in this issue - cpm magazine · in no way does cpm ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the...

In this issue...Heaven on earth page 22The secrets behind a record-breaking crop

Fastrac farming page 62

The attraction of tractors page 52Manufacturers unveil new models

Biological boon page 40

Root boost for backward OSRField trials carried out by a Shrops-based agronomist have shown rooting benefits for an oilseed rape fungicide.

Wold record breakerEarlier this year, Lincs grower Tim Lamyman brought both thewheat and oilseed rape world crop yield records back to the UK.

Putting second wheats in first placeCareful management ensures a second wheat justifies its place inthe rotation and lifts margins across the farm.

Release the X factorOrganic matter does something to the soil beyond delivering just a yield increase, but exactly what?

Keeping your eyes closedWith CIPC still firmly in the spotlight, are you prepared to tacklethe thorny problem of sprouting in store?

Small show has its strengthsCropTec 2015 takes place on 24 and 25 Nov at Peterborough,but what’s its value?

Versatility in vogue?The ability of new drills and cultivation equipment to handle arange of conditions was highlighted at Tillage Live.

Agritechnica set to yield good tractor cropThe farm machinery industry’s biennial ‘harvest’ looks set to beserving up a bumper crop of new tractors next month.

Talking TilthA word from the editor.

Smith’s SoapboxViews and opinions from an Essex peasant…..

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3crop production magazine october 2015

Volume 17 Number 9October 2015

*the claim ‘best read specialist arable journal’ is based on independent reader research, conducted by the

National Farm Research Unit 2014

Editorial & advertising salesWhite House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY5 8LP

Tel: (01743) 861122 E-mail: [email protected]

Reader registration hotline 01743 861122Advertising copy

Brooks Design, 24 Claremont Hill, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY1 1RDTel: (01743) 244403 E-mail: [email protected]

CPM Volume 17 No 9. Editorial, advertising and sales offices are at White House Barn, Hanwood, Shrewsbury SY5 8LP.

Tel: (01743) 861122. CPM is published ten times a year by CPM Ltd and is available free of charge to qualifying farmers

and farm managers in the United Kingdom.

In no way does CPM Ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the advice,recommendations or prescriptions reported in the magazine.

If you are unsure about which recommendations to follow, please consult a professional agronomist. Always read the label. Use pesticides safely.

CPM Ltd is not responsible for loss or damage to any unsolicited material,including photographs.

EditorTom Allen-Stevens

Sub editorCharlotte Lord

Writers

Design and ProductionBrooks Design

Advertisement co-ordinatorPeter Walker

PublisherAngus McKirdy

Business Development ManagerCharlotte Alexander

To claim two crop protection BASIS points, send an email [email protected], quoting reference CP/37178/1415/g.

Lucy de la PastureEmily PadfieldMick Roberts

Tom Allen-StevensJulian Cooksley

Sam DeaneRob Jones

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52

BLACKGRASS BATTLEThe lure of a perfect seedbedWith near ideal conditions for establishment, it’s been hard for growers with blackgrass to delay drilling.

8

TECHTALKThe good guysBiological technologies have the potential to bring crop protection into a whole new era.

40

WEEDCONTROLEvolving strategies for blackgrass controlOilseed rape is a crop that provides an opportunity for a change in chemistry when it comes to tackling problem weeds.

13

ON FARM OPINIONSpeed to respond,power to performContractors are driven by reliability, cost of ownership and the logisticsof getting to the next job quickly and efficiently.

Benefits build as system evolvesThe move to a one-pass system was started by a contractor on a Northants farm, but has since been adopted across the holding.

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Powers that unlocks thispotential.

The truth is, everything hedoes comes down to goodhusbandry, and none of itcan’t be replicated onmost UK farms, I reckon.What’s more, Rod Smithreports his yield meter was

running over 23t/ha in places, which gives ameasure of just what can be achieved.

Granted, that’s not a yieldyou’re likely to see on mostUK farms, and even an average field yield above16t/ha is beyond the realms ofmost. But the UK wheatrecord yield now stands atnearly twice the UK average–– surely there’s scope for usto raise the bar?

So as the new season getsunderway, CPM proposes achallenge: do everything youcan to be a winner. Whetheryou want to set a personal,farm target or beat a nationalor world record, why not setout to ensure the 2016 crop isthe very best you’ve everachieved?

For many growers, the season’s already got off to agood start with near idealseedbeds, although onemajor challenge will be blackgrass (see p8). That’salso the case in OSR crops(p13), although giving thecrop a root boost may securea higher chance of success(p18).

In second wheats, addressing the take-all challenge can unlock a higheryield (p28). Or perhaps yoursoil is limited by its organicmatter content –– newresearch is revealing just what a difference that canmake (p32).

For many growers, theroute to boost soil health lies with having the rightestablishment equipment, andthere was the chance to seethe latest offerings at TillageLive last month, while a newversatile drill has also beenlaunched (p48). But it’s theClaydon system that’s broughtbenefits for one Northantsfamily (p58).

Tractor manufacturers arealso gearing up for nextmonth’s Agritechnica event,with new models set to takecentre stage (p52).Meanwhile, we’ve travelled toNorfolk to find out how a fleetof Fastracs is deliveringresults for one contractor(p62).

In potatoes, the crop coming into store is a keyconcern, and in particular useof chlorpropham (p36). Butbiologicals may offer the cropexciting new opportunities,especially for the progressivegrowers prepared to shapethis new technology thatwe’ve explored in this month’sTech Talk (p40).

What this year’s winnershave proved is that there’s nogood reason to languish on

It’s a good feeling to win, butit must be an exhilaratingexperience to be a world-record holder.

This harvest, not one buttwo British growers earnedthat accolade. First, Lincsgrower Tim Lamyman stoleback the oilseed rape yieldrecord from New Zealand witha stunning 6.7t/ha. Just twoweeks later, he smashed theworld wheat record with a giddying 16.5t/ha.

As if this wasn’t impressiveenough, then Northumberlandgrower Rod Smith clipped itand secured his place in therecord books, netting just19kg/ha more with his wheatcrop.

Of course the burningquestion is ‘how?’ Which iswhy CPM went straight up to Lincs to find out (see thearticle on page 22).

I was expecting to findsomething fantastic –– somegood reason why my ownwheat yields aren’t spirallingabove 15t/ha. Perhaps there’dbe something unique in TimLamyman’s soil, he’d sit in aspecial climatic pocket of theUK, or maybe he has someunderstanding with Higher

Tom Allen-Stevens has a170ha arable farm in Oxonand has always maintainedthat it’s easier to write aboutdoing it right than actuallydoing it right.

[email protected]

the yield plateau. Even attoday’s lower crop prices, ifcutting your managementresults in compromisingyields, the only thing you’llreduce is your profit. For myown part, it frustrates me thatthere’s such a gap betweenthe yields my fields trot out and the very best my contemporaries can achieve.It makes me determined tolearn from them and bringthose lessons home.

4 crop production magazine september 2015

Could you be a winner?

CPM has proven it’s also a winner, picking up theprestigious Guild ofAgricultural Journalists’Yara award for best arabletechnical feature of theyear. The article, publishedin Feb 2015, Get ready forBPS, looked at the newonline system of subsidypayments from the RPA. To read the feature, go towww.cpm-magazine andtype ‘chaos’ into thesearch facility.

As the nights draw in and‘peak cab hours’ become significantly reduced, then theconference season seems tokick off.

For those so minded it’s anopportunity to get off the farmand compare notes with othersabout this year’s harvest andthe autumn programme. It’salso a chance to be challengedby speakers to think radicallyabout how we run our farms.

No doubt some economistsmight dare to question thesense of sowing wheat when it’s currently worth less than itscost of production. Suchprovocative talk will make manyof us shift nervously in ourseats in the knowledge we’vejust drilled up several hundredacres in the face of negativemargins. Our only response tothat is how can they be sure theprice won’t be up to £150 byChristmas and £200 by the time we harvest it?

The optimists amongst usremember the spring of 2007when no one foresaw the £50price hike during the year. Butthe economists will simply lookat the current futures marketand shake their heads in morbid gloom –– while webecome farming’s answer toWinnie the Pooh, economistswill delight in playing Eeyore.

To make us feel even moreuncomfortable, no doubt other

economists will lectureagainst being dependenton EU subsidies. Withfarm-gate prices wherethey are, this will feel like

a proper turn of the knifeas many of us are aware

that this coming year supportpayments will probably represent our only chance of seeing a profit.

I once heard an Australiandescribe British farmers as ‘anodd bunch who seem to approveof old-fashioned values such as self-reliance while beinghopelessly dependent on subsidies’. I suppose theresponse to our Aussie chum isalong the lines that most Britishfarmers would fancy a pop atfarming in a world where noone got any form of support,but only on the understandingthe latter came before the former.

One suspects this love-haterelationship we have with support payments will comeinto sharp focus after 1 Decwhen we all start logging intoour bank accounts in the forlornhope our BPS payment mayhave arrived. Some of us willrecollect 2006/7 when we waited for months for our SPScheque, growing more anxiousby the day. By Easter many of us were showing signs of stress.

It would have probably beenbetter if someone had told us inthe New Year that there was nohope of seeing any money fromthe RPA before June. Lulledinto that sense of insecurity we might have even felt nicelysurprised when dosh was actually delivered rather thanfeeling a sense of being letdown for weeks on end by itsdaily non arrival.

And so the killer question iswhere to put it into the cash

The CAP and all that

Email your comments and ideas to [email protected]

Guy Smith grows 500ha ofcombinable crops on thenorth east Essex coast,namely St. Osyth Marsh ––officially the driest spot inthe British Isles. Despitespurious claims from othersthat their farms are actuallydrier, he points out that hisfarm is in the Guinness Book of Records, whereasothers aren’t. End of.

flow forecast? I’m guided hereby the Chief Executive of theRPA who has promised to startpaying BPS payments in Decwith the ‘vast’ majority goingout by the end of Jan. So personally I’m banking on Febso I’m not that far behind thecrowd but I’m still exceptional.I’m prepared to pride myself onmy self-reliance and my abilityto farm without hand-outs, aslong as I get them byValentine’s Day.

And to add extra frisson tothis pre-monetary tension wehave the little issue of our futuremembership of the EU to consider. If payments aredelayed then the psychologicalimpact on the farming communitycould cut either way. Some mightthink ‘well stuff this for a game ifsoldiers – let’s just quit the EUand walk away from the CAPand all its nonsense’ while others might be reminded of our dependence on CAPpayments and may prefer tostay connected to the EU mothership.

Meanwhile the ConservativeGovernment will be in need ofconvincing their back benchers

they have renegotiated with Brussels to achieve substantive reform and a better deal. Maybe farmingcould assist here by pointingthem in the direction of EUlegislation gold plated by UKauthorities ten years ago. I’msure plenty of us could give afew suggestions to Mr Cameronas to how the yoke of the EUcan be lifted from Britain’s primary producers. Answers on a postcard to 10 DowningStreet please.

6 crop production magazine october 2015

Scope for progress?I know I’m well read by the in-cab, on-farm, random bird-watcher fraternity. So eat your heart out at this little beauty that turned up onour ELS margins in Sept. It’s a yellow browed warbler –– a sort ofrare-bird-cum-tongue-twister. Having talked to a few proper twitchers,I now know it as a YBW. Meanwhile, I’ve a message for all those incertain wildlife NGOs who have rubbished the ELS scheme to the pointthat the powers that be have walked away from the concept: try putting your telescope to your good eye. Photo by David Gifford

B L AC K G R A S SB AT T L E

With near ideal conditions forestablishment, it’s been hardfor growers with blackgrass

to delay drilling. CPM gathersadvice on the best autumn

strategy.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

The lure of a perfect seedbed

Enough moisture to make a seedbed, dry,fine conditions during the peak drillingperiod in mid to late Sept and then a slugof rain to water in the seed and activatethe pre-emergence herbicide –– couldgrowers have asked for a better start tothe autumn?

Ironically, the worry is that it may havebeen too good, according to Will Foss ofAgrii. “If those fields that were drilled were just the ones with a low blackgrasspopulation, it’ll be a good year for weed control. But it’s all too easy to get


over-excited and drill too early fields thatshould have been delayed until at least midOct –– that’s where we may see some bad situations developing.”

Blackgrass flushHe estimates around 50% of the UK’s mainwheat area was in the ground before theweather broke in the first week of Oct. “Therain was welcome –– it not only activated thepre-em, but stopped growers drilling. I’malso concerned the dry conditions in Septheld up the blackgrass flush –– we’ll see alot more germinate now moisture hasreturned,” he predicts.

For those growers with a moderateblackgrass population, the real drilling window starts in mid Oct, he notes. “All thedata we’ve produced points to mid-to-lateOct as a good time to drill, and it’s importantto squeeze out another flush of blackgrassand spray it off before you establish the crop.”

The same early drilling concerns havebeen preying on Dick Neale’s mind, too. He’s

been keeping a check on the blackgrassflush at Hutchinsons’ monitoring sites. “Formany, the seedbeds have been too good notto utilise, but the blackgrass is still comingthrough. I’m sceptical that the pre-em willcontrol the level of grassweeds there’ll be insome fields that have already been drilled.”

He recommends growers use a traffic-light system to decide when to drill –– fields with very low, susceptible populations of blackgrass get the green lightto be drilled in Sept or early Oct. A moremoderate population should receive anamber check until at least mid Oct, and ared alert for the high population, resistant situations that should be left until spring,he says. In all cases, this should be in conjunction with other cultural controltechniques.

“Where a grower gets a moderate population in the crop of 200 blackgrassplants/m2, the pre-em can’t be expected toleave less than 40 plants/m2. If contactchemistry is giving you only 30% efficacy or less, you’ll be left with 30 plants/m2,

The seedbeds have been too good not

to utilise, but the blackgrass is still coming through.”

“

which is too many,” he warns.“But by mid Oct, blackgrass germination

will be past its peak, its growth will be slower, and seedbeds will be cooler withmore guarantee of moisture –– these are allthe factors you need for residuals to work attheir best.”

Cooler conditions earlier on have beensomething of a worry for growers in Yorksand further north, notes Nigel Scott ofProCam. “Everything’s been a fortnight laterthis year. While growers have caught up,and around 70% of the autumn wheat areawas drilled into good seedbeds before therain came, ground conditions have beencooler, which means slower emergence.”

Blackgrass barely appeared on the radarfor most northern growers 10 years ago, butit’s now a concern on around 60-70% offarms, he says. “The approach varies

–– some growers are scared witless, while others refuse even to recognise it

as a serious problem.“But generally there’s still good activity

from contact chemistry, so where growers

have put in place cultural control strategiesand robust pre-em herbicides, it’s not an issue –– brome, ryegrass, annual meadowgrass and broadleaf weeds are the priorities.”

Independent agronomist Luke Cottonreckons most growers in the seasonedblackgrass belt of Bucks, Oxon, Berks andNorthants will have planned ahead sensibly.“That’s been the main shift in recent years –– growers have changed their rotations andthe worst fields are ear-marked for springcropping, while cleaner ground has beendrilled first. We have very good seedbedswith plenty of moisture, so hopefully the pre-ems will be working well.”

He’s been advising an autumn stack ofLiberator (diflufenican+ flufenacet) with Defy(prosulfocarb). “Sometimes we’ve usedCrystal (flufenacet+ pendimethalin) with

diflufenican (DFF), occasionally addingLexus (flupyrsulfuron) for bad blackgrass.Avadex (tri-allate) has also been usefulwhere growers can use it, although you have to make sure the crop has a good soil covering.”

Timing is key, reckons Nigel Scott. The

Ideal conditions in late Sept and early Oct sawmuch of the 2016 wheat crop established, butwas this too early?

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Many of the issues with blackgrass in barleyare the same as in wheat, but growers shouldmake the most of its physiological advantage,advises Dick Neale. “The residuals are identical,but barley is a more competitive crop.

“It’s more susceptible to herbicide damage, however. If you want the crop to play to its strengths, the last thing you want to do is remove its vigour, so take care whenstacking pre-em herbicides”

There’s a narrower drilling window, hesays, and crops drilled after 10 Oct won’tmuster the same level of competitivenessagainst blackgrass, although it’s not until the spring that this tends to show itself.

“Hybrid barley especially is sensitive to latedrilling as the seed rate is so low, but to raisethis would be very expensive.”

Will Foss agrees that timely drilling is key to harnessing barley’s strength against

blackgrass. “Our Stow Longa trials have shownit’s a more competitive crop than wheat, but ifdrilled late, especially into heavier land, delayingdrilling can result in poor yields and low grossmargins.”

He recommends a pre-em stack of half-rateMovon, with half-rate Liberator, or full rateLiberator with Bullion.

BLACKGRASS B ATTLE

cost of getting it wrong was illustrated lastyear in two fields, drilled side by side on thesame day, he recalls. “One received a welltimed pre-em and no follow-up was needed.Next door, the blackgrass was already poking through when the herbicide wasapplied and the weed wasn’t touched.”

For growers further north, 240g/ha offlufenacet, twinned with DFF or PDM is themainstay for most scenarios, he advises.“Add in Defy where there’s blackgrass, andall the trials work is showing Movon (DFF+flufenacet+ flurtamone) is the go-to productif you want better control than straightLiberator. It’s expensive, but if you haveblackgrass, you can’t muck around.”

Will Foss favours Movon with Defy orBullion (flupyrsulfuron) for the worst situations. “Bullion’s better on cranesbill, andis the kinder stack –– you need to have theright seedbed with Movon/Defy. But Bullion

will restrict subsequent sulfonylurea use tojust one more SU product.”

The plan may then be to top up the residual with a post-emergence spray. “For some growers, the Atlantis or Hatra(iodosulfuron+ mesosulfuron) simply isn’tcontributing enough. So an alternative strategy is to stack up more residual with ahalf-rate Liberator plus Auxiliary (clodinafop+prosulfocarb) plus oil.”

Same principlesThe same principles followed for the pre-em stack on a Sept-drilled wheat wouldapply to a crop established later on, headds. “But the quality of the seedbed maydetermine what chemistry is best to use.What’s crucial is that if you drill, you mustapply a pre-em –– if you miss the timing, you won’t get good control.”

Luke Cotton echoes this advice. “That’sthe worst-case scenario. Equally bad iswhere you drill and apply a pre-em to a dry seedbed.”

Dick Neale has been advising growers tohold back where seedbeds have been dry,putting on 240g/ha of flufenacet, usually withDFF as a holding treatment, then returningwith a top-up as soils become wetter. “Soyou’d put on another half rate of flufenacetusing Crystal or Vigon (DFF+ flufenacet+flurtamone), or Liberator, if the flurtamonehad gone on earlier.”

He’s based most programmes aroundLiberator or Vigon as the supply of Crystalhas been limited this autumn. “Another good follow-up is to add 2 l/ha of Stomp Aqua

(pendimethalin) and 2-3 l/ha of Defy to theflufenacet top-up.”

If drilling later, the full stack wants to go on at the pre-em timing, he says. “You’ll be ina winning situation with weaker blackgrassgrowth, so the ideal mix is 240g/ha of flufenacet, 800g/ha of pendimethalin (PDM)and 2 l/ha of Defy. But if the seedbed’s cobbly and some seed is exposed, be careful with the PDM –– Defy is the saferoption. The last thing you want to do is to compromise crop emergence with the chemistry as crop competition is so important.”

For many growers, though, the big question of the autumn will be whether to use Atlantis, and if so, whether the autumntiming is best. For Dick Neale, its value is now pretty marginal in many situations.

“First of all, give the residuals a chance totake effect. As roots take it up, you’ll see theleaves begin to curl and the plant will take ona golden hue. This takes time and a plantthat’s taken in a slug of residual herbicidewon’t be at its most receptive to contactchemistry.

