Tillage

Broken weather continues to disrupt winter barley harvesting with heavy rain driving heads towards the ground in ripe crops. Still, there are quite a number of crops not yet ripe.

Take-all continues to bite at wheat crops especially early sown winter wheat. But white heads are also being caused by sharp eyespot, which is now quite severe in some crops of both wheat and barley. Still, many crops are beginning to ripen so the consequence of these problems might be less severe.

Fusarium levels have increased considerably on both wheat and spring barley. The major problem in spring barley is M. nivale but the presence of ear blight on winter wheat treated with Amistar would suggest that infection with fusarium species is also present.

Pre-harvest spraying

Pre-harvest glyphosate is the best way and time to control scutch and/or other perennial weeds such as thistles, docks, etc. Levels of scutch in many fields have increased considerably as can be seen in fields around the country at the moment. The easiest time to control this problem is when it is present at low levels so don't wait until it gets worse before you treat, as this will mean yield loss before you incur the cost of treating.

Pre-harvest treatment may also be considered to control the annual meadow grass present in most crops this year. Control here helps get more cutting hours on the edges of a harvest day. It will also help stop sods of this weed re-establishing in a following winter crop, thus perpetuating the problem.

The ten-day pre-harvest requirement means that some farmers can consider spraying winter wheat and spring barley crops within the next two weeks - except for crops grown for seed. This is especially important for fields destined for winter cereals or break crops next year.

Glyphosate should be applied about 7-10 days before harvest when the grain is around or less than 30% moisture (thumb indent in grain stays after squeezing; neck of head turning from green to brown or a dark brown pigment can be found along by the crease in three-quarters of a 20 grain sample).

Up to 4.0 l/ha are required where heavy scutch or perennial weeds are present. However, as little as 1.0 l/ha may be enough to tidy up annual grass weeds.

Set-aside

We are now in the obligatory set-aside topping period. All set-aside must be topped to a maximum height of ten centimetres between July 15 and 15 August (except where permission has been achieved to delay this for environmental reasons or where no vegetation is present). It may still be necessary to top set-aside after glyphosate application where standing vegetation looks unsightly.

Sugar beet

Remove bolters from now on either by pulling, weed licking with Roundup or topping.

Application of fungicide to control ramularia, mildew and rust should be considered on beet crops to be lifted from late October onwards. This should be applied before mid-August but better applied to clean foliage earlier.

While both ramularia leaf spot and powdery mildew attack sugar beet, rust is by far the most serious threat. Best results will be obtained by spraying at the first sign of the disease with either Punch C, Tilt, Score 250 EC or Corbel.