'The scope to drive the production of rye is significant' - expert
The last decade has seen the area dedicated in Ireland to the production of winter rye increase at an exponential rate.
This has been driven by a combination of factors: the completion of comprehensive research trials by Teagasc and the commitment of the commercial seed sector to champion the crop.
However, according to Seedtech technical director, Tim O’Donovan: "We have reached a bit of a hiatus, where rye is concerned.
“Last season approximately 3,700ha of rye crops were sown out in Ireland. Ten years earlier, the equivalent figure was 200ha.”
The Seedtech representative noted that rye offers many agronomic advantages to tillage farmers.
"It is virtually resistant to Take-All while it can deliver high yields of both grain and straw on land that is marginal for both wheat and barley, O'Donovan said.
“But there is a key constraint within all of this. We need to see a bigger buy-in to rye from animal feed merchants and the compound animal feed sector.
“If this can be achieved, the scope to drive the production of rye is significant. One of the key advantages the crop offers is that of allowing tillage farmers to drill a winter cereal during the second half of September.”
Meanwhile sales of winter cereal seed remain subdued at the present time.
O’Donovan said: “We already have a fair idea that the area of winter oilseed rape planted out over recent weeks is up between 40-50%, year-on-year.
“That should bring us up to around 16,000ha. And this is extremely positive.”
Where winter barley is concerned, the Seedtech representative indicated that 55% of seed sales over the coming weeks will be accounted for by Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) tolerant varieties.
The Seedtech options within this category are Joyau and Orcade.
Significantly, Teagasc has just completed the second year of a three-year trial quantifying the efficacy of BYDY tolerance.
According to O’Donovan: "The trends coming through from this work are already apparent.
"Tolerant varieties, drilled in September, are consistently producing the same or higher yields as non-tolerant options that receive a standard insecticide spray protocol.”
The Seedtech representative likens the use of tolerant varieties to a form of insurance policy.
He added: “Yes, there is a small premium to be paid when buying the seed. But it’s an investment in peace of mind when it comes to effectively managing the BYDV threat.
“An evolving concern, where BYDV is concerned, relates to the fact that aphid populations are now active during the winter months at a time when ground conditions prohibit field work.
“Global warming means insects, including aphids, have more opportunities to fly into cereal crops over winter. In previous years, aphid flight generally ceased middle November, so BYDV tolerant varieties really help manage that late threat.”
“This reality further endorses the planting of BYDV tolerant winter barley varieties.
Turning to winter wheat, O’Donovan indicated that the coming winter months will tell the real story regarding a new variant of the yellow rust fungus, which had attacked previously resistant varieties of the cereal earlier this year.
The problem had been particularly acute in parts of England
The Seedtech representative said: “We have to see if the new fungal population survives the coming winter. If they don’t, then the problem automatically resolves itself.
“However, yellow rust remains a strategically straightforward disease to control using early applications of a proprietary fungicide."
However, O'Donovan believes the top concern for Irish crops will come from another area
“Septoria will remain the most significant disease threat confronting Irish wheat crops," he said.
