scientists withfarmers who are pro-active and innovative willbuild better relationships and create a dialogueto influence future research projects,” he adds.

“Farmers are by nature great innovators,continually striving for new and better ways ofdoing things. They also possess a huge wealthof expertise, and when it comes to their ownland, an unrivalled level of knowledge.

“We aim to support that spirit of discoveryby taking away some of the financial risks oftrying something new, and by providing themwith specialist support in terms of designingexperiments, collecting data and analysingresults.”

More information on the FarmInn scheme,including how to apply, can be found at:https://www.rothamsted.ac.uk/farminn

Future of Food

Vertical farming will see huge growth tobecome a multi-billion pound industry putting leafy salads and certain vegetableson the market.

In the field, the reliance on chemistry to provide solutions will continue to dropaway, and an even more integratedapproach will see a greater use of biostimulants and biological agents to

develop a crop’s own defence mechanisms.There may be entirely new “game-changing”technologies to manage major challenges,such as resistant blackgrass.

Smart applicationsNanosensors will join an increasing arrayof weather stations and soil probes, linkingseamlessly to smart applications to buildagriculture’s ‘internet of things’, predictsthe report. Tractors will get smaller andlighter and become driverless –– TheSmall Robot Company is profiled as anexample of how autonomous crop care willbe carried out on a plant-by-plant basis.

“All of these technologies we talk about,or they’re in prototype,” Andrea points out.“The real challenge that we absolutelyneed to see is for all of them to scale upso that farm businesses can benefit fromthe advantages they have the potential tobring over the next few years.”

Andrea notes that perhaps one of thebiggest changes farmers will face will bethe transformative role of data. She calls

it “big data meets big biology”, and thesuccess of the future farm will be in howfarmers capture the colossal increase in available data and use it to informeveryday decisions.

“We could get to a point where a smartdevice feeds you real-time information onexactly what an intervention will do for your productivity, resource efficiency andprofitability a certain number of days,months or even years down the line.

s

Nanosensors will join weather stations and soilprobes, linking seamlessly to smart applicationsto build agriculture’s ‘internet of things’.

Farmers will be rewarded for carbon capture andstorage through good soil management practice.

Autonomous small robots will carry out crop careon a plant-by-plant basis.

Future of Food

That has the potential to be a real game-changer.”

Farms won’t look any different, but theywill be under the surface, with a muchgreater level of collaboration and informationsharing. “Business success will be definedby a farmer’s ability to manage risk –– howdata is used, how the business restructuresand the farm diversifies,” she reasons.

The report’s approach to exploring new market opportunities moves awayfrom food and focuses on the fact the agricultural sector manages 71% of landin England. It recognises that Governmentfunding will be directed towards the delivery of public goods, and for somefarmers conservation will become a“crop”, as environment services becomemore freely traded.

An example could be in soil management, where positive practicescould develop, not only to benefit the long-term sustainability of the farming business, but to deliver a form of carbonstorage, returning a credit to farmers. It tiesin neatly with the NFU’s target of ensuringBritish Farming is making a ‘net zero’ contribution to climate change. This will bedelivered and incentivised, not just throughincreases in productive efficiency, butthrough targeted measures of carbon capture and storage, and renewable energygeneration.

Conservation of iconic and marginal

landscapes will be carried out on a contractual basis, with farmers paid for thedelivery of specific outcomes, such as treeplanting to address flooding. Key to thisis the industry taking ownership of theenvironment and being seen as the solution, rather than the problem, says thereport. There’s a call for a more unitedvoice to tell farming’s positive story, working hand-in-hand with scientists and innovators.

So what are the three things that standout from the report? “The risk managementand that drive and desire for transparencyin the food system. But also businessfocus –– using that innovation, our skillsand knowing our end market,” summarisesAndrea.

“The cornerstones we have been

developing at the NFU around productivity,the environment and volatility do map reallywell onto the key themes in the report. It’sabsolutely critical these building blocks areembedded in the Agriculture Bill that’s goingthrough Parliament, if we’re to have thatbright future.” n

The digital platforms of today

are really only looking in the rear-view

mirror. ”

“

Individual field performance potentialupdated throughout the season for variations in the weather and crop management. Dynamic fertiliser recommendations matched to crop growthand condition on a daily basis. Crop protection, growth regulation and foliarnutrition tailored to need and crop biomass for the most accurate individualplant utilisation and least environmentalimpact. And all provided for every area ofevery field and at times and in ways thatbest inform margin-maximising agronomicdecision-making.

It’s quite a demanding wishlist, but this iswhat digital crop production should be providing growers within the comingdecade, says Origin head of digital, SimonBeck. When set against what’s in the

Simon Beck reckons current systems are justscratching the surface of what digitaltechnologies really offer UK farming.

pipeline, current systems are just scratchingthe surface of what digital technologies really offer for UK farming, he points out.

Imaging technologies“The past decade has seen a wide –– andoften confusing –– range of satellite, droneand ground-based imaging technologiesbeing applied to crop production,” he notes.“At the same time, crop growth and pest anddisease modelling have developed apace,as have both data-processing capacities,machine-learning capabilities, and integrated crop-management research.

“There are lots of things we can measure these days and mountains of datawe can, and do, generate. But the digitalplatforms of today are really only looking inthe rear-view mirror –– at existing variationsand decisions that have already been made.The real challenge is to apply the digital datawe gather to inform decisions we’re about tomake so we can adapt current seasonagronomy to the best effect as well asimproving the way we do things next time around.

“That way, for instance, we have GAI-based spring N recommendations for the day we’re actually applying them, rather than for a pattern of cropgrowth two weeks or more in the past. Or up-to-date yield predictions andresearch-based improvement options that continuously account for changing

weather conditions and crop development to inform our decision-making.”

To get from where we are today to thisexciting future, Simon insists we need to attend to four main digital agronomyessentials:l The images we actually usel Processing these so they work together

and with historic data in an iterative wayl Integrating them into dynamic models

of crop growth and pest and disease development

l Linking them to agronomic interventions sufficiently well proven through rigorous research and development.He stresses that digital platforms that fail

AI to anticipate your actions

Photo: Shutterstock Mr.Whiskey


If farming’s set on a digital trajectory, what does

that look like? CPM finds outfrom the head of digital at

one of the UK’s leading agriservices provider, Origin,a year on from the launch of

its Contour platform

By Rob Jones

InnovationDigital vision

courses, with low cost SAR satellite imagingbeing essential for some applications like crop growth-stage monitoring. Droneimaging is better for higher resolution worksuch as disease detection. Ground-basedsensing (involving machinery, weather stations, soil probes and people) is best used for data on soil conditions, temperature and moisture, not to mentionspecific pest and disease diagnosis.

Simon’s convinced the future lies in acombination of imaging platforms and points out that Agrii customers and theiragronomists are already finding the Contoursatellite service really useful in focusing theirfield-walking attention on areas of possiblecrop concern.But he warns increasing volumes of data from a growing diversity ofsources will have to be carefully integrated

together in well planned and managedstrategies for the best results.

“All this data will have to be broughttogether, managed and processed in meaningful ways for it to be useable,”

The real challenge is to apply the digital data wegather to inform decisions we’re about to make.

Low cost SAR satellite imaging is essential forsome applications like crop growth-stagemonitoring.

to bring all four of these elements together inthe right ways will be unable to deliver onmuch, if not all, the technologies’ hugepromise, proving little more than costly distractions from the real business of cropimprovement for many.