“So while historically trials show autumn isthe best timing to use Atlantis, where it’s stillproving to be effective, a spring application is increasingly showing to be more effectivenow. However, that may mean a March orApril timing, and can you wait that long?”

Coming out of the winter, some crops willhave blackgrass populations that should notbe allowed to go to seed, he points out. “Thedecision to keep or cull the crop needs to be made in Jan or Feb before fungicide, nitrogen and PGR applications are made.”

Cold and wet conditions can pose a challenge, notes independent grassweedspecialist Dr Stephen Moss. “Blackgrass issometimes erroneously called ‘marsh-loving’.This isn’t strictly true in that it doesn’t

Dick Neale recommends growers use a traffic-light system to decide when to drill, giving fieldswith a more moderate population an ambercheck until at least mid Oct.

Make sure barley plays to its strengths

Barley crops drilled after 10 Oct won’t musterthe same level of competitiveness againstblackgrass.

The approach of northern growers to blackgrassvaries, says Nigel Scott, with some scaredwitless, while others refuse even to recognise it as a serious problem.

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originate in marshes,” he explains.“However, it is true to say that it thrives in

heavy, wet conditions like clays and othermoisture-retentive soils. As a result, this typeof land is more likely to have blackgrassproblems and where crop establishment ispoor, blackgrass has the capability to fill any gaps.”

When monitoring weed and crop development over winter, a good rule ofthumb is that blackgrass will be one leafbehind cereal crops but in the spring itspeeds ahead. Developmental stage is particularly important for applying any post-em products, he notes.

“Any blackgrass that has some degree ofresistance needs to be sprayed ideally priorto tillering, which with blackgrass is from thethree-leaf stage,” says Stephen Moss.

“What some people attribute to winter kill is actually small, shallow-rooted plantsbeing lifted out of the soil and then dyingbecause the roots are exposed and dry out,”he continues.

“This is particularly relevant to plants whichhave been treated with pre-emergence herbicides because these products oftenstunt the growth of any survivors makingplants smaller and more vulnerable to frost heave.”

During mild winters there’ll be less frost heave so the overall benefit from pre-emergence herbicides may be reduced,notes Darren Adkins of Bayer CropScience.“Atlantis is best applied in autumn to finishblackgrass off before it recovers, but there’sa window of opportunity to apply it right untilearly spring. Adding a residual herbicide will help pick up any late germinating grassweeds in the crop.”

Cold winter weather stops active growthand causes winter hardening of the leaves,he notes. These effects reduce efficacy froma post-em because the plant will be lessable to take up the active substance.

“Good results from winter applications

can happen during milder spells throughoutthe winter, although results are likely to bemore variable if cold weather returns shortlyafter application.”

But more and more growers are turningtheir back on Atlantis, notes Luke Cotton.“What we’re now noticing is that other weedsit previously controlled are coming back ––ryegrass, wild oats and brome especially are on the rise. These are often very difficult tospot until the spring.”

Good brome controlA better product to tackle them is Unite(flupyrsulfuron+ pyroxsulam), he says. “Ifyou still have susceptible blackgrass, stickwith Atlantis. If not, Unite is very good onbrome and offers good control of cranesbillthat often slips through the net.”

Will Foss agrees. “Where blackgrass isthe target, it’s Atlantis or Hatra. Where it’sless of an issue and there are more mixedweeds, Unite is a good option.” He’d mix thepost-em contact with a residual partner suchas Orient (pendimethalin+ picolinafen) ormore flufenacet.

Ryegrass in particular thrives in autumn-sown crops and is highly competitive, notesStuart Jackson of Dow AgroSciences.Populations can build rapidly, particularlywhere minimum tillage systems are usedand a residual pre-em application is animportant first step, he says.

“Treatments based on prosulfocarb orflufenacet plus PDM are suitable for ryegrasscontrol, but where bromes are the focus,treatments based on pendimethalin +/- flufenacet are most effective.”

After residuals have run out of steam,Broadway Star pyroxsulam + florasulam) will control later-germinating ryegrass,bromes and wild oats, as well as a widerange of broadleaf weeds including groundsel, cranesbill, volunteer rape and volunteer beans, he says.

“Our trials and observations on farm have

A fine spray, slow forward speed and a dry leaf,with active growth are important to get the bestout of contact chemistry.

Luke Cotton has noticed that ryegrass, wild oatsand brome especially are on the rise, althoughthey’re often very difficult to spot until the spring.

For some growers, the Atlantis or Hatra simplyisn’t contributing enough, notes Will Foss.

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Looking for more information on blackgrass? The search facility on the CPM website allowsyou to find and download articles from previousissues using keywords, such as ‘Atlantis’.www.cpm-magazine.co.uk

Search the CPM Article Archive

BLACKGRASS B ATTLE

consistently demonstrated that autumn applications are more effective than treating in the spring, as weeds are smaller and soil temperatures provide optimum conditions foractive growth,” says Stuart Jackson.

“But if conditions don’t allow autumn applications, good results can still beachieved in the spring provided treatmentsare made no later than GS29 of ryegrass and GS24 of brome, during periods of activegrowth.”

The majority of Atlantis or Horus applications applied in the North are made in the autumn, says Nigel Scott, but smart growers are using it sparingly. “It’s just used to clear up any blackgrass that hasevaded the pre-drilling glyphosate and pre-em herbicide.

“But blackgrass is not the biggest problem,” he emphasises. “For large populations of wild oats, brome, broadleafweeds and ryegrass, Broadway Star and PDMapplied before the three to four-leaf stageworks well, especially on sterile brome.”

Good application is also vital, which meansslowing down and applying a fine spray. “I’vebeen really impressed with the new Defy 3-Dnozzle –– the coverage is very good, withminimal drift at a higher boom height of 75cm, which makes a big difference,” notes Nigel Scott.

“The performance of theherbicide is down to the chemical and the managementyou apply to it –– the field and weather conditions, application technique and timing.If one thing goes awry, you’ll pay the price forthe rest of the season.” n

Oilseed rape is a crop thatprovides an opportunity for

a change in chemistry whenit comes to tackling problem weeds like

blackgrass. CPM finds outhow to make the most of

OSR herbicides.

By Lucy de la Pasture

W E E D C O N T RO L

There’s no blueprint but we

should be looking to getthe very best out of thetools we have available,

so approaches need to evolve.”

“At the core of most blackgrass strategiesare three main residual herbicides ––metazachlor as a pre or peri-emergencetreatment, followed by carbetamideand/or propyzamide. With all three herbicides under the watchful eye of theregulators because of breaches in waterquality under the Water FrameworkDirective, where exactly is the best place for them in the programme?

Evolving strategies forblackgrass control

According to Gemma Sparrow ofCrawler (carbetamide) manufacturerAdama, applying all the lessons learnedabout controlling blackgrass in cerealcrops is a good start. This means adopting an integrated approach through understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the active ingredientsavailable, she reasons, rather than relyingon any one single product.

Tight sequences“Sequencing herbicides has become an important strategy for good blackgrasscontrol,” she says, highlighting that this year the delayed harvest means thesesequences may well end up being muchtighter than usual.

Timing herbicide applications to achievegood weed control, with a minimal effecton the environment, has been under scrutiny these past few seasons. Asa result, the application timing for carbetamide has shifted to an earlier slot,

now recommended from the 3-4 leaf stageof the crop.

“This repositioning is possible due to the key strengths of the active,” she says,emphasizing that carbetamide has noknown resistance, in either the UK orabroad, so forms a valuable part of an anti-resistance strategy.

“Carbetamide is highly soluble, so


s

W E E D C O N RO L

sNew stewardship guidelines for Centurion Maxhave been issued by manufacturer Nufarm toensure growers get the best from it:l The effective dose rate must be 1 l/ha.l It should be applied from the two true leaf

stage of OSR crop and not after the end of Oct.l It should be applied when blackgrass has

three leaves.l Only one application is allowed per cropl A minimum of 14 days is advised between

Centurion Max and other chemicals, before orafter application.Insecticides for cabbage stem flea beetle

(CSFB) control or water conditioners can besafely applied within the 14-day advisory cut-off, adds Nufarm’s Simon Bishop. “Followinga data review last year, we now support a mix

with a non-emulsifiable concentrate pyrethroid,if needed for CSFB. Adding a water conditioner,which was not encouraged last year, has nowbeen found to improve the herbicide’s efficacy in areas where water has a high pH.”

But tank-mixing is not supported with fungicides for phoma or light leaf spot as many autumn-applied triazole fungicides havegrowth-regulating activity, which also affectgrassweeds. “Nor are we supporting the use ofadjuvants as the product is already formulated to give maximum control,” he explains.

Resistance differenceBlackgrass screening undertaken by ADAS hasshown that clethodim has much less resistancepressure than other ACCase chemistry. Of the122 weed samples taken in 2013, 84% had aspecific gene mutation Ile-1781 which conferredresistance to cycloxydim, whereas just 4% of thesamples had the gene mutation Asp-2078 whichconfers some resistance to clethodim.

The application timing for Crawler has shifted toan earlier slot, says Gemma Sparrow.

With all three OSR herbicides under the watchfuleye of the regulators, growers must take fieldconditions into account when making applications.

Centurion Max works best at temperaturesbetween 8-25°C.

Frontier’s newly appointed crop produc-tion specialist, Dr Paul Fogg, is able tobring his experience to the table havingdone work with both residuals while at Adama. “Both carbetamide and propyzamide are taken up by the roots ofblackgrass plants but propyzamide isn’tas water soluble and is more stronglyabsorbed by organic matter in the soil,”he says, explaining why it needs to beused when soils are wetter, generally laterin the season.

But does the window of application forpropyzamide really need to be so late,when the risk to water from field lossesincreases and spray days can be few and far between? Paul Fogg reckons theanswer depends on your approach.

If you’re adopting a fully integrated strategy that combines cultural methods,aimed to ensure the blackgrass germinates in the top 5cm, combined with stacking of residual herbicides, thenthere’s a bit more flexibility, he says.


s

Use clethodim with care

needs very little moisture to activate itand also has a low affinity to organic matter, which enables movement within thesoil profile. That means it’ll still work under dry conditions.

“Used earlier in the season, carbetamideis an excellent holding spray, provided cultivations have been shallow enough tokeep the blackgrass seed within the top5cm of soil,” explains Gemma Sparrow. “At this timing, blackgrass is younger andmore vulnerable, with the carbetamide inthe right place for uptake by blackgrassplants roots.

“If an early carbetamide application iscarefully timed, then a contact graminicide(such as clethodim for blackgrass control) may not be needed”, she adds,recommending it as a follow-up later in theautumn.

Dow Agrosciences, manufacturers of

Kerb (propyzamide) and AstroKerb (propyzamide+ aminopyralid), prefer an altogether different sequence. Dowtechnical specialist, David Roberts, agreesthat you can’t rely on just one applicationto do the best job possible in terms of blackgrass control, but prefers to follow a metazachlor base application, with the contact graminicide Centurion Max(clethodim) in the Oct slot and a follow-upwith propyzamide once conditions are suitable, usually Nov time.

“We’ve looked at sequences and tankmixes with carbetamide and haven’t beenable to improve on the performance or cost effectiveness of the programme we recommend,” he adds.

Lethal dose“To get the best out of propyzamide, thesoil needs to be cool enough that it doesn’tbreak down too quickly. It needs to remainin the soil long enough to maintain a lethaldose in blackgrass plants and the soilneeds to be wet enough for uptake in therooting zone,” says David Roberts.

The half-life of propyzamide at 10°C isaround 100 days whereas at 15°C this falls to 60 days. Soil temperatures need to be 10°C at 30cm, with a fall predicted, he explains. “In practice, many soiltemperatures are taken at 10cm and at this depth, suitable timing for propyzamideapplication is when the temperature is at8°C. This is because the surface coolsmore quickly than soil at greater depth.”

The second part of the equation for getting the best from propyzamide is a soilmoisture deficit of around 50mm and falling(getting wetter) to ensure sufficient uptake.

s


sThe decision-support system for AstroKerb and Kerb has now started and is available viaDow’s main website (http://uk.dowagro.com/kerb-weather-data) and also on the Farming Onlinewebsite. It takes the form of a traffic-light system,indicating when soil temperatures are comingright for application of these residual herbicides in every individual postcode area across the UK.

“If it shows red, soil conditions are not right sodon’t apply these herbicides; if amber, conditions

are getting closer, so be ready to apply and ifgreen, conditions are close to becoming right,”explains Dow’s Sarah Hurry.

“The traffic light system should not be seen as a definitive go/don’t go, but a decision supporttool for growers or advisors to further assess conditions for application or as a prompt for amore thorough investigation on timing applicationof a particular field or farm,” she adds.

Traffic lights introduced for Kerb call

Growers looking for best results with AstroKerband Kerb should wait for the green light.

David Roberts prefers to follow a metazachlorbase application with a contact graminicide in theOct slot and a follow up with propyzamide in Nov.

Adama’s Water Aware app uses prevailing andpredicted weather conditions, soil moisture deficitand soil texture to help growers mitigate any riskto water.

“The reason for putting propyzamide on later in the season is that as the soil temperature drops, the half-life of theactive increases, meaning it lasts forlonger. This used to be a key factor inensuring a good level of control becauseby the time you reach early Nov, the blackgrass plants are generally deeprooted, tillered, with growth starting to

slow down.“All these factors mean it takes more

time for the blackgrass to take up an effective dose, which is why it needs to lastlonger in the soil. If you’ve done an earlierholding spray using carbetamide and/orclethodim, then you don’t need to be soprescriptive in approach,” he believes.

“If you’ve used an early sequenceapproach, monitor local field conditionscarefully as the season progresses. Ifthere’s sufficient soil moisture, don’t beafraid to apply propyzamide that little bitearlier and complete the sequence toavoid undoing the benefits of your earlyseason investment. There’s no blueprint butwe should be looking to get the very best

out of the tools we have available, soapproaches need to evolve.”

One of the arguments for moving applications earlier is to protect water byapplying before soils get close to fieldcapacity and drain flow occurs. This mayreduce the magnitude of field losses and be a more sustainable use of theseresidual actives that we rely on in OSR,comments Paul Fogg.

He recommends growers make use ofAdama’s Water Aware app, “It’s a usefultool that can help mitigate any risk to water.The app forecasts the risk of field drainageoccurring within the next seven daysbased on prevailing and predicted weather conditions, soil moisture deficit and soil texture,” he adds.

Resistance statusTargeted at the same 3-4 leaf timing as carbetamide is the graminicide CenturionMax (clethodim). So how do you decidewhat to go with? Firstly, you need to knowthe resistance status of your blackgrassand then assess whether it’s actively growing, says Paul Fogg.

“We learnt a lot about Centurion Maxlast year where conditions were dry.Because it’s a contact herbicide, the blackgrass needs to be both a big enoughtarget to hit and actively growing, not slowgrowing and under stress.

“Carbetamide may be a better choiceunder dry conditions in this early slot,” hecomments, making the point that agronomydecisions shouldn’t be too prescriptive andset in stone.

“The most important thing to rememberabout Centurion Max is that it’s a ‘dim’, which is an ACC-ase inhibitor. This groupof chemistry is notorious for losing efficacydue to development of target-site resistance in blackgrass populations.”

Because of this, the advice is thatCenturion Max shouldn’t be the last blackgrass treatment in the sequence.

Always follow up with propyzamide or carbetamide to help protect its resistancestatus by mopping up any poorly controlled blackgrass plants.

Independent agronomist and AICC member, Tod Hunnisett, advises growersthroughout the south of the country, covering an area from Dorset to Kent. With fields being turned around as soon as they were combined, using stale seedbed techniques for blackgrass control inOSR just hasn’t happened.

“In some circumstances, blackgrass has emerged in advance of the OSR thisseason. Where there’s no fop/dim resistanceI’m going in with Laser (cycloxydim) butwhere blackgrass is difficult, I’ll take out volunteers with a cheaper graminicide.”

As for using Centurion Max, he says he’s not the biggest fan of it after a verymediocre performance in a difficult blackgrass situation last year. “Many of mycolleagues also report crop damage afterusing Centurion Max so my preference is to use propyzamide and carbetamide forblackgrass control.”

As much as 50% of the OSR on his patch doesn’t receive a pre/early post-emergence residual. “I’m using very

W E E D C O N RO L

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BASF’s OSR growth regulator Caryx (metconazole+mepiquat chloride) has received a new approval forautumn applications – 0.7 l/ha applied to forwardcrops is recommended at the 4-6 leaf stage.

If there’s sufficient soil moisture, don’t be afraidto apply propyzamide that little bit earlier, saysPaul Fogg.

little metazachlor these days, withgrowers cutting back on front-end costs to concentrate on post-emergence treatments, when they can be sure thecrop is there to treat. With weed controlcosting up to £250/ha, economics have to be considered,” he explains.

Early propyzamideAs far as a sequence goes, Tod Hunnisettprefers to use propyzamide as soon as the conditions are right, partly because it helps with his broadleaf weed control –– chickweed in particular. He’ll thenuse carbetamide later on to mop up anyblackgrass. With the risk to water verymuch in mind, he’s also looking at bringing his propyzamide applicationsslightly forward.

Because of late drilling, it’s likely to bean open, less competitive crop which willhave a knock on effect on weeds. So whatabout follow-up BLW control?

“The change in label recommendationsfor Galera (clopyralid+ picloram) and theEAMU for Fox (bifenox) has put anotherspanner in the works,” he explains. “Wecan’t apply either between Oct and Marchanymore. During Nov/Dec it was a usefultank-mix), particularly where we had problems with cranesbill and charlock.”

Tod Hunnisett plans to use moreAstrokerb this autumn, which deliversexactly the same amount of propyzamideper ha as Kerb and adds mayweed andcommon poppy to the spectrum of weedscontrolled. Where there are problems withcharlock coming into the spring, then hemay use Fox when it’s still cold enough forthe crop to be well waxed and Dow Shield(clopyralid) after March 1 to mop up anymayweed, thistles or groundsel.

Clearfield growers with blackgrass arelikely to get variable levels of control with

Cleranda (metazachor+ imazamox) andthey should plan a follow-up treatment,reminds Clare Tucker of BASF.

“Cleranda is an ALS inhibitor so levels of control will depend on the resistance status of the blackgrass being treated. It’s important to use herbicides with othermodes of action, such as propyzamide or carbetamide, as part of a blackgrasscontrol strategy in Clearfield OSR,” sheexplains.

Dr Stephen Moss has conducted an independent study to assess the selectionpressure the use of Cleranda may be having on blackgrass resistance. He’sfound that compared with some other ALS-inhibiting herbicides, imazamox hasonly moderate activity against blackgrassat doses likely to be used in the field.

“This, along with its relatively low vulnerability to enhanced metabolism

resistance, indicates that its use poses lessof a resistance risk than more highly activeALS herbicides,” says Clare Tucker. n

Field trials carried out by aShrops-based agronomist have backed up lab work

that shows rooting benefits for an autumn-applied oilseed rape fungicide.

CPM reports

By Rob Jones

Root boost for backward OSR

The root is key to yield potential,

but also to give the crop access to moisture

through the spring.”

“

With a less than ideal start for manyoilseed rape crops this season, autumnmanagement that focuses on building rootgrowth going into the winter may be needed to realise a crop’s potential.That’s the advice from Shrops-basedSpunhill Farm Sales agronomist BrynThomas who carried out his own field trials last year to help determine the bestapproach. The UK average OSR crop yieldstands at just above 3t/ha, and under current prices, he reckons growing an“average” crop isn’t commercially viable.

