End of the season

Rainfall amounts have been very variable for the month. Many met stations are already above the monthly 30-year average while others lag behind. Some tillage regions have had over 120mm up to Wednesday while others had under 60mm.

Most soil temperature readings are now below 7°C and many are below 6°C so growth will slow and establishment challenges will be increased.

Later planted crops are likely to have less pressure from time-sensitive grasses like bromes, canary and blackgrass but watch out for them in case. Some sprayed fields have a level of weeds coming through despite pre-emerge herbicides. This may be a consequence of the general dryness that prevailed at the time of spraying. Some of these weeds may still be caught by the herbicide but some will also survive and may require subsequent treatment.

One might hope that the fall in temperatures since early November may be enough to minimise BYDV risk in fields where Deter dressing was used. However, if you know you have high risk fields these might benefit from the application of one foliar insecticide.

Crop condition

Good planting conditions have resulted in crops with 100% emergence and uniformity. This is critical for good yield potential but it is early days yet and a wet winter can still play havoc with crop uniformity.

Many crops appear to be quite strong and full but this may be more to do with high establishment and more seeds being planted due to smaller seed size. Either way, the lowering of air and soil temperature will hold them back and that could be a good thing in these crops.

Planting

Heavy rain this week, falling temperatures and the fact that we are pushing into December, suggest that drills should now be parked up until springtime. Crows could be an uncontrollable problem from here on so why take the risk.

Protein payment

Department personnel recently confirmed that the protein scheme will operate in 2019 for those planning to plant protein crops. While many such crops were poor in 2018 due to the heat and dryness, many growers will sow beans again because of the many advantages that the crop brings to a rotation.

Oilseed rape

The good autumn growth has helped crops bulk up. Most crops appear clean and weed free but some fields are yet to be sprayed with Kerb based products. This should be done shortly as crops have been hardened off and spraying should be done before canopies become excessively dense to enable spray penetration. AstroKerb gives better control of some specific weeds like poppy.

ITLUS Conference

This takes place on 6 December in Athy and looks at issues relating to the use of organic manures in tillage systems.