“Optical imaging across the whole rangeof light spectrums currently offers around130 different indices –– of which the mainNDVI used most widely today is only one,”points out Simon. “The Green CropVegetative Index (GCVI) which measureschlorophyll, for example, is especially valuable in assessing later season variationin crop potential.

“Alongside these, we have synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to give a picture of the crop canopy structure and biomass ––properties optical imaging can’t provide –– and microwaves that, like SAR, have theadvantage that they penetrate cloud cover,making them more reliable.

“As well as establishing the most valuablecombination of images to use –– whichvaries with need and timing –– there’s also how best to acquire them. Optical imaging can be either satellite, drone orground-based. In general, the resolution ofthe image increases with proximity to theground. But then so does the cost.”

Here then it’s a matter of horses for

Digital visions

As arable farms progress towardsa digital future, it can be difficult to know which forms of data generation, capture and analysisprovide a really worthwhile benefit to the business, and which are costly and time-wastingdistractions. CPM is working withsome of the industry’s leadingcompanies in this area to bringgrowers their Digital Vision. Thesearticles lay out the significant steps on the journey towards thedata-enabled farm. CPM wouldlike to thank Origin for sponsoringthis article and for sharing itsDigital Vision.

Operating in Ireland, Ukraine,Poland, Romania, Belgium andBrazil as well as the UK, OriginEnterprises plc is determined to be the leading provider of value-added services, technologies

Digital Vision

this promise, he notes.This work is well underway

in a multi-million pound collaborative research partnership between UniversityCollege Dublin (UCD) and OriginEnterprises with the support ofthe Science Foundation Ireland(SFI) Strategic PartnershipProgramme.

The five-year, inter-disciplinaryCONSUS project harnesses theleading expertise of UCD in data and agricultural sciencewith Origin’s integrated cropmanagement research, systems,advisory and knowledgeexchange networks. Extendingacross a wide variety of workprogrammes, Simon foresees this bringing digital agronomyinto its own over the coming 10-15 years.

“However sophisticated digital decision-making becomes it can only ever enhance ratherthan replace the expertise ofgrowers and their agronomists,”he concludes. “It’s important toappreciate too that the results itdelivers will only ever be as goodas the underlying fundamentalsof pH, soil structure and drainageallow them to be.” n

he adds. “We have to filter out the noise and focus in on measurements that really matter.We also have to find the best ways of integrating historic datainto the system. And the outputsneed to be at a scale that matches the precision abilities of our machinery.

“As part of this we have tocapture the mass of data sittingin the combine yield monitorsand crop management systems of so many farms in ways thatdon’t add to ‘data overload’ and confusion.

“Then it’s a matter of integrating the data into dynamicmodels of crop growth and pestand disease development thattake account of the full impact ofall the main yield-limiting factors–– both those like nutrition andcrop protection which we caninfluence and weather eventsand pest occurrence that we can’t.

“Developing and provingthese models is a highly complextask. They must also be continuously refined andimproved with data from everynew season. This is perhaps thebiggest challenge for digitalagronomy. But it’s also the onethat offers the greatest rewards.”

Such systems would reliablytrack the developing potential of

As long as it’s integrated and processed correctly, gathering the data can tell you exactly how much yield and marginyou stand to lose if you don’t act.

every part of every one of yourcrops in depth throughout each season, he says, so you can adapt your agronomy to maximise your margins. “That would be the ultimate in sustainable intensification.

Precise loading“As would be the ability to varyyour inputs across each crop tomatch its varying biomass. Inexactly the same way animalmedication is geared to bodyweight to achieve the right concentration of activeingredient, this would make sure each area receives exactlythe right loading of key crop protection and nutritional inputsfor the greatest profitability andenvironmental responsibility.”

Finally, Simon warns that noneof this capability would be of any value without continued scientific progress to understandwhich combinations of soil management, variety, crop protection and nutrition are suitable for which circumstances.

“As long as it’s integrated andprocessed correctly, gatheringthe data can tell you exactly howmuch yield and margin you standto lose if you don’t act,” he notes.“But it’s not of much practicalfarm value unless you also know what action to take to

most reliably make the most of any given situation. You simply can’t know that withoutsufficient quality research and development work.”

While digital agronomy holdspromise for the future, there are considerable limitations of current systems and a considerable amount of workneeded to ensure they realise

and strategic inputs for profitableand truly-sustainable farming.

Pioneering digital and precisionagronomy for well over a decade,its Agrii, SoilQuest, IntelligencePrecision Farming and Ag-Spacebusinesses remain at the forefrontof developments in agricultural dataand crop management research,systems and knowledge exchange.

All this work is focussed onenabling farmers and their advisersto harness the power of digitalagriculture for the greatest cropand grassland management gainsat the least possible cost.

Soil Brightness NDVI Yield Map


Digital vision

s

Bayer has been helpinggrowers carry out on-farmtrials aiming to eke out thegreen leaf area of a wheat

crop. CPM visits a Lincsgrower as he formulates a

plan involving nutrition and biostimulants, as well

as fungicides.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

Innovation Partners in performance

We can keep grain fill going

well into July, providedwe can give the crop

the resource it needs.”

“

The meaningof greening

David Hoyles is someone who’s not afraid to question the advice of ‘experts’,especially if he perceives there’s a product push behind what he’s hearing.But he got a little more than he bargained for after repeatedly askingsearching questions during the cropnutrition seminar at the CropTec show in Nov.

There’s no rooting restriction on the Grade 1 silts.

“I’ve been looking at the role of aminoacids in extending the duration of greenleaf area on our wheat crop, which is why I attended the seminar presented byYara’s biostimulants specialist AntonisAngeletakis,” he explains. “I just wasn’tsure about how much trials work underpinned the results he was relaying,especially research in the UK.”

New ideasA few days after the seminar, he was contacted by Yara UK’s Natalie Wood. “She was there and heard my questioning.She asked if I’d be interested in giving theirBiotrac biostimulant a go in some on-farm trials. I’m always willing to try new ideas,and if they don’t work you ditch them andgo on to something else. So I’m actuallyquite excited to see how this product mightfit into the strategy we’re developing.”

And it’s the strategy for this season’s on-farm trials he’s now devising withNatalie’s help. Also joining him on the700ha arable farm at Long Sutton, nearSpalding, Lincs, is local Bayer commercialtechnical manager Jack Hill. As one ofBayer’s Partners in Performance farmers(see box on p78), David receives help andadvice to develop solutions to improve

crop performance through the on-farm trials he’s conducting.

The focus for David’s trials is extendingthe green leaf area of the wheat crop for as long as possible, turning available sunlight into grain goodness and ultimatelyyield. It’s an objective that ties in well with his farm’s soil, climate and location, he explains.

“We’re below sea level here on Grade 1silts. There’s no rooting restriction and webenefit from sea frets –– mist that rolls in from the coast –– and heavy dews,ensuring there’s enough moisture andkeeping temperatures pegged back adegree or two in high summer. This means we can keep grain fill going well


s


The farm has been following a strategicapproach to fungicides, and in particular focusing on keeping the top leaves green for aslong as possible. “The nutrients you apply buildthe biomass, but it’s up to the fungicides tokeep the canopy green and photosynthesising,”reasons David.

The first step in his approach is varietychoice, and he tends to select “cleaner”varieties. “But we’re aiming for high yields andprepared to put the inputs and the managementdiscipline into achieving these.”

A high number of tillers right from the startof the season puts the crop under pressure, henotes. “Already we saw mildew and yellow rustbubbling up in Jan. The cold snap in early Febhas knocked this back, but early applicationswill need to keep a lid on disease and allow thecrop to put on growth.”