“We have to look at what can be donebeyond the basic agronomy of the crop toaim at the reported potential yield of 6.5t/ha,”he says. “Obviously there are lots of factors

He’d heard reports of trials work carriedout by Dr Steve Rossall at NottinghamUniversity which looked at the light leaf spot and phoma fungicide Refinzar(penthiopyrad+ picoxystrobin) and its ability to boost root mass (see CPM Sept2015, p34). So he set out to do his own trialto see how the product might work in a field situation rather than just laboratory conditions.

“Getting an OSR crop established in the autumn has to be a prerequisite ofachieving full yield potential,” he says. “I’m more concerned about getting a goodroot system established before the winter.The root is key to yield potential, obviously toaccess nutrients from the soil, but also to

outside our control that lower this potentialyield, such as soil type and weather variations, however we should be able toreach yields of 4.5–5.0t/ha in most seasonswith more attention to detail, and especially focusing on disease control, crop growthmanagement and micronutrient supply.”

Protracted drillingUnsettled weather through the second half of Aug resulted in a protracted drillingwindow for OSR crops this year. With manycrops being drilled up to 14 days later thannormal, they’re certainly less forward than atthe same time last year, he says.

“We’re unlikely to need a PGR-based fungicide to hold crops back going into thewinter, but an input which can potentiallystimulate rooting will help crops over-winterwell and set in place a root structure to support the crop in the spring.

“Rather than cutting back on inputs, growers must continue investing in the OSRcrop,” says Bryn Thomas. “But, this doesn’tnecessarily always mean having to investmore money, it’s more about finding ways tohelp a crop reach its full potential throughbetter management and utilisation of existinginputs. OSR yields haven’t increased in linewith potential yields from new varieties for 30 years.”


R

Bryn Thomas set out to test in the field lab-basedwork that suggests autumn-applied Refinzarboosts OSR roots..

give the crop access to moisture through thespring. This is vital in seasons when moistureavailability becomes limiting.”

To that end Bryn Thomas set up a fieldplot trial at Harper Adams CERC, as part ofhis advanced BASIS postgraduate award incrop protection course, run at RothamstedResearch. This was drilled on 25 Aug 2014using the variety Extrovert. The trial wasbased on six reps of 1.5m x 6m plots andwas designed to investigate the PGR effectof the fungicides penthiopyrad and metconazole on OSR roots and shoots.

Biggest effect“The plots were sprayed on 6 Oct at the four-leaf stage of the crop, and compared Refinzar at 1 l/ha (full rate) and 0.5 l/ha (half rate) with a full rate of a metconazole-based product. The firstassessment was made approximately threeweeks after application. The biggest effecton the plots you could see was where themetconazole had been applied, resulting in a reduction in canopy biomass. This was as expected as the metconazole-basedproducts are useful in “holding back” veryforward crops in an open autumn.”

On penthiopyrad plots, there was no visual difference on the top growth but theroots of the OSR plants looked thicker andproduced a larger network of fine lateralroots, he adds.

“Extracting the roots to measure the veryfine lateral roots was difficult, but it certainlyconvinced me that there was a difference inroot growth and development only threeweeks after application.”

A second assessment in mid-Marchshowed plants in the penthiopyrad-treatedplots had increased shoot and root dry matter over both the untreated and

s

sSimply by checking out the size of your taproot,you can WIN a bottle of quality malt whisky.CPM and Dupont have 10 bottles to award togrowers who dig up and take a photo of theirOSR taproots.

The contest to find the finest taproots in theUK starts on 1 Dec 2015. Dig up a few rootsand find some that illustrate how well you’vemanaged your crop this autumn, then take photos and tweet them, using the hashtag#root4sure. The ten photos judged the best bythe time the competition closes on 15 Jan 2016will earn those who tweeted them each a bottleof fine malt whisky.

The competition’s open to growers,agronomists and other crop professionals, andphotos that illustrate the benefit of specificautumn management techniques are what thejudges are looking for in particular. Why not trysome Refinzar in your field, leaving a small patchuntreated, and then dig up some plants to seethe #root4sure?

There’s no limit to the number of photos you can enter, nor dates you can tweet them,provided they appear on Twitter with the hashtag#root4sure between 1 Dec and 15 Jan. For thosenot on twitter, you can still enter by emailing yourentry to [email protected] and

Check your OSR has a #root4sure and WIN

Judges will be looking for photos that illustratehow well an OSR crop has rooted.

your entry will be uploaded to the Twitter feed foryou. For full competition terms and conditions, go to www.cpm-magazine.co.uk

Andy Roy is worried that the knock-on effect of a late harvest this year could see OSR cropsstruggle as they try to establish before the winter.

A protracted drilling window for OSR crops thisyear saw many crops being drilled up to 14 dayslater than normal.

metconazole-treated plots. This convincedBryn Thomas that increased root stimulationfrom penthiopyrad seen in the laboratorywork at Nottingham University was alsobeing seen under field conditions.

“It would be interesting to repeat the trialthis season, but possibly with last season’s experience, aim for a lighter soiltype that would allow more easy extraction ofthe intact roots for measurement,” he says.“It would also be an advantage to have larger plots to allow more plants to be sampled and for the trial to be taken to yield.

“There’s every indication from the work carried out so far that as well as controlling LLS and phoma, Refinzar could also offer a physiological effect toencourage rooting in young OSR plants without detrimental effect on shoot growth,”says Bryn Thomas.

“Apart from the trial work, I was alsopleased with Refinzar’s performance last

autumn, and believe it helped set the cropsup for good yield potentials at harvest. Giventhe less forward OSR crops this autumn,there’ll be even more of a place for the product this season.”

Frontier agronomist Andy Roy says thatthe knock-on effect of a late harvest this yearcould see OSR crops struggle as they try toestablish before the winter. He agrees that a key part to surviving the spring for many of the later drilled crops will depend onachieving good root development in the autumn.

However, on the flip side an increasedincidence of flea beetle in some areas hasseen growers pushing for earlier drilling. “But this just creates its own challenges,”he says.

Welcome additionAn autumn fungicide programme based ontriazoles noted for PGR activity may leavethe crop more exposed to LLS, notes AndyRoy. So a fungicide that can help developroot mass and also tackle phoma and LLSwill be a welcome addition to a grower’sarmoury this season. Having already usedRefinzar in the spring, it’ll now also featurestrongly in his OSR fungicide programmesthis autumn too.

“We achieved excellent LLS control withRefinzar last year especially on backwardcrops. With an anticipated boost to rootmass as well it’ll also be very useful this year.”

He adds that Refinzar’s introductioncomes at a time when triazoles havebecome less effective at controlling phomaand light leaf spot in curative situations.

“The greatest activity is coming from prothioconazole, so it’s the combinationproducts such as Corinth (prothioconazole+tebuconazole) that we’ll use in programmeswith the alternative mode of action productRefinzar. I’ve been really impressed with

Refinzar as an alternative for both diseasecontrol and root development. Boostingroot development going into the winter isgoing to be a great help.”

OSR must be drilled at the end of Aug or early Sept for optimum timing and tohopefully reduce the need for a PGR, he says.

“Another problem is that the PGR spray timing often coincides with contactgraminicides used for blackgrass andresistant ryegrass control, which can present serious crop safety issues.

“Some of the ‘dim’ herbicides for example can cause dewaxing of the OSRleaves and if applied at the same time as a PGR can result in crop damage. We’remindful of the intervals needed betweenapplications to ensure crop safety.”

If Refinzar has been applied in theautumn then he’ll use a triazole in thespring at stem extension as an LLS andphoma top-up spray. “Then at petal fall for sclerotinia control we’ll use an SDHI/triazole mix based on bixafen plus prothiconazole plus tebuconazolesuch as Skyway at 0.75-1.0 l/ha,” saysAndy Roy. n


s

Wold record breakerEarlier this year, Lincs grower Tim Lamyman brought

both the wheat and oilseed rape world crop yield recordsback to the UK. CPM makes a pilgrimage to the Lincs

Wolds for enlightenment on exactly how it’s done.


It’s the sunlight part of thestory that was one of the key things we got right this

year.”

“

Standing on the edge of the field, you’renot sure whether you should sink to yourknees and bend down in reverence at the soil, or wring your hands and look skywards. This is the hallowed tilth thatpushed out a whopping 6.7t/ha oilseedrape crop, while just across the way is the field that yielded a staggering16.5t/ha of wheat.

At that moment, the September stormclouds peel back and you can almost hearthe angelic chorus ring out as the rolling

Lincs Wolds are lit up in a Divine brilliance.But the Almighty hand has likely played nospecial role in the mighty yields achieved atWorlaby Farms, near Louth. It’s been thedetermination of Tim Lamyman to uncoverand unlock every yield-producing facet of his system that’s brought not one, buttwo world crop records back to the UK this year.

He sinks his spade in to inspect the soiland it’s actually remarkably hum-drum –– there’s no special quality in this dirt to suggest it would bear up twice the UK’s average yields. “It’s a chalky Wold loam


The clay loam soil is just 300-350mm deep witha high stone content.

–– incredibly sticky and unworkable whenit’s had this much rain on it,” he explains ashe brings a few spits to the surface.

Then the spade rings out as he hits thechalk. “It’s only 300-350mm deep, though,and the stone content ensures it dries outquite readily,” he adds.

It’s been his aim since leaving college tosee how far he can push the yields fromthe Wold soils that have been farmed byhisfamily since 1947. There are four key areas he’s focused on: how to capture andretain water, ensuring the crop has theright balance of nutrients, maintaining ahealthy green leaf, and making sure thatleaf captures as much sunlight as it can.

“It’s the sunlight part of the story thatwas one of the key things we got right thisyear. But there’s an aspect of that I’ve keptfrom the Farmers Weekly,” he teases.

His quest to produce record-breakingcrops started with the soil, however. Whenhe returned to the farm in 1997, the landwas typically ploughed to a depth of 25-30cm and then drilled in mid to lateOct. “It meant the soil dried out whichpushed the drilling window late. So we had to bring things earlier.”

It took a while to find the right cultivationequipment –– the Wold soils are naturally friable, and Tim Lamyman found large,curved tines, in combination with discs, aneffective way to achieve the tilth he sought.

“The main requirement is that theseedbed has to be 100% level –– we’re looking to drill into a table top. So thebiggest limitation from existing kit on themarket was the roller – we wanted a largerone that wasn’t too heavy.”

Custom-built flat-liftThe result is the 3.5m Worlaby flat-lift, custom built by local engineer GeoffStrawson to Tim Lamyman’s design. Ten large, winged tines stir the soil to a 10-15cm depth, followed by discs that areindependently mounted in pairs. AnAndrew Guest, power-harrow type 600mmpacker roller comes in behind. This is putto the land two weeks before the crop is sown.

Finding the right kit for final seedbed preparation was an equally arduous quest,and Tim Lamyman settled on a 6m LemkenTerradisc. “I liked the design and the crumbler roller works well on our land, butwe couldn’t pull it deep enough. So we’veput curved, winged tines on. The result isan excellent, even and level seedbed forthe Väderstad Rapid 4m drill, and there’s nothing better to establish a crop in dry conditions, although you want to keep it in the shed when it’s wet,” he says.

But altering the land work was a means to an end –– his real interest was in manipulating the crop. “We brought the

drilling date back earlier and sometimewent silly early –– in 2006 we drilled in Aug,for example, which failed dramatically and acrop of Equinox, famed for its standing ability,dropped to the floor. So the optimum datefor us is 12-16 Sept.”

Seed rate itself is something he doesn’tget hung up about –– he aims for a rate of 90-110kg/ha, building it by 20kg/ha per fortnight after 18 Sept, and this hasn’t


s

Oilseed rape WheatVariety Picto Reflection

Seed rate 3kg/ha 110-120kg/ha

Drilling date 21 Aug 14 Sept

Nitrogen fertiliser Mid Feb – 45kgN/ha Mid Feb – 70 kgN/haMid Mar – 45kgN/ha Mid Mar – 70kgN/haMid Apr – 130kgN/ha Mid Apr – 70kgN/ha

Mid May – 120kgN/ha

Sulphur First two N dressings applied as DoubleTop First N dressing applied as DoubleTop adding 80kg/ha adding 100kg/ha SO3 total SO3 total

Fungicides 4x tebuconazole, applied Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr T0 – Cherokee plus Amistar OptiSymetra applied mid-flowering T1 – Keystone plus Bravo

T2 – Keystone plus BravoT3 – tebuconazole plus Proline plus Amistar Opti

Nutrition supplements 6x NHK Delta, applied each time the sprayer 9x NHK Delta, applied each time the sprayer passed throughpassed through the crop the cropIn addition: In addition:3x 1-4-All, applied at 2 true leaves, Oct, Nov 4x Tip Top applied through the spring from Mar to floweringTip Top applied late stem extension2x CalFlux, applied mid and late flowering

Harvest date 5 Aug 22 Aug

Yield 6.7t/ha @ 9% moisture 16.5t/ha @ 15% moistureSymetra (azoxystrobin+isopyrazam); Cherokee (chlorothalonil+ cyproconazole+ propiconazole); Amistar Opti (azoxystrobin+ chlorothalonil); Keystone (epoxiconazole+ isopyrazam); Bravo(chlorothalonil); Proline (prothioconazole)

Recipe for a record-breaking crop

altered since 1997. But hedoes put careful thought intovariety choice.

“In the past, I’ve focused onstanding ability, and I still lookfor a variety that stands boltupright when it’s in ear –– that’s essential. But since beinginvolved with the ADAS YieldEnhancement Network (YEN),I’ve focused a little more onlight interception.”

Work undertaken by Dr RogerSylvester-Bradley at ADAS wasthe trigger –– in an attempt to capture more sunlight with

the crop, he’s been triallingwider rows with silver tape onthe ground to reflect the lightback into the canopy.

“But I reckon the light shouldnever hit the ground in the firstplace –– the secret is to interceptit with the leaf, but at the rightangle. You never see a flat solarpanel, for example.They’realways angled towards thesun,” reasons Tim Lamyman.

This put a whole new thinking of what constitutes the idealcanopy. “KWS Kielder has abeautiful flag leaf, but it lies too


s

Tim Lamyman aims for an oilseed rape crop that’s dead level with plenty ofpods latticed through a deep canopy.Picture courtesy Will Selby Project

flat. You need an erect stem that puts out a flag leaf whichnaturally sits at 45°. So I was looking for a Grafton that hadmore yield, and it was at the2014 Cereals event I cameacross Reflection.”

Right growthWith the right growth patternabove ground, the aim beneaththe surface is a root structure that captures as much of theavailable water and nutrients aspossible, he says. “The troublewith feeding a crop nitrate isthat it puts on auxin growth ––mainly in the stem. What I wantedwas cytokinin growth that buildsa fibrous root system.

“Growth regulators likeModdus (trinexapac-ethyl) andchlormequat do a fairish job,but don’t quite bring the rightresult –– put a spade in yourcrop in March to inspect theroots and you’ll find they’re abrowny white in colour. But whatI’m applying now gives you aprofusion of bright white roots.”

It’s the nutrient supplementsTim Lamyman applies that he claims bring about this difference. “I wanted to get to the stage where the crop waswanting for nothing, and that ledme into the nutrition side. Thereare a lot of products out therethat claim they do something, but don’t actually deliver. I thencame across NHCa Delta, and its effect on our potato crop wasphenomenal. So we’ve sincedeveloped a programme tailored to the wheat crop.”

NHK Delta is the product he’ssettled on for the wheat, andthis is applied as a foliar feedevery time the sprayer passes

through the crop –– nine applications in total. Althoughthis sounds excessive, the costis only £80/ha in total, he says.

“In recent years, we’velooked to step up the K, however. This land is naturallyshort of the nutrient ––it’s lockedup and tissue analysis fromMarch through to mid floweringshows we’re having difficultiesgetting it into the plant.”

He came across a new product, Tip Top, which has a20% K content, and this was also applied in the spring this year. “There’s also 20% each of N and P, and seven other micronutrients which help eliminate any potentialshortages before they’veoccurred. Even on this programme, the wheat crop thisyear tested a little low on K, butlast year it was critically low.”

As well as producingstronger, more fibrous roots, this dosing has secured theessential stem strength, to theextent that no PGRs arerequired, he says. But suchsupplements must be used with care. “Some formulationshave negative effects –– use achelated mixture for exampleand the plant can wilt, especiallyif it comes under stress.Reflection in particular is susceptible to tipping, althoughthis doesn’t appear to affect itsability to yield.”

The nutrient programme isanother key aspect of keepingthe leaf green, he believes. “You can’t control disease in a really thick crop with fungicidechemistry alone –– the plant’snatural defences have to playtheir role. The NHK Delta and

The aim with the wheat was an erect stem with a flag leaf sitting naturally at 45° – that delivered a head count of 930 ears/m2.Picture courtesy Will Selby Project

s

Reflection stands bolt upright, but it’s the nutrientsupplements that give it fibrous roots, stemstrength and a green leaf, allowing less relianceon fungicides and PGRs.

Curved, winged tines ensure the cultivator ispulled to the right depth.

Tip Top ensure the crop is never understress, so its natural defence is better.”

The farm’s normal N applications werestepped up for this year’s wheat with record-breaking potential. The usual fourmonthly splits of 55kgN/ha were raised to70kgN/ha, with 120kgN/ha applied as thefinal dose in May to make a total of330kgN/ha applied.

“We achieve 100% N utilisation, while thenational average is just 60-70%. The headcount in June revealed 930 ears/m2 –– wehaven’t managed any more than 690 ears/m2

with Kielder, so were pretty confident wewere heading for a monster crop,” he says.

To make it official, a record-breakingattempt must be adjudicated by two completely independent assessors.Machinery consultant Bill Basford was therefor both combining sessions, joined byDavid Pullen as the OSR was cut whileagronomist Richard Harvey presided overthe wheat harvest.

“There’s a lot of paperwork involved andwork to do to ensure every trailer isweighed properly. This has all been managed by equipment specialist ChrisRothery, which leaves me free to focus on getting the combining done,” notes Tim Lamyman.

The OSR crop itself received similar land work to the wheat, albeit a month earlier. “There was also a rare pass with a power harrow to get a really fine tilth –– seed-to-soil contact is essential.”

Branch outPicto was drilled slightly below the standard seed rate to encourage it tobranch out. “I don’t see any differencebetween hybrids and conventional varietiesprovided they’re drilled before 25 Aug. Iliked what I saw when I came across Pictoat Cereals in 2014 which is why I chose it.”

The essential requirement is again havinga plant that stands bolt upright right to theend, he says. “There must be no leaning ––that’s how you lose light interception duringpod fill. Less plants/m2 means the plantbranches more, resulting in more pods/m2.Close to harvest, I like the top of the cropto look dead level. It’s only when you lookcloser you should see plenty of pods latticed through a deep canopy.”

A similar programme of NHK Delta wasapplied throughout the growing season,starting at two true leaves. “We’re putting it on in the pre-emergence spray too, thisyear, having seen some good results inspring barley.”

In the autumn, this was supplementedwith 1-4-All, to give the seedling plenty ofmicronutrients. From stem extension, thiswas switched to Tip Top, mainly to feed the plant its higher requirement of K. Thenduring flowering, two applications ofCalFlux were made.

“When an OSR plant is stressed, it losespods –– it pulls the calcium out resulting inpod abortion. The CalFlux supplies anadditional source of calcium, so the plantthinks it’s pulling it out of the pods, but it’sactually the CalFlux. I’ve found it also


s

Worlaby Farms, Louth, Lincsl Area farmed: 890ha arablel Staff: Two full time, two part

timel Soils: Chalky Wold loaml Rotation: Winter wheat/w

barley/w oilseed rape/w wheat/3x spring barley/s beans

l Varieties (2016 harvest): Wheat – Reflection (35-40%),KWS Siskin, KWS Trinity,KWS Lili; Barley – KWS Orwell,KWS Tower, Propino (spring); OSR – Precision, DK Exalte; Beans – Boxer

l Combine: Claas Lexion 750 with 7.6m h header

Farm facts

Looking for a seedbed that’s 100% even, a 6m Lemken Terradisc achieves a table-top finish.

thickens the pod, acting a bitlike PodStik, and I reckon that’sworth 0.5t/ha.”

