in this issue - cpm magazine...many roe deer that wreak havoc on the new saplings....

FREE INSIDE !!STRIP-SEEDING DVD

In this issue...Crop care page 14Spring crops from agronomy to markets

Sprayer innovations page 42

LAMMA preview page 32Essential guide to machinery might

New Recommended Lists page 8

Burgeoning lists underline breeder advancesWith 140 varieties, the HGCA 2013/14 Recommended Lists areabsolutely vast. CPM picks out their main features.

Focus turns to spring plantingSeed availability may be tight, but there are eye-catching opportunities in spring-sown crops.

Research highlights chinks in chemical armourAt the Crop Protection in Southern Britain conference inPeterborough, resistance to existing chemistry was a recurrent theme.

A step-up on field efficiencyThere are plenty of technology and design improvements, both in the field and at the spray store, that can enhance field performance.

Talking TilthA word from the editor.

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

4

LAMMA 2013

Volume 14 Number 10December 2012/January 2013

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

National Farm Research Unit 2012

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

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

Reader registration hotline 01728 622521Advertising copy

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

CPM Volume 14 No 10. 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

WritersTom Allen-Stevens

Louise ImpeyEmily PadfieldMick Roberts

Design and ProductionBrooks Design

Advertisement co-ordinatorPeter Walker

PublisherAngus McKirdy

Fresh crop of kit goes on showLAMMA 2013 is just around the corner, and with so many stands to visit, it’s worth planning what you want to see before you go.

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14

28

3crop production magazine december 2012

42

INSIDERS VIEWFarmer’s friendCougar’s disease scores and ease of management sets it up as a significant contender for 2013.

24

8

ON-FARM OPINIONPower pushUpgrading from a Massey Ferguson 6495 to a newly launched 7624 Dyna-6 has helped oneWarwicks farm up work rates and adapt cultivation practices to suitchanging rotations.

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enclose most of his new purchaseas a deer park –– one of only twoprivate parks licensed in Berks

(as it was then) since 1350.It’s beginning to dawn on

me why the monks came totheir depressing conclusion. I reckon the harvest of 1362was probably a bit like that of 2012. I can see them

struggling into the barn with a few pathetic sheaves, and thenscratching their heads as theywondered what they’d tell theabbot about the pile of chaffthey’d threshed onto the floor.

Fast forward 650 years, andthis fickle land has maybe onceagain revealed its worrying side:you can push it for yield only sofar, and then conditions push it to its limit –– it goes sterile and it’s time for a rethink.

That’s the theme of this special extra issue of CPM. TheAHDB/HGCA survey of croppingintentions reveals winter wheatplantings are down by 12%, winter barley 9% and winteroilseed rape 3%. Some crops thathave been planted are predictednot to survive the winter. So formany growers, a rethink is on the cards.

Perhaps enclosing for deerparks is taking things a little toofar, but for many, the prospect of spring cropping will be newterritory. So we’ve taken a comprehensive look at theoptions (p14). We’ve studied the

markets, compared the varietiesand summarised the agronomickey points of what’s likely to be established over the next four months.

Forming the basis of therethink, however, will be the newHGCA Recommended Lists. It’sbeen a year that’s turned the trials on their head, so it shouldperhaps come as no surprisethat the lists have had quite ashuffle. Turn to page 8 for ouranalysis of the newcomers andwhat it’ll mean for next year’schoices. We’ve also looked inmore depth at Cougar (p24),tipped by many to be a popularchoice in autumn 2013.

Informing the rethink will bethe latest crop research, andwhat a year it’s been to teststrategies, products and varieties. The fruits of some of these findings were shared at the recent Crop Protection in Southern Britain conference –– our report on p28 has thehighlights.

The other key focus of thismonth’s CPM is LAMMA. Takingplace on 16-17 Jan 2013 at theNewark and Notts showground,the show’s a great place forthose with machinery choices tomake next year. We’ve trawledaround the manufacturers to find out the new launches andhighlights –– turn to p32 formore. We’ve also taken a look atnew ideas to bring efficiencies to

Ready for a rethink?

I Googled my farm name theother day, and unearthed someunwelcome information. As itturns out, there’s been a farmhere, or manor, as it was known,since Saxon times. It was gifted,along with 30 other hides ofland, by Henry II to Cistercianmonks in 1186, who built a barn(that still stands to this day) andset up a small dairy and arablefarm to provide for the abbey at Stanley.

But times turned hard for themonks –– they flogged the manorto local nobleman Sir Richard dePembridge in 1363, describingthe land as “a sterile and unprofitable possession”. No matter to Sir Richard –– whilehis other land in the Vale of theWhite Horse was deemed good,fertile stuff, he decided to

Tom Allen-Stevens has a 170haarable farm in Oxon, that ceased to be a deer park centuries ago, not that that seems to bother themany roe deer that wreak havoc on the new [email protected]

field applications (p42). Finally,we’ve visited a Warwicks farmer tofind out what he thinks of his new MF 7624 (p48).

It has to be said, to focus onfield efficiencies and to analysework rates may seem a far cry atpresent, when just the opportunityto put tyre to soil without sinkingup to the axle would be welcome.Likewise, one very serious spring‘option’ for some this year will befallow. For many growers, 2012 will be a year best left behind.

And that was probably the sentiment of those monks in Dec 1362 –– maybe a rethink overthe New Year led them to abandonwhat they saw as “a sterile andunprofitable possession”. I’ve a little more confidence, however –– what we gain through such testing times is the experience and knowledge to apply to ourcrops in future. The monks didn’thave CPM to help bring 1363 into focus, for starters. So as 2012 comes to a close, let’s look forward to a more fertile and profitable 2013.

I was watching that Deal Or No Deal on the telly the otherday. The part that amused memost was the bit after the contestant did the deal byfixing his cash prize withoutknowing what was in his box.In one analysis the showshould finish there and then,as the job is done and it’s timefor everyone to go home.

Instead the contestant wasput through the emotional mincer as it’s slowly revealedwhat he would’ve won, had henot fixed at an early point. If theend figure proves higher thanthe deal then the contestant issent into the depths of despair,but if it’s lower then their moodbrightens considerably.Although the winnings remainexactly the same, the emotionalresponse to it slides along anaxis of well being.

I suppose the reason I likethis part is because it’s similarto selling wheat and oilseedrape. Although we might behappy with a price on the daythat we fix it, our mood isaffected drastically by whathappens to the market betweenstriking the deal and the grainleaving the farm. It just goes toshow that farming is actually

based on a game show, or is itthe other way round?

Over the last decade or so,one suspects most of us

have dabbled more andmore in selling forward.The business gurus haveconvinced us it’s what

the Porsche-driving whizz-kid traders do in

the city, therefore it must be the right thing for the forward-thinking farmer.

But for the past two yearsrunning, many of us have foundthat making assumptions abouta harvest before it’s in the barn has become yesterday’sthinking, rather than tomorrow’sworld. In early 2011 some in thedroughty eastern half of thecountry sold what they thoughtwas 50% of their harvest, onlyto find it was actually more than 100%. Couple that with a market on a bull run, then forward-selling became a poisonous pastime with a nasty sting in the tail.

Twelve months later, in early2012, others, primarily in thewest, sold average-qualitywheat forward, only to find what they ended up with had all the quality of what getspicked up when hoovering the carpet.

Given two years of losing ata game of ‘guess what’s goingto be in the combine tank’, I’m probably not alone inregressing back to the straw-in-the-hair school of grain marketing, only selling it when it’s in the barn. Knowingmy luck, this’ll be the year when those tasty £200 plusoffers for off-the-combine wheatwill evaporate like the mist on a bright harvest morning.

The other joker in the packthis year is the fact we haveonly 75% of the farm drilledbecause we hardly turned awheel after mid Oct. I nowheartily resent myself for thenot-so-brilliant decision in Sept

to delay drilling to allow theblackgrass to germinate. It wasa year when patience wasn’t a virtue –– it was a major vice.

When discussing my lack of autumn progress with myneighbours, who somehow are all drilled up, the officialSmith line is that, after muchthought and deliberation, we’vedecided to have more springcropping this year. This is forgood reasons –– partlybecause of blackgrass issuesand partly because of the lowerinput costs for spring crops.

Meanwhile, the real reason isthat when we finally got out andabout with the drill, the farmhad become a treacherous bogwhere tractors dare not tread. If there was one momento toremember 2012 by then it hasto be the poxy tow rope.

But, seeing as this is my last column of 2012, let me try and find some positives toend on. Prices are up. The USMid-West drought was the get-out-of-jail card for many of us this year. The men in the know tell me that if the

Looking onthe brightside...

6 crop production magazine december 2012

yanks had had a normal harvest this year, the wheatprice would’ve struggled totop £150/t. Combine a lowselling price for wheat withthe output of the 2012 harvestalong with its high growingcosts, then the final outcomewould’ve felt like three prongsof a trident in the backside.So thank the Lord we only had two.

Merry Christmas!

Email your comments and ideas to [email protected]

Guy Smith crops 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 Guiness Bookof Records, whereas othersaren’t. End of.

I suppose the best response to 2012 is to stay positive, just like ourgrandfathers did.

Burgeoning listsunderline breederadvances

With 140 varieties, the HGCA2013/14 Recommended Listsare absolutely vast. CPM drillsdown through the data to pickout their main features.

By Tom Allen-Stevens

We’ve had two exceptional years and breeders have

made a significant stepforward with varieties

this year.”

“

HGCA has unveiled its new RecommendedLists (RL) containing more varieties thanever before. But despite a record-breaking41 new additions, few of these are listleaders, in terms of yield.

“Yields are going in the right direction,”points out Dr Simon Oxley of HGCA.Average winter wheat and spring barleyyields of the newcomers are 0.4t/ha abovecontrol varieties, for example.

“But it’s not up to us to restrict whatgoes on the lists –– we have certain

criteria that candidates must meet to beincluded. The fact that so many have doneso this year is a credit to the breeders. It’sthe industry that then decides which arethe market leaders.”

New features on the lists include fusarium ear blight ratings for spring


s

Simon Oxley believes it’s not up to HGCA torestrict new entrants to the Recommended Lists.

Monterey tops nearly all varieties on specificweight, points out John Blackman.

Monterey and Delphi’s inclusion onto the Group3 wheat line up herald the return of a wellknown breeder to the winter wheat RL. JohnBlackman, who was previously with CPB Twyford(now KWS) and has been involved with plantbreeding for the last 40 years, was responsiblefor a number of the UK’s best known winterwheats, including Malacca, Equinox, Robigusand Cordiale.

A change in direction prompted him to set upBlackman Agriculture, based in Cambs, in 2004.Employing just two people, and working onlywith wheat, Mulika spring wheat and now its two new winter wheats, are marketed in the UK by Senova.

Monterey’s consistency over the four-year trial period is its stand-out trait, he says. “Afterthe year growers have just experienced, that’s a characteristic that’ll take on far greater importance, especially if we continue gettingsuch extreme weather.”