Jack Hill agrees and is interested to see howthe early biostimulants may interact with the fungicide programme. “We know these productsare compatible with fungicides, including SDHIs.What we don’t have much data on is efficacy.

“But we don’t want to make any compromiseswith the T1 application –– if you lose control ofdisease at this timing, you’ll never claw it back.”

However, on-farm trials at Long Sutton havebeen looking in some detail at the use of Ascrato retain green leaf area. “We always see agreening effect with Ascra,” says Jack. “Pot trials have shown it increases the chlorophyll in the flagleaf by 11 times over untreated ––almost twice what bixafen achieves on its own.”

Bayer trials at its site in Callow, nearHereford, in 2015 showed that a wheat cropcan put on an additional 0.49t/ha for every day it holds on to a green leaf area above 37%.

So how does this translate into on-farm performance?

The effect was measured using a drone onDavid’s Judge for Yourself trials in 2017. Theseon-farm tramline trials put three different T2regimes side by side in the field. The area wasmapped using a multi-spectral camera thatpicked out the Normalised Difference Red Edge(NDRE) index, highlighting differences at the far-red end of the spectrum (see image on p77).

“This showed there was clearly more leafchlorophyll in the strips where Ascra had beenapplied,” notes Jack.

Last year they decided to take the trials onestep further, explains David. “I wanted to see if alate SDHI application would make a difference. Sowe compared Aviator (bixafen+ prothioconazole) at T1 with the same application at T3 (see tablebelow).

“The unusual dry conditions caused the entirecrop to senesce at the same time, however, andthere was no difference in yield. But we’re goingto try it again this year,” he says.

So is it better to delay the SDHI applicationsuntil T2 and T3? Jack sounds a note of caution:

Fungicide focus on greening the flag

David Hoyles and Jack Hill discuss T1 tactics – ifyou lose control of disease at this timing, you’llnever claw it back.

“If disease pressure is low at T1 and you’re ontop of timings, it’s certainly a strategy worth considering,” he says.

“But only 50% of the efficacy of any fungicide can be attributed to the product itself,while the rest is down to application care andtimings. If you set your crop up well in the earlypart of the season, it’ll have the capacity andbe healthy enough to make the most of what yougive it towards the end, so it’s only a strategylikely to pay dividends if the rest of your cropmanagement is as good as it can be.”

2018 Delayed SDHI trial

Date Farm programme Delayed SDHI20-Apr (T0) CTL (1 l/ha)5-May (T1) Aviator (1 l/ha) + CTL (1 l/ha) Proline (0.55 l/ha) + CTL (1 l/ha)11-Jun (T2) Aviator (1 l/ha) + Proline (0.55 l/ha)12-Jun (T3) Proline (0.55 l/ha) Aviator (1 l/ha)

Harvest6-Aug 12.51t/ha 12.51t/haChlorothalonil (CTL); Aviator – bixafen+ prothioconazole; Ascra – bixafen+ fluopyram+ prothioconazole; Proline – prothioconazole.

To achieve optimum yield, you have to make surethe crop has both the capacity to yield and theresources available to turn into assimilate, saysNatalie Wood.

Partners in performance

into July, provided we can give the cropthe resource it needs.”

There’s a 6-7 year rotation on the farm,with mustard, vining peas, potatoes, sugarbeet and beetroot grown alongside wheat.Land is also let out for two years in the rotation to Emmets for field vegetables, leaving around 170ha of wheat. “The bettersilts have first wheats only, but we do havesome second wheats. About 60-70% of this is grown for seed for large localprocessors, with much of it basic and pre-basic generation. We also grow soft

Group 4 varieties for Weetabix.”The nature of the rotation means the

wheat tends to come into fertile soil withplenty of residual N and the five-year average yield is 11.6t/ha. “The farm philosophy is to get the basics right first. So we spend about £30,000/year lookingafter the drains, for instance. Our four toppriorities for the wheat crop are to get theright seedbed, choose the right varieties,get the nitrogen right, and then make sureevery operation gets the care and attentionit deserves,” says David.

The farm has entered a crop into theyield enhancement network (YEN) everyyear since it started and tends to rank inamong the top performers. The 2018results form the basis for the conversationaround the aspects he wants to focus on in

s

David Hoyles has been looking to extend theduration of green leaf area on his wheat crop.

The NDRE map showed there was more leafchlorophyll in the strips where Ascra had beenapplied.


the coming season –– the farm came thirdwith a 14.1t/ha crop of Graham, achieving68% of the site potential.

“On nearly all the parameters we tend to perform better than average –– biomassand ear numbers are good for example. If we could increase grains per ear, we’d do even better,” notes David.

But the groundwork for this late seasonfocus starts as soon as the crop comes out of the winter, Natalie points out. “Toachieve the optimum yield, you have to

make sure the crop has both sink andsource –– the capacity to yield, as well as the resources available to turn intoassimilate.

“Early in the season is when you buildthe sink, and YEN has shown it’s the cropswith plenty of biomass that tend to be thetop performers.”

Tiller numbersAchieving the right tiller numbers comingout of winter is generally not a problem forDavid. “We have a low weed burden andmost of the other crops in the rotation allowa reasonably early drilling date –– late Septat 300 seeds/m2. I have in the past triedraising the seed rate, but that tends toresult in weak plants. It’s more about monitoring the crop and pushing it littleand often with nutrition.”

He starts the spring with around 1000 tillers/m2 and aims to maintain around800 of these. “We carry out a lot of soil mineral N testing and do vary total appliedrates as a result. So we generally applyaround 200-220kgN/ha, but last year applied more like 250kgN/ha, for example,as residual N levels were low.”

Natalie confirms that’s the correct optimum N for David’s situation. So when

should this be applied? “You tend to get the greatest return from the first Napplication –– our trials in Germany showbest results from around 100kgN/ha, whilein the UK most growers apply about 70-80kgN/ha,” she says.

The farm lies outside an NVZ and some of the wheat has already received30kgN/ha, taking advantage of the earlyfavourable conditions. “We go little andoften, making 4-5 applications in a season,and the YEN reports suggests this is morethan most. The next N application will be at the end of Feb, so we’re on track to give the wheat the early N it needs,” says David.

s

Would you like to take to the skies to see thestate of crops this spring?

In conjunction with Bayer, CPM is offering thechance for you to be on board the CropDoctorhelicopter as it flies around England on Tuesday2 April or Wednesday 24 April. Also on board will be Jonathan Blake from ADAS and SRUC’sFiona Burnett, a CPM journalist and a Bayer representative as they visit three locations toassess crop growth and disease pressure priorto key fungicide timings.

To have a chance to win, submit a

photograph of an agronomy related activity in anarable crop and post on Twitter, Facebook orInstagram with a comment using the hashtag#CropDoctor, and tagging in @LetsTalkCrops (on Twitter & Facebook).

There’s no limit to the number of entries thatcan be posted but the closing date for Tour 1 is20 March, and 10 April for Tour 2. A judgingpanel will select two lucky winners, one for eachtour. There’ll be a full report of the tours, and thedisease pressure faced across the UK, in each ofthe April and May issues of CPM.

Take to the skies with the CropDoctor team

An overnight stay before each trip at thedistinctive Langer Hall Hotel, Notts is alsoincluded. Full T&Cs can be found at cropscience.bayer.co.uk

Partners in Performance is the result of a long-standing collaboration between Bayer anda group of progressive growers.

It started in 2011 with the launch of AviatorXpro when growers were invited to trial Aviatoron their farm. In these split-field trials Bayertook a back seat with the only demands beingthe field area for fungicide comparison andcrop yield verified over a weighbridge or viacombine yield monitor –– everything else wasdown to the farmer.