Light leaf spot was the main target disease with thefungicide programme. “It seemsto be the most relevant diseasearound here and Picto’sstrength against LLS was another reason for choosing it.We put on four applications oftebuconazole, but there was still some LLS in the crop atflowering.”

The OSR world yield recordwas one Tim Lamyman brokelast summer with 6.14t/haachieved with Charger. This wasbeaten by New Zealand growerChris Dennison with a yield of6.31t/ha earlier this year. Thewheat world record wasachieved by New Zealand’s

Mike Solari with a 15.64t/hacrop in 2010. But havingbrought it back to the UK, themantle of world wheat recordholder has now passed from TimLamyman to Northumberlandgrower Rod Smith with a16.52t/ha crop of Dickens harvested on 1 Sept.

So what does the future hold?Tim Lamyman smiles. “CurrentlyI’m not planning on makinganother attempt at the wheatrecord –– I reckon we’ve goneabout as far as we can there for the moment. But with OSR,who knows? We’re tryinghybrids this year, and maybethere are ways to extend thepod-filling period just a fewmore days. We’ll see what NewZealand gets up to this winter,but watch this space.” n

l Mainline tractors: Massey Fergusson 8670, 8650; Challenger 45, 55

l Drill: 4m Väderstad Rapidl Cultivation: 3.5m custom-

made flat-lift; 6m Lemken Terradisc; 5m Lely power harrow; Lely rolls

l Sprayer: Househam AR2500 with 3000-litre tank and 24m boom

l Spreader: Kuhn Axis 50 variable rate with 3500-litre hopper

l Handlers: Manitou 741, 731


Growers who can bridge the 1.4t gap betweenfirst and second wheats can achieve a total gamechanger, says David Leaper.

Growing a second wheat tomany growers involves three

simple steps, delay the drillto mid-Oct, increase the

seed rate and go early withnitrogen in the spring. CPM

looks at how to ensure it justifies its place in the

rotation and lifts marginsacross the farm.

By Sam Deane


Putting second wheatsin first place

Getting the best out of a second wheatinvolves getting the soil structure right to encourage good rooting, and keepinggrassweeds under control. That’s the viewof a number of experts, but achievingthese aims requires a little more analysis–– it takes a combination of the right varieties at both first and second place,good use of cover crops and cultivationsto tailor soil structure and a rotationgeared towards maximising the benefits.

“Traditionally second wheats played an important role in the rotation,” says David Leaper of Agrii. “However in recentyears, they’ve come under pressure from

a number of angles.” These include blackgrass, the three-crop rule, commodityprices and a renewed farmer interest in bothwinter and spring barley.

Total game changerLooking at wheat futures for harvest 2016David Leaper projects a 10.4t/ha first wheatto give a gross margin of £810/ha while asecond wheat at 9t/ha returns £602/ha.Growers who can bridge the 1.4t gapbetween first and second wheats canachieve a total game changer, “especially on chalky boulder clays, which is traditionalsecond wheat ground,” he adds.

While famers may be put off by the higherinput costs of growing a second wheat, hefeels that a “good second wheat is worth theeffort –– putting that in can bring yields up to those of a first wheat and return a grossmargin of £739/ha.”

The good news is that farmer practice isclosing the gap between first and secondwheats, according to the National Latitudesurvey of growers. ”Farmers are putting second wheats only on ground that suitsthem,” he says. This is due to increasedinput costs and downward pressure on thecommodity markets.

“Good rooting is the key to closing thegap, achieved by having soil in the rightcondition before drilling and getting goodsoil-to-seed contact. Regardless of cultivation choice, seedbed consolidation

is crucial to giving second wheats the beststart,” concludes David Leaper.

When selecting a winter wheat, considerwhich variety goes at the top of the rotation,as well as the one that’s put in second place,advises Ron Granger of Limagrain.

“From a take-all point of view, first and second wheats need to be thought of inpairs. Having a poor take-all wheat in thefirst slot allows the inoculum to build up in the soil and can lead to devastating yield

A second wheat with a premium can

perform as well as a first.”

“

Ron Granger looks at first and second wheatvarieties in pairs from a take-all point of view.

loss in the second wheat. Many wheatsmarked as ’good’ second wheats on theAHDB Cereals and Oilseeds RecommendedList may not be due to a lack of bad take-allyears to test them,” he adds.

Trials work carried out by Limagrain in 2008/9 shows the performance of the second wheat can differ by as much as4.2t/ha if the wrong first wheat precedes it.“Putting Robigus after Robigus is the kiss of death,” notes Ron Granger.

New technologyResearch-based advances should bringbreeders a better handle on take-all, hesays. New CT-scanner technology at theUniversity of Nottingham will allowsresearchers and breeders to analyse a variety’s root mass in a non-destructive manner, while research at Rothamsted islooking at take-all build-up in first wheat andnatural fungi that may suppress the disease(see CPM July 2015 issue). “This meansbreeders may be able to select for morerobust varieties against take-all by choosingvarieties with greater root-mass developmentin conjunction with those that inhibit lowerlevels of take-all build-up,” he says.

When choosing a variety for secondwheat, take-all isn’t the only pathogen thatgrowers should bear in mind, continues RonGranger. “Eyespot, both sharp and common,and fusarium foot rot all need to be borne inmind.” While some growers may select avariety with high eyespot resistance for a second wheat slot, he wonders if these cultivars would be more useful in the firstwheat position. “Eyespot can be more of a problem in first wheats than seconds.”

Fusarium foot rot builds up in the soil andcomes in from trash from the previous wheatcrop, he notes, so greater emphasis shouldbe given to a cultivar’s fusarium score thanits eyespot rating, when choosing a wheatfor second slot.

“Evolution actually preforms better in asecond wheat slot than a first,” notes RonGranger. As a first wheat it yields 105% onthe RL, but move it into a second wheat slotand its performance jumps 2%.

Bred by Danish breeder Sejet, the political climate and tight regulations aroundcrop inputs in Denmark tend to producewheats with a greater root mass to improvenutrient-use efficiency, he claims. “Thismakes Evolution more robust in dealing with take-all.”

Barrie Hunt of Monsanto notes that take-all is the number one disease in second wheats, affects half of all wheatcrops and can cause up to 50% yield loss in severe instances.

“When Latitude (silthiofam) was originallylaunched we had a very different picture.Increased blackgrass pressure is changing

farmer attitudes about later drilling, bringingOct-established wheats back into vogue.”

This single change however doesn’tdiminish the threat of take-all to secondwheats. “The disease is developing in everycereal crop.” Barrie Hunt recommends usingLatitude seed treatment in an integratedapproach to dealing with take-all. He advocates later drilling for second wheat,seedbed consolidation and proper grassweed control. “We’ve found some verybad take-all incidents after fallow with poor grassweed control.”

What’s more, growers should also be onthe alert for take-all when grass leys formpart of the rotation, he adds. This is due tofluctuations in the population of beneficialsoil fungi which keep take-all in check.These build up in the soil during the grassley, but numbers crash in the first followingwheat crop. This imbalance in soil microfloraand fauna allows take-all to explode six orseven years into the rotation following a ley,

even when other break crops are present.“Even when drilling in the optimum

window of early to mid-Oct, independent s

used to improve nutrient-use efficiency andto provide more robust rooting, making thecrop more resilient to take-all. “But a covercrop followed by a spring cereal is notenough of a break for take-all.”

Colin Lloyd believes growers shouldn’t be afraid to use cultivations to get soils into shape ahead of a second wheat. “Direct drilling can look attractive with lowcommodity prices, but make sure your soilshave a good structure before you begin.”

If ploughing, he encourages growers to do so early and to consolidate theseedbed prior to drilling. “This helps control grassweeds and prevents theseedbed becoming puffy, which increasesthe risk of take-all.”

While conventional wisdom suggests laterdrilled crops require a higher seed rate,

“I must have been a mole in a previous life,”laughs Northants grower Andrew Pitts. Butdespite this light-heartedness, he takes a veryserious approach to soil management on hismix of Hanslope clays, Banbury ironstone andCotswolds limestone brash soils.

It’s attention to detail that drives Andrew’ssoil management and before the Challenger765 and 4m Väderstad Topdown enter the field, he always digs test holes and uses a penetrometer to check how deep any remedialcultivations need to go after the combine has left the field. “Soil structure is crucial toeverything,” he stresses. He uses min till to gethis wheats, both first and second, off to thebest possible start.

“Before putting a seed in the ground, makesure there’s a good market for your secondwheats,” says Andrew Pitts. He likes for hiswheats to find a home in either milling or seedcontracts. “A second wheat with a premium canperform as well as a first. It can be easier to

achieve a milling premium with a second wheatas the slightly lower yield doesn’t dilute the protein as much,” he adds.

Rotation is key to his system which is currently winter oilseed rape and two wheats.But he’s introduced a pulse and is seeking waysto lengthen the rotation to one in five for hisOSR and second wheats. “A seed contract forpeas or beans would be very nice.” He likes touse the rotation to sort out the P indices, whichto grow a good second wheat should be Index 2or more, he says.

This year Andrew Pitts is growing Skyfall.“Skyfall was brilliant last year, and for 2015 iseven better. We’re having a great year with thevariety as a second wheat,” he says.

To do this, he treats seed with Redigo Deter(clothianidin+ prothioconazole) and Latitude and aims to drill between 7-15 Oct into compaction-free ground. The delay in drilling lets him get two chits on blackgrass before the crop is established.

Andrew Pitts secures a market for his secondwheat crop before putting a seed in the ground.

Secret in the soil for a second Skyfall

Andrew Pitts likes to have 50% of total N on by GS30 in the early spring along with thesulphur and 70-80% on by GS31. This is in abid to get roots growing away from take-all ––“don’t give the disease any chance,” he says.

“Getting over 10t/ha with Skyfall and gettinga seed premium on top of it makes growing second wheats well worth the effort,” concludesAndrew Pitts.


Combinable crop gross margin. 2016 (£/ha)

Source: Agrii

Put Evolution into a second wheat slot and itsperformance jumps 2% above its first wheatyield, according to RL figures.

trials have found there’s a 0.56t/ha yield benefit from applying Latitude.” says Barrie Hunt.

Fluquinconazole-based seed treatmentsare going off the market in 2016, with a use-up period in 2017, he adds.

When it comes to growing secondwheats, Colin Lloyd of Agrii likes to take aholistic approach. This is focused not just on the drilling period of the second wheatcrop but right through the production of thepreceding wheat crop and the break cropbefore that.

“When choosing a break crop in a rotationwith a second wheat, choose the one thatgives the greatest grassweed control,” hesays. With more and more blackgrass carried over from winter oilseed rape,

growers may consider other options offermore solid blackgrass control. “Spring beansuse a similar range of grass herbicideoptions, along with the added advantage of spring drilling,” says Colin Lloyd.

Stimulate roots“But you can’t make a good crop from poor soil.” So he likes to have P indices sorted out before the first wheat goes intothe ground. On top of this, he advocates theuse of foliar P in the growing wheat crop tostimulate root development.

Colin Lloyd also strongly emphasises soilstructure. “Good second wheat growershave an attention to detail on soil, and covercrops have an impressive ability to improvesoil structure in a short space of time.”

This improved soil structure can then be

s

GraftonBuzzerScout

ViscountGallant

NAWW8JB DiegoDuxfordOakleyTimber

GladiatorZebedeeWalpole

PanoramaCassius 07

BantamIstabraqSolsticeRobigusEinstein

ClaireAlchemy

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50

Difference between first and second wheats (t/ha)

Source: Limagrain trials, Suffolk, 2008

8% 31% 36% 21% 4%

17% 36% 25% 18% 4%

27% 23% 26% 18% 6%

2009

2011

2014

<0.5t/ha 0.5-1.0t/ha 1.0-1.5t/ha 1.5-2.0t/ha >2.0t/ha

Closing the gap on wheat yields

Source: National Latitude second wheat growers’ studies 2009-2014

Colin Lloyd reckons a cover crop followed by a spring cereal is not enough of a break for take-all.

Growers with grass leys in the rotation shouldalso be on the alert for take-all, notes BarrieHunt.

Colin Lloyd suggests otherwise. “Avoid sowing at a higher seed rate than is strictlynecessary. This approach will provide a

Another award for CPM


greater root mass per plant. What’s more, at higher seed rates, take-all can spreadmore readily.”

In early spring, he’d encourage growersput on as much as 40% of the crop’s nitrogen requirement early. This is to getroots moving and grow away from take-all.“We need to increase early rooting as fast as possible,” he advises.

Along with early N, Colin Lloyd likes touse a programme of early PGR applicationsand strobilurin fungicides. This is to increaserooting and control early season foliar disease such as yellow rust. “Strob fungicides can also have an impact on take-all in the soil,” he adds.

He aims to add manganese to theseapplications at the T0 timing. “Where take-all is severe, manganese uptake by the plant is reduced, increasing theimpact of the disease which further reducesmanganese uptake by the crop in a downward spiral,” he explains.

The physiological benefits of certain SDHIfungicides can be valuable in improvingrooting and greening effect of the crop.“These advantages are greatest at the T1timing,” he suggests.

Colin Lloyd also finds there is a benefit of prothioconazole usage throughout thegrowing season as it has an impact on all stem base diseases including take-all and eyespot. n

Congratulations to Sam Deane, who wrote thisarticle and was also runner-up in the BritishGuild of Agricultural Journalists/John DeereTraining Award 2015. He spent a few days withCPM as a trainee writer and submitted a newspiece for cpm-magazine.co.uk on light leaf spotfor the award –– see Sept issue p26 for the fullstory. Congratulations also to Melanie Jenkins,who won the award, and has written severalInsiders View articles for CPM this year.

If you’d like to read features by these award-winning writers, search for ‘Deane’ or‘Jenkins’ in the facility on the CPM website that allows you to find and download articlesfrom previous issues using keywords.www.cpm-magazine.co.uk

Organic matter does something to the soil beyond

delivering just a yieldincrease, but exactly what?

CPM reviews the researchthat’s aiming to find out.


Release the X factor

This isn’t just about

providing nutrientsfor the crop, but

about feeding soilbiota.”

“

Soil organic matter (SOM) can be viewedas one of those nebulous but essentialelements of agriculture. Rather like rainfall, you need it but defining exactlyhow much and when, let alone controlling

it, arguably lies beyond the scope of mostterrestrial beings –– even UK growers.What’s more, with SOM, there’s still awhole heap we don’t understand about its role.

“We know that SOM is critical to soilhealth,” notes Dr Amanda Bennett of AHDBCereals and Oilseeds. “This isn’t just aboutproviding nutrients for the crop, but aboutfeeding soil biota. We know that SOM hasbeen lost from many arable soils, and sincethis year is the International Year of Soils,there’s an increased public awareness of theimportance of sustainable soil managementas the basis for food systems.”

Yield improvementsIn 2012, AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds put in place £1.6M to fund a programme of soil-based research projects designed todeliver sustainable yield improvements forgrowers and unravel some of the mysteriesof soil and crop interaction. One of theseprojects looks specifically at SOM and hasjust a year left to run (see panel on p35).

“By their nature, soil-based research projects often take some time to yield conclusive results, but we already havesome significant findings,” she continues.“Importantly it’s shown that adding


For Amanda Bennett, the main benefit organicmatter brings is the resilience it gives to soils.

amendments, such as compost, farmyardmanure (FYM) or incorporating strawresidues, does bring a yield benefit over and above the nutrient content of what youapply. What’s more, people think this takesdecades, but the project has confirmed thisbenefit after just two years.”

Adding these amendments also brings aresilience to soils. “For me, this is the reallyimportant aspect –– seasons vary and it’s at times of marginal conditions that SOMgives the soil the resilience it needs to sustain a crop.”

s


Straw residue delivers effectively little differenceover the control plots in terms of yield, but doeshelp build soil biota.

SOM delivers a greater increase than you canaccount for from just the nutrient value of theamendments.

With a year left until the project is due toend, the research team is now focused on assessing the economics of applyingamendments. “There’s a misconception thatgrowers should aim for a certain target SOMpercentage –– that’s not what the project willdeliver as there’s no one-size-fits-all withorganic amendments. Effects on soil microbiology are also seasonal and time-sensitive, and what you apply willdepend on what’s available.

“What we’re aiming to deliver is a set ofguidelines that will give growers a realisticidea of the difference applying amendmentswill make, as well as costings. But the project itself has also grown, and attractedadditional funding and spin-off projects. Sothe value growers will get out of it will go well beyond what levy payers are actuallyfunding,” points out Amanda Bennett.

Leading the research at Rothamsted isProf Andy Whitmore. For him, the ultimateaim is to learn more about the X factor SOMdelivers to a soil. “If you increase SOM youget an increase in yield because of the nutrients it provides, but there’s a greaterincrease than you can account for from justthe nutrient value of the amendments. Weknow SOM can allow a soil to hold on towater, and helps make nutrients more readilyavailable. So we set out to test this.”

Over 200 plots have been set aside forthe trials at Rothamsted, on land adjacent to the Hoosfield barley experiment thatexplores the long-term effect of different agricultural systems. Four types of amendments are under scrutiny in the newplots: FYM, compost, anaerobic digestateand previous crop residues. Across the site,five different nitrogen rates have beenapplied, while a rotation sees winter wheat,oilseed rape and oats and spring barleyplanted on the silty clay loam with flints soil.

“What’s proved to be a real eye-opener is the speed with which you can make a difference through applying organic amendments –– there’s a confirmed yieldbenefit after just two years. In good seasonsthis can be as high as 2t/ha, and we actuallybroke the world wheat record in some of ourplots where compost was applied this yearwith a yield of 16t/ha*. But realistically, growers can expect an average yield boostof 1-1.5t/ha,” reports Andy Whitmore.

Leading soil improverCompost is proving to be the leading soil improver, slightly better than FYM anddigestate. “Straw is not doing so well, witheffectively little difference over the controlplots that receive no amendments. We’realso trialling mixtures, and where straw isadded to another amendment, this too hasthe effect of depressing the yield uplift.”

The Hoosfield experiment (running since1852) has borne out the difference SOM canmake in a marginal year, he continues. “Inyears where overall yields are good, you canexpect a 1t/ha yield benefit –– typical barleyyields were 8t/ha where amendments wereapplied compared with 7t/ha without. But ina year where the crop was hit by drought, forexample, yields dropped to 6t/ha and 3t/harespectively.”

There are noticeable differences in theway the soil behaves, too. “Part of the project, funded by Defra, is looking at thedraught force needed when ploughing.Where amendments have been appliedthere’s a definite reduction in the forcerequired to turn over the soil.

“Something you do see very quickly ––within 12 months –– is that water infiltrationimproves. So the anecdotal evidence youhear about soil structural improvements rings true.”

Harder to gauge is the improvement in soil biota and what difference that makes.“Organic amendments act as a food sourcefor earthworms and other soil organisms.Increasing SOM certainly results in more lifein the soil and increases fungal growth, andthat’s as true for straw as it is for compost.

But there’s no clear relationship between anincrease in earthworms and yield,” statesAndy Whitmore.

“Nor is the difference you make to a soilsomething you can measure very easily –– I’d be inclined to move away from thinkingthere’s some magic SOM content your soilshould have. Taking a SOM measurementcan be inaccurate as it can vary in the samefield by 10-20%. You could be applyingorganic amendments for 4-5 years beforethere’s any statistical change in SOM.