Specific weight is another strength, he notes,and will find favour after a year when manygrowers suffered deductions. “It’s unique amongthe soft wheats with a specific weight of78.6kg/hl and is only beaten by Cordiale,which is a Group 2 choice.”

Monterey is suitable for both biscuit making

and the export market, but not distilling.Resistant to orange wheat blossom midge, itstands at 90cm, and performs well on heavy andFen soils, reports John Blackman. “It also doesvery well in the late drilling slot, which is anotherattraction for the Fen situation, after root crops.”Its latest safe-sowing date is well into March,he adds.

Delphi has a Hagberg of 266, protein contentof 11.2% and specific weight of 75.6kg/hl,making it suitable for biscuit-making and export,while it also has a medium rating for distilling,continues John Blackman. “Short and stiff, it’s

a good choice for the early drilling slot, and hasalso performed well as a second wheat. The yellow rust rating of 9 in Delphi is based on theGladiator resistance, which is very reliable andhasn’t been broken as yet,” he points out.

Traditionally known for its oilseed rape varieties, DSV’s first ever wheat variety Chilton is now leading the Group 2 autumn-sown milling types.

The variety’s yield has varied by a maximumof 2% either side of its average over the lastfour years, while other Group 2s have sufferedyield fluctuations of up to 11%, says the company’s Dr Matt Kerton.

“Chilton’s solid genetics give it a remarkableability to buffer a wide range of environmentalscenarios with a strong, stiff stem giving it goodperformance with regard to lodging.

“The variety also has a very good untreatedyield score, demonstrating a healthy tolerance to diseases in the field.”

The variety puts DSV on the map as a wheatbreeder, he adds, complimenting its OSR portfolio. “We’ve got one biscuit-making wheatat NL2, four milling varieties at NL1 and a feedwheat also at NL1 currently. All focus on givingconsistent performance in the UK’s increasinglyvariable growing conditions.”

wheat, and ramularia scores for springbarley. “This highlights that ramularia isnow considered an important disease,”notes Simon Oxley.

None of the seven newcomers to theEast/West oilseed rape list beat PR46W21on gross output, although the gap hasnow closed, with Marathon just behind

on 105. “Quartz is an interesting varietywith its high stem canker resistance, andit’s good to see a semi-dwarf with a highyield, as in Troy. DK Imagine-CL is the first Clearfield variety on the list, although,like HOLL and HEAR varieties, it hasn’tmet the criteria to be recommended,” he explains.

Useful companionRivalda is the first variety to come out ofKWS’ German OSR-breeding programme,says the company’s Tom Dummett, whileQuartz is a useful companion variety forthose who grow DK Cabernet, rated 5 forstem canker, he adds. “With twin 5 ratingsfor flowering and maturity, Quartz has apod-fill period similar to DK Cabernet.”

Ten new varieties on the North OSR listhave “come like busses”, commentsSimon Oxley. “In the past, there’s been ashortage of varieties and trials informationspecific to the North but we now havemore sites, and breeders have reactedpositively.” The minimum standard for lightleaf spot is 6, he adds, and there’s now awider choice of higher performing varieties.

Seven new two-row varieties on the winter barley list bring new yield leadersfor both feed and malting types, in KWSGlacier and Talisman respectively, notes

Claire Osborne of HGCA. “All the newmalting types have barley yellow mosaicvirus resistance and are a step-up in termsof yield. On the feed side, in addition tohigh yields, there are good disease scoresacross the board.”

Nine new spring barley varieties includeseven feed types. But independent


KWS believes Quartz is a gem when it comes tostem canker resistance.

Consistency focus for wheat RL newcomers

s

s

Chilton Group 2 DSV Hagberg 271; specific weight 78.2kg/hl

KWS Croft Group 3 KWS UK Yield 104; mildew 7; but lodging without PGR 5

Monterey Group 3 Blackman Specific weight 78.6kg/hl

Delphi Group 3 Blackman East yield 103; Yellow rust 9; brown rust 7; suitable for distilling

Leeds Soft Group 4 KWS North yield [109]; yellow rust 7; fusarium 7; but mildew 3

Myriad Soft Group 4 Limagrain North yield [107]; yellow rust 8

Revelation Soft Group 4 Limagrain Yellow rust 9; brown rust 9; eyespot [8]; mildew 7

Cougar Soft Group 4 RAGT Yellow rust 8; brown rust 9; Septoria tritici 7

KWS Kielder Hard Group 4 KWS 2nd wheat yield 107; brown rust 7; eyespot 7

Dickens Hard Group 4 Secobra UK yield 106; yellow rust 8; brown rust 9

Talisman 2-row malting Senova UK yield 102; mildew 7; rhynchosporium 7

KWS Joy 2-row malting KWS UK yield 100; but rhyncho 5

Mezmaar 2-row malting Syngenta UK yield 100; rhyncho 7; but lodging 5

Soloman 2-row malting Syngenta UK yield 100; brown rust 7; lodging 7

KWS Glacier 2-row feed KWS UK yield 107; lodging 7

Matros 2-row feed Limagrain East yield 106; lodging 7; mildew 7; rhyncho 7; but net blotch 5

California 2-row feed Limagrain West yield 104; net blotch 7; lodging 8

Sanette Brewing Syngenta UK yield 109; lodging [7]; ramularia 8; mildew 9; but brown rust 4

Glassel Malt distilling Syngenta UK yield 103; North yield 103

Tesla Feed Limagrain UK yield 106; rhyncho 7

Crooner Feed Agrii UK yield 106

KWS Orphelia Feed KWS UK yield 106; rhyncho 7

Kelim Feed Syngenta Lodging 8

Natasia Feed KWS

Montoya Feed Saaten Union

Rhynchostar Feed Agrii Rhyncho 7

Marathon Hybrid DSV Gross output 105; but stem canker [3]

PT211 Hybrid Dupont Pioneer

Avatar Hybrid LSPB Earliness 6

Rivalda Conventional KWS Gross output 103

Troy Hybrid LSPB Semi-dwarf with gross output 102

Quartz Conventional KWS Stem canker [9]

DK Imagine-CL Hybrid Dekalb Semi-dwarf; Tolerance to imidazolinone (described variety, not recommended)

Anastasia Conventional Limagrain Gross output [106]; stem stiffness 8; shortness 7

Troy Hybrid LSPB Semi-dwarf with gross output 105

PT208 Hybrid Dupont Pioneer Gross output [105]; lodging 8

Boheme Conventional Syngenta

Raptor Hybrid DSV Stem stiffness 8

Pendulum Conventional Limagrain Lodging [8]

Shot Hybrid DSV Stem stiffness 8

PT211 Hybrid Dupont Pioneer Stem stiffness 8

DK Expower Hybrid Dekalb Shortness 7

DK Imagine-CL Hybrid Dekalb See above

Source: HGCA Recommended Lists 2013/14 (provisional); [] limited data

Variety Scope Breeder Points to note

Winter wheat

Spring barley

Winter oilseed rape – East/West region


Winter barley

HGCA Recommended List newcomers at a glance

Winter oilseed rape – North region

High-yielding KWS Joy may be set to makemalting barley growers happy.

Limagrain says its new soft Group 4 wheat is a Revelation on disease.

variety consultant Richard Fenwick questions whether growers will want them.“Some of these feed varieties will neversee the light of day –– the market is verysmall and most spring feed growerschoose Westminster for the straw.”

Limagrain’s Lee Robinson points outthat straw stiffness and lodging resistance,as well as a good length, are where thebreeder’s new winter feed varieties standout. “Spring feed barley Tesla pushesyields 3% higher than market-standardGarner. It has long straw (74cm), withexcellent resistance to mildew and rhynchosporium, and also offers goodspecific weight.”

Syngenta’s Charlie Siggs sees the company’s two new spring varieties fulfilling the growing export demand forboth brewing and malting types. “Sanette’svery high yield figure could make it attractive to grow spring barley for brewing. Glassel has delivered highly consistent yields, has a high rating forresistance to brackling and it has goodresistance to mildew.”

Across the winter wheat trials, specificweights and Hagbergs tumbled, alongwith yields in 2012, reports Bill Handley of HGCA. Torch and Stigg have beendropped, as a result of their poor resistance against new yellow and brownrust races. Ten new varieties make a significant boost to choice, he says, particularly with soft Group 4 varieties.

“We’ve got some traditional highinput/high return varieties with good yellowrust and fusarium ratings. But Revelationand Cougar have a particularly good setof agronomic scores –– you don’t see thatmany varieties with a 7 for septoria.”

Simon Howell of RAGT says there’ll bemore than 7000t of Cougar seed availablefor planting in autumn 2013. “With its combination of headline yield and robustdisease profile, I’m sure it’ll be in highdemand.”

New Group 3 leader KWS Croft was acontroversial choice, reveals Bill Handley.“There was a lot of discussion about itsstanding ability –– I think that’ll dissuadegrowers on more fertile sites.”

Robust PGRJohn Miles of KWS confirms that Croftbenefits from a robust PGR programme,but points out that, across three years oftrials, the variety showed lodging in onlytwo out of 31 RL trials in the East region,where it’s expected to find most favour.“Both of these were in the difficult wet season of 2012.”

But one potential downside of the newlists is their leaning towards later-maturingvarieties. LSPB’s Theo Labuda notes that OSR newcomer Avatar was disadvantaged in RL trials, like other early maturing varieties, because the harvest date was delayed to fit with themajority of medium-late or late maturers.“If it can be harvested at the optimummaturity, I’m sure Avatar’s performance will be even better than the trials data indicate.”

Of the 37 winter wheat varieties, onlyfour ripen earlier than list control Solstice.The list average is +1.2 days, while theaverage for the newcomers is +2.1 days.So should this concern growers, especiallyfollowing a year when late-maturing varieties performed exceptionally poorly?

Richard Fenwick reckons growersshouldn’t get too hung up on ripeningdates. “Next year’s choices shouldn’t bebased on one year’s weather pattern ––harvest 2014 will probably be completelydifferent. It’s more important to chooseconsistent performers.”

But the sheer size of the lists suggeststhey’re now less of a true recommendation,and more like descriptive lists, he says.“To me, the philosophy’s changed ––they’re out to give growers plenty ofchoice. There’s nothing on them that’llgrab the grower’s attention, and no onebreeder is dominating the scene. It’ll beup to growers with their advisors to findthe best choices.”

Simon Oxley confirms that HGCA isintending for growers to use the lists with a greater degree of sophistication. “We’reconsidering doing some statistical analysisto help pick out the most consistent performers. We’re also tying the lists more closely to wider R&D work HGCA isinvolved in, and aiming to make it easierfor growers to draw out traits specific totheir circumstances.”

Next year’s trials have got off to a faltering start, with 11 out of 62 wintercropping sites not drilled at the beginningof Dec, while up to three OSR sites mayhave failed. “We’ve never lost as many asthis in the past, although we’ve still gotenough trials to provide meaningful data,”he adds.