Over time this has developed into a club.Each year the farmers meet to discuss results,listen to guest speakers and debate winterwheat management issues.

Farming has always been a challenging

business, and with Brexit those challengeshave intensified. The margin between profitand breaking even is likely to become eventighter and any incremental gain will be needed for sustainable combinable crop production.

To achieve that the industry needs to work together to share the latest research and thinking, exchange ideas andexperiences.

Partners in Performanceaims to bring farmers andspecialists together todevelop solutions toimprove crop performanceand investment return.

Early in the season is when you build the sink,and it’s the crops with plenty of biomass thattend to be the top performers.


But it’s not just about N, and this iswhere the group begins to identify somepotential tweaks to the management strategy. “One aspect our YEN report hasshown up is that we may not be applyingenough sulphur –– the grain S was low.What’s more, the average N:S ratio is 17:1,while ours is over 19:1,” notes David.

Natalie confirms it’s a common problemin UK wheat crops. “Routine samples sent in to our labs for analysis show a staggering 97% of these are low or deficient in S. As the crop takes up N, itrequires the appropriate amount of S –– ifone is slightly low, it affects the uptake ofthe other. But S is prone to leaching, so it’sbest to apply it as ammonium sulphate inan N/S compound, especially early on inthe season.”

Then there are the micronutrients to consider, she continues. “The importantones are manganese, magnesium, copperand zinc. Mn and Mg affect chlorophyllproduction, while Cu and Zn are neededfor fertility and grain fill. But it’s important to ensure the crop has sufficient levels ofthese early on, so consider applying theseat the T0 timing.

“Boron is a nutrient that’s often forgotten in wheat. It’s needed to generate pollen and a deficiency will affect seed set. Butpreliminary results from recent trials work

we’ve done show there’s a yield advantagein applying this early on, as well as later inthe season.”

Hidden hungerIf the crop is lacking in any of these nutrients, it’ll suffer a ‘hidden hunger’, she explains. This is where there are no visible symptoms, but it won’t be taking upso much N nor putting on the early seasonbiomass during the rapid growth phasethat’s needed to lay down the sink.

“I wonder whether we’re going on toolate with a lot of our inputs,” remarksDavid. “We focus a lot of our spend inMarch, but it seems to be at T0 or evenearlier we should be making some of these applications.”

And this is also where he’ll be focusingthe Biotrac. Natalie admits there’s limiteddata for how this product performs in UKcrops at present. “The main ingredient isascophyllum, a seaweed extract that helpsa plant combat abiotic stress, such as disease or pest pressure or extreme

temperatures. We’re currently offering it to a limited number of growers and arelooking to see how it’s best used.”

She believes it’s best applied at the T0and T1 timings. “Conditions may be cold,but high-performing crops will be putting on growth and they’ll be held back if theyexperience any stress. It’ll also help themmanage pesticide inputs.”

David’s resolved to try out no less thanthree separate programmes on this year’scrop of Graham winter wheat –– one 20hafield will be split with 2 l/ha applied ateither T0, or T1 or at both timings, with theresults compared with the standard farmtreatment.

“I’ve been worried in the past that theweather at T0 or before stem extension isn’t right to apply inputs, but I wonder now whether I’ve held my crop back andthat it has a hidden hunger. While it’s crucial to get the nutrition right, It may bethat taking stress out of the crop early onwill help it build more grain sites later,”says David. n


s


Technical Pushing performance

Good disease control relieson getting the correct dose

of active ingredient to its target. CPM finds out how

the adjuvant Kantor canhelp fungicide delivery and maximise its performance

in the leaf.


There’s no getting away from the fact thatit’s a challenging time in agronomy. Somedisease pathogens are evolving at a muchfaster pace than the chemistry used tocontrol them.

It’s a situation made harder as the regulatory bar is set ever-higher, limiting thepool of active ingredients available to drawon. That means getting the most out of theavailable fungicides has never been moreimportant, says Agrii regional technicaladviser and Cambs grower David Felce.

Although SDHI/azole mixtures are still giving good field control of septoria, monitoring data shows there’s been a furthershift in the sensitivity of septoria to SDHI andazole chemistry. But there are things we cando to optimise spray delivery and helpcounter this move towards resistance by getting the intended amount of activeingredient to its target site, he points out.

“Optimising the delivery process is ingrower and advisor control. Adjuvants canbe a valuable tool to help achieve this andwe’re expanding the adjuvant trials in 2019

Disease control has become even more aboutgetting the right amount of active ingredient ontothe target, explains David Felce.

to take the evidence we’ve collected overthe past decade to another level,” he says.

One of the adjuvants Agrii identify aspromising is Kantor, which claims the abilityto influence every stage of the deliveryprocess from sprayer tank to uptake in theleaf. David admits his technical integritymakes him immediately suspicious of aproduct that promises to be all things to all people.

Learning curveSo he’s been putting Kantor through itspaces, and trying to understand which of its many properties is useful in any given situation, a process reflecting the learningcurve most agronomists are on when itcomes to finding out which is the right adjuvant to use in the right place, he believes.

A primary factor which can influence theeffectiveness of pesticides is the quality ofthe water used in the spray mix, he explains.

“One of the most important is the hardness of the water –– the presence ofcalcium and magnesium ions –– whichreduces the effectiveness of a number of active ingredients. Other products areaffected by the pH of the water. The morealkaline the water, the more rapidly the pesticide breaks down, reducing absorptioninto the leaf,” he says.

“Alkaline hydrolysis can be very fast whenthe pH of the water is greater than 8 or 9.Some pesticides begin to break down assoon as they are combined with alkalinewater in the tank and as a result, the activeingredients start to change to inactive ingredients before the pesticide even leavesthe spray tank,” adds Interagro technical

manager, Stuart Sutherland.“Reduced product performance may not

be obvious. In some cases, the influence of water on the pesticide reduces its effectiveness only slightly, yet enough thattolerant or tough-to-control weeds, insects,and diseases are not well controlled. So timespent addressing the quality of water used inthe spray tank can pay big dividends.

“By adding Kantor to the spray water first,it acts as a pH buffer and maintains thewater at pH6, which is ideal for most cropprotection products,” he comments.

One of the most important actives in thebattle against ramularia and septoria ischlorothalonil, which is only stable belowpH7. Pyrethroids are also very susceptible toalkaline hydrolysis, decreasing their efficacy.

David highlights that in areas where waterpH is high, it’s important to vary the rate ofadjuvant to the water volume to achieve the

Large molecules, like

prothioconazole, can need extra help to get

inside the plant.

“

”

Optimising fungicide performance


s


leaf. Stuart explains how Kantorachieves these many functions.

“The surface characteristics of the leaf influence both theretention and spreading of the spray solution on the leaf surface. Typical water retention in barley is less than 5% and inoilseed rape, 20-40%.

Difficult targets“Small weeds, hairy leaves and wheat ears can be difficulttargets. When a spray dropletlands on a leaf it may be retainedor bounce/run off. Aqueousfungicides have droplets with ahigh dynamic surface tension,which will frequently bounce offleaving the leaf or ear with poorcoverage.

“Kantor reduces the dynamicsurface tension of the spraydroplets, allowing them to spreadout on impact and increase thearea of contact with the plant surface. This reduces thepropensity for spray droplets tobounce or run off,” he explains.

One of the most effective ways to improve efficacy is by increasing the penetration of the active ingredient into targetleaves.