“But what does make a difference is toapply fresh material –– that’s what stimulatessoil organisms more than a soil that has aninherent high SOM.”

The large number of plots means theresearch team can assess quite accuratelyhow the amendments influence the optimumapplied N, however. “What we’re finding isthat it shifts the N response curve sidewaysand upwards –– you can apply more and getmore out of the crop.”

The final year of the project will bring thedata together, he says. With the crops on the site returning to winter wheat and springbarley, this is the same as those planted in2012, allowing a direct comparison with thestart of the project.

“We’ve noticed that organic amendmentshave a greater effect on spring crops, probably because they have less time to gettheir roots through the soil. In the final yearwe’ll also be doing some modelling work toassess the minimum level of amendmentsneeded to make a difference –– we had aDutch student join us last winter who’s buildingin data gleaned from all over Europe.”

And this is just one example of how theproject has grown since it started, notesAndy Whitmore. “In monetary terms it’s morethan doubled, with investment from Defra,DARD in Northern Ireland and Waitrose.BBSRC and NERC are also funding work tosee how long a build-up of SOM lasts.”

Six fresh produce growers in the easterncounties are also running parallel on-farm

What’s proved to be a real eye-opener for AndyWhitmore is the speed with which you can makea difference.

s

AHDB project RD-2012-3787,Improvement of soil structure and crop yieldby adding organic matter to soil, runs fromSept 2012 to Aug 2016. It aims to find theminimum addition of organic matter to bringabout the maximum improvements in cropyield, and soil and environmental quality.Led by Rothamsted Research, with partnerCranfield University, its total cost is£1,470,982 with £774,999 funded by AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds and Defra,DARD, Produce World and Cereal Growers in the Waitrose Agronomy group providingadditional funding.

Research round-upThe AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds SoilProgramme is a four-year (2012-2016) programme with three projects investigating a range of practical and sustainable soil management practices. The work includes managing on-farm soil variability by using datafrom yield maps. Other parts of the programme are looking at how different types and quantities of organic matter influence soil structure and theeffect of different cultivation techniques on the soil. There’s a total investment of £2.6M, with£1.6M funded by AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds.Go to http://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/soil for more information.

A determination to improve soil fertility is what’sbehind a series of on-farm trials David Blacker’scarrying out on his farm at Shipton, N Yorks. AnAHDB Monitor Farm, there’s 800ha of arablecrops, on predominantly clay loam overlying clay.

“It’s mostly low-lying, poorly drained land –– not good in a wet season,” he comments.“You can see from the yield maps that the bestyielding areas are the most fertile, so about fouryears ago, I set out to try and raise the fertility ofthe soils in general.”

SOM sampling, now carried out routinely, hasshown the farm varies from around 2-4%. “Butyou can’t take SOM at face value –– 2% is lowon our heavier land, but it’s not a bad contentfor our lighter soils,” notes David Blacker.

In the meantime, the farm has moved tostrip-tillage from conventional cultivations –– a4m Mzuri drill and a low-disturbance subsoilerwhere needed are the only kit that disturb thesoil. “We used to do straw-for-muck deals, butthere was so much traffic on the fields that ledto compaction. So now we chop all our straw.”

As a trial, he’s also applying compost at37t/ha per year on one field and comparingprogress with another in the same block of asimilar soil type and with the same crop rotation.

“Annual testing in the field has shown theSOM is improving in big leaps –– 0.5% per year.

Having said that, you have to question whetherthe test measures true soil organic matter, orjust organic material.”

But the yield benefits have been instant, too,with the composted field bringing in around2t/ha more than the nearby control field. “Thisyear we had phenomenal yields over the farm asa whole, with KWS Kielder wheat bringing in asmuch as 13.5t/ha. On the trail fields, Cassiawinter barley yielded 10.5t/ha where composthad been applied and 8.6t/ha without,” reportsDavid Blacker.

But it’s come at a price –– at £5/t deliveredand spread, he’s aware the investment is barelypaying for itself. “Financially it doesn’t stack up.We’re going to continue for the full five years,and there’ll then be residual value we’ll benefitfrom in subsequent harvests.”

Meanwhile, he’s also trialling cover crops.Four different types went in last year, for example: a Kings mix of oats, rye, vetch andradish; a DSV Terralife mix comprising radish,oat, sunflower, clover, serradella, phacelia,linseed, buckwheat and flax; Agrovista’s blackoat and vetch; and farm-saved spring oats mixedin with fodder radish and phacelia. The seedcost was around £50/ha for bought-in mixes,and £12/ha for the farm-saved one.

“The best mix was the DSV mix because it

Compost brings SOM value on Yorks clay

David Blacker has received instant yieldbenefits from his on-farm compost trials, butfinancially this doesn’t stack up on its own.

was so diverse. It grew to well over 1m high inplaces by Oct, but much of this was killed outby frost, allowing the smaller plants to comethrough that we sprayed off then drilled inMarch with spring beans.

“Although you can’t directly compare thecover crops with compost as the fields havebeen cropped differently, the compost brings amuch faster improvement in SOM and an instantyield benefit. However, I reckon cover crops winhands down –– there’s a better soil structureand they just transform the land.”


There’s a confirmed yield benefit from applyingorganic amendments that can be as high as2t/ha after just two years.

trials to assess the effects of different amendments on their crops. “We’ve had realengagement from the growers, some ofwhom have expanded their trials since theproject started.

“The results on fresh produce won’t becomparable with combinable crops, and

there are restrictions on the animal manureyou can apply. But we’re confident the project results as a whole will build into auseful combination of reliable figures and on-farm experience. Any grower should thenbe able to use these to help decide whatamendment to apply and how much they’llneed to make an improvement.”

* - Since the yield was recorded over a 6m by 9m plot, the 16t/ha gathered indoesn’t qualify as an official yield record, and has been surpassed by other crops thisharvest –– read the full story on how Lincsgrower Tim Lamyman beat both the wheatand OSR world yield records on p22. n

Organic amendments have a greater effect onspring crops.

Keeping youreyes closed

With CIPC still firmly in the spotlight, are you prepared totackle the thorny problem ofsprouting in store? CPM finds out all the latest on sprout suppression.

By Lucy de la Pasture

With just two storage seasons remainingbefore chlorpropham (CIPC) registrationcomes under re-review by the EU, time isrunning short for any potato stores thatare deficient to be upgraded, says SuttonBridge’s Adrian Briddon, group secretaryof the CIPC Stewardship Group.

Over the past few seasons the usage rate of CIPC has gradually been reduced as part of the effort to address the problems the industry has experiencedmeeting the criteria for the maximumresidue level (MRL) of CIPC.

Statutory maximum“The maximum dose of CIPC is beingreduced annually and for the 2015/16 storage season, the statutory maximum rate of CIPC that can be applied is 50g/tfor processing potatoes and 30 g/t for freshmarket crops,” explains Adrian Briddon.

“Best practice, in line with Red TractorFarm Assurance and the NAAC applicatorgroup, permits just one application in coldstores (<5°C), early in storage, before temperature is decreased below 7°C.

“By 2017, all CIPC product labels will be limited to a total dose of 36g/t (or less).Users of CIPC need to be aware of thisand begin to plan changes to stores thatwill accommodate the lower usage rates,without impacting crop quality.”

And therein lies the rub. The lower usage rates aren’t really the problem –– it’s understanding and implementing

The way CIPC has been used in the

past may no longer bepermitted.”

“


Best practice permits just one CIPC application incold stores, notes Adrian Briddon.

An air separator is an effective way of convertingstandard overhead-throw box stores using CIPC.

the necessary changes in application practice that’ll become a statutory obligation when new labels are producedin 2017.

“The new labels will specify the conditions under which CIPC can beused,” he says. “That’s important becauseit means the way CIPC has been used in the past may no longer be permitted.Fog will likely need to be recirculated, sogrowers need to plan to have the capabilityof doing this within their stores if theyintend to use CIPC.”

Understandably, for many growers, the past couple of seasons have been a difficult time to contemplate capitalinvestment in their storage facilities.Offering a potential lifeline to fence-sitterswas the expected registration of alternativesprout suppressant, 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene(DMN), a naturally occurring compoundfound in potatoes which was originally discovered and developed in the UK.

“1,4-DMN was denied registration by CRD this summer so won’t be available to growers in the near future,”comments Adrian, though DormFresh have stated they may pursue registration at a later date.

Most bulk stores are used for holdingcrop for the processing sector and requiretreatment with CIPC, says Adrian Briddon“CIPC application should be carried outwith the assistance of low speed fans tocirculate the fog evenly throughout thestack. Unless additional fans are to be fitted to a store, the easiest way toachieve this is to fit an inverter (or variablefrequency drive) to allow the main fan(s) to be slowed down.

“An inverter also allows energy savingsto be made in many stores. Running a fan


at 80% capacity costs half as much to runas at full speed so, once a store is down to temperature and providing it’s kept dry,there’s plenty of scope to recoup on theinvestment. Most inverters pay for themselves within 2-3 years.”

More of a challengeAdrian Briddon reckons box storage presents much more of a challenge when it comes to airflow and leakage. The easewith which discharged air can return to thefan without passing through the crop (oreven the boxes) has been demonstrated in AHDB Potatoes research to contributesignificantly to poor efficiency of operation,he explains.

“The vast majority of box stores in Britain are of the overhead-throw type.Unless particular measures have beentaken to address the airflow, they’re likely to suffer from unevenness of air distribution.

“An air separator can address this problem in an affordable way. These can be fitted into a store to force air to travelalong the pallet slot bases and improve the effectiveness of ventilation and temperature control. Closer regulation of temperature also reduces the risk ofcondensation and associated diseasedevelopment.”

CIPC is still by far the best sprout suppressant available, agrees potato tubertreatment specialist David Turner. To getthe best out of it, he reckons there are several important things to achieve.

“Try and fill stores as quickly as possibleso that the last of the crop is cured before

the CIPC needs to go on,” he says. “You’ve one hit at applying CIPC in coldtemperature stores so it has to go on early. Always aim to apply 2-3 weeks after harvest.”

The crop needs to be dry and cleanbefore treating with CIPC. Mud can act asa barrier to the CIPC vapour, allowingsprouts to grow, and a wet crop can sufferfrom scorch. “Only load sound potatoes,keeping any problem tubers in a separate area, and dry cure as soon aspossible using air,” says David Turner.

“Get stores down to the required temperature and make sure that the temperature is as uniform as possible,especially where any form of positive ventilation is used, such as letterbox stores or suction wall systems.”

How the store is stacked has majorimplications on the airflow through theboxes. Air will always try to take the path ofleast resistance, so letterbox ducts, linedup with pallet slots, can be used to forceairflow through the crop.

Store size, or the chambers within largestores, has an influence, he continues.“1000t is regarded as the optimum size to achieve quick filling, dry curing andtemperature bring down,” he comments.

If sprouting occurs in cold storage aftera single application of CIPC, Biox-M(spearmint oil) is a fully approved alternative and can be used to rescue the situation. As well as offering sproutsuppression, it will also burn any sproutsback, he explains.

“The other approved alternative is ethylene, available in Restrain or BioFreshapplication systems, which requires an s

Any store where CIPC use is intended must nowbe inspected and declared suitable before anyapplications are made.

The declined approval of 1,4-DMN by CRD putsBritish growers at a disadvantage to those inHolland where its use has been approved, pointsout David Turner.


altogether different approach. The ethylene is gradually built up within thestore over a period of days until a targetlevel of 10 ppm is reached. It works reallywell as a long term sprout suppressant in combination with temperature control butits effect quickly wears off once potatoesare removed from storage.”

The reasoning for declined approval of 1,4-DMN by CRD is a mystery to DavidTurner. “Data gaps were cited but thesame data was supplied to CRD and the

Dutch regulatory authorities, who haveapproved it,” he says.

“It’s not a level playing field acrossEurope and hard to understand becausewe’ll still be importing Dutch produce intothe food chain which has been treated with1,4-DMN.”

Also on the horizon is 3-decan–2-one,sold as SmartBlock in the US. “We canonly hope that the CRD will accept thedata sets that have been generated for itsapplication for approval because we reallyneed an alternative to CIPC.”

For the vast majority of growers that dodepend on CIPC, don’t forget than anystore where use is intended must now beinspected and declared suitable beforeany applications are made, reminds David Turner.

CIPC application in bulk stores should be carriedout with the assistance of low speed fans tocirculate the fog evenly throughout the stack.

s

Looking for more on potato storage? The searchfacility on the CPM website allows you to find and download articles, such as Insiders View,from previous issues using keywords, such as ‘CIPC’.www.cpm-magazine.co.uk


Aligning boxes with the main airflow improvesventilation while leaving a gap for air to fall into at the end of the block ensures it gets under the boxes and is then distributed effectively.Picture: AHDB Potatoes

Unless you already have stocks of Vydate(oxamyl) on farm, plan to be without it next season, that’s the advice from Spud Agronomy’sJohn Sarup.

“DuPont have just announced that the re-opening of the oxamyl production plant in theUS still hasn’t been sanctioned, as a result ofsafety concerns after a toxic gas leak provedfatal in Dec 2014,” he explains. That meanssupply of Vydate for next season is at bestuncertain and if it does arrive, it’ll be late in the season.

“For PCN control we have an alternativeproduct in Nemathorin (fosthiazate), thoughgrowers will need to bear in mind the harvestinterval is 119 days. Mocap 15G (ethoprophos)has a shorter harvest interval of 80 days butonly now offers suppression of PCN after therecent label change.”

But it’s control of the free-living nematodes(FLN) that feed on the roots of crop and transmit the tobacoo rattle virus, causing

spraing symptoms, that’s likely to be a realheadache without Vydate.

“The real advantage of Vydate overNemathorin is that it can be applied down thespout at between 15-23kg/ha for FLN control,costing approx £120-180/ha,” says John Sarup.

“Nemathorin and Mocap have to be appliedas an overall application at full rate using specialist kit so is likely to cost around £250/hamore than Vydate in furrow, making it an expensive alternative for spraing control.”

In the short term, variety and field selectionwill be crucial when it comes to controlling damage from FLNs this coming season. Springbarley may be a good option to precede potatoeswhere FLN/Spraing are likely to be a problem,suggests John Sarup.

“Getting rid of the weeds that enable FLNsurvival and harbour tobacco rattle virus is animportant part of a strategy to control Spraing.Spring barley gives time for stale seedbeds andcontrol of weeds in the crop is also late,

Vydate availability uncertain for 2016

providing a good gap to interrupt carry over ofthe virus causing spraing in tubers.”

The supply of Vydate for next season is at bestuncertain and if it does arrive, it’ll be late in theseason, notes John Sarup.

“This audit is part of the Red TractorAssurance Scheme, which also requirestreatment advice must be made by BASISqualified advisers, operators must be PA1and PA9 qualified and all equipment mustbe tested and certified annually under the NSTS.” n

Through its Plantsystems technologyarm, Agrovista has been looking at cropsensing systems for four years. LewisMcKerrow, head of precision technology,comments on remote sensing.

Agrovista has been watching closely different technologies that can measurecrop variation to make applications orrecord the data. We wanted to be able tooffer a reliable service year in year out,something we felt was not possible withsatellite imagery a few years ago.

Our early work on remote-sensing platforms was focused around tractor- or sprayer- mounted sensors. Early experience came from looking at the YaraN-Sensor, although this soon moved ontothe Fritzmeier Isaria due to the extra features it could offer over competitor sensors, such as yield potential maps.

We are an agronomy advisory companyfirst and foremost, but the landscape is changing. To be able to offer our customers industry-leading solutions we needed to be closely involved with precision-farming equipment so we couldfind out how to give the best advice to helpgrowers get the most out of it agronomically.

We now have enough trial information toconfidently say the Isaria delivers 3-12%yield increase over flat-rate applications.Each season is different, and each field is different, which is why it is important we can apply technology to react to thevariability we have.

One of the trials this year involved a fieldof KWS Glacier winter barley. Like manyfarms we had a number of years’ yielddata to show us a consistent pattern ofyield variation. Most of this was down tosoil type, with the variation more pronounced in wet seasons.

Three nitrogen applications were made

to the crop. The first was applied at50kg/ha flat rate, the second was a varied‘real-time’ application using the Isaria,resulting in an average rate of 90 kg/ha,and the third was also varied using the Isaria, this time applying 40 kg/ha on average.

Data analysisThe grower contacted us to have a look atthe resulting yield data as he had beenvery impressed at how even the cropappeared to be. The yield map revealed a very consistent yield across the field,with the crop averaging 9.5 t/ha average(moisture corrected).

Analysis of the data showed that in April there was a variation in the crop of38%. By May, following the first variableapplication, this had reduced to 21%. The final yield showed it had fallen again,to just 16%.

Variation readings in a neighbouringfield where a flat-rate nitrogen programmehad been used showed levels of 34% inApril, 28% in June, and 25% in final yield.The yield advantage using variable rate Nwas 9.4% in this trial, which at currentmarket values equates to £82/ha in extragrain sales.

With Isaria the best results come whenmaking a ‘yield potential’ map for the field.This allows you to essentially create a mapthat tells the Isaria whether it is operatingin a high, medium, or low yield potentialarea so that it doesn’t just look at the cropin isolation.

In real terms this means that a thinnercrop in a low yield potential area of thefield will not receive as high a nitrogen rate as the same patch in a high yieldarea.

Every time the Isaria passes through the

A DV E RTO R I A L

�Remote Sensing tools for nitrogen managementcrop it can be run in scan mode to collectbiomass data from the crop. This can bereally useful to form the basis of otherinputs such as variable seed, the followingyear’s yield potential map, or even a yieldforecast at flag leaf.

For those growers who like the conceptof remote sensors such as the Isaria butstruggle to justify the investment, we havebeen working with Unmanned AerialVehicles (UAVs) to be able to deliver reliable, high quality biomass maps on a pay-as-you-go basis.

The advantage of using UAVs is thatgrowers don’t have to make a big investment up front. However, it takes time to make a flight, process the data, and make prescription plans.

Another advantage is that once the flight has been made the data can be runthrough a number of tools to give mapssuch as establishment, weed map, and %establishment to name but a few.

Plantsystems from Agrovista can nowoffer both of these platforms for the 2016season. Isaria is sold and supported by anetwork of UK dealers which can be foundat www.plantsystems.co.uk

UAV flights can be booked through yourlocal Agrovista contact. All of the data canbe uploaded to our new Axis MapIT ProAdvanced software or exported to selectedfarm management software.

For more detailed info on these servicesvisit www.plantsystems.co.uk or registerfree for Axis, our online data hub.

Biomass scan from 16/4/15(blue thickest,red thinnest)

Nitrogen rates from 16/4/15(blue highest,red lowest)

Yield map (red lowest, blue highest) (5.3-12.1 t/ha)


EU regulatory process is removing crop protection toolsfrom the grower’s armoury andplacing ever greater restrictionson those that are left. Againstthis background, how do growers sustainably increaseproduction?

Part of the solution, according

BASF bought the specialist company BeckerUnderwood in December 2012 and, through thisacquisition, has become the world’s largest producerof beneficial nematodes, controlling pests in horticultural and, increasingly, in broad-acre crops.BASF continue to strive to providegrowers with the very best solutions, be they chemical or biological ones.

Few can deny that the challengefacing food producers is a considerable one: on the onehand, retailers and consumers aremaking more onerous demandsabout how their food is producedand imposing standards that goway beyond maximum residuelimits (MRLs). On the other, the

The good guysBiological technologies have the potentialto bring crop protection into a whole newera. CPM seeks specialist advice onprogress to date and practical pointers onthe use of nematodes for slug control.


to BASF, is what it calls functionalcrop care. The company’s now looking beyond chemistry and combining it with biology to deliver the next generation of crop protection solutions. An important step was its acquisition in Dec 2012 of Becker Underwood,which specialises in biologicalpest control and has a major production facility in Littlehampton,W Sussex.

