Teagasc tillage specialist, Ciaran Collins, is advising growers to use plant counts to determine a management strategy for winter cereals.
Agronomists are indicating that it may be more economical to manage thin winter cereal crops with reduced inputs, rather than replacing it with a spring option.
Teagasc tillage specialist, Ciaran Collins, is advising growers to use plant counts to determine a management strategy for winter cereals.
“Inputs should be based on expected output. A winter wheat crop with a potential yield of 7.5t/ha will require a different approach to one with a potential yield of 10t/ha.
“When contemplating the re-planting a winter crop with spring barley, farmers should delay this decision until all other spring cereals have been planted.
“Winter wheat can produce a viable crop with 70 to 80 plants/m² once they are relatively evenly distributed.
“When managing a crop with sub-optimal plant numbers, growers should tailor costs to potential yield. This means matching fertiliser rates to offtakes,” Collins said.
Winter cereals
According to Collins, a 7.5t/ha winter wheat crop requires 50kg/ha less nitrogen (N) than a 10t/ha crop. For thin crops, however, the N programme front loaded.
“Growers should apply 25 to 30kg when growth commences. They should consider splitting applications early in the season as demand is low.
Teagasc is also recommending the application of the growth promoter chlormequat chloride (CCC) after an N application. This may help to promote tiller survival.
“It is crucial to correct any nutrient deficiencies, particularly manganese,” the tillage specialist said.
Significantly, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that bare areas within winter crops do not require re-sowing, making them eligible for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM).
However, if a field or significant portions of it have failed, they must either be re-sown or designated as fallow by creating a subdivision. Fallow land is ineligible for the SIM.
Where spring crops are concerned, Teagasc is encouraging tillage farmers are being urged to put a strategic plan in place.
According to the head of Teagasc’s Crops Knowledge Transfer Department, Michael Hennessy, step one in the process is ensuring that sufficient seed has been procured.
“Irish merchants have done a tremendous job in securing spring barley seed from countries around Europe over recent weeks. And there may be scope to secure additional stocks as the planting season progresses.
“The weather since the start of the New Year has not been conducive to planting at all. So, plans to get significant acreages of winter wheat into the ground up to the middle of February.
“Yes, there is the potential for tillage farmers to look at the option of growing the likes of forage maize on some ground.
“But, in reality, we are looking at spring barley being the key cereal option for growers over the coming weeks,” he said.