“The leaf cuticle is the most

challenging barrier for the penetration of pesticides, particularly at low temperatures.Kantor, due to its extremely smallmolecular size (three times smaller than most adjuvants) isable to ‘concentrate’ the numberof molecules on the leaf surface,”explains Stuart.

“The entry into the leaf isdetermined by a diffusion co-efficient, where the higher the concentration the higher theentry. Kantor increases the lateraldiffusion of the active across thecell membrane into the leaf by increasing contact with theleaf and increasing the numberof entry points into the leaf.

So what does this mean inpractice? David explains thatthese are properties that are particularly useful with somefungicides.

“Kantor acts as a good penetrant and this is beneficialbecause we apply fungicides tothe outside of a waxy leaf andthe disease is growing inside theleaf, so azoles and SDHIs needto get through the cuticle of theleaf to reach their target.

“Large molecules, like prothioconazole, can need extrahelp to get inside the plant. The

required buffering effect. The next useful property of

Kantor is the effect it has ondroplet size, he explains. “Kantorreduces the number of dropletsat either end of the spectrum,producing a more uniformdroplet size which makes thespray more predictable and lessprone to drift.

“The evenness of spray application hinges arounddroplet size uniformity andKantor appears to have the ability to increase VMD (volumemean diameter) and we’ve seenthis effect where we’ve looked atdroplet distribution using watersensitive paper in the field,” he says.

In 2018 Interagro commissioned a study withSilsoe Spray Applications Unit to quantify the reduction in spraydrift by adding Kantor (at 0.15%v/v) to widely used fungicideKestrel (prothioconazole+ tebuconazole), explains Stuart.

“Tests were conducted using a typical Lurmark 03F110 flat fannozzle at a water volume of 200 l/ha. Measurements weremade of droplet size distributionusing laser diffraction and Kantorreduced the spray volume withdroplets less than 100 micronsby 23% (statistically significant).By reducing drift and alsoimproving deposition, Kantorleads to an improvement in coverage.” he adds.

David stresses the importance

of spray coverage, especiallywhen it comes to fungicide applications. “Multisites act as aprotectant but don’t move on theleaf so they can only protect theleaf they cover. Azoles andSDHIs have acropetal movement,so will move from where theyland towards the end of the leaf.So if the base of the leaf doesn’treceive adequate coverage thefungicide will not move in adownwards direction and thatpart of the leaf will either be completely unprotected or havereceived a sub-lethal dose ofactive ingredient.”

Resistance management is all about matching the dose ofactive ingredients to the diseasepressure without exerting undueselection pressure on thepathogen population. So diseasecontrol has become even moreabout getting the right amount ofactive ingredient onto the target,he adds.

And for David, the most desirable of Kantor’s properties isthe way it helps get the activeingredient to the target –– byretaining the active ingredient onthe leaf, spreading the spraydroplets and helping the active penetrate the waxy cuticle of the

Some pesticides begin to breakdown as soon as they are combinedwith alkaline water in the tank.

Results are averaged across variety and seed treatment.P (Yield) = <0.001, LSD (Yield) = 0.221, cv (Yield) = 5.5%, P (SW) = <0.001, LSD (SW) = 0.94, cv(SW) = 2.6%Source: Agrii trials

9.5

9.0

8.5

8.0

7.5

7.0

6.5

72.0

70.0

68.0

66.0

64.0

62.0

60.0

58.0

56.0

54.0

52.0

Yie

ld (t

/ha)

@ 1

5% m

.c.

Sp

ecifi

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ht (k

g/h

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Untreated Kestrel + Tucana (T1) fbBrutus + Tucana (T2) fb

Helix (T3)

Capalo (T0) fb Kestrel +Tucana (T1) fb Brutus +Tucana (T2) fb Helix (T3)

Boogie + Tucana (T1) fbBoogie (T2) fb Helix (T3)

Boogie + Tucana + Kantor(T1) fb Boogie + Kantor

(T2) fb Helix + Kantor (T3)

Brutus + Imtrex (T1) fbBrutus + Imtrex (T2) fb

Helix (T3)

Fungicide trials with and without Kantor

Pushing performance

s

faster it penetrates the better because itneeds to be metabolically activated todesthioconazole within the leaf.”

In Agrii trials, use of Kantor with a three-spray fungicide programme has givena statistically significant yield increase of0.36t/ha, worth approx. £40/ha, over thesame treatment programme without the adjuvant.

In this trial Kantor with a T1 application ofBoogie Xpro (bixafen+ prothioconazole+spiroxamine) plus Tucana (pyraclostrobin); a T2 application of Boogie followed by Helix(prothioconazole+ spiroxamine) at T3.

Prising apart the contribution to extra yieldat the different timings is complex but Davidrates Kantor as being particularly useful insituations where there’s antagonism withchlorothalonil. It’s a known problem withSDHI chemistry, with uptake of bixafen being particularly affected by a coating ofchlorothalonil on the leaf.

“Some coformulations containingchlorothalonil show less antagonism withfungicides. An example is Pentangle(chlorothalonil+ tebuconazole) where theaddition of the azole seems to make the formulation less ‘sticky’. Kantor has a similareffect, so helps avoid antagonism as well asimproving spray coverage and uptake whenit’s added to the mix,” he comments.

David believes there’s likely to be morebenefit from adding Kantor at some spray

At the heart of good crop production lies careful use of chemistry to protect the plantand maintain performance, right through theseason. But optimising the efficacy of plantprotection products can be challenging, whileincreasingly restrictive regulations limit just how far you can go.

This series of articles explores the sciencebehind the use of adjuvant and biostimulanttools to help power both chemistry and cropperformance, as well as increase understandingof why they’re needed and what they do. We’resetting out to empower growers and drivecrops to reach their full potential.

CPM would like to thank Interagro for kindly sponsoring this article, and for providingprivileged access to staff and material used tohelp put the article together.

Kantor is a unique adjuvant designed tooptimise every stage of the spray deliveryprocess to help enhance the performance ofcrops protection inputs and maximise yield ina wide range of crops.

Pushing performance

The evenness of spray application hinges arounddroplet size uniformity.

Kantor helps get the active ingredient to thetarget by reducing bounce-run off, spreading thespray droplets and helping the active penetrateinto the leaf.

Stuart Sutherland explains how Kantor increasesthe lateral diffusion of the active across the cellmembrane into the leaf.

timings, or situations, than at others. “At T0,if the spray water’s cold and there are several components to the tank-mix, thenKantor can aid compatibility by helping keep all the products fully dispersed in thewater phase.”

He also suggests that if stem-based disease such as eyespot is the target then a silicon-based adjuvant would be the bestchoice to get spray droplets to run down the stem.

Definite benefitAt T1, he reckons there may be an argumentfor adding Kantor if curative activity isrequired, but if a T0 was applied in goodconditions and well-timed, then he sees less justification for it. But there’s a definitebenefit from using Kantor at the T2 timing,adds David.

Although the theory stacks up at T3 andthe addition of Kantor should improve coverage of a difficult target, David believesit’s less clear cut because the success oftreatment is highly dependent on timing aswell as coverage.

“The T3 spray is a protectant, so it needsto cover all sides of the ear. Although I’veseen fusarium infection held in trials treatedwith fungicide plus Kantor, I believe we need to do more work on adjuvant/nozzlecombinations to be more definitive on thebenefits,” he explains.

Although getting the most out of fungicides is a key area of interest at themoment, Kantor can be a useful addition to the tank in a number of other situations,says David.

“The PGR Moddus (trinexapac-ethyl) ismetabolically activated within the plant soneeds to get into the leaf to be effective.