“The trials will inevitably show peaksand troughs –– we’ve had two exceptionalyears and breeders have made a significantstep forward with varieties this year. Butthis means they’ll have a bigger hurdle toget over next year, as target scores will be significantly higher.” n

Glassel’s consistent performance could provide a new option in the malt distilling sector,says Syngenta.


s


Focus turns to spring planting

Seed availability may be tight, but there are

eye-catching opportunities in spring-sown crops.CPM searches for the gems and the pitfalls.

By Tom Allen-Stevens and Louise Impey

Whether forced into it, part of the usualrotation, or a planned change to tackle a tricky weed problem, many more growers than usual will be planting land to spring crops over the next fourmonths, according to industry analysts.

Traders indicate there are some rosyopportunities in certain spring-sown markets, but equally there are costly pitfalls, especially for the spring-cropnovice, warn advisors.

Over the next eight pages, we’ve broughttogether the views and the know-how fromacross the industry –– we’ve looked at the

gross margins growers can expect, the varieties to look for, and key pointers tohelp grow them. From the latest on springbarley, there’s also insight into one or twoless traditional choices. Whatever fills thedrill, and however crops perform, expertsagree it needn’t be a forced decision or a muddled establishment.

Look at all optionsWhat crop will actually go in the groundnext spring will largely be down to availability. By the end of Nov, supplies of all spring seed were running low.

“Spring wheat’s gone, barley’s very tight and we’re running into problems withcertain pea varieties,” reports Colin Buttonof Hutchinsons. “In some cases, suppliersare keeping what they have, so there’s nota lot of free-floating seed on the market.However, experienced pea growers shouldstill find seed and buy-back contracts for

marrowfat and large blue peas, for whichthere is a big demand.”

Lee Bennett of Openfield paints an even bleaker picture: “There’s very little or nothing available. Any available stocksare being imported, and will carry a premium.”

This would be the case for springoilseed rape, indicates Openfield’s David Leaper. “We don’t anticipate shortages, but talk to us now –– we’reexpecting strong demand.” Linseed contracts were still available, but very littlespring bean or barley varieties and these

Soils really took a beating this year and if you get it wrong in the spring, it’ll follow

through to next autumn. ”

“

Supplies of most spring seeds are expected torun out well before Christmas.

Spring crops are notorious for showing upcompaction, warns Christine Lilly.

are expected to go well before Christmas.Growers should consider their options

carefully before planting anything, believesGeorge Cook of Andersons. “It’s a case ofdamage limitation. Soils really took a beatingthis year and if you get it wrong in thespring, it’ll follow through to next autumn.

“We’re expecting some fields to be fallowed for a year, which may be a wiseoption. But if you fallow, be careful youdon’t fall foul of cross-compliance GAEC12, that puts restrictions on how the landcan be managed. Also, fallowed land hasno crop to take the moisture out, so it maylie heavy.”

In gross margin terms, spring cerealsgenerally lead the break crops, he says(see chart on page 16). “Much dependson the market and the contract, whetherspring oats make the milling spec, forexample. Spring break-crop performanceis very dependent on the yield, and peasmust be grown on the right land.

“The key is to establish the crop well. Ifyou have a rotation, try to maintain it, andcheck you have adequate storage beforeintroducing a new crop or variety. Finally, s

It was the effect of spiralling input costs and difficultblackgrass that prompted Kit and Tony Darby at Sawtry,near Peterborough, Cambs, to reconsider spring wheat,as an alternative to late-drilled winter wheat after roots.Following a discussion with their agronomist and acomparison of the various crop options, they decided to try an area of Group 1 spring wheat, Mulika, for thefirst time last season.

The crop was drilled at the end of Feb, followingsugar beet, recalls Kit Darby. “Sowing it in the springallowed us to create and spray off a stale seedbed,which was an important factor for us in the battleagainst blackgrass.” They’re now spending as much as £120/ha on blackgrass control in winter wheat, butwith no guarantee of success.

The seed was treated with a wheat bulb fly dressing,to ensure that the crop got off to a good start. “It wasvery cost effective to grow,” he adds. “Mulika has gooddisease resistance and also has resistance to orangewheat blossom midge, so it doesn’t need a ‘belt and

braces’ approach. Unlike many crops this year, a two-spray fungicide programme was sufficient.”

To his surprise, spring wheat turned out to be one of the best performing crops of 2012 for the Darbys.The variety produced grain with a Hagberg of 300,protein of 13.5% and a specific weight of 76.5kg/hl.

“That was better than any of our winter wheats and itmade the milling specification. It was one of the highestgross margins on the farm this past harvest.”

Their decision to drill in the spring was based oninput cost concerns, although like other spring wheatvarieties, Mulika can be drilled in late autumn. “Thesevarieties do have a flexible drilling window, which issomething that could come in useful in the current season,” he notes.

“But not all of the agrochemicals that you use onwinter wheat are approved for spring wheat, especiallyfungicides and plant growth regulators. So make surethat you check the labels carefully and follow the adviceof your agronomist.”

Double benefit of spring wheat for Cambs farm

700

600

500

400

300

200

100

0Wheat Barley Oats* Beans Oilseed rape Linseed Dried peas**

Gro

ss m

argi

n £/

ha

*milling premium included **needs to be on the right land

Gross margin of principal spring crops

Source: Andersons

don’t forget to update your Soil ProtectionReview –– you need to record damage towater-logged land and make a note of additional run-off features such as rills and sediment deposition,” he adds.

Winter wheat is still an option, and can be sown safely until the end of Jan and sometimes into Feb, depending on variety,points out Colin Button. Invicta, Tuxedo, Target,Warrior, Conqueror and Oakley are suitable forplanting late, with Duxford and Claire safe todrill until the end of Feb.

“Make sure you drill at the right seed rate.You’re aiming for 400 plants/m2 established, as you’ll only get 1.5-2 tillers per plant, so may need to drill 500 seeds/m2.”

Seed must be covered with enough soil

protection from residual herbicides, but shouldn’t be sown too deep. “It’ll be cold and the days will be short, so you have to give the crop every chance. If broadcastingseed, check the label for the seed treatment,with most products, this practice would now be illegal.”

If you believe some of your autumn-drilledcrops have failed, don’t be too quick to replacethem with spring crops, warns Christine Lilly ofFrontier. “You don’t have to make the decisionuntil Jan or Feb and they may recover. Thedilemma is whether to book the seed. Theother point to note about spring crops is thatthey’re notorious for showing up compaction –– land is often worked when it’s still too wet,then quickly turns dry.”


s

Concerto

Optic

Belgravia

Propino

Wagon

Westminister

Other

Tipple

Propino

Concerto

Quench

Westminister

Wagon

Other

Spring barley varieties harvested for seed in Scotland 2012

Concerto

Optic

Belgravia

Propino

Wagon

Westminister

Other

Tipple

Propino

Concerto

Quench

Westminister

Wagon

Other

Spring barley varieties harvested for seed in England 2012

Boom time for barley?Barley is likely to take the lion’s share ofspring-sown land in the UK, forecasts suggest. Prospects for the malting crop arebuoyant at present, says Andy Hindhaugh of Simpsons Malt, on the back of a boomtime for whisky.

“The tonnage requirement is probablyabout the same, but there’s a different marketsplit. The malting industry will be far moreinclined to take dual-purpose varieties, ratherthan those suited just to brewing.”

That means varieties favoured will beConcerto, Optic, Belgravia and 2012 RL newcomers Odyssey, Chronicle andOverture, he says. “There’s unlikely to beenough grown in Scotland, so growers inDorset, Hants and East Anglia would be wiseto switch to varieties that will satisfy both market outlets. Otherwise, the contracts maygo to the Danes and the French.”

It’s not just the variety mix that’s changing,notes Lee Bennett. “The grain N content forbeer is 1.85%, whereas for whisky it’s 1.65%.Scottish growers are geared up for it, andwhile it won’t necessarily be a struggle forgrowers down south, if you treat your barleythe same as you’ve always done, you maycome unstuck.”

Variety-wise, Concerto is preferred by

distilling maltsters, he says. “Concertolaunched across the UK, then its use focusedpurely on Scotland. But there’s now a resurgence of interest in England.”

The newcomers are stirring up quite a bitof excitement on both sides of Hadrian’s Wall,he confirms. “The question is which one to go for –– agronomically you couldn’t put a cigarette paper between them –– but the feeling is that the market may favour Odysseyand Chronicle more.

“Propino’s had a big year in England, but I think the market will hang heavy for it, as it’snot suitable for whisky.”

But Paul Taylor of Dorset-based PearceSeeds is not so sure. “Propino is the bettervariety for southern growers, especially thosein the south west of England. It’s good forexport, which is the main market in the South.

“One thing to note is its resilience to rhynchosporium –– if we had a wet spring,Propino might be the best choice for growersin the South West in particular.”

Barry Barker of Agrii agrees. “Propino’sgetting more popular down south, with Tippleand Quench on the wane. There’s been a risein demand in England for Concerto, after itseemed to fall back last year. But whatevermarket you’re growing for, demand is strong.

“The new spring barleys look set to take a fair share of the market, but it’s too early to tell whether they’ll be as favoured asConcerto and Propino.”

Barley’s a good choice for the spring-cropping novice, he reckons. “There’s plentyof good agronomy advice and a decentchoice of agrochemicals, unlike some nichecrops. Even if you don’t make the spec, thereturn for feed is good, and it’s cleared offyour fields relatively early on.”

But Lee Bennett sounds a note of caution.“I worry that new-age malting barley growerswill upset the dynamics of the market. It’s askilled game –– we don’t want to have toscrap around looking for umpteen homes for piles of barley with N contents all over the place.”

It is a relatively straightforward crop, for a spring-sown type, confirms Christine Lilly.Drilling date spans from Dec to March. “Beguided by soil conditions and drill when it’sdrying –– there’s no point sowing in Jan for it

There’s a resurgence of interest in Concerto, notesLee Bennett.


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Propino is the better choice forsouthern growers, believes Paul Taylor.

to sit there doing nothing foreight weeks.”

For a Feb/March-drilled crop,nitrogen is usually split, withhalf of the 120-150kgN/ha(depending on end use and soil nitrogen levels) going in theseedbed and the rest appliedonce the crop has emerged, sheadvises. “Aim for a two-sprayfungicide programme, typicallyat GS30 and GS39, but if youdrill early, you may need tospray earlier –– look out for netblotch, rusts and mildew. Targetbroad-leaved weeds whenthey’re small and actively growing with a sulfonyl-ureaand HBN or CMPP mixture.”

Premium potential in wheatFor those who can get it, springwheat looks like a very goodoption, says Colin Button. “A drive for spring wheats isone we should make. Today’svarieties are higher yieldingand there are specialist opportunities, such as red and white wheat contracts.”