For Graeme Gowling, who joinedBecker Underwood in 1996 andnow heads up the marketing side ofBASF’s global biologicals division,the technology has tremendouspotential to address many of thepractical and regulatory hurdles facing growers.

While there’s now considerableexperience in this area with somepromising technologies, it’s still earlydays for its application in the field,points out Rob Storer, specialitycrops product manager with BASF.But an insight into the developmentand the work done to date providesa pointer for those progressive growers who’ll turn the concepts into trusted on-farm tools.

What is biological pestcontrol?The role of beneficial organismsand their potential for crop protection solutions have been well known for decades, but rarely moved out of the scientist’s laboratory. There are microbiologicalproducts, which include single-cellorganisms, fungi, bacteria and viruses, and macrobiological organisms such as beneficialinsects and nematodes.

In the UK, pathogenic nematodesare perhaps the ones that havebeen developed most as crop protection tools and already haveuseful practical applications. Thereare millions of different nematodesthat occur naturally in the soil, butscientists have identified six speciesthat have specific hosts which areimportant agricultural pests. Sogrowers can apply them to crops inlarge numbers to help overcome apest problem.

But identifying the nematodes isjust one part of the picture –– tobecome useful tools it must be possible to multiply them up, package them and get them togrowers, then apply them safely and effectively in the field. And

of course the economics have to work.

So experience to date has shown that biological pest control is not a silver bullet, but part of the crop protection solution. They’rebest used when combined with traditional chemical control methods.

What are the benefits?One of the key benefits of biologicals is that they can extendthe window of protection. Manychemicals have harvest withdrawalperiods during which a crop, especially high value vegetables or ornamentals, can suffer a pestattack that makes the cropunsaleable. Biologicals can usuallybe applied right up to the point of harvest.

They also offer flexible workingpractices, not subject to the sameCOSHH restrictions as chemicals.In the glasshouse or store, forinstance, this means no exclusionperiod that restricts staff frominspecting the treated crop. Nor ispersonal protective equipment(PPE) needed, since the naturallyoccurring organisms pose littlethreat to human health.

As noted earlier, biologicals also help meet evolving consumerexpectations and regulatory

The technology has tremendous

potential to addressmany of the practical

and regulatory hurdlesfacing growers.”

“

Biological pest control is not a silverbullet, but part of the crop protectionsolution, says Graeme Gowling.

Biological pest control


Then the bacteria Bacillus subtilisgets to work and gives the rootadditional, longer protection. Theresult, according to trials, isenhanced root growth, seedlingvigour and cold tolerance overchemistry on its own.

Broadband is an insecticide,registered for use across a widerange of crops in South Africa tocontrol thrips, mite and certainmoths. It’s a fungus, Beauveriabassiana, that enters an insectthrough its cuticle where it continues to grow, leading to waterloss and death. Active at all stagesof a target host’s life cycle, there’sno known resistance to the fungus.

Pathogenic nematodes havebeen available under the Nemasysand Nemaslug brands. They arehighly specific, targeting just onehost, so are entirely harmless toother beneficials, wildlife, humansand pets. Nemasys is used mostcommonly in glasshouses to controlwestern flower thrips in ornamentalsand has become the biological

standard for cut flowers in theNetherlands.

Nemasys L and H are twospecies used to control black vineweevil in soft fruit. Nemasys H provides rapid knock down, whileNemasys L is active at lower temperatures –– an importantrequirement in Scotland.

What about productionprogress?BASF has invested tens of millionsof euros in expanding its globalproduction of biologicals. The facility at Littlehampton in W Sussex(formerly Becker Underwood) is a global leader in the production of pathogenic nematodes and biological inoculants. Producing trillions of living organisms everymonth, that probably makes it theworld’s most productive farm, andexpansion has just completed thatwill double its output.

Nematodes are multiplied up in vessels, up to 75,000 litres incapacity, and fed on a food-grade liquid that’s been inoculated withspecific bacteria to speed up theprocess. The final product contains100,000 nematodes/ml in a 95%concentrated dried form in its infective juvenile state –– the only

one of its five life stages duringwhich it can exist without a host orother food source. The formulationis the essential component thatkeeps the nematodes alive fromwhen they’re packed at the production plant to their use in the field.

What is Nemaslug?Nemaslug contains the nematodePhasmarhabditis hermaphroditawhich targets field slugs. They

Providing over 350,000t of quality potatoes a year to exacting standardsdemanded by buyers is what drivesDavid Nelson, technical director for Branston.

“Environmentally friendly productionand high food standards are increasinglyimportant to our customers. They careabout where we source our potatoes,and that’s why we work closely with ourgrowers to ensure high standards aremet,” he says.

“Slugs are a significant problem,causing feeding damage and this canlead to crop rejection. And there arefewer products in the armoury, with theloss of methiocarb this year. So we’vebeen looking for alternatives and trialling the pathogenic nematodeNemaslug to integrate into slug controlprogrammes.”

Two main areas have been underscrutiny over the past 5-6 years ––

application and timing of Nemaslug.“We’ve looked at several applicationmethods: spraying at high water volumes has to be done when theground and crop are wet. This can bechallenging as being a biological product, Nemaslug has a more limitedshelf life than a pesticide and you needideal wet conditions shortly after theproduct is delivered. So it’s a bit of anart to get it right, but when you achievethat, Nemaslug works really well.”

The second method is to applyNemaslug via drip irrigation wherenematodes are applied in a constantstream at the correct rate. A moresophisticated approach, it pushes theproduct straight into moist groundwhere it’s ready to work.

“More potato crops are now drip irrigated as it helps where water availability is limited. Other projectshave looked at application via hose

reels and booms but it seems drip feed is better and a lot easier,” notesDavid Nelson.

Timing-wise, the first window ofapplication for Nemaslug is at canopyclosure followed by the second prior toburn down. There’s still a lot ofresearch to be done, he says, includingunderstanding more about slug biology.

“Identifying where slugs species aredistributed in the soil profile and thefield will help enormously with the efficacy of Nemaslug as well as pellets.An AHDB project at Harper Adams islooking at this.” (see CPM Aug 2015issue, p31).

This year, higher slug pressure hasput crop returns under threat, he pointsout. “Feeding holes in potatoes causedby slugs makes the crop unsaleable.So although Nemaslug is expensive,compared with an unsaleable crop, itpays for itself.”

But it’s customer demand for lesspesticides and no crop residues that’sdirecting Branston’s interest in biologicals, says David Nelson. “We’recurrently evaluating a naturally occurringbacteriophage that should help reducelevels of blackleg in seed potato crops.It would be great to have a biologicalsolution to PCN, and there was someindication that a fungi may have activity.But it’s not easy to transfer activity froma petri dish to the field.”

Slugs are a significant problem inpotatoes, and a problem close toharvest can lead to crop rejection.

Drip-fed solution for slugs in potatoes

Production at BASF’s Littlehamptonfacility has now doubled.

sstandards. What’s more, they offeran entirely new mode of action, sohave great potential to supportresistance management.

How is the technologycurrently used?Xanthion is a good example of afungicide that combines chemicaland biological properties.Launched this year in the US, it’s applied to corn in-furrow atplanting. The chemical component,pyraclostrobin, offers instant, short-term protection against rhizoctonia, fusarium and pythium.


Application method Dose Coverage Number of Intervalper pack* applications

Outdoor crops withrepeat applicationsShort duration crops /high pest pressureSingle application 300,000/m2 0.08ha 1 6 weeksRecommended application volume – 1 l/m2; *each pack contains 250 million nematodes

Recommendations for Nemaslug

Nemaslug targets Arion hortensis(shown), the common grey slug and Milax spp, among others.

After the slug dies, the nematodes willcover its entire body, reproduce andthen go in search of more hosts.

50,000/m2 0.5ha 3 2 to 4 weeks

150,000/m2 0.17ha 2 or 3 2 to 6 weeks

Rob Storer believes progressivegrowers will be instrumental in turningthe biological control concepts intotrusted on-farm tools.

control the common grey slug(Deroceras reticulatum), Arion spp,and Milax spp (keeled slug),among others –– these being themain agricultural pests in UK outdoor crops.

After application to the soil, theyseek out the host –– it’s understoodthey follow cues to hone in on the target and can locate themunderground, which is useful inpotatoes suffering from slugs closeto harvest. Once inside the host,the nematode releases bacteriathat breaks down the slug, turning itinto nutrition and allowing the juvenile nematode to complete itslife cycle and reproduce. Two tothree life cycles will be completedin a slug, and the resulting juvenileswill search for new hosts.

Once infected, the slug stopsfeeding within a day but can take a week to die. If slug pressure ishigh, the nematode population will sustain itself, but numbers will soondrop to background populations inthe absence of hosts.

Biological pest control:top tips What trials results are

there?Trials carried out in Holland onBrussels sprouts and in the UK onRomaine lettuce demonstrate theeffectiveness of Nemaslug. In theDutch trial, two applications of50,000 nematodes/m2 were madesix weeks apart, and comparedwith a standard metaldehydetwo-dose programme (see chartopposite).

In the UK trial, half of the 2haplot received a total of 150,000nematodes/m2 split over three applications each a week apart.Again, this was compared with astandard pellet programme basedon metaldehyde and methiocarb,with damage assessed in threeplots in each of the treated areas(see chart opposite).

In both trials, despite low pestpressure, damage was significantlylower in the Nemaslug-treated area.

How is it used in practice?Using Nemaslug is a different concept to using pellets. One is abait to which the slug is attractedand moves to ingest, while a nematode will move to seek out ahost. But the nematodes are lessthan 1mm long, and will travel just a few cm, so an even applicationover the treated area is important.However, nematodes thrive in thewet, and are best applied when it’sraining or with irrigation –– the soilmust at least be moist.

Easily mixed in a sprayer, ordrip-fed through irrigation lines,treatment should be to the soil, but if made to foliage, the cropshould be irrigated immediately. It’s effective between 5-30°C andapplications in direct sunlightshould be avoided. The nematodespersist in the soil for around sixweeks, but the product has a shelflife of around six months, providedit’s kept cool.

What is the potential forthis technology?The cost of treatment is currentlyaround 5-6 times the cost of usingpellets, so high value crops andpotatoes are where Nemaslug ismost effective, especially close to harvest.

But the cost is likely to comedown as production increases andit’s more widely adopted in fieldcrops. What’s more, precision farming technology can focus theapplication areas, making it morecost effective –– work is underwaywith Garford investigating thepotential to treat rows or evenaround single plants.

With the restrictions on metaldehyde, Nemaslug maybecome a useful technology inhigh-risk areas for water pollution,

BASF provides a number of pathogenic nematodes as Nemasysand Nemaslug for pest control,largely in horticultural/specialitycrops, but increasingly into broad-acre crops as demand formore sustainable farming practices,fewer chemicals and lower cropresidues increases.

Nemaslug provides an alternativesolution to the two approved actives,ferric phosphate and metaldehyde.It is safe to use, has no water issues, no resistance problems, norequirement for protective clothingand no disposal restrictions, making

Sponsors message

and on field headlands. And asmore growers adopt biological pestcontrol into their systems, itsstrengths and real value willbecome more apparent.

Although currently accounting for less than 2% of the crop protection market, biologicals areexperiencing double-digit growthand BASF believes the sector will be worth €2.5bn in annualsales by 2020. So this may be a technology that’s well worthexploring. n


l It’s not a silver bullet – the potential of the technology is greatest when used in conjunction with chemical control.

l Use it close to harvest – biologicals extend the window of crop protection and offer flexible working practices.

l Great promise for progressive growers – on-farm innovators will find its true value in the field.

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%Nemaslug Pellets

Per

cent

age

of

tota

l sam

ple

1 to 5 damage buttons



> 20 damage buttons

Slug damage on Brussels sprouts

Source: Zwaan Nickerson, North Holland, 2004

1.6

1.4

1.2

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

0.0Pellets 1 P1 P3 Nemaslug 1 N2 N3

Num

ber

of

dam

aged

leav

es p

er p

lant

Slug damage on Romaine lettuce

Source: Golden Plain, UK, 2004

it easy to use. It does an excellent job inthe field controlling slugs.

The quality of biological products is important and in recent independentresearch, as an example, Nemasys L compared with two competitor biologicals was the most consistent,delivering a higher mean number of live nematodes per pack. It also showedno drop off in infectivity between arrival and expiry date, which is 6-8 weeks. This superior quality goes across the entire product range,including Nemaslug.

s

CropTec 2015 takes place on 24 and 25 Nov at

Peterborough, but what’s its value? CPM gathers

views from three of last year’s attendees.

By Rob Jones

Small show hasits strengths

As a smaller indoor show,

you can find what you need, and have more time to talk to

all the relevant people.”

“

There are no rows and rows of machinery, nor variety of plots to mullover –– CropTec, taking place on Tues 24and Weds 25 Nov at the East of EnglandShowground, Peterborough, is a far morecompact and focused event.

And on a purely practical level, that’s itsstrength, suggests Lincs cereal growerAndrew Ward. “There isn’t another showlike CropTec,” he says. “Technology is thesole focus and, with farming getting moretechnical all the time, it needs to stay thatway. As a smaller indoor show, you canfind what you need, and have more time to talk to all the relevant people.”

Last year Andrew Ward, who farms750ha in Lincs, both on his family farm

and as a contract farmer, spent time looking at field mapping and recordingsoftware. “We have Polaris ranger withGateKeeper farm mapping and GPS withRTK base stations. It meant every tractorhad its own version of every field, allslightly different. I wanted what I was calling a ‘mastermap’ –– one version thatcould be copied, exported and stored byall the machinery. CropTec was the oneplace I could talk to all the software companies, face to face, compare theirsystems, and find out what would, andwouldn’t work for me.”

Getting answers is also what CropTec is all about for John Hutton of Adama –– the headline sponsor of the event.“CropTec gives us all the chance to hear, first hand, from farmers and spray operators how things are working in the field, and if there are any issues

we need to overcome.”Blackgrass questions were a hot topic

last year, especially around resistance.“Early use of one of the few productswhich has no known resistance, such ascarbetamide, drew significant debate indiscussions on overcoming resistant


s

CropTec organisers are offeringfree entry to those who registerbefore the event. Registration isnow open via the event website,www.croptecshow.com. Ticketsare also available to purchase onthe day, priced at £12.

Following hot on the heels ofAgritechnica, that takes place inHanover, Germany, the weekbefore (10-14 Nov), how the latest machinery releases willaffect UK purchasing decisions islikely to be a topic of discussion.

“It’s not about showcasing the biggest piece of equipment a manufacturer has in their portfolio,” say event organisers.“CropTec is about how a particularpiece of kit can help increaseproduction, improve efficienciesand sustain growth for an arablebusiness.”

It’s also a chance to reviewthis year’s harvest, and its effecton cashflow, and to learn aboutthe prospects for the global harvest and prices and the mostcost-effective solutions for dealing with the impact of CAPreform, they suggest. What’smore, there’ll be an update onthe legally binding SustainableUse Directive measures whichcome into force on Nov 26.

Careers ForumCropTec 2015 is to host an interactive workshop designed tooffer students a diverse insightinto career opportunities within the arable industry. Sponsored byEDGE and free to attend, the event

will be held on the showground onWeds, 25 Nov.

The aim is to address some of the challenges students face, which include the many,multi-faceted career paths now open to them, the differentskills required and how to approach specific companies and organisations for career adviceand employment opportunities.

From practical farm management to research,technology, agronomy and consultancy, students will hearprofessionals from a range of disciplines and recent graduateswho’ll explain a typical working day,roles, responsibilities, challengesand benefits.

Spraying hubCropTec 2015 also sees the introduction of a spraying technology hub, supported by theNAAC and The Voluntary Initiative.This will focus on training,stewardship schemes, improvingefficacy, drift reduction and safedisposal.

Other technical hubs centre onbusiness, innovation, research anddevelopment. These new featuresare designed to complement theseminar programme, which beginswith crop establishment, followedby the inter-related subjects ofcrop nutrition, crop protection and plant breeding. There’s up toeight BASIS points available forattending the seminars andknowledge trails.

Free entry to 2015 event

New this year is an interactive workshop offering careers advice to students.


CropTec offers the opportunity to talk to specialists in a particular area.

There’s a focus on new technology, includingdrones and aerial photography.

populations,” he recalls.“With everything under one roof and a

real focus on new technology, includingdrones and aerial photography, the eventchallenges thinking and provides theopportunity to really talk in detail to theexperts,” says John Hutton.

“This year we’ll be focusing on septoriaresistance control and demonstratingpractices which ensure we, as an industry,act in a way that brings longevity of available actives in an increasingly regulatory environment.”

For Yara agronomist Ian Matts, 2014’sCropTec was all about the impact of nutrition on the health of plants, and how

optimal nutrition allows them to cope moresuccessfully with whatever pressures theymay face throughout the year.

“The new structure of CropTec ––seminars with an hour’s discussion break inbetween –– is much better,” hesays. “Now there’s the opportunity to talk to speakers and get into more detailed conversations.

“So we had Andres Rangel of theHanninghof Research Centre in Germany,who gave an insight on working globally toimprove the efficiency of phosphorus usein mineral fertilisers. Afterwards he gavedetailed advice to a farmer who walked upand asked how best to manage phosphate

applications on his farm and make betteruse of his resources.”

This year Yara’s crop nutrition seminarwill feature Philippe Eveillard of UNIFA inFrance talking about the cost efficiency of nitrogen sources and Dr Pete Berry ofADAS giving his latest findings on OSRmanagement and the timing of fertiliserapplications.

“It really is the quality of the speakers,the interactions that this leads to, and thelevel of information that you can absorbthat sets CropTec apart,” concludes IanMatts. “This isn’t a huge Cereals whereyou’re one of tens of thousands and thereal opportunity to talk to such industryfigures is not to be missed.” ns

As manufacturers gear up fornext month’s Agritechnica

event, the ability of new drillsand cultivation equipment tohandle a range of conditions

and cope with cover cropswere highlighted at Tillage

Live. CPM reports.


Versatility in vogue?

It’s a system that offers

growers versatility and the ability to change

the set-up to suit their particular requirements.”

“

You would have thought it unlikely thatthe arrival of yet another cultivator drillinto an already overcrowded marketwould get much interest. But two newdrills put their coulters into British soil forthe first time last month and appear toaddress a lot of the current requirementsfrom UK growers.

The EasyDrill and MaxiDrill come fromFrench manufacturer Sky-Agriculture. Theywere launched at SIMA in 2013 and arenow imported here through Opico. Sky is a

sister company to Sulky, and has the sameshareholders. In reality, it’s something of abreak-away specialist sibling, however,sharing production facilities at three sitesin France, but with a 170ha farm in Britanythat acts as a test bed and training groundfor French min-till and direct-drilling enthusiasts.

Direct seedingThe EasyDrill is claimed by Opico’sJames Woolway to be “the most versatile

drill on the market” and is suited to arange of field conditions from direct intostubble or cover crops to plough. Havingsaid that, it’s a drill designed to appeal to growers seriously considering directseeding, and those already doing so,according to Sky drill specialist Christophe Decarville.

This direct-drilling credibility comesfrom Sulky’s 32-year association withMoore, and fans of the Unidrill will recognise the distinctive metal presswheel behind the seed coulter. But muchhas been added that’s set to appeal to awider grower base.

First off is a low power requirement, at

30hp/m, and the 6m demonstration model(see picture on p50) was pulled with easethrough organic soils in Lincs with a 175hpMassey Ferguson 7618. There’s up to250kg put down to each seeding disc,however – enough to break into toughstubbles, notes Christophe Decarville.