“We’ve also found the phytotoxic effectsof some spring herbicides have been

reduced when Kantor is added to the tank.Notably, Basagran (bentazone), which canbe a ‘hot’ herbicide, has been a lot kinder tothe bean crop when applied with Kantor, and with improved weed kill,” he comments.

Use with sulphonyl-urea herbicides isanother area where Agrii have seen benefits.Trials with Harmony M (metsulfuron-methyl+thifensulfuron- methyl) have shown animproved level of control of broadleaf weeds, including ivy-leaved speedwell and knotgrass, where Kantor has been added to the tank.

“SU herbicides are very under-wettedbecause their low rate of active ingredientmakes it physically difficult to add in enoughwetter when it’s formulated.”

Summing up his thoughts, David saysthere’s a lot of potential in using the rightadjuvant in the right situation to improve pesticide efficiency and Kantor may prove avaluable resource to give fungicides supportin some situations. n

Pushing performance


using pyrethoids at all costs, pointing outthat the most likely effect would be to killaphid predators which would make a badsituation worse. Instead, growers will haveaccess to just a single application ofTeppeki (flonicamid) for the control ofvirus-carrying aphids, so application timingwill be absolutely crucial, he advises.

“Teppeki will only give three weeks protection at most, so deciding when toapply it will involve inspecting crops forthe presence of wingless aphids and an understanding of threshold levels,” he explains.

With only one shot at controlling the aphidvectors of virus yellows, timing will be everything,says Mark Stevens.

Roots Sugar beet agronomyVirus yellows will be

foremost in growers mindsthis season and getting crops

quickly to the 12-leaf stagewill be the aim. CPM finds

out what growers can do toprotect their crops.

By Lucy de la Pasture and Rob Jones

The difficulty we all face is

estimating the level ofrisk for the coming

crop.”

“

The race againstvirus yellows

For nearly 25 years sugar beet growershave sown the crop with confidence thatit’ll be protected from the threat posed byvirus yellows. But the withdrawal ofneonicotinoid seed treatments meanscrops are once again at risk from a complex of viruses that can lead to yield losses of up to 47%.

With nothing as reliable as the neonicsnow available to protect crops, growerswill have to develop a strategy that considers everything from establishmentto weed control. And somewhere withinthat programme of herbicide applications,a strategic use of an insecticide is likely tobe needed if crops are to be given thebest chance of avoiding the yellow peril.

Once plants have made it to the 12-leaf

stage, about 12 to 13 weeks after planting,then the plant’s natural defences start toprovide protection.

Protecting crops against the threat of virusyellows first requires an understanding of theviruses involved and the pests that transmitthem, says Dr Mark Stevens, head of science at the British Beet ResearchOrganisation.

Persistent viruses“Virus yellows is a complex of three differentviruses –– beet yellows virus (BYV), beetmild yellowing virus (BMYV) and beetchlorosis virus (BChV),” he explains.BMYV and BChV are persistent viruses, sotake a longer period of feeding to acquirebut the aphid vector and their progenyremain infective for their lives. BYV issemi-persistent, so acquired more quicklybut not as long-lived within its vector. It’sthe generation of wingless aphids whichform colonies and remain within the cropthat do the most damage, with infectedaphids spreading virus as they feed.

“It’s a complex situation and it’s temptingto see insecticides as the default means ofprotection, but that’s to misunderstand thenature of the threat. Pyrethroids will be largely ineffective as 89% of peach-potatoaphids (Myzus persicae), the principal virus vector, are resistant to pyrethroids and carbamate insecticides,” he says.

Mark’s keen that beet growers avoid


s

Crop safety will be a priority as crops can’t affordany setbacks in growth.

of breeders, but the time it takes to bringnew characteristics to market means it’sunlikely to be a solution in the near future.

“While breeders have access to globalgermplasm collections, efforts to date toidentify major sources of resistance have

been unsuccessful,” says Mark.“Several sources of minor gene

resistance have been mapped and arenow being introgressed into elite varieties.But to provide effective and durable resistance, these minor genes need to be

The threshold is one green winglessaphid per four plants up to the 12-leaf stage,so it’s important not to go in too early andspray when aphids are on the wing.

The development of varieties with goodresistance to virus yellows is now the focus

Sugar beet agronomy

Brassica weeds, thistles, volunteer oilseed rapeand potatoes are particular problems for CambsProcam agronomist Ian Jackson, along withpolygonums, pansy and ivy-leaved speedwell.

Debut (triflusulfuron-methyl) has been thebackbone of his herbicide strategy for manyyears and he believes it’s integral to the successof his overall weed control. Brassica weeds,such as charlock, can be a consistent headacheas they grow so rapidly and are difficult foractive ingredients to penetrate because of itswaxy cuticle.

“Debut’s contact ability means that used in tandem with other contact materials such asphenmedipham, desmedipham and ethofumesate,it can take out weeds that are larger than two trueleaves. This makes the window of control muchwider and with more timing flexibility for the grower.”

Late frosts in the Fens can also mean thatconditions are not suitable for spraying when the crop is at an early and vulnerable stage.A further complicating factor this season may bethe timing of an insecticide to control the aphidvectors of virus yellows, which could mean herbicide timings get pushed back if aphidscome in early.

“Sensitised plants –– knocked back or damaged by a combination of frost and herbicide –– can prove disastrous and set thecrop back, so including Debut later on in theprogramme not only means the differencebetween a clean crop and a dirty one, but a crop that remains growing vigorously and competitive,” he explains.

Another example of the benefits of usingDebut at a later crop growth stage is where the weeds themselves are hardened throughpest damage.

“One particular issue we have with charlockis where it gets attacked by flea beetle at anearly stage, which hardens it and makes the leaf very difficult to penetrate. In a dry season,products applied to weeds under these circumstances can be notoriously ineffective,but with Debut we can delay applications so thatthe charlock recovers from earlier pest damage,even though it might be up to four true leaves or larger,” he continues.

Ian often advocates this later approach, withtwo applications made about 7-10 days apart.He typically recommends 20g/ha Debut and1.5-1.75 l/ha of a partner product, such asBetanal Elite (phenmedipham+ desmedipham+

Later approach can pay dividends

ethofumesate) and a residual component, whichcould be metamitron or lenacil.

“It can seem risky, as Debut’s mode of actionmeans that its effects don’t instantly becomeapparent. Weeds will cease growth and start toyellow, but it’s not a case of an instant kill.Although we do use residual partner products onthe Fen soils, their activity can be significantlyreduced by their organic nature and effectivecontact materials are so important.

“This approach is also useful for volunteerpotato control, in tandem or sequence with aclopyralid product, as the numbers of viabledaughter tubers can be significantly reduced,”he adds.

Using the broadacre system where Debut isapplied with contacts later on is a usefulapproach where thistles are a problem.

Mature plant resistance is a gradual process. As leaves mature, they become less appealing to suckingpests, such as aphids.Source: Williams, 1995

30

25

20

15

10

5

05 10 15 20 25

Leaf number (at birth of aphids)

Ap

hid

rep

rod

uctiv

e ra

te

Effect of leaf age on aphid reproductive rate


s

s


Once beets plants reach the 12-leaf stage,mature plant resistance kicks in and they are no longer attractive to aphids.

Sugar beet agronomy

Above average aphid activity was recorded going into the winter.Source: BBRO, 2018

Brooms Barn – Myzus persicae

stacked to avoid yield drag in theabsence of disease. Such varieties are yetto be developed and are unlikely to beavailable for at least five years,” he adds.