Rank Hovis has increased its requirement for red wheat,reports Nigel Bazeley ofPremium Crops. “They built upa big stock over three seasons,so had a low requirement fromthe 2012 harvest for their 100% British loaf. But nowthey’re using larger quantities,especially in their wholemealloaves.” Contracts are availablefor the variety AC Barrie, he says.

The first thing to understandabout spring wheats is that youshouldn’t skimp on seed, saysLee Bennett. “Once you getinto March and April, you’llneed to ramp up the seed rateto 500 seeds/m2 or more ––we’re talking scary numbers. So if you’re drilling beforeChristmas, you want to havearound 25-30 seeds/m2 morethan a winter wheat.

“You’ll also need to invest ina growth regulator –– pound forpound, you get a better returnthan in winter wheat. But it’s afar cleaner crop than you’d ever credit.”

KWS Alderon is his favouredfeed variety. “It’s not a countrymile in front of Belvoir, but it’sgot a big future. On the millingside, Mulika has full NABIMapproval and will capture thegrower’s imagination, with ayield advantage over Paragon.”

White wheat Zircon, with specific, high-premium contracts available throughOpenfield, has had a “fantastic”year commercially, he reports.“Spring wheat flowers and fillsthe grain during a different period to winter wheat, so the quality held.”

But watch out for how aspring wheat races through the growth stages, notesChristine Lilly. “Stem extensionto flowering happens veryquickly. You’ll want a two or three-spray fungicide programme, focused on GS31and GS39. Mildew can be

Barley is a good choice for thespring-cropping novice, says Barry Barker.

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Linseed is used as a healthy animal feedingredient, producing milk and meat high in Omega 3.

Rank Hovis has increased its requirement for red wheat.


2011 2012

Seed rate 185kg 222kg

Seed cost £64.75 £97.68

Fertiliser (0-18-36) £99.70 £82.22

Herbicides £77.14 £43.71

Fungicides £71.87 £58.99

Insecticides £19.00 £13.27

Trace elements £1.64 £5.08

Total variable costs £334.10 £300.95

Harvest date 23-Sep 20-Oct

Yield (t/ha) 6.22 4.83

Average. price (/t) £226.00 £303.00

Protein pay’t bonus (/ha) £38.00 £-

Total output (/ha) £1,443.72 £1,463.49

Gross Margin (/ha) £1,109.62 £1,162.54

For the past two years, spring beans have turnedin a strong performance for Mark Wells ofBurbage Farm, at Hinckley, Leics, despite very different growing seasons.

“We grow them because we need a goodbreak crop and they’re an excellent entry forwheat. We don’t want to grow OSR more thanone year in three, and they help spread theworkload. We also have a heavy burden of ryegrass and spring beans are a good chance to get on top of them.”

With a total farm size of 800ha, there are60ha of Fury spring beans in a rotation that alsoincludes linseed and herbage seed. The landdestined for beans is ploughed as part of a rotational ploughing policy.

“We then aim to keep spring cultivations to a

minimum, keeping heavy machinery off theland.” A single pass with a spring-tined cultivatoror power harrow precedes the farm’s VäderstadRapid drill.

“We don’t view beans as a low input crop,but look after them at all stages. It meant wewent in with the sprayer seven times in 2011(see table).” This included two applications fordowny mildew and one for chocolate spot.

There was less downy mildew or pest pressure in 2012, and the pre-em herbicideworked better than in the 2011 drought. But rain

splash brought a lot of chocolate spot into thecrop. “Bruchid control remains one of the mostdifficult aspects when growing beans for premium markets,” notes Mark Wells.

“But the biggest problem with the crop is thedegree of variability of yield from year to year.2010 was exceptionally poor and we achieved ayield of just 2.5t/ha.” The five-year farm averageis 5t/ha. “So you can get a decent margin,but the crop does require your attention at every stage.”

Mark Wells reckons spring beans require closeattention at every stage.

an issue, and red wheats are particularlysusceptible to disease.”

Oilseed answer on heavy landFor those caught out on heavier land,spring oilseed rape or linseed are likely tobe the “best bet”, reckons David Leaper.Of the hybrid OSRs, he favours Makro or

Delight. “Makro has a high yield, butmatures later. Delight’s earlier, for a loweryield, but has proven itself, as has theconventional variety Ability.”

One pitfall is drilling too early, he warns.“The overwhelming evidence suggestsdrilling in early April is best. Drill in Marchinto cold soils and it’ll just sit there. That’swhere hybrids have the advantage ––they’ll get away quick in April and exploitthe moisture before soils go dry.

“Watch for harvest –– it’s later than forwinter OSR, and the clash with wheat canbe something of a constraint,” he adds.

It’s not just harvest that’s later, warnsChristine Lilly. “The crop flowers later, sopollen beetle and other pests multiply onwinter OSR and move over –– pests are a huge problem in spring OSR. It can be tricky to establish and yields are notoriously variable.”

Interest in linseed is growing year byyear, according to Nigel Bazeley ofPremium Crops, and the UK leads Europein production terms. “You need a contract–– our one supplies Valorex in Brittany,

France, where it’s processed. It’s used asa healthy animal feed ingredient –– testshave shown it’s good for herd health, andyou get milk and meat that’s high inOmega 3.”

The agronomy’s not complicated, hesays. “The single most important aspect isto choose an early maturing variety, thendesiccate early. Get it wrong and youcould have a tricky harvest.”

Inputs (/ha)

Output

Careful management brings bean rewards

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Appearance is everything with beans – sold onstreet markets, traders buy with their eyes.


It’s sensitive to botrytis, and a fungicideat flowering tends to deliver a 10% yieldresponse. Make sure to choose an earlypost-emergence herbicide that doesn’tcheck the crop, he warns. “But one of linseed’s attributes is that you can killalmost any weed in it. You’re left with aclean stubble that’s perfect for min till.”

Premium Crops supplies its EasyCutvarieties Altess, Duchess and Marquisethat are relatively early and stiff. DavidLeaper agrees earliness of harvest andstanding ability are more important thanyield. “Altess and Festival are mid yielders,but consistent.”

Agrii supplies Juliet and GK Emma onbuy-back contracts, says Barry Barker.“Juliet’s the highest yielder on theRecommended List, but in a year like2012, you may want to go for a variety that matures earlier, like GK Emma.”

The crop relies on good establishmentto perform, notes Christine Lilly. “Drill frommid-March to early April into a warmseedbed and put 50-75kgN/ha on atdrilling or soon after. Flax flea beetle canbe a major issue at establishment, so aimto keep the crop weed free, as there’snot much crop competition, and then desiccate prior to harvest.”

On the pulse for profitCould legume crops see a revival in 2013?Dried peas and beans hit an all-time lowthis year of just 120,000ha planted, notesSalvador Potter of PGRO. “We’re down tojust 500-600 growers of dried peas, andmany of them are approaching retirementso new recruits are vital to the industry.”

But Andy Bury of Frontier is predicting a turn of fortune for pulses, with the springbean area possibly rising by as much as50% in 2013. “To be starting a year withcrop values in excess of £300/t is givingus all a lot of confidence.”

Good quality but poor yields this harvestmean there’s a shortfall of dried peas. Blue peas are selling at up to £400/t, with

marrowfats at £425/t. “There are very fewparcels still unsold, and no such thing as a feed pea. It means prices for the 2013crop are firm, with marrowfats at £350/tand £300/t for blue and yellow peas.”

Egypt is driving demand in the beanmarket, where it’s the only combinablecrop that’s sold direct to the consumerwith next to no processing. “Beans aresold on the market, so appearance iseverything. Colour, size, shape, shine and minimal bruchid beetle damage areimportant –– traders buy with their eyes.”

UK beans command a premium overFrench beans, with prices currently ataround £280/t. “The current premium of £70-80/t over wheat is good. This’llprobably drop back to £30/t for the 2013crop,” says Andy Bury.

But the rise in demand means seedsupplies will be tight, and Salvador Potterworries this will drive up the use of poorquality farm-saved seed. “Growers must

get their seed tested. We’ve seen a highincidence of eelworm infestations in ourseed testing lab results, which is a bit of a concern.”

Fuego, Fury and Pyramid are the springbean varieties to go for, reckons BarryBarker. “It’s a good choice for heavy landbecause it’s relatively easy to manage,although it is harvested late. But seed is selling out fast.”

Pulse values in excess of £300/t are encouragingconfidence in peas and beans, says Andy Bury.

s

Give the crop a good 30mmof soil cover at establishment,advises Christine Lilly. “Thereare few post-em broadleafweed herbicides availablenowadays, so make the bestuse of pre-em pendimethalin+imazalox. Once the crop hasemerged, look out for pea and bean weevil damage –– notching of the leaves.

You may well need to treatfor chocolate spot –– it was devastating this year.”

Peas are better suited towarmer soils. “They don’t likecold seedbeds,” she notes.

A maize of new ideasNew Defra secretary OwenPatterson may be trying hishardest to restrict the marketdemand for maize, but there’sstill likely to be a lot of interestin the crop in 2013.

“Unlike other spring crops,we’re not expecting seed-availability issues,” says John Burgess of KWS. “Thereare now three key uses ––forage maize, grain maize, and maize for biogas.”

If the whole crop is harvested,you’ll need a home for it onyour doorstep, and if that’s noton the same farm, whole-cropmaize is typically grown oncontract for a near neighbour.“While forage maize has alwaysbeen an opportunity for growersin the West, new anaerobicdigester (AD) plants meanthere are opportunities for the

crop in eastern counties. Thegood thing about a biogas contract is that the plant needsa steady supply for 20 years ormore, so a long-term contractwill be on offer.”

Planted in mid April –– butnot before the soil temperaturereaches 10°C –– harvest is usually at the end of Sept orfirst two weeks of Oct. Bothdrilling and harvesting for wholecrop are usually contractoroperations. “It must be grownon light land –– it’s a waste oftime on clay or chalky soils.Maize is a cash crop and theyield is likely to be around 45-60t/ha, with price £35-40/t.”

The biggest nutrient requirement is potash, with thecrop needing 250-300kgK/ha.90kgP/ha is best applied withthe seed, while 100-120kgN/hagoes on at or immediately after drilling.

“You have to choose yourvarieties carefully. For example,a high starch content is neededfor forage maize but for AD,you’re just growing for maximum yield.”

Grain maize can go forcrimping for home use or grown on contract for a feedcompounder, yielding around 8-12t/ha and typically selling at a £15/t premium over wheat.“But watch the drying costs ––you could be harvesting at 35%and spend over £20/t drying it to 15%. It can be better tochoose an early maturing grain maize that yields 9t/habut is easier to dry than a late maturing type that will yield 12t/ha.”

Or for something completelydifferent, have you consideredcanary seed? “There’s a strongand growing market for it,”according to Nigel Bazeley.

It’s planted in April and harvested in Aug, with yieldand growing costs similar to linseed, but with a higher cropvalue, he claims. “It suits strongto medium soils, and is a goodbreak crop, but with limited herbicide choices. Storagecould be an issue on somefarms, and it’s not for everyone,but a well managed crop willbring you a better gross marginthan most spring options.” n

Anaerobic digester plants meanthere are opportunities for maize in eastern counties, says John Burgess.