The leading press wheel lends the drill its versatility, designed to firm up cultivated ground. But it’s also been found to be effective at drilling into covercrops, and these in particular have beenunder scrutiny at Sky’s French farm.Following the press wheel comes a pair of 415mm-diameter cutting discsincorporating a carbide-tipped skim coulter. Set at an angle of just 3.5°, this is claimed to slice through trash andcover-crop debris to place the seed accurately where required.

This low disturbance is a feature set to appeal to growers grappling with blackgrass, says Sky’s managing directorDavid Guy. Independent tests in France onten of the leading drills in 2014 concludedthe Sky Easydrill brought about the lowestgermination of blackgrass. “But if you wantto move as little soil as possible, you have


s

The EasyDrill is designed to appeal to growersseriously considering direct seeding, and thosealready doing so.

Wet conditions at Croft Farms, near Darlington,Co Durham, kept cultivation kit off the demoplots at Tillage Live last month, much to thefrustration of the exhibitors and 1350 visitorswho attended. But it was a chance for farmersto discuss the latest developments ahead ofnext month’s Agritechnica show in Hanover andto glean technical tips on autumn cultivations.

Tillage was to be the first demonstration ofAmazone’s new Certos cultivator, available in4m, 5m, 6m and 7m working widths and needing 50hp/m of grunt at the front. Designedfor a working depth of 7-20cm, that can behydraulically adjusted on the move, two sets of 660mm discs can cope ably with trash andcover crops, says the firm’s Simon Brown.

“The Matrix roller behind puts an extra100kg on a 3m width and its larger 650mmdiameter means less pull but more crumble,especially on heavier soils,” he adds.

Horsch steps into the mounted power harrow/drill combination market with the

Express KR, which was also set to have its firstworking demo at the event. Available in 3m,3.5m and 4m working widths, it marries a Kredopower harrow with Horsch’s popular TurboDisc 2seed coulters.

These are hydraulically controlled and can belifted out of the way, if necessary, points outHorsch’s Steve Burcham. “It puts up to 120kgonto each seed coulter –– there’s not anothercombo on the market that can do that.”

Another combo set to have its working debutwas Pöttinger’s Aerosem 3002D, coupled withits Fox 300D disc cultivator. This prepares theseedbed with two rows of 400mm diameterdiscs. The interesting slant here is that the drill unit can also be fitted to the firm’s Lionpower harrow.

Also on show was Great Plains’ trailed Saxondrill, that puts Turbo cutting discs in place of theCenturion’s cultivator toolbar, for when minimaldisturbance is required. Kuhn’s new Espro cultivator drill was also to have its debut demo.

Debut demos thwarted for new kit at Tillage LiveDesigned to work at up to 17km/h with a low,35hp/m power requirement, two rows of460mm-diameter concave discs are followed bya row of press wheels, while Kuhn’s Seedflexdouble-disc coulters are mounted on a Crossflexseedbar.

Mzuri has introduced some refinements to itsPro-Til 3T trailed drill. Every other coulter cannow be lifted out of play, with the seed rateadjusted accordingly, allowing drilling at widerow spacings. There’s now a narrow press wheelavailable to match the narrow seed coulter thatcan be used in place of the standard 150mmwide version. Also, the hydraulically driven fancan be powered from the PTO, so the fan speed doesn’t dip with engine revs through atricky patch.

“It’s a strip-till system that offers growers versatility and the ability to change the set-up to suit their particular requirements,” claimsMzuri’s Martin Lole.

Amazone has further developed the wedge ringroller with a Matrix profile – a larger 650mmdiameter version sits on the new Certos.

Hydraulic rams put up to 120kg down to eachTurboDisc coulter on the Horsch Express KR, orcan lift the coulters out of play.

A handy switch on the side of Mzuri’s Pro-Til drill is used to bring every other seed coulter out of work.

to slow down –– the test was carried out at 6km/h, while typically you’d operate thedrill at 8-12km/h,” he says.

The seeding line is in a tandem arrangement, reminiscent of sugar beetdrills. Hydraulic adjustment allows the operator to shift weight between leading and following press wheels, notesChristophe Decarville. “You can put

more weight on the front in wet or softer conditions, for example.”

Further versatility comes in the hopperset-up. The drill is available as 3m and 4mbox types and 4m and 6m pneumatic models, and the seed hoppers all can besplit to allow fertiliser or a different seed topass through a separate meter and seeding line. Dropped just after the skim coulter, this can be adjusted so thematerial is incorporated or lies on the surface and rate for either line can be set at 1-400kg/ha.

Adding the 120-litre optional Pro hopperallows a third seed to be put at a differentrate down one of the two lines. “This canhelp when drilling seed mixtures of different sizes, such as cover crops, as they can settle out in the hopper,” points out Christophe Decarville.

The MaxiDrill is more of a conventionalcultivator drill, aimed particularly at late andspring drillers, such as those with

blackgrass or root crops –– it manages trash and marginal conditions well and drills accurately at 12-18km/h, claims James Woolway.

“There’s a lot of space under the drill,allowing clearance to handle trash,” he says.“The press wheels are dedicated to fieldwork, and are less likely to block or bulldozebecause they flex well and have a staggered


The seeding line is in a tandem arrangement,with cutting discs set at an angle of just 3.5°and metal press wheels.

s

Peterborough-based manufacturer of high-capacity self-propelled sprayers Lite-Trachas challenged the conventional thinking thatyou can’t apply a pre-emergence herbicide and Avadex (tri-allate) at the same time. Itsprototype 36m boom, that can be folded back

to 24m, incorporates two Avadex applicators,complete with 500-litre hoppers.

“We’ve been developing it for about fivemonths and have a version we’re testing this autumn,” says the firm’s Ben Bowens.“The plan would be to retro-fit it, and it’s suitable for any self-propelled sprayer with a Pommier spray boom.” Slug pellets andoilseed rape seed can also be sent through the pneumatic lines.

The first commercial version of Soyl’s variable-depth subsoiler was also on display atTillage. Manufactured by Plowman Brothersnear York, the tool was commissioned byGraham Potter who farms 200ha near Thirsk,N Yorks.

“I’ve a big variation in soil types and in onefield it goes from heavy clay to sand,” he says.“I’ve had the fields zoned and Soyl has prepared maps with the ideal subsoiling

Avadex is blown down the box section thatforms the structure of the lightweight boom,explains Ben Bowens.

New guidance on drainage was launched atTillage by AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds andbrings together up-to-date advice on allaspects from installing a completely newsystem to unblocking outlets. “It makesgood business sense to invest and the pay-back period for some of the less intensivemanagement options is rapid,” notes Kirk Hillof ADAS, who pulled the guide together.

A control box in the cab automatically adjusts theram on the rear packer roller to set the correctsubsoiler depth.

alignment. But if you come across a stickyspot, the separate transport wheels can getyou out of difficulty.”

The press wheels are preceded by two rows of hydraulically adjustable rubber-mounted cultivator discs. Up to120kg can be put through each coulter at the back, with a clearance of 56cm,designed to cope with stubble residues and sticky conditions.

A similar range of drill widths and hopper set-ups is available, with the optionalextra fertiliser/seed line dropped in front ofthe press wheel. The MaxiDrill starts at£44,192, with the 6m version shown in themain picture on p48 priced at £77,058. A 3m EasyDrill starts at £42,233, with theone shown on p50, including Fertisem option with split hopper, Pro hopper and Pre-emmarkers retailing at £103,613. n

depth –– it can vary by as much as 70mm.”The plan is to variable-rate subsoil on

rotation after OSR. In another interesting twiston the subsoiler, the custom-made tool allowsany of its five legs to be taken out of play, sojust the tramlines can be lifted, for instance.


Innovations go on show at Tillage

The Agritechnica Show, thefarm machinery industry’s

biennial ‘harvest’, looks setto be serving up a bumper

crop of new tractors inHannover next month. CPM

looks at some of the newmodels on show.

By Mick Roberts


The 1000 Vario is not just a normal tractor on

steroids.”“

Agritechnica set to yieldgood tractor crop

For the past two years, manufacturershave been working towards 10 November–– the day Agritechnica, Europe’s largestmachinery show, opens its doors.

Fendt fans and ‘Deeroids’ are in for atreat, with both firms launching long-awaitedand widely previewed high hp machines.

But those in the market for tractors fromthe other mainstream manufacturers won’tbe disappointed either, with most alsointroducing significant new additions at the show.

In Aug this year, after much pre-publicity,John Deere finally unveiled its 4-Track 9RXSeries tractors, which transmit drivethrough four individual tracks.

The four new 9RX models, with powersfrom 470-620hp, are in addition to the 9Rwheeled and 9RT 2-Track models andshare many common elements. The main,obvious difference is their triangular tracks.

A large diameter sprocket at the topprovides positive drive to the CamoplastDurabuilt belt. The standard 750mm widetrack keeps the width within the 3m roadlimit, while a 900mm belt is an option.

Unlike other four-tracked machines, theDeere set-up uses two mid-rollers ratherthan three, which it says reduces verticalshocks being transmitted directly up to the

axle. To help climb over obstacles thelarger front idler is positioned 20mm higher than the mid rollers and the rearidler is positioned 10mm higher.

The smaller 9470RX and 9520RX tractors are powered by 13.5-litre JohnDeere PowerTech PSS engines, while the9570RX and 9620RX use 15-litre CumminsQSX engines (the model numbers denotethe power. These use cooled exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), enhanced turbocharger technology, diesel particulate filter (DPF) and Selective CatalyticReduction (SCR) to meet the latest Stage IV regulations. s

The 9RX tractors have individual track units inplace of wheels and use articulated steering.

The two new Case IH Optum CVX tractors sitbetween the existing Magnum and Puma ranges.

John Deere’s new 4-Track 9RX Series, withpowers from 470-620hp, looks set to draw thecrowds at Agritechnica.

Like the 9R/9RT models, the newtracked tractors are equipped with the e18powershift transmission, with EfficiencyManager, which provides automatic controlof both the engine and transmission.

Fendt, meanwhile, continues to stickwith tyres to transfer powers up to 500hpon its new 1000 Vario Series, which makesits debut at Agritechnica. There are fournew models including the 1038 (380hp),1042 (420hp), 1046 (460hp) and the500hp flagship 1050.

The new tractors are designed to fulfilthe need for more power from a standardtractor, which currently top out at about400hp, when tracked and artic-steer tractors take over. But, argues Fendt, the standard format is more versatile and lighter.

Operators can add or remove ballast to suit the application. Fendt even nowincludes a Grip Assist function on the terminal that calculates the ballast weightand position as well as recommended tyrepressures, which can be adjusted in thefield with Vario Grip option.

“The 1000 Vario is not just a normaltractor on steroids,” says Martin Hamer, of

Fendt UK and Ireland. “It contains someserious design concepts and includesground-breaking technology –– from frontto back.”

Unsurprisingly, all are equipped with the renowned Vario transmission. The new TA 400 transmission, however, is built specifically for the 1000 Series anddeveloped together with the 12.4 litre MAN engine.

Although similar to previous designs,the new Vario transmission still uses a singlehydrostatic pump, but this feeds individualmotors for the front and rear axle drives.The oil flow from the pump naturally follows the line of least resistance, whichallows the torque to be distributedbetween the two axles. If, however, itdetects a wheel is spinning there’s a lock-up to provide drive to all four wheels.

Rolling resistanceTo improve efficiency on the road, the front axle is driven up to speeds of25km/h. This overcomes the losses thatoccur from rolling resistance, whichrequires the rear wheels to push theunpowered front wheels over the ground.But at more than 25km/h, drive to the frontaxle is disconnected.

For those looking for a mix of wheelsand tracks there’s the New HollandSmartTrax option for its T8 tractors. A concept originally launched by its CNHcousin, Case IH, the half-tracks replacethe rear wheels, while the powered frontaxle remains in position. The system, says New Holland, combines the better traction of the tracks with the benefits of manoeuvrability and comfort of a suspended front axle.

New Holland’s methane-powered tractor, which is said to produce 20-40%fuel savings, will make its debut at theshow. But it’s unlikely it’ll be on sale foranother five years.

While the original was based on aT6.140 model, the new version is builtaround a T6050, because this doesn’temploy any of the latest emission control technology, which is also notrequired for the methane model.

The standard FPT engine uses areplacement six-cylinder NEF block, whichis essentially a petrol engine with sparkignition, delivering 179hp and 740Nm oftorque. Up to 300 litres of compressed gasis stored in nine tanks distributed aroundthe machine, which is enough for abouthalf a day’s work.

Case IH, meanwhile, is ‘Europeanising’its range with the new Optum CVX modelsthat are aimed at those looking for anagile, low weight and versatile 250hp to300hp tractor with a good power to weight

ratio and relatively high specification.Sitting between its current Magnum and

Puma models, there are two models: the271hp Optum 270 CVX or 300hp Optum300 CVX. With the aim to provide morepower from Puma dimensions, the tractorshave a 2.995m wheelbase and with a ‘typical’ weight of 11t. The design allows amaximum gross vehicle weight of 16t toaccommodate various ballast and payloadoptions.

As their names suggest, both areequipped with the CVX continually variabletransmission, designed to handle the draftloads generated by 300hp engines. This isan uprated version of that used in thePuma and comes with two speed options–– up to 40km/h or 50km/h ECO.

The tractors are powered by the same6.7-litre FPT engine as the Puma, but withthe addition of a structural sump, whichsupports the load without any side rails.This uses a Hi-eSCR system, with a variable geometry turbo, to meet emissions regulations without the addition of any exhaust gas recirculation.

In common with other CVT tractors, theOptum engines don’t provide any extrapower boost, relying on the transmission’sautomatic shifting ability to maintainmomentum.

New Holland’s SmartTrax option for its T8 tractorsuses half-tracks in place of the rear wheels, witha powered front axle up front.


s

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The new Valtra T Series HiTech have a powershift transmission and offer achoice of 73 l/min or 93 l/min hydraulics.

Challenger updates to the MT800E range include a new bonnet for betterairflow as well as cab comfort improvements.

At 295hp, the new 870 model now heads the Claas Axion range.

Claas has extended thepower of its Axion range withthe addition of the 295hp, 870model, which is powered by a6.7-litre, six-cylinder FTP, which complies with the new Stage

IV emissions regulations.The engine uses the Claas

Power Management (CPM) system to boost power by 15hpand increase torque at speedsmore than 14km/h, when the

PTO isn’t in use. This meansthe new Axion 870 model provides 31hp than the 850, buthas the same operating weight.

This new flagship isequipped with the CMATIC infinitely variable transmissionas standard. It also comes with the CEBIS electronic monitoring and control, up to seven electronic spool valves and integral headlandmanagement system.

More comfortChallenger is updating itsstyling and introducing morecomfort on its MT800E range ofrubber-tracked tractors. All arepowered by an AGCO Power16.8 litre, V12 engine developingmaximum powers up to 646hpon the flagship MT875E.

The engine now useshydraulic valve lifters (HVL) that maintain a zero tappetclearance using automatic temperature compensation. A new bonnet design, which isstyled on the MT700E models,improves airflow around theengine for better cooling andlifts to give access to all themain service points.

Up in the cab, operators getbetter heating and ventilation,with higher cooling capacitywith more insulation to keep thecab quieter and cooler. There’salso a new monitor and powerbar to ease fitting terminals aswell as a new Delphi stereowith Bluetooth capability forsynching music players andsmart phones.

Valtra is adding new entry-level HiTech models to its fourthgeneration T Series, providing a

further choice on top of theexisting Active, Versu andDirect versions, including allmodels from the 155hp, T144up to the 235hp, T234.

The HiTech is equipped withthe same five-step powershifttransmission as the Active andVersu models, but offers achoice of 73 l/min or 93 l/mingear pumps with mechanicalcontrolled valves.

Other standard HiTech features include the hill-holdfeature, AutoTraction andhydraulics assist, which automatically increases enginespeed when it detects demandfor hydraulic power –– for example for loader work.

Back home in Britain,McCormick has announced its first X7 Series with VT drive continuously variable transmission tractors, previewedat LAMMA in Jan, are now available.

The first tractors from the firmwith a CVT transmission, the X7VT Series includes five models,three four-cylinder with maximumpowers of 143-166hp plus aboost up to 175hp for PTO androad work plus two six cylinderswith powers of up to 175hp and 192hp.

The VT transmission,designed and built by ZF,employs purpose-designedsoftware, developed byMcCormick to provide a widerange of operating modes tosuit different field work androad conditions. Operation isvia a left-hand shuttle lever,used to select forward, reverseor neutral and pressing theaccelerator pedal. n

s

O N FA R M O P I N I O N

Contractors are driven by reliability, cost of ownershipand the logistics of getting to the next job quickly andefficiently. The JCB Fastracallows just that, according to one Norfolk user.

By Emily Padfield

Speed to respond,power to perform

You haveto move with the times

and need a reliable fleetof machinery that equipsyou to respond quickly

to the market.”

“

You could say that Fastracs were a godsend for contractors. The ability totravel up to 70km/h on the road thanks to all-round suspension and air brakes aswell as tackle all field work comfortablymeans they’ve become not only a hit inthe UK but internationally, too.

Look around Dean Bartram’s stable andthere isn’t another tractor or telehandlerbut JCB. Which may lead you to believe

he’s going to sing the brand’s praisescome what may.

But his business, which has grownexponentially over the past ten years andthis year became a limited company,wouldn’t be where it was today had the machinery choice not fitted hisrequirements, he maintains.

Dean Bartram started off in 2005 byoffering straw baling with a JCB Fastrac

3220 and adds that he’s driven Fastracssince 1996.

He now runs nine, ranging from 2170models right up to two flagship 8310s, as


l Power: 280hp (rated) 306hp (max)l Engine: Sisu Power six-cyl 8.4-litre

AWI-IV-3Bl Transmission: two-range CVT with six

modes of operationl Max torque: 1310Nm @ 1400rpml Hydraulic capacity: 148 l/min

(210 l/min optional)l Rear lift: 10,000kgl Front lift: 3500kgl Wheelbase: 3.12ml Length: 5.65m

l Fuel tank capacity: 550 litres fuel, 70 litres AdBlue

l Weight: 10,431kg

Tech specs: JCB Fastrac 8310

Dean Bartram has been running JCB Fastracssince he started his contracting business in 2005.

This year, more than 3200ha of maize has beendrilled with two Fastrac 8310s pulling HorschMaestro SW 16-row planters.

The Fastrac 8310 is a versatile prime mover, ableto cope with field work, baling and logistics.

well as a previous model 8250 he hiresfrom his father. “Each of these doesbetween 2000-3000 hours a year, withsmaller models regularly clocking up over3000 hours. The 8310 purchased in Marchhas done 1800 hours already,” he says.

“The JCB Fastrac remains the world’s onlyfull draft tractor with all-round suspension,meaning it can legally travel on the road atspeeds of up to 70km/h. The all-round suspension is integrated into the chassisitself, and because it’s evolved with thetractor instead of being an add-on, all ofmy operators really rate the JCB’s ability to travel over rough ground comfortably,”he explains.

The launch of the 8280 and 8310marked a significant turning point in theFastrac’s twenty-year history. The previous8250 Fastracs attracted a lot of sales froma number of markets, so it was only a matter of time before a larger model cameinto fruition, in response to a call from customers for more power.

Instead of the 8250’s Cummins engine,JCB opted for an 8.4-litre Finnish Sisublock, taking the Fastrac over the 300hp

mark for the first time. While engine choicehas a lot to do with emissions legislationnowadays, JCB maintains that as well asmeeting Tier 4 targets, the new setup willsave operators up to 10% in fuel, whichDean Bartram has found to be largely true of his two 8310s. According to thespecifications, the 8310 has a rated powerof 280hp and maxes out at 306hp.