In the meantime, growers need to focuson promoting rapid establishment to helpthe plant reach the 12-leaf stage, whenmature plant resistance will start to conferprotection.

“This is all about being as kind andfriendly to the crop as possible duringestablishment. Anything that underminesplant development, such as poor seedbedpreparation, mistimed fertiliser applicationor the use of herbicides with a poor crop safety profile, will all hinder plantdevelopment,” he says.

For Norfolk farm manager John Bentonof Billockby Farms near Acle, this meansgetting it right from the outset –– there areno second chances and no excuses, hesays. Knowing where to look for signs ofproblems is the basis of his approach.

With land largely free of soil pests; suchas springtails, symphylids or millipedes,and no historical issues with leaf miner flyeither, his focus is on good farm hygieneto minimise potential sources of infectionwhile keeping a close eye on aphid activity in oilseed rape.

Virus harbourThe viruses responsible for causing virusyellows can be harboured in weeds including wild beet, fat-hen, shepherd’spurse, orache, common chickweed and groundsel and the aphid vectors over-winter in brassica crops.

“Volunteer potatoes and OSR are thepotential reservoirs of virus-infectedaphids that concern me. We have no beetspoil heaps and no potato dumps as allsoil spoil is returned to the field andploughed down. Similarly, there are nobrassica species in the cover crops, so I have the luxury of knowing where to lookfor aphids. But with 140ha of OSR on the

farm, I must be vigilant,” he says.The greatest difficulty he faces is

knowing just how cautious to be when producing farm budgets. “The BBRO estimates that the UK crop would havefaced seven virus epidemics of over 50%infection since 2000 were it not for theneonic seed treatments. But the difficultywe all face is estimating the level of riskfor the coming crop. Ultimately, it will be the weather that decides our fate,” he says.

And Mark believes the relatively mildwinter doesn’t bode well for the virus yellows threat in 2019, particularly asaphid numbers were recorded at highnumbers going into the winter.

John, an entrant of the Bayer Beet150yield competition, has 260ha of sugar beetacross 1800ha of mainly contract-farmedland, spanning six holdings. He aims tomeet a contract allocation of 21,500t at an average yield of 83t/ha and to ensurethe farm has the best possible chance

s

of achieving this, he has prioritised seedbed preparation,timely application of nitrogen andearly weed control as the basisof getting his crop quickly tothe 12-leaf stage.

“All the recent guidance has sought to highlight theimportance of seedbed qualityin getting the crop off to thebest start and in this respectwe are fortunate. Our sandy-clayloams are easily worked, andlevel seedbeds readilyachieved. While they can beslower to warm up than somesoils further inland, germinationis reliably high.”

Spring seedbed preparationis carried out around liming,which is performed in twostages. LimeX is typicallyapplied prior to ploughing in the autumn, with a surfacedressing of ground chalkapplied in the spring and incorporated with a shallow-tined cultivator ahead of drilling.

Once conditions arefavourable, typically towardsthe end of March, he will aimfor about 100,000 plants/ha bysowing at about 1.15 units/haon 45cm rows.

“Once drilled we applyroughly 80kgN/ha with a traceamount of sulphur as a liquidfertiliser. We find the crop benefits from the more accurateplacement this enables. This is then complemented by afurther 40kgN/ha as solid AN

Volunteer potatoes and OSR are thepotential reservoirs of virus-infectedaphids on the farm that concernJohn Benton.

once the crop reaches two trueleaves.

“After this it’s all about weedcontrol but with volunteer potatoes and thistles to consider, there’s little to be gained from using a pre-emergence herbicide.Instead, the crop will receivethree post-emergence herbicides with the rates steadily increasing as the crop is able to withstand it.

Additional benefit“We moved away from pre-emsseveral years ago as they wereadding cost but proving to beof little additional benefit.Instead, we follow a three-spraypost-em programme. The firstapplication is applied at cotyledon stage, so crop safetyis a priority. The focus at thistiming is broadleaf weed control using a mix of BetanalmaxxPro (phenmedipham+desmedipham+ ethofumesate+lenacil) plus Goltix (metamitron)is applied,” explains John.

The second post-em application is expanded to consider volunteer potatoes,cleavers and volunteer OSR.This involves a higher rate of Betanal maxxPro with theaddition of Dow Shield orVivendi (both clopyralid) +Debut (triflusulfuron).

For the final herbicide application, typically early tomid-June, rates are pushed alittle higher as the crop isstrong enough for the negativeeffects of more phytotoxic herbicides to be less of a concern. This also enables aswitch to an SE formulation of phenmedipham plusdesmedipham plus ethofumesate, delivering a saving in herbicide costs.

“There’s no single action thatwill remove the threat posed byvirus yellows, but through soundmanagement decisions and witha little bit of help from MotherNature, we stand a good chance of making it through tomature plant resistance withouttoo much damage to the crop,”he comments. n

Roots Sugar beet agronomy

Establishing sugar beet wellsets the foundations for higher yields and more

profitable crops. CPM talks to an award-winning Suffolk

grower to see how theyachieve average yields

well over 90t/ha.

By Paul Spackman

We won’t travel on land if conditions aren’t

right.”“

Sow for successful sugar beet

When it comes to getting the most fromsugar beet, Guy Hitchcock and his sonWilliam are up there with the best.Hitchcock Farms was a finalist in lastyear’s inaugural Beet Yield Challenge(BYC) with a yield of 116t/ha, equivalentto 83% of the crop’s biological yieldpotential.

It was far from a one-off, as the averageacross more than 80ha grown on their ownland near Stowmarket in Suffolk came in at 108t/ha, in what was a good growingseason in 2017. Even in the more challenging 2018/19 season, overall yieldaveraged an impressive 93.5t/ha, with

their BYC field coming in at 111t/ha.The Hitchcocks and their agronomist

Alistair Shepherd of Hutchinsons, believegood soil preparation, patience, attentionto detail and a willingness to invest are essential ingredients for strong establishment and maximum crop potential.

This is especially true on the heavierclay loam at Hitchcock Farms’ Ringshall,which is not traditional beet-growing landand can be tricky to manage when wet.

Land drainage“Soil structure is so important for sugarbeet; you simply can’t afford to have areasthat are waterlogged or compacted,” says Guy. “We’ve invested heavily in landdrainage in the last 20 years and are constantly working to improve and protectour soils.”

Sugar beet is very susceptible to compaction, so this is minimised whereverpossible throughout the rotation, by keeping trailers to headlands or tramlinesat harvest and using tracked machines tospread weight.

“We use a rubber-tracked crawler for allcultivations, which has been our saviour.Wheeled tractors can lead to more compaction; they’re just not an option,

Guy Hitchcock (right) and his son William areachieving sugar beet yields in excess of 100t/ha.

especially in spring.”A good, level seedbed is vital for

accurate beet drilling and for even plantstands, which has knock-on benefits forcrop management and reducing harvesterlosses, he says.


s

Hitchcock Farms, Ringshalll Farm size: 700ha of owned, rented,

contract-farmed land.l Soil type: ranges from sandy clay loam,

to silty clay loam, and clay loam.l Cropping: includes winter wheat,

oilseed rape, sugar beet, spring barley,winter beans.

l Sugar beet: 150ha (increased from 80hatraditionally grown) plus 1100ha of contract harvesting and 600ha of contract drilling.

l Average Yield: 2018/19 – 93.5t/ha; 2017/18 – 108t/ha

l Mainline tractors: John Deere 8370RT tracked tractor, JD6210R, JD6155R,JD6430P x2

l Sugar beet drills: 12-row Monosem x2l Harvester: Holmer T4-30 l Sprayer: Knight 5000-litre 36m trailedl Cultivation: 7f fully-mounted plough,

Simba CultiPress, Väderstad NZA cultivator and Crosskill roller.