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If I was an arable farmer making a choice,I’d put Cougar number

one on the list.”“

Farmer’s friend Cougar may not top the HGCARecommended List in terms ofyield, but its excellent diseasescores and ease of managementsets it up as a significant contender for 2013.


I N S I D E R S V I E W

There was a stage when Cougar was thegolden boy of the HGCA Recommended Listcandidates –– its list-topping yield and eye-popping disease resistance meant theGroup 4 soft wheat would have a firm placeas a farmer favourite.

But then, like other varieties, it faltered inthe 2012 RL trials. Questions were also raisedabout its low specific weight, and the variety’sshine appeared to tarnish. So is it one to fillthe drill next autumn?

“It’s still a solid all-round variety, backed upby a big untreated yield,” notes Chris Guest of Gleadell. “It’s pretty much as good, if notbetter than anything on the RL.”

Peter Busfield of Dunns goes one step further: “If I was an arable farmer making achoice, I’d put Cougar number one on the list.”

And Colin Button of Hutchinsons sees abright future for the variety, too: “The softGroup 4 market is wide open and there’spotential for a new leader –– Cougar woulddefinitely fit the slot.”

Top echelonsCougar’s headline yield score of 104, althoughstrong, isn’t the highest on the RL, and is anotable step down from its performance in previous years. “It’s still in the top echelons on yield,” points out Colin Button.

“What we’ve noticed in Hutchinsons’ trials across the UK is Cougar’s consistency,and this is especially true of its untreatedyield. Its performance in the face of disease is outstanding.”

In Suffolk, Cougar’s treated yield was12t/ha, he reports, but untreated it achievedan “exceptional” 11.5t/ha. Similarly in Glos and Shrops, where trials crumbled under huge septoria pressure, untreated Cougar yielded6t/ha and 6.5t/ha respectively.

Dunns reports similar performance from itsseed crops and trials. “It’s been a funny oldyear for trials, with everything turned on itshead,” comments Peter Busfield. “But Cougaris still one of the best coming forward. It’squite capable of taking 10% market share.”


Cougar’s list-leading yield performance dipped in 2012 Recommended List trials.

Dunns seed crops averaged 9.5t/ha, ranging from 8.65-10.4t/ha. At 10.22t/ha,Cougar was the second highest yielder inSpunhill trials, near Wrexham, while inPearce Seeds’ Dorset trials, it yielded11.47t/ha.

Late maturingBut at +3 for maturity, it’s late, and that’s what Peter Busfield blames for its disappointing RL performance this year.“One of Cougar’s strengths is that it retainsa green flag leaf for longer. This year thegap between early and late varieties was a big factor as the trials are all cut on the same day. All the higher-yielding, late-maturing varieties may well have suffered from this.

“The acid test of a variety is whetherthose who have grown it want to drill it again, and our growers are highlydelighted with the crops they’ve produced.It’s not what they did to it, but what theydidn’t have to do that they liked –– Cougarneeded on average one less fungicideapplication than other varieties.”

Nor were they too worried about specificweight, he adds. “I’d say it was actuallyone of the better varieties we saw for specific weight this year. All six seed cropswe grew processed OK. But it’s drilled onthousand grain weight (TGW), and theseheld up well for our crops.”

Lee Bennett of Openfield agrees thatgrowers shouldn’t worry about Cougar’s specific weight. “Any late-maturing varietydidn’t have a good run in the harvest fromHell this year. But in places where septoriahas been an issue, Cougar floated to thetop. There’s no such thing as a variety for all seasons, but it’s a solid performer and is right in the running for next year.”

Gleadell took an early interest in the variety, securing a pre-listing agreement

with RAGT to supply their customers. The160t they had available for this season was quickly snapped up by eager growersbefore Jan 2012, reports Chris Guest.

“It’s short, stiff, with good disease resistance, backed up by its untreatedyield. Growers with 200ha of wheat willpartner it with Santiago, Conqueror orOakley to give a spread of disease profiles–– the real advantage of Cougar is that itdoesn’t mind waiting a couple of days forfungicide in a catchy season.”

He still puts the variety top of the list in terms of yield. “The LSD is 3.7%, which means Cougar’s 103.7 for yield isn’t statistically any different fromSantiago’s 107.”

It’s an out-and-out soft feed variety, he says, that should easily meet the compounder’s requirements and is suitablefor home-mixed rations on livestock farms.“Once it’s in the barn, there’s always thepotential for a soft biscuit premium, if you can achieve the 10.7% protein, 180 Hagberg and 74kg/hl specific weightrequired. There are a number of homestaking a lower spec of 72.5kg/hl specificweight and 140 Hagberg.”

Specific weightInitial tests show it won’t make the gradefor distilling, yielding lower alcohol levelsthan other soft wheats. But he doesn’t feelthe specific weight is a concern. “Again,statistically its RL score is no different fromSantiago and is comfortably above the72kg/hl needed for a feed contract.Growers might be put off by its late maturity, that’s worked against it this year.But think what its potential treated yieldwould be in a favourable year.”

It was this step forward in yield thatbreeder RAGT was after, maintains thecompany’s Célia Bequain. Robigus and

Tuscan were the parents. “Tuscan offeredthe high yield and good Septoria triticiresistance. We wanted the soft endospermand midge resistance from Robigus. New gene-marker technology helped uspinpoint the specific traits we were afterquite quickly.”

Cougar benefited from DNA marker selection from its very early stage of development. The RAGT team selected for fungal and pest resistances, as well as quality characters. This system of scanning the DNA for traits you’re after has been in use for a while. But DNA marker-assisted selection has improveddramatically with the introduction of s

Peter Busfield sees Cougar taking a 10% market share.

It’s an out-and-out feed variety, says Chris Guest,and growers shouldn’t be put off by the lowspecific weight.

new technology, specifically singlenucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers.These are more amenable to automation and are giving much higher throughput,allowing breeders to look at more samples in earlier generations.

“One character we needed to screen for was the 1Rs introgression. This is a ryesegment that could come through Tuscanand we needed to get rid of it as it’s highlydetrimental to the end use quality, both inbiscuit making and animal feed.”

But one of Tuscan’s parents wasCharger, and the RAGT team was keen to harness its yellow rust resistance.

“The only way to do that was through good old-fashioned field screening,” says Célia Bequain.

For brown rust, multi-gene resistancewas the aim. “We didn’t want immunitybrought from a major gene on its own,because this is more vulnerable to breakdown. It’s better to go for a lowerlevel of resistance over several genes thatstack together –– you get a more durable resistance overall and that’s what we’veachieved with Cougar, rated at 8.5.”

Disease resistanceThe big surprise in the package was howthe new variety appeared to resist Septoriatritici. “Although both parents were strongfor the disease, we didn’t have a marker for their resistance genes. Then we noticedduring field testing that Cougar had higherresistance than either of its parents. We believe we’ve built up a unique combination of S. tritici resistance by associating the complementary resistance genes from both parents.

The RL score of 7 for septoria should be regarded as a high 7, Célia Bequainbelieves. “In the HGCA trials, Cougarshowed just under 4% infection, Stigg justover 5% and Crusoe 7.5%, yet all threevarieties are rated 7.”

And this is what you notice in trials, shesays. “It stands out in the untreated plots.The flag leaf is wide, very green, veryhealthy and practically spotless.”

Alchemy growers will be drawn to

Cougar, she reckons. “It offers the same step forward in yield and diseaseresistance in a soft wheat, except thatAlchemy lost its brown rust resistance, sogrowers lost interest. Cougar’s an idealvariety to have on the farm, alongsideSantiago and Torch.”

An intermediate to slow developer,Cougar is similar to Robigus, best drilledfrom mid Sept. “It produces a lot of tillersand covers the ground relatively quickly.It’s this high biomass build-up and its latematurity that could have worked againstthe variety this year.

“There were lots of leaves at the right

Kit Papworth struggled to time fungicidescorrectly, but noticed Cougar stayed incredibly clean.

Pleasing and easy seed crop in Norfolk


The 2012 growing season was a fair test forCougar, reckons Kit Papworth. Based near N Walsham in Norfolk, on sandy loam, Grade 2soils, he grows 2000ha of combinable crops,roots, vining peas and maize with his cousinTim. The 800ha of wheat in 2012 included 18ha of Cougar, grown for seed.

“We didn’t have a high expectation of thevariety, but it performed extremely well,” reportsKit Papworth. “It was very robust, incrediblyshort and combined easily. I’m very pleased with it.”

The variety was drilled late, that he thought would work hard against it, but itappeared to thrive. “We didn’t use a particularlyhigh seed rate, but it did tiller remarkably.The main thing we noticed was that it was incredibly clean throughout a very difficult season. Again, this may have been

a factor of the late drilling date.”He confesses that he struggled to get

the spray timings correct. “It received four fungicide applications and a split 5C Cycocel(chlormequat). We gave it the same nitrogen asa feed crop –– 200kgN/ha –– and harvested it late, but it was short and combined easily.”

Specific weight held up well, reports KitPapworth. “It was better than most in a ghastly year. It yielded 8t/ha, that we’rehappy with.”

Cougar has now joined the farm’s mainblock of Group 3 and 4 wheats, alongsideClaire, Santiago and Invicta. “It sits in the sameplace as Duxford, where Oakley sat before. I’dbe reluctant to drill it too early, as I think itgrows too bold too quickly. But it fared betterthan most varieties this harvest, and is as good as anything on the Recommended List.”

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time of year, and the plant had all thegoodness, but it lacked the sunshine toconvert it into grain fill and yield –– with a lot of tillers it needed proportionally more energy at that crucial time of year.That’s why its performance dipped, but if you look at northern trials, where the crop had longer to mature, Cougar performed better.”

Resistance to sproutingIt’s the same with Hagberg, she claims. At a score of 181, Cougar ranks as thelowest of the Group 4 newcomers, but this doesn’t mean it’s prone to sprouting.“Official trials have shown Cougar hasgood resistance to sprouting.”

Colin Button has seen the varietythrough two years of trials and reckons ithas all the hallmarks of a list leader. “Thestructure of the canopy at ear emergenceis what the farmer likes to see –– withsquare, even-formed heads, it presentsitself on a good length of straw, but it’s not

Colin Button reckons Cougar’s good disease scoresmean it’ll give growers with large acreages moreflexibility with timing fungicides.

New gene-marker technology helped RAGT pinpoint the variety traits the breeder was after,says Célia Bequain.

Fungicide-treated grain yield 103.7

Untreated yield 97.1

Resistance to lodging without PGR 6.8

Height (cm) 86.3

Ripening (days +/- Solstice) +2.7

Disease resistance

Mildew 6.2

Yellow rust 8.3

Brown rust 8.5

Septoria tritici 7.0

Eyespot [4.0]

Fusarium ear blight 6.1

Orange wheat blossom midge R

Source: HGCA Recommended List 2013-14

Cougar at a glance

too tall and stands stiff. There’s a brightlycoloured leaf and it tillers well, so there’s a good comfort factor in having Cougar on your farm.”

