Tillage specialist Shay Phelan is confirming that the disease threat in winter wheat crops is currently, at ‘low pressure’ levels.
“This is certainly the case, where septoria is concerned,” he explained.
“Levels of the disease were quite low to begin with. The month of May was quite tricky, from a weather point of view. From the point of view of spraying opportunities, it was quite windy.
“But most growers were able to carry out their fungicide spraying programmes on time. This has helped no end in terms of controlling septoria,” he added.
Spraying winter wheat
Phelan stressed the need to spray crops at the right times.
“Even this year, in cases where spraying programmes were mis-timed, there is a fair bit of septoria around,” he stated.
Rain at flowering time may have predisposed winter wheat crops to fusarium attack.
“But it wasn’t continuous rain. Crops did get a chance to dry out at different times. And it is to be hoped that the impact of fusarium will not be as significant as it could have been,” Phelan continued.
“But we will have to wait for the harvest in order to find out.”
According to Phelan, the potential exists for Irish wheat crops to yield very heavily this year.
“Unlike barley, wheat crops have the potential to compensate from a poor start,” he said.
“We are seeing full crops of wheat from hedge to hedge. And, in addition, disease levels have been very low throughout the growing season.”
Oats
Teagasc tillage specialist Ciaran Collins is also confirming that oat crops look very healthy at the present time.
“We set the bar very high last year in terms of record yields,” he stressed.
“The majority of winter oat crops that I have seen this year are good. There was some mildew knocking around at the beginning of the season. But drier weather in April allowed growers to get on with fungicides.
“And the better conditions at the time suited oat crops, from a development point of view. Thereafter, disease levels in oats have been relatively low,” he added.
“As a consequence, there is good potential in both winter and spring oats at the present time.”
In terms of lessons that can be learnt from the 2021/2022 growing season, Ciaran Collins cautioned against too early a sowing date.
“Where winter barley is concerned, planting crops too early predisposed them to problems relating to Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus and Take –all,” said Collins.