Fact facts

Alistair Shepherd favours a two-spray fungicidestrategy to protect canopy health and maintaingreen leaf throughout the growing period.

Remaining N is applied at the 2-4 true leaf stage,following a base application of liquid nitrogen.

The Hitchcocks’ aim is to establish 100,000plants/ha and to get them growing away quickly.

Most land going into beet is ploughedin Sept, then worked down with a SimbaCultiPress while soil conditions allow alevel ‘semi-seedbed’ that will weather over-winter. Fields are sprayed off withglyphosate when conditions allow inMarch, before a final cultivation with aVäderstad NZA spring-tine cultivator andCrosskill roller.

“We won’t travel on land if conditionsaren’t right. Strong establishment is essential, so we must ensure the seedbedis as good as we can get,” adds Guy.

Beet is drilled 25-30mm deep with thefarm’s 12-row Monosem precision drill, fitted with GPS RTK guidance and automatic section shut-off to avoid overlaps. Seed is typically sown at 1.2 units/ha, although rates depend on soil conditions.

“We aim to establish 100,000 plants/haand usually manage this. Some areasestablished a bit too well last year, with upto 120,000 plants/ha, which is potentiallytoo high.”

The farm has just bought a secondMonosem drill, featuring similar specifications but with additional disc openers in front of the coulters.

“Hopefully this will improve establishmentwhere seedbeds are sub-optimal and helpsow seed into moisture when soils are dry,”says Guy.

Having a second drill also means all land can be sown within a narrow timeframe when conditions are suitable.“Our key window is the last week of Marchto the first week of April. It makes it a loteasier to manage crops through the season if they’re all around the samegrowth stage,” adds Alistair.

Autumn-applied poultry litter from nearby chicken units and Fibrophosfertiliser provide the main source of phosphate, potash and trace elements.

A base application of liquid nitrogen isalso applied to ploughed land before thefirst spring cultivation, followed by theremaining N at the 2-4 true leaf stage.

Close monitoringThe faster crops establish, the more manganese they need, comments Alistair,so this is monitored closely and a top-up is applied as soon as canopy growth issufficient. If needed, a blanket applicationof LimeX is also applied every four yearsin the autumn to maintain a relatively highsoil pH.

The ban on neonicotinoid seed treatment and associated increase inaphid-borne virus yellows risk poses oneof the most immediate threats to yield, butthe Hitchcocks are confident this will beovercome long-term.

“There will be some chemical [insecticide]options available, but they’re not as effective as neonics and pose a risk tobeneficial insects too,” says William.

“Crops are most vulnerable to infectionbetween emergence and 12-leaves, so our main approach will be to get themestablished and past this stage as quicklyas possible.”

Focusing on all ways of maximisingestablishment and having two drills to getcrops in at the optimum time should helpachieve this, he says.

“I’m also very confident in the workbreeders are doing to build resistance into future varieties,” he adds.

The farm takes a robust stance againstall weeds, focusing on two or three post-emergence applications of productsbased on phenmedipham, desmedipham,and ethofumesate with a residual partner.

“We want to maintain clean crops right

the way through,” notes Alistair. Thatapplies to disease control too, where atwo-spray fungicide strategy is favoured toprotect canopy health and maintain greenleaf throughout the growing period.

“Depending on disease pressure, we may bolster the second fungicide with extra cercospora protection, especially inlater-lifted crops. Sugar beet is an exactingcrop to grow well, so careful considerationand attention to detail is needed at everystage, from soil preparation right through toharvest and haulage.” n

Sugar beet agronomy


s

After attending the BBRO’stechnical conference lastmonth, there’s no denying I’vejoined the ‘older’ generation ofagronomists.

For the past 25 years, sugarbeet agronomy hasn’t beencomplicated by the threat ofvirus yellows –– it’s only usoldies that remember life beforethe neonics and what anabsolute blessing they werewhen they first arrived in theearly 1990s.

Back in the day, pyrethroidsand carbamates were still effective, so that helped thejob. Nowadays pyrethroids aremore hindrance than helpbecause of both the degree ofresistance in the peach-potatoaphid (Myzus persicae)population and the adverseeffect they have on aphid predators.

So that leaves just the moreselective aphicide, Teppeki(flonicamid), to cover the periodwhen sugar beet is at most riskfrom virus infection. But withonly one application permittedand anti-feeding activity thatpersists for a maximum of threeweeks, applying it at the righttime will be critical.

So with aphids reachinghighs before Christmas, a

winter that has, in most areas, been

exceptionally kind and with a double-whammy of temperatures

reaching doublefigures during Feb, there’s

every reason to expect plentyof aphids in early spring. Thatcould make decision-makingvery interesting in the field.

BBRO will issue the officialvirus yellows forecast thismonth so we’ll soon know whatwe’re up against. Although 99%of sugar beet has been treatedwith neonic seed treatments inrecent years, that unfortunatelydoesn’t mean the virus yellowsthreat has disappeared. Theneonics did nothing to controlthe first generation of aphidswhich fly into crops and havethe potential to transmit BYVrapidly. Where they were invaluable was in controlling the subsequent generations,preventing the secondaryspread of virus which is the primary cause of yield loss. So the disease has been present in sugar beet, just not at damaging levels

Other hosts of virus yellowsinclude wild beet and commonweeds such as fat-hen, shepherd’s purse, orache, common chickweed andgroundsel so controlling weedbeet and hygiene around spoilpiles is going to be even moreimportant this spring. Otherthings to watch out for arethe proximity of oilseed rapeand other brassica specieswhich will have harbouredpeach-potato aphids over the winter.

The BBRO warning systemwill give the heads up on whenwinged aphid numbers areincreasing and that’ll be whenthe stress will really start.Forays into sugar beet fieldswill have to be frequent towatch for the threshold of

A note to the‘younger’ generation

Based in Ludlow, Shrops,Lucy de la Pasture hasworked as an agronomist,while among the Twitterati,she’s @[email protected]

wingless aphids. The real difficulty will be if that happensreally early in the life of the cropand if it does, that’s whenagronomist brain ache reallywill begin.

If herbicide applications are still underway then thejudgement call will be whetherto tank-mix the Teppeki orchange tack with the herbicideprogramme and apply theinsecticide on its own. It’s adecision which will likelydepend on the growth of thecrop and diurnal range of temperatures. The last thinganyone will want to do is tocheck growth and a number ofdifferent wetting systems in thetank can have that effect on asoft crop. The neonics reallydid save us oldies from allthose decisions!

On a more serious note, anominous sign is the refusal byour government to give anemergency authorisation foruse of neonic seed treatment in sugar beet, especially as 12 other EU countries havealready granted a derogation.In time there will be otheroptions as new virus yellows

tolerant varieties come online,but right now that’s not the caseand a transition period wouldhave been helpful to Britishsugar beet growers. More andmore we’re expecting answersto the pest and disease problems we face to come from the plant breeders andthey’re doing an amazing job atcoming up with the goods, butit takes time.

So it’s going to be a year ofbeing mindful of a threat wehaven’t had to even think aboutfor decades. Time to brush upon M. persicae ID and dig outthe spy glass. Let’s hope theBBRO are successful in gettingan emergency approvalthrough for an alternative insecticide to give some moreoptions, just in case they’reneeded.

For the first time in 25 years virus yellow symptoms may become a morecommon sight in beet fields.


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