The variety isn’t tolerant to chlorotoluron,but in Hutchinsons’ blackgrass-screeningtrials it’s performed well, he reports. “It tillers aggressively, outcompeting blackgrass, so it’s up there with the leaders. But in spring, you find it doesn’trace through the growth stages like somevarieties –– there’s plenty of green growth,but it’s not lush.

“In management terms, there’s very little to say about Cougar –– treat it as youwould any other wheat and it’ll do well.Bearing in mind its later maturity, you couldfocus more disease protection towards theend of the season, at the T3/4 timing,depending on the season. But its diseaseratings mean it’ll give growers the time,space and flexibility with timing of fungicides that many with large acreagesto cover will find very valuable.” n

I N S I D E R S V I E W

Research highlights chinks in chemical armour

More than 150 farmers, agronomists and industry specialists attended the Crop Protection in Southern

Britain conference in Peterborough. Resistance to existing chemistry was a recurrent theme.


The potential for greater resistance

is certainly there.

“

”

Blackgrass populations can build upresistance to residual herbicides,delegates at the Crop Protection inSouthern Britain Conference were told. Richard Hull of RothamstedResearch said controlled trials withpendimethalin and flufenacet show anefficacy decline of about 5-7% per year,and warned this could be accelerating.

“Decline in performance is likely to be less under field conditions,” he added.“This is down to the buffering effect of theseedbank and the use of other herbicides,but the potential for greater resistance is certainly there.”

He pointed out a big fluctuation in

performance in recent years, linked with the weather. “In the past, control was stillabove 70%, whether it was wet or dry. Now, residuals struggle to achieve 50% control in a dry year. This shows that fieldconditions have a bigger effect than resistance on performance, on average,but resistance may well be more significantin individual fields.”

Resistance monitoringTesting has been carried out on blackgrassseed samples, taken from two sites withknown enhanced metabolism resistance five years ago, as part of Rothamsted’s comprehensive weed resistance monitoringprogramme. Each year, the seeds have


Digging around the yield plateau

Stuart Knight highlighted a disappointing loss ofyield improvement in wheat since the 1990s

Why has on-farm yield stagnated? This is thequestion a Defra and HGCA-funded project,carried out by NIAB TAG, SRUC and CambridgeUniversity, has been seeking to answer.“Between the mid 1940s and 1990s, UK wheatyields grew by around 1t/ha every decade. Sincethen, yields have plateaued. To lose that level ofimprovement is disappointing,” commentedStuart Knight from NIAB TAG.

It hasn’t been the result of a lack of geneticimprovement, however. Since 1980, new varieties on the HGCA Recommended List haveoffered a year-on-year increase in yield potentialon farm of 0.05t/ha. “Uptake of new varietieshas been good, so why hasn’t that translatedinto on-farm yield?”

The project has focused on the agronomiccontribution to the conundrum. “We know thatweather plays a part –– yield peaks coincidedwith high sunshine hours. There’s an upwardtrend of these in June, but they are cancelledout by a shorter grain-filling period,” said Stuart Knight.

Crop protection is unlikely to be the explanation –– average use of fungicides and herbicides has increased significantly overthe past three decades, partly in response topesticide resistance. More break crops in therotation contributed to a net yield gain of0.015t/ha per year from 1980 to the mid1990s, but little since.

“Could applied nitrogen be yield-limiting?

Total N use has fluctuated from 180-200kgN/ha,but it’s not increasing, despite a rise in the optimum N dose for modern varieties since the1980s of 20kgN/ha per tonne of extra yield.But what’s fascinating is that grain N contenthas been going down, mirroring the yield trendand suggesting an increasing limitation.

“As for cultivations, we saw an increase inploughing from 1980-1996, but then that diedback and non-inversion cultivations have beenon the increase. The data on the yield effect ofthis is very limited, but we think it’s had a fairlysmall impact.”

Analysis of Farm Business Survey datarevealed lower yielding farms plateaued earlier,and that high-production units are spendingmore on fertiliser, crop protection, labour and machinery.

But the big unknown may be what’s going on beneath the surface, Stuart Knight surmised.“We don’t have data on the effect of drainageand compaction, and these areas need furtherinvestigation.”

The picture for oilseed rape is very different,according to Simon Kightley of NIAB TAG.“1984 to the present day has been more of a rollercoaster than a plateau.”

The first decade saw a yield decline, endingwith the introduction of arable area payments,which rolled on into a ten-year period of greatyield variability, he said. “Economics does play a major role with OSR –– we saw Autocasting,

a period of spring rape cropping, wide use offarm-saved seed and non-recommended varieties as farmers looked to save costs andcash in on the high AAPS payment at the time.”

Despite the crop’s genetic yield potentialincreasing by about 0.05t/ha per year, uptake ofnew varieties has been slow, compared withwheat, and growers have tended to stick withagronomically trusted types, such as Castille andpreviously Apex. Prospects for a national yieldimprovement have only looked favourable in thepast two years. “From 2004, yields have steadilyincreased and we finally exceeded the long-termhighest average yield of 3.4t/ha in 2010.”

Closer rotations, increased disease pressureand cultivations may all play a role in holding backfurther increases in the national average however,said Simon Kightley. “We know there’s been amove away from ploughing, but have very littledata on the effect that has had on national yields.”

been grown in containers, treated with a three-quarter rate of pendimethalin or flufenacet, and then seeds have beentaken from the survivors for planting thenext year. “We wanted to see whether we could select for resistance, and howquickly that would build up.”

The mean rate of decline of flufenacet efficacy was 5.3% per year, while for

pendimethalin it was 7.4% per year, said Richard Hull. “The decline was onlystatistically significant in years four andfive, so what we don’t know is whether therate will accelerate –– eventually leading to complete resistance –– or whether thedecline will plateau. Also, these were controlled conditions, so would the sameeffect happen in the field?”

Reference samples, taken recentlyfrom the same fields, were tested to see ifthey had built up the same level of resist-ance through normal farm practice. “Thegood news is that there doesn’t appear to be the same selection progression.However, the results confirmed resistanceto flufenacet in the field, albeit with noincrease over six years.” s

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colleague Dr Stephen Moss, shows planting a spring cereal crop reduces blackgrass populations by a substantial88%. “This was quite a consistent result,with a range of 78-96%. Delayed autumn

sowing brings an average 39% reduction,but results were much less consistent, withthe variability probably due to soil moistureaffecting germination patterns. Dormancy is unlikely to have a big effect.”

Pressure builds on disease resistance

Fungicides trigger a response in the plant togenerate its own defences to disease, pointed out Bill Clark.

More widespread and comprehensive use offungicides could reduce selection pressure and extend the usefulness of the chemistry,according to Bill Clark of NIAB TAG. He deniedthat using fungicides for their physiologicaleffect increased the likelihood of developingresistance –– in fact, prophylactic use could bepart of an anti-resistance strategy, he argued.

“Azoles, strobilurins and SDHIs all producephysiological changes when applied to crops,resulting in yield increases beyond those thatcan be attributed to disease control. Applyingthe chemistry triggers a response in the plant to generate its own defences,” he said.

The erosion of sensitivity of septoria toazoles, resistance to strobilurins and the likelyresistance to SDHIs are growing threats, herecognised. “But it would be wrong to assumethat encouraging this physiological effect wouldincrease selectivity.

“High disease and the use of eradicant

chemistry increase selection pressure, while lowdisease and prophylactic use lowers it. Growershave to balance their use of fungicides in linewith disease risk, but earlier timings and seedtreatments do help since they provide the early warning to plants to trigger the defencemechanisms and reduce vulnerability to diseaselater in the season,” he said.

Despite huge recent swings in varietal susceptibility to rust, growers can have confidence in new HGCA Recommended Listratings, according to Rosemary Bayles fromNIAB TAG. She updated conference delegates on latest findings from the UK Cereal PathogenVirulence Survey.

The new Warrior yellow rust race has alsoovercome adult plant resistance in Claire,Alchemy, Beluga, Denman and Gravitas. Thenew brown rust race, detected on Stigg, wasalso virulent on Timber and Warrior.

“The ratings of the new varieties should

reflect the current situation closely because thenew races were abundant in the population andwere also used in special inoculated field tests,so the RL trials would have been subjected tothem,” noted Rosemary Bayles.

Buffer zones may need review

Growers should consider the need to makebuffer zones more effective and demonstratecompliance to existing guidelines to stave off the risk of increased regulation, advised Dr Paul Miller of NIAB TAG.

He indicated that current buffer zones arebased on an industry standard for spray driftthat may now be outdated. “The work was doneusing relatively small sprayers, travelling at slowspeeds delivering a high application rate. So

how relevant is it to how most pesticides areapplied today?”

Buffer zones can be made more effectivethrough better use of vegetation, said Paul Miller.“Vegetation height makes a big difference, andthere’s scope to get a better specification of bufferzone that meets regulatory requirements and biodiversity aspirations. There’s also the need todemonstrate compliance, and increasingly this can be done through in-cab technology.”

Tests show that resistance to pendimethalin andflufenacet is building, said Richard Hull.

A further desk study of 352 commercialtrials results over the past 12 years supported these results, continued Richard Hull. “When you collate theseresults, it shows there’s been an annualdecline in efficacy of just under 2%, with big fluctuations in recent years (see chart). But this decline cannot beattributed solely to resistance, as soil conditions played such a big part in year-to-year variability.

“There’s definitely now partial resistanceto all residual herbicides, but it’s verydifficult to detect in the field as there areother factors that also affect performance.”

Further work, presented by Rothamsted

Source: 352 commercial field experiments conducted with flufenacet+ pendimethalin or flufenacet+ diflufenican (data supplied by Bayer CropScience, BASF, Syngenta, Dupont).


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Ploughing was found to be the mosteffective cultivation technique, saidSyed Shah.

Competitive cropIn the five years of field experiments, spring barley was found to be no different to spring wheat in terms ofblackgrass plants that emergedwithin the crop, but 41% lessweed seed was shed in springbarley. “It’s known to be a morecompetitive crop than springwheat,” noted Stephen Moss.

Cultivation method has a clearinfluence on primary emergenceof blackgrass, according to Dick Neale of Hutchinsons. He presented data from a secondyear of trials at Brampton, whereploughing is compared with a range of deep and shallownon-inversion tillage techniques.

Deep (20cm), non-inversiontillage resulted in the highestblackgrass head count. “My view is that you should keep allcultivations in the top 5cm ––that’s where blackgrass will germinate, so you can control itwith pre-drilling glyphosate. Ourfocus must shift to pre-drilling management and control.Ploughing does bury seed, but at the same time brings up anundetermined quantity of viableseed from previous seasons toemerge within the crop.”

