Last week we returned to Isaac Wheelock’s KWS Scope winter wheat. It is a field that, in autumn, he chose to try and push a little further than normal. However, a wet winter and springs in the field saw the crop not only struggle, but empty patches appearing where the crop was not growing and where plants were lost.

The goal changed, to making what could be a write off to a crop that will turn money. Others may have given up or cut spend, but Isaac said he had most of the money spent on it at that time and so he had to keep plants alive and get them to push on in difficult conditions.

The decision looks to have paid off, although we know it is a long time to harvest. At this time though, the crop is an excellent winter wheat crop and has compensated for missing plants or tillers with more grains per ear and bigger grains.

John Dunne of Goldcrop visited last week and noted that if it was any other crop, it would have been replanted, but he commented it has done what winter wheat does – and that is to recover – due to good management and nursing the crop along. John commented that the ear had changed shape to allow more grain to be set.

Cooney Furlong agronomist George Blackburn agreed: “One thing I like about wheat is, if you keep feeding it and keep at it, this field is the evidence of it, it will keep improving. It’s the one crop you can improve. If you get the establishment wrong on spring barley or something like that you won’t recover it.”

It must be said that the soil is top of the agenda on Wheelock’s farm. It is in min-till for over 20 years, has received farmyard manure every second year for 10 years and the most recent crops were oilseed rape and oats.

Isaac commented: “Soil health is at the forefront here and that’s probably what really helped the crop survive when it was at that dyer stage that it had a good bottom to stay there; to keep it alive.

“It didn’t miraculously turn into the crop we have today. There were a number of people involved, a lot of hard work and a lot of time went into it.

“The original plan was to push it really hard, but we went into survival mode basically and it’s done a fantastic job of recovering. It’s unbelievable when you drive through it to see what we have now compared to what we had,” he said.

John added that “it isn’t always about spending the most amount of money, it’s doing the little things right”.

The ear of the KWS Scope, curved to fit in more grain.

The crop of winter wheat has turned inside out since the spring time.

There were large patches of the crop struggling in the spring time. \ Claire Nash

Agronomy

The gate is now closed on the crop. Since we last visited the T2 was applied – Revystar, the multisite, magnesium, Phylgreen seaweed and Optiplant all went on. The T3 of Osiris, Comet, Magnesium and Optiplant was applied ahead of heavy rain and last week some N18 was applied, a foliar N product.

George said that T3 timing is critical. There is only really 24 hours to get it on at the right time to prevent fusarium. The crop has great potential and fusarium could take that away. The keen management and well-executed spray timings have resulted in a very clean crop. Septoria control is excellent and it was acknowledged that a drier spring helped with that because it is a disease that is difficult to control, but Isaac followed the management advice.

KWS Scope is one of many varieties on the recommended list that is weak on yellow rust, but there was none in this crop at any time. Importantly it is a variety with a high yield rating and good straw strength to hold that yield so rust, which can be controlled, was not an issue.

“Some people would stay a hundred miles away from this [variety] because it’s prone to rust,” George said, while adding: “If you’re on the ball. If you get nutrition right. Get your strobilurin on in time, get ahead of it. It never came into this crop at all. Diseases are controllable.”

The crop recovered as it was fed gradually over the year and received fungicides and nutrition on time. \ Claire Nash

John Dunne, Goldcrop; George Blackburn, Cooney Furlong Grain; Isaac Wheelock, tillage farmer and Siobhán Walsh, Irish Farmers Journal in the wheat. \ Claire Nash

Nutrition

The crop’s agronomy programme was heavy on nutrition and possibly got a little more than normal to try and push it on, but it made a big difference.

A drone applied manganese and phosphites when nothing else could travel and the nitrogen was applied in six splits, a little and often approach.

George commented on the drone: “All it got at that time was a bit of manganese and phosphite, but it was just enough to keep it alive. It definitely made a big difference. There’s no question about that.”

He noted that establishment was good, then it rained and rained and the roots weren’t strong enough because they never had to look for water, so they weren’t able to look for nutrients.

The phosphite would help the root growth and giving the crop access to nutrients easily helped it along.

“What’s going on over the ground is really only symptomatic of what’s actually working or not working under the ground. That gets lost a bit in the conversation sometimes. A lot of my nutrition programme would be focused on root development, driving out roots. We used fulvic acid on it, phosphites just to keep the root hairs working.”

John commented that while the extra nutrition created work for Isaac it did not add lots of cost for the benefits it gave.

All were agreed that many small decisions helped to turn this crop inside out. “It was an accumulation of little things,” according to George.

That could have been a timely T0, an early T3, a leaf assessment for nutrition or an extra run of the spreader to split nitrogen timings. Isaac could have been looking at bare fields for the season, instead he took pleasure in watching a crop improve and hopefully build yield.

The combine will tell all in the coming weeks.

The crop has compensated and filled out with good management. \ Claire Nash

You can view the video here.