Fuel economy“There’s more emphasis on fuel management throughout,” he adds.“Compared to the 8250, it’s clear to seethat JCB are trying to help drivers increasefuel economy with modes like Flexi, whichgives the operator the chance to choosethe engine revs and max forward speed,while still reverting to the foot pedal toadjust ground speed.”

There’s also a new cooling system that’seasy to get at thanks to gas struts, makingfor easier maintenance.

Headland management functions havealso been updated to give more choice,such as a distance option found alreadyon some other manufacturer’s systems.

Like the 8250 before it, the 8310 is onlyavailable with a CVT transmission, which isan AGCO ML 260 Vario CVT. This offersspeeds of anywhere from 0.05 to 70km/h,making it ideal for Dean Bartram’s potatoand baling-orientated business.

“We now have four CVT-equippedtractors, and I guess I take the transmissionfor granted after having it in the older8250s. But it’s great for destoning and baling, as well as for road transport.”

The Sisu powerplant resides in the tractor’s full-frame chassis and a dieseloxidation catalyst sits neatly at the rear ofthe engine, on the right hand corner of thecab. The 550-litre diesel tank is now on the left-hand side of the cab.

Dean Bartram had one of the first

generation JCB Fastrac 8250s in 2007 and so the two 8310s mark his secondgeneration of 8000s. It was in 2011 that he also went to running three Fastracs.

“I couldn’t really fault the 8250, and we were running two of those when JCBbrought an 8310 to the farm for evaluationin early 2011.

“It was a good comparison, and wehelped tweak certain things, like the position of the AdBlue filler cap.”

Further improvements to the new 8000models include improved visibility of thefront linkage, thought to be a standardrequirement for UK farmers. Mudguardsnow pivot, but also cover more of the tyre,which is a useful addition, according toDean Bartram.

“But it’s the power that really appeals to our business,” he admits.

The Fastrac 4220 he also runs is also aprototype model, which will be going backdown the line to have any tweaks done tobring it in line with a production model, buthe’s keen to retain the new model.

And there’s quite a variety of jobs DeanBartram’s fleet of Fastracs are put through.These include baling in the summer, potato


s

Dean Bartram, Littleport, Norfolkl Work undertaken: 40,000+ bales of

straw, 800ha potato and onion ground de-stoned and ridged, 3200ha maize drilled, irrigation, straw haulage, tractors hired

l Area covered: 50+ sq mile radius from Stamford to Cromer

l Staff: 11 full-time

Business breakdownl Mainline tractors: All JCB Fastrac:

2x 8310, 8250, 3230, 4220, 2x 2170 (owned), 2x 2170 (hired)

l Telehandlers: 2x JCB 535-95l Balers: 3x Massey Ferguson 2290,

Krone BigPack 4x4l Other: 6x Grimme CS 150 Combistar,

Standen Bedformer BX three bed, 3x Heath bale chasers

The 8310 has the biggest cab on the market,with nearly 6m2 of glass as well as features likeheadland turn assist.

Every vehicle is fitted with a tracker fromBoxTelematics, which helps keep a handle onlocation and security from an iPhone.

Three Massey Ferguson 2290 large squarebalers form the backbone of the baling fleet.

Spring work is dominated by potato groundpreparation, with the 8310 on the front of aStanden Pearson bedformer.

and onion preparation in the spring, irrigation management and now maizedrilling and harvesting as well as balelogistics up and down the country in collaboration with Northern Straw.

Baling is carried out by three MF 2290balers and one Krone BigPack 4x4.Although the number of farmers choppingstraw has generally been increasing, DeanBartram says he’s finding more acresavailable locally and bales in excess of40,000 bales of straw and 2000 bales ofMiscanthus each year.

“With potatoes and sugar beet grown inthis part of the world there doesn’t seem tobe a shortage as farmers are keen to getrid of the trash.”

With poorer crop prices, he also attributesthe strong supply to farmers wanting toearn a little extra on top of grain.

Some 30,000 bales go to NorthernStraw, with the rest going to livestock farmers direct. The logistics of getting it offthe fields quickly, as well as the keennessto reduce compaction has encouragedhim to purchase three Heath chasers.

“Bale chasers are expensive pieces of kit,but we’d struggle to get the straw off thefields as quickly if we didn’t have them.

“Compaction has a big part to play inthe decision, too. That’s why most kit is onflotation tyres, and the tractors arespecced with large diameter tyres. One of the 8310s is on 900s.”

Two JCB telehandlers, both 535-95swith 9.5m max lift height, help in the stackingprocess, while the business also runs twolorries on behalf of Northern Straw.

Spring work is made up largely ofpreparing ground for potatoes and onions.Six Grimme CS150 destoners are keptbusy, while the fleet also includes aStanden Pearson Bedformer BX.

Soil sparationMost farms carry out primary cultivationwork themselves, he adds. After cultivation,the next step in soil preparation for potatoesis soil separation. The six Grimme CS 150Combi-Star stone and clod separators,which have a combination of star rollersand main webs, suit the businessesrequirements for working on a wide variety of soils.

“The Combi-Star is great on a range ofsoils, and is particularly suited to wet andsticky soils with more humus, common inthe spring.”

A control box in the cab allows operators to adjust working depth via the diablo rollers, while a dial on the side indicates the working depth clearly,he explains.

The RotaPower shaft increases sievingperformance over conventional systems,according to Grimme. This has the advantage of lower wear and tear andreduced power requirement, meaning thedestoners can be pulled by the smallerFastracs in Dean Bartram’s fleet.

“When the destoning and ridging isdone, a number of the Fastracs then go to farmers to pull their kit.”

This year, the two 8310s have drilled

the best part of 3200ha of maize, runningpretty much 24hrs/day for five weeks. Bothtractors were pulling Horsch Maestro SW16-row planters.

The Maestro uses Horsch’s new single-grain technology that adopts anovel metering system and extremelysmall single-grain metering unit to ensureaccurate seed placement.

The metering itself is based on a completely redesigned metering discwhich instead of holes has grooves thatopen to the outside. The Maestro also hasa new adjustable scraper which transportsgrain into the fall sluice without any disturbing centrifugal forces. The systemcan drill 90,000 grains of maize at speedsof up to 12km/h.

What determines accurate seed


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ON FARM OPINION

As well as the Massey Ferguson 2290 big balers, the business also has a Krone BigPack 4x4.

placement is the smooth transition of seeds from a circular movement to linear,which unlike previous systemshas no centrifugal forces in the exit tube. As grains aren’t dropped to the soil pneumatically, it’s also possibleto work without a catching rollerfor wetter drilling conditions.

The Maestro SW has a highcapacity 2000-litre seed hopperand can also carry 7000 litresof fertiliser for grain and fertiliserapplications. Drill speeds from2-12km/h are possible and bothmodels operated by DeanBartram are 16-row machines.

As well as two 8310s purchased at the beginning ofthe year, Dean Bartram hasinvested in a new 535-95Loadall, a Fastrac 4220, twoGrimme destoners and twoflatbed trailers for hauling straw.

“You can’t stand still whenyou’re a contractor, you have tomove with the times and need areliable fleet of machinery thatequips you to respond quicklyto the market.”

He employs 11 full-timeoperators throughout the year.Two of these are responsible forrunning the two lorries ownedby Northern Straw but based inhis yard.

Every vehicle, tractor, vanand lorry is fitted with a BoxTelematics tracker unit whichcan be monitored 24hrs/dayeither via Dean Bartram’siPhone or on the computer.

“It provides me with peace of mind as to where and whenmachines are running, at atouch of a button. Although themen also have timesheets, thetracker system also helps withhours,” he adds.

The business operates over a 50 plus mile radius, soknowing where each tractor isand if it’s running ok is reallyuseful, he maintains.

“In spring time, we can beworking from Stamford toCromer and anywhere inbetween preparing ground forpotatoes. Having the trackers isnot only invaluable for securitybut logistics, too.” n

In total, Dean Bartram’s business bales in excess of 40,000 straw bales a year and about 2000 miscanthus


Benefits build as system evolves

It’s transformed the way

we think about farming.”“

The need to replace machinery often provides a catalyst for change. That’sexactly what happened when the Daviesfamily in Northants came to replace the farm’s drill –– they decided to adoptthe Claydon system, and reckon that’sresulted in reduced costs, improved timeliness and a better soil structure,boosting yields and profitability.

“It’s transformed the way we think about farming and how we actually farm,”explains Rick Davies, who farms in partnership with his father, Mike and mother, Christine.


“Had we not changed when we did, we wouldn’t be in such a strong positiontoday. Given the way that grain prices areat the moment, I’m very pleased that wemade the transition voluntarily rather thanbeing forced into it by lack of profitability.”

Based at Newton Lodge, betweenBedford and Northampton, the familyfarms a total of 404ha, with 387ha inarable crops. Group 1 winter milling wheatis the mainstay, with 239ha of Crusoe,Gallant and Skyfall, supplemented by118ha of winter oilseed rape and 30ha ofExplorer spring barley grown on contractfor Budweiser. The farm encompasses a

wide range of soils, from sand and gravelto sandy clay loam, corn brash, silt andHanslope Series clay, often all in the samefield, challenging any establishment system.

Rick Davies returned to the family business in 2012, having spent a decadeas a farm manager for Velcourt in Lincs.For a while, he was also area manager for Syngenta in Beds and Herts beforecommitting to the farm full time in Dec 2014.

“While I was in Lincs, the family unit had reached a crossroads where significant investment in new machinerywas required. It was decided to contractout spraying, top dressing and drilling to a local contractor who did the OSRswathing and drilling previously, so itmade sense to have him extend his operations.

“Since 2002 we’d been establishingOSR with a Väderstad Rapid direct intowheat stubble. We had some good resultsover the years but establishment in a dry


The move to a one-pass system was started by a contractor on a Northants family farm, but has since been adopted across the holding as a cost-effective and productive method of establishing crops.CPM reports.

By Julian Cooksley

Rick Davies found moisture conservation andimproved soil structure have led to benefits

over a plough-based system.


year was often hit and miss. When our contractor changed to the Claydon V-Drill in 2006, the emergence was much more consistent and yields were significantly higher, which improved furtherwhen he bought a 6m Claydon Hybrid in2010.”

The move into wheat with the Claydoncame with 20ha established in 2011.

When Rick Davies returned to the farm thefollowing season, the family decided tobuy its own drill.

“We’d seen what the Claydon Hybridcould do but looked at what else was onthe market. There’s the Mzuri, but it has alot of moving parts and there may be ahigh risk of blockage. We also looked atwhat Dale and Väderstad offered but preferred the Claydon Hybrid because itsleading-tine concept creates a drainagechannel and alleviates shallow compaction.”

A simple, straightforward design alsoworked in favour of the Claydon, recallsRick Davies, as did the fact that it hadbeen developed by a working farmer s


The move to a one-pass system was started by a contractor on a Northants family farm, but has since been adopted across the holding as a cost-effective and productive method of establishing crops.CPM reports.

By Julian Cooksley

Developed by Suffolk farmer Jeff Claydon, thisis a system that’s now caught on and used byfarmers in 26 countries, across a wide range of crops, soils and conditions. It’s a one-passseeding technique claimed to be more sustainable, cost-effective and reliable thanconventional methods of establishing crops,that doesn’t compromise production.

The complete system comprises the Claydonstraw harrow, Hybrid drill and rolls. This combination is geared towards establishing cropsdirectly into stubble, but can also be used on min-tilled or fully cultivated soils. It be up to five times faster and one third the cost of aplough-based approach and typically 50% lessthan the cost of a min-till system, claims Claydon.

A typical 500ha farm using the complete

Claydon system would spend £25,500 (£51/ha)on crop establishment, taking into accountmachinery running costs, diesel, labour, wearingmetal and depreciation. The company claims ittakes just 26 mins/ha to establish crops.

The Hybrid mounted drill, is available in widthsof 3m, 4m, 4.8m and 6m, providing seasonal outputs of up to 700ha, 1000ha, 1200ha and1500ha respectively. There’s a 3m mounted seed and fertiliser drill, which can place fertiliserbetween the seed or in a band with the seed.The newer Hybrid T trailed drill comes in 6m and 8m versions. The Claydon straw harrows areavailable in widths of 3m, 7.5m and 15m, whilethe rolls offer working widths of 6.3m, 8.3m or12.3m. Further information is available atwww.claydondrills.com

The system developed by Suffolk farmer JeffClaydon now combines a one-pass seedingtechnique with straw harrow and rolls.

What is the Claydon system?

The combination of the tines and rear levellingboards leave a level finish.

The leading tines are operated at 12.5cm depthfor the majority of situations, while seeding tinesare adjusted as necessary.

Oilseed rape being drilled into Corn Brash soil at660mm row spacing with a 3 inch spoon, toreduce soil disturbance.

The John Deere 7530 tractor has power inreserve and achieves a daily output of up to 45hadrilling OSR with the 3m Claydon Hybrid.

and worked across a range of soils and conditions.

“We considered the 4m version butdecided that the 3m, which has nine leading tines and nine seeding tines, better suited our needs. We felt that ourJohn Deere 7530 would be boss of the 3mand we could achieve a good forwardspeed on slopes and heavier ground. Thedrill works at its optimum at 12-14 km/h.Our fields range from 0.9ha to 34ha, averaging 10.6ha, and the 3m is verymanoeuvrable.”

Nor is a 3m drill short on capacity, hesays. “I’ve often drilled up to 45ha of OSRand 35ha of cereals with it in a (16-hour)day. Having tried a range of forwardspeeds, I operate at 14km/h in OSR and 12km/h for cereals. This means thetines create just the right amount of soilmovement and shatter, producing an idealsowing environment. Again, having trieddifferent depths, both deeper and shallower,I now operate the leading tines at between10cm and 15cm, dependent on soils and crop.”

The family’s moved away from swathingOSR, which required 330mm row spacing

to keep the swath off the ground. Thatmeant they could increase row spacing to660mm, which requires less seed andhorsepower and reduces soil disturbance,he notes. “That also helps to control blackgrass.”

Clean startAlthough the Claydon Hybrid was boughtprimarily to establish OSR, it was alwaysthe plan to use it to establish first and second wheats “The key was to get off toa clean start, so in 2012 we subsoiled theentire farm to take out existing 36m tramlines and wheelings. We thenploughed everything to provide a cleanstart for the new system. That year wedrilled all the OSR with the Claydon,together with 40ha of second wheat on the lighter land.”

Harvest 2014 provided a true comparisonof the new system –– first wheat Gallant wasestablished conventionally and with theClaydon on very similar fields, ranging fromsandy gravel to sandy clay loam.

One crop was established using twopasses with a 7.5m Claydon straw harrowto encourage volunteers and blackgrass to germinate, then drilled with the 3m drill. The other was ploughed, subsoiled,pressed, power harrowed, drilled androlled.

“Though they were drilled within twodays of each other, throughout the seasonthe two crops looked very different,”recalls Rick Davies. “This was partlybecause with the Claydon System theresidues from the previous crop are stillthere after the next has been drilled. Also,if you looked down the rows you could


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ON FARM OPINION

The first of two passes with a 12m set of rollswith clod breakers takes place ideally within twohours of drilling to establish firm contact betweenseed and soil.

Controls are intuitive and easy to use, says Rick Davies.

see more open space. The head count for the Claydon was 540 and for the plough-based was 615.

“Based on the way it looked early in the season, my father reckoned theClaydon-drilled fields would do well to yield 10t/ha. But the 10ha field actually yielded 12.03t/ha. The 12ha field conventionally established field yielded12.06t/ha, but it had cost £200/ha toestablish, while the Claydon field had costjust £100.50/ha. Wheat from the Claydoncrop also had a specific weight of 84kg/hl–– 2kg/hl higher –– which I put down to more sunlight getting through to the plants.”

Blackgrass has been another priority, hecontinues. “When I came back to the farmin 2012, the situation was getting worse,with Atlantis (iodosulfuron+ mesosulfuron)resistance in some fields. I decided weneeded a radical change in approach –– if we were to go the Claydon route, we had to ensure that blackgrass wasbrought under control. So the first stepwas to stop using Atlantis, which at £40/hawas costly and ineffective, and invest inhand rogueing.”

Timing is keyProgress was initially very slow but hassince proved effective, says Rick Davies.“Over the past four years the job hasbecome much quicker and easier. Whenwe started, a 34ha field took eight peoplefour days to rogue, yet this year it took justhalf a day. Timing is the key –– we try torogue when the plant is flowering, which is normally the second week in July. All the pulled material is taken off the fieldand burnt.”

In 2012, £60/ha was spent on rogueing,but by 2014, that had dropped to £45/haand in 2015 on the family’s own farm itwas just £16/ha. “That’s much less thanusing Atlantis and the farm is all but clear

of blackgrass, providing a long-term solution instead of a short-term fix. Theslight downside to taking out Atlantis isthat we’re starting to notice a few morewild oats and bromes creeping into headlands.”

The Claydon Hybrid itself has proveneasy, efficient and cost-effective to set upand operate, says Rick Davies. “Beingtine-based, it’s much more suited to oursoils than the previous disc-coulter drill,particularly on the Corn Brash whichincludes large stones. We did consider


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ON FARM OPINION

MTH Davies, Newton Lodge, Clifton Reynes,Olney, Northantsl Area Farmed: 404hal Staff: Rick and Mike Davies, plus one

part-time at harvestl Soil types: Sandy and gravel, sandy clay

loam, Corn Brash, Hanslope Series clayAnnual Rainfall: 50-70cm

l Cropping: winter wheat (Crusoe, Skyfall,Gallant); winter oilseed rape (V316 OL); spring barley (Explorer)

l Five-year average yields: first wheat 10.3t/ha; second wheat 9.6t/ha; OSR 3.9t/ha; spring barley 8.8t/ha

l Mainline tractors: John Deere 7530,JD 6620, Massey Ferguson 3085

l Combine harvester: Massey Ferguson Centora 7280 with 7.6m header

l Drill: 3m Claydon Hybridl Cultivations: 7.5m Claydon straw harrow;

12m Twose rollsl Sprayer: 3000-litre/24m Amazone

front/rear combinationl Spreader: Kverneland 3500-litre

variable ratel Plough: 6f Kverneland

Farm facts

Three years of direct drilling with the Claydonsystem have produced a much-improved soilstructure.

specifying the optional hydraulic auto-reset system, but I’ve only had three shear bolts break in two seasons, so it really isn’t an issue.”

Before drilling, there’s a pass with the 7.5m Claydon straw harrow. Thisencourages any weeds to germinate andreduces the slug population, he says.Once the drilling has hazed off, anotherpass with the straw harrow creates a levelfinish and provides another light cultivationbefore the seedbed is rolled. “I look at iteffectively making the seed bed oncedrilled; this provides a better surface finishand allows the pre-emergence sprays towork more efficiently.

“With the standard 7” seeding coulters,the Claydon Hybrid isn’t a low-disturbancedrill but rather one which cultivates andconditions the soil. It leaves moist, welldrained, conditions in which the crop canestablish, as well as fields that are firm,level and support the weight of trafficmuch better than a conventional system.As time goes on this situation will only getbetter,” continues Rick Davies.

“With just myself and father working fulltime, the Claydon System provides hugetime, labour and cost savings, as well asincreasing drainage, worm activity and

Want to know how this drill stacks up againstothers? The search facility on the CPM websiteallows you to find and download articles fromprevious issues using keywords, such as ‘drill’,or if there’s an On Farm Opinion you’re keen tofind, use the manufacturer or model.www.cpm-magazine.co.uk


increased soil organic matter. Ultimately, it gives us more time to manage our farmrather than just doing tasks that are oftenineffective and costly.” n

in this issue - cpm magazine · in no way does cpm ltd endorse, notarise or concur with any of the...

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