But ploughing was “by far” the most effective cultivationtechnique, according to trialscarried out by Agrii at its StowLonga site in Cambs. “The yieldin the ploughed plots was alsohighest, although it was also thehighest cost of all cultivationoptions,” noted the company’s Dr Syed Shah.

But any one year’s cultivationsystem shouldn’t be treated inisolation, added Stephen Moss,

who noted that the decline rate from successfully buryingblackgrass seed with the ploughis about 70-80%. “So if youplough just once in three years,you can expect about 3% of theburied seeds to still be viable, or 1% after four years.”

Rye brome worriesContinued use of Atlantis(iodosulfuron+ mesosulfuron)could be selecting out rye bromein arable fields, said Sarah Cookof ADAS. Although classified as a rare arable weed, and five times less prevalent thanmeadow brome, observations in the field suggest this couldnow be changing as a result ofagronomic practices.

“It’s very difficult to tell themapart, which is part of the problem,” she explained. Virtually indistinguishable duringvegetative stages, meadowbrome has a panicle with a moretightly packed seed head thanrye brome, she said.

Herbicide screening trials carried out at Rothamstedshowed pyroxsulam treatments(as in Broadway Star) were moreeffective than iodosulfuron+mesosulfuron, with the latternotably less active on rye brome. “Pyroxsulam maintainedconsistent control over all populations, but control of rye brome by iodosulfuron+mesosulfuron was very variable,”said Sarah Cook.

Clethodim shows promise as a potential new graminicidefor oilseed rape. Tests carriedout by Agherba Consultantsand Rothamsted show theACCase inhibitor was much lessaffected by ACCase target siteresistance than cycloxydim orpropaquizafop. It also gave better control of four resistantblackgrass populations than tepraloxydim.

“No one is suggestingclethodim will be the completesolution, but it would clearly be a very useful addition to thearmoury,” said Stephen Moss.Interfarm is currently taking the active ingredient through UK registration, but the firm’s Dr David Stormonth couldn’t saywhen it would be commerciallyavailable. n

The past few years have seen a complete overhaul of the tractor market,thanks partly to the implementation ofemission rules. Now, it’s the turn of thelow and mid-range models, with most manufacturers showing new rangesat the LAMMA Show in Jan.

Farmers looking at mid-range tractorswill be interested to see the updated ClaasArion 600 and 500 ranges. Fitted with the

Fresh crop of kitgoes on show

LAMMA 2013 is just around the corner, and with so many

stands to visit, it’s worth planning what you want to

see before you go. CPMhighlights some of the

new products on show.

By Mick Roberts

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same cab as the new Axion 900, the rangegets the latest Powertech PVX engine technology, which employs a DieselOxidation Catalyst (DOC) and diesel particulate filter to meet the latest emissionstandards. The five-pillar cab has beenmoved forward to improve visibility, whileinside the dashboard has been slimmeddown. CIS models retain the existingDrivestick transmission control, while high-spec CEBIS versions gain a screenintegrated into the armrest and a newCMOTION multi-control lever.

Although Fendt is currently the marketleader in the high-horsepower segment, it’sthe smaller, new 500 Vario series that willbe stealing the limelight. Ranging from125hp to 165hp, the 512, 513, 514 and516 Vario models are each powered by a

4.04-litre four-cylinder Deutz engine withfour values per cylinder. Fitted with theVisio Plus cab with curved windscreen for better loader visibility as well as theVariotronic terminal, the 500 Vario also features stepless speed control, with thetime-honoured Tractor ManagementSystem (TMS).

Following the launch of the MF 5600Series at the EIMA show in Italy in Nov,


Most manufactureres

are showing newranges at the LAMMA

show in Jan

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”

Updated Claas Axion 600 and 500 tractors havethe five-pillar cab from the larger 900 range.

The Fendt 500 range includes four models,equipped with Vario continuously variabletransmission.

Massey Ferguson will have its brand-newloader tractor range at LAMMA 2013. The85hp MF 5608, 95hp MF 5609 and 105hpMF 5610 replace the existing drop-nosedMF 5400 models currently offered byMassey, and for the first time feature athree-cylinder 3.3 litre engine. This reduceswhat’s under the bonnet for optimum visibility and manoeuvrability, says the firm.

A new cab, passed down from the largerMF 7600 range and redesigned Dyna-4transmission complete the makeover.

Like MF, New Holland also used theEIMA show to launch a new range of tractors, which make their UK debut atLAMMA. The three-model T5 range spansfrom 99-114hp and gets the company’sElectro Command semi-powershift transmission. Already featured in the T6 range, the 16F/16R transmission allowsoperators to select up to eight gears without moving the lever –– a useful feature for what’s tipped to be a popularloader choice.

New stylingFinnish tractor brand Valtra will be launching the N93 and N103. Fitted with a three-pot, 3.3-litre engine (the same powerplant as in the company’s A-series)the two tractors get new styling with adrop-nosed bonnet and features like electronic engine management. The ValtraT Series has also been updated in line with the changes made to the N Series. In addition to a new look, the T Series hasbeen given new 6.6 and 7.4-litre AGCOPower engines with SCR. The T163 Directis the first Valtra tractor with a stepless

transmission to feature Valtra’s EcoPowersystem.

Other new ranges to consider if you’rethinking of smaller tractors are Case IH’sFarmall U, C or A series. Probably the most popular for the UK will be the Useries, which replaces the JXU and is s


Plenty new from Sumo

Sumo’s Quatro has been heavily revised.

The Strake has been designed to produce a moreaggressive action.

Sumo is the latest firm to enter the strip-till drillmarket, with its DTS (Deep Tillage Seeder) dueto make its LAMMA debut following an initiallaunch at the firm’s annual Nov open days.

While it’s engineered primarily as a strip-tillmachine, working directly into previous cropresidues or cover crops, the 3-12m DTS (3mmodels are mounted) can also be used inplough or direct-cultivation systems. Row spacings are set at 333mm, and the power requirement is around 50-60hp/m. Sumo says it’s working on a seed/fertiliser model,which will place fertiliser down the middle

of the seed bands, just below the seed.Each of the individually mounted units

comprises an opening disc and an auto-reset,and a tungsten-edged loosening leg, whichworks down to 350mm. The working depth is governed by a constant-pressure hydraulicsystem. Sowing boots, sourced from DutchIndustries, follow behind, placing seed in a150mm band. At the rear are covering discs,and then pneumatic press wheels.

Seed metering is adopted from the in-housedesigned system already used on the SumoVersaplus. This works via RDS Artemis technologythat allows variable-rate one-touch calibrationand half-width shut-off. Rates can be variedfrom 0.5-500kg/ha.

DTS prices start at £30,400 for a 3mmachine, rising to £81,583 for the 8m version.Prices for wider models are to be confirmed.

Sumo’s Quatro, available in 4m, 5m, and 6m widths, has been heavily revised. It nowincorporates four rows of hydraulically depth-adjustable discs, with two in front of thelegs and two behind. Hydraulic depth adjustmentcan be made independently and on-the-move.Working depth of the legs can be altered down

to 400mm via a simple pin set-up. At the rear is a fixed-position Multipacka.

With its focus firmly on min-till and directdrilling, Sumo has also introduced its version of the straw rake. The Strake, available in 6m,8m and 12m widths, has been designed to produce a slightly more aggressive action thancomparable machines, says the firm, for moreeven chaff/chopped straw distribution.

Its sprung 10mm tines, the angle of whichcan be adjusted hydraulically, are spaced at75mm and feature 15mm carbide tips. At a forward speed of 10-25km/h, this creates ashallow tilth that encourages weed seeds to chit, says Sumo.

available, ranging from 306-382hp, andChallenger reckons fuel savings canamount to 10% with the new models, over previous engines. Other changesinclude hard-wearing mid-wheels as standard and tweaks to the transmissionfor improved efficiency.

fitted with a 3.4-litre common rail enginewith external EGR system. Available in95hp, 105hp and 115hp variants, theFarmall U gets a new cab and upgradedlift capacity over the previous models.

At the other end of the spectrum,tracked tractor manufacturer Challenger

will have its latest generation high-horse-power MT 700D model on show for the firsttime. To meet the latest emission regula-tions, instead of using a Cat engine, thecompany is opting for an 8.4-litre six-cylinderAGCO POWER block, which uses SCRtechnology. There are three models


JD gears up with DirectDrive

The Direct Drive gearbox has two clutches whichalternate as you step up through the gears.

The three ranges are designed to ensure you’dnever need to change range during field work orwhen on the road.

John Deere has launched a brand new gearboxfor its 6R range of tractors which is set to rivalthe IVT (infinitely variable transmission) gearbox.DirectDrive uses dual-clutch technology to automatically change through eight gears, set in three ranges.

“DirectDrive has the power and efficiency ofa mechanical transmission, but the comfort anddriving standard of an IVT,” claims Mark Jamesof John Deere. “With the dual-clutch system,there are always two gears engaged, with thedrive switched from one to the other as it stepsup through the range. This means it’s very fast,very snappy and very smooth.”

It’s the first time this sort of technology, ––usually only found in racing cars, –– has beenintroduced into an agricultural vehicle, and it’sbeen in development for five years, says John

Deere. It comprises two adjacent main driveshafts, each having four-speed gearing and anindividual clutch. The clutches work in parallel–– one engaging the same instant the other disengages –– to provide drive through the next gear. The following gear up or down isautomatically pre-selected on the other driveshaft while it’s passive.

This action prevents any interruption to thepower flow, claims Mark James, leading to anincrease in efficiency and better fuel utilisation.“You can either drive fully automatically, just asyou would with an IVT transmission, or selectone of the three ranges to suit the task in hand.The ranges are tailored to use, and they’redesigned so there’s no chance you’d need tochange range in the field.”

Range A works at speeds of 2.7-10.8km/h at nominal engine speed and is the best rangefor traction work. Range B provides speeds of5.4-21.5km/h, suitable for the vast majority ofapplications, involving pto-driven implements.The eight powershift speeds of range C aredesigned for transport work, covering 13.8-42km/h or, optionally, up to 54.6km/h.

The B/C control allows the driver to use bothtransmission ranges, with automatic shiftingbetween the two, or the tractor can be driven at a steady 40 or 50km/h maximum speed at 1550rpm. An AutoClutch function allows the tractor to be stopped without engaging the clutch.

The new transmission has been available

since Nov 2012 on all six-cylinder 6R models,from the 140hp 6140R to the 210hp 6210R.“It’ll take a fair bit of CVT territory,” predictsMark James. “Its beauty is its simplicity –– thereare fewer moving parts.” The option is priced at £5500.

LAMMA will be an opportunity to see JohnDeere’s new 6M Series tractors. These providemore power, functionality and operator comfortthan their 6030 Series predecessors, says themanufacturer. The new range spans 115-170hp,including a 140hp four-cylinder model. “There’sa new on-board display that’s simple and easy to understand –– it’s a step up in every wayfrom the 6030 series, but retains the featuresour customers like,” says Mark James. The 6Mseries can be fitted with a loader, and a newreturn-to-position (RTP) front loader option willbe on display at LAMMA. The existing 6130,6230 and 6330 standard cab models from 85-105hp will remain in the range for 2013.

s

New combines line upFor the 2013 harvest, Case-IH is introducing a host of new features on its range of Axial-Flow combines including aredesigned cab, folding augerand novel pivoting spout option.Up in the cab –– the largest and quietist in the industry, says Case-IH, there’s a newMultifunction Propulsion Handle,with upgraded right-hand console as well as an AFS display mounted on anadjustable slide rail.

Claas will be putting its newrange-topping Lexion 780 onshow, which claims to have outputs of 10-12% more thanthe existing 770 model thanks in part to the CEMOS automaticcontrol system, which adjustsitself to harvesting conditions.

Massey Ferguson is showing

its latest MF Beta combinerange, equipped with newSkyline cab. Fitted with noise-reducing glass that gives the operator access to an environment only found previously on premiumcombines, says MF, the cabalso gets a Techtouch terminal,a new control arm console anda Powergrip controller.

Cultivator and drilldevelopmentsClaydon reports strong demandfor its specialist straw harrowsince its launch 18 months ago,not least due to ever-worseningblackgrass problems. Designednot only for use before Claydon’sstrip-drilling system, but also infront of other drilling methods,the Straw Harrow provides aquick and cost-effective way

The latest Challenger MT 700D models are powered by 8.4 litre, AGCOPOWER SCR units, rated at 306-382hp.

Case-IH is introducing a number of new features to its Axial-Flow combinesfor 2013.


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L A M M A 2 0 1 3

Vibro to hi-tech move

Each 75cm section of the cultivator lifts out ofwork as it reaches the headland.

Kongskilde has displayed a range of kit tounderline its expansion into precision and GPS-guided fieldwork. Best known for itsVibroFlex tined cultivators, the Danish manufacturer has expanded rapidly in recentyears, and the group now includes Overumploughs, Nordsten drills, Becker precision drills and Howard power harrows.

A development of the Vibro crop interrow cultivator allows each individual 75cm section tolift independently on the headland. This worksby GPS so that the sections automatically lift,allowing the complete field to be worked with no crop damage, even in shortwork.

“A camera detects the crop lines and steersthe cultivator,” explains Kongskilde’s SorenThomasen. “There’s less work for the operatorand you can travel at up to 14km/h.” Due forlaunch in 2013, there will be working widths up 9.7m that will fold to 3m for road travel.

Straighter and more productive ploughing canbe achieved with Overum’s Vari Flex plough,linked up to GeoPlough RTK-GPS automatic furrow-width adjustment, claims the company’sIngemar Svenson. “The overall width of the 5fmodel can vary from 1.5-2.75m –– that’s quite a range. You can use it in an angled field, and

programme the unit so you finish the field on astraight line. Alternatively, it will automaticallycorrect uneven lines.”

Any size seed can be accurately placed withthe Becker Aeromat Eco-line precision drill, saysthe firm’s William Van’t Westeinde. “Seed fallsinto small cups on the metering disc, and thenan air jet blows away excess seed to leave justone that is dropped down to the coulter. It’s driven by a landwheel, but there’s an electricmotor overdrive that can make on-the-moveadjustments.” Control by GPS prevents overlapof seed. The drill is available in 4-12 row models.

The Wing Jet trailed boom spreader isKongskilde’s option for fertiliser, micro granulesand seed. “It’s the best, most accurate way tospread a diverse range of granules or prills,”maintains Roeland Luijk of Kongskilde.

Each spreading plate works at a width of1.2m, while the boom is split into 6m sections.“There’s little interference from wind, and irregular-sized granules can be spread withmuch greater accuracy than a spinning-discspreader.” GPS allows auto-boom shut-off, andeach 6m section can be controlled individually,allowing less overlap on headlands.

So does this diverse range of kit mark amove for the Danish manufacturer away fromtined cultivators? “Absolutely not,” says RoelandLuijk. “Tined cultivators are our bread and butter,and our products are increasing their marketshare. But with a cultivator you can control itsdepth or its width, and that’s it, apart from making electronics to better match a tractor to an implement.

“We’re keen to develop more advancedmachines and work in areas such as seedplacement where there’s more scope for technological advances to improve a grower’sproductivity. We’re also working towards moresophisticated cultivators, with auto-depth andauto-force control.”

On display at LAMMA 2013 will be anupgraded version of the VM3000 seedbed

cultivator. The G-bearing crumbler roller hasbeen upgraded with a new design able to cope far better with stony conditions, says themanufacturer.

LAMMA 2013 also sees the launch ofKongskilde’s FS Seeder, a pneumatic seeder foroilseed rape and intermediate crops, designed to fit the company’s DeltaFlex and VibroFlexstubble cultivators.

to encourage chitting for more effectiveherbicide control. At LAMMA 13, Claydonis introducing a trailed 15m-wide versionthat is designed for use with 200hp+ tractors and predicted to cover 162ha/day.

Two new cultivators will also be on showfrom Simba Great Plains. The DTX AR one-pass tined cultivator has auto-resetprotection on its deep-working ProLift legsto enable operators to continue work without needing to stop to change shear

Seed falls into small cups on the easilyremovable metering disc, and then an air jetblows away any excess seed.

Kongskilde’s Wing Jet trailed boom spreader can spread irregular-shaped material far more accurately than a spinning disc, claimsRoeland Luijk

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We hope you enjoy watching your free 2013Claydon DVD included with this magazine andseeing what Claydon –– and 11 years’ directdrilling experience –– can achieve for you onyour land.

You will also see news on Claydon’s brand

new 15m straw harrow to be launched next year.To receive the accompanying 28-page guide

to the Claydon system, please call 01440820327. If you didn’t receive your free DVD,let us know and we’ll post one to you.

Happy viewing!

Direct drilling DVD from Claydon FREE INSIDE !!STRIP SEEDING DVD


depth of up to 30cm using tines only 25mmwide, the system also applies fertiliser andplaces seed in one pass. It can be used asa direct drill, as a min-till machine or forthose who have reverted back to theplough, on ploughed land, too. TheSwedish company will also show a newCrosscutter add-on for its Carrier disc cultivators. Mainly designed to be usedafter oilseed rape and maize crops, theidea is to improve stubble cultivation andget a good stale seedbed after OSR bychopping and flattening the stubble.

Horsch’s 12-row precision drill, theMaestro 12CC, boasts the same technology as its larger brother, theMaestro 24, which broke the world recordfor drilling 448.29ha in 24 hours. Suitablefor maize, sugar beet and rapeseed,sophisticated single-grain technologyallows the drill to plant at high speedsthanks to individually controlled electrically-driven metering devices. The12CC also features a 2800-litre fertiliser hopper as well as 12 seed rows, each with a 70-litre seed hopper.

Meanwhile, as many will be thinkingmore about ploughing this year, Reco willbe showing new machines from Spanishplough specialist Ovlac for the first time.

Cousins’ latest cultivator is designed for rapidseedbed preparation and weed control.

bolts. Two smaller models will also beavailable in the SLD combination tine and disc cultivator range in 3m and 3.5mwidths. All products on show will also be inthe company’s new livery.

Strip-till drillDemonstrated to farmers for the first time in Sept, Väderstad will have 4m and6m wide Spirit Strip-Till drills on show.Designed to loosen a strip of soil to a

Massey Ferguson’s Beta combine range is nowfitted with its completely new, larger and quieterSkyline cab.

L A M M A 2 0 1 3

Ovlac manufactures ploughs of up to eightfurrows, although the initial UK productoffering will be 4f, 5f and 6f variants. s

There’s a choice of either manual orhydraulic furrow width, shear bolt or leaf-spring auto-reset protection andoptional hydraulic front-width adjustment.An unusual element is Ovlac’s fixed/oscillating headstock feature, which can be locked when not required, but when inuse gives the plough 30° of horizontalmovement.

The company will also be showing afront hopper combination for its 3-6m wide

Sulky XEOS TF combination drill. Availablewith 1000-litre or 1800-litre capacities, thehopper is fitted with either weights or afront press. There are 4m, 4.5m, 5m and6m-wide folding versions and 3m, 3.5mand 4m rigid options available.

Cousins is introducing a new innovativecultivator for rapid seedbed preparation,designed to reduce grass weed andbroadleaved weed burdens in the crop and across the rotation. The new modelincorporates a brand new tine designwhich, in conjunction with Razor Rings,helps initiate weed germination for effective control with total herbicide prior to sowing the crop.

The tines work at a consistent, shallow50mm depth with a precise level of control.The shallower working depth makes for very energy efficient cultivations,encouraging grassweed seed in the toplayer of soil to germinate, leaving seeds at lower levels undisturbed.

Meanwhile, German plough cultivatorand sprayer specialist Lemken will beshowcasing its new FlexPack press.Designed for use with Juwel 8, 4f to 6fmounted ploughs, the press is fully-mountedon the plough, providing easy transport

UK sprayer specialist, Househams, is replacing itsAir Ride self-propelled machines with the newMerlin flagship models.

between fields. The plough is turned to thebutterfly position, and the press carriedabove. Unlike other fully mounted presses,FlexPack is able to adjust its working widthwhen mounted on a vari-width plough. The60cm V-profile rings are arranged in pairs,and alter their spacing as the ploughingwidth is adjusted. While FlexPack is lighterthan a trailed plough-press, the operatorcan adjust the plough to transfer more orless weight to the press.

Spreader and sprayer sophisticationThe AutoSwitch headland managementsystem for KRM Bogballe fertiliser spreadersautomatically reduces the spreading widthto prevent overlapping, as well as full shut-off at the headland. It works in thesame way as a sprayer’s auto-section control. Using GPS positioning, it detectsthe machine’s position and, on the shortwork, automatically shuts down the spreadpattern in eight separate ‘sections’ as itencounters previously covered land. The system also accounts for the forwardspeed, material and application rate tomaintain the correct spread pattern at thenarrower widths to help maintain accuracy.

L A M M A 2 0 1 3

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Trailed sprayers don’t come much bigger than the Amazone UX 11200 that features a 12,000-litre tank and 40m-wide boom.

The Horsch Maestro features a 2800-litrefertiliser hopper as well as 12 seed rows eachwith a 70-litre seed hopper.

holders. Ektar B2 is available in widthsfrom 36m to 42m on Raptor self-propelledmodels and trailed Tenor sprayers.

Air Ride replacementFans of Househam sprayers will be interested to see two new self-propelledmachines from the Lincs manufacturer thatwill replace the popular Air Ride range. The flagship Merlin is available with tankcapacities from 3000-6000 litres and boomwidths of up to 36m. Boasting a longerwheelbase than the previous Air Ride, theboom is now invisible from the cab andpipework is cunningly hidden from sight. The engine, a Cat C 6.6, puts out either170hp or 225hp depending on the customer’s demands. Meanwhile, with a dry weight of 6t, the Spirit self-propelled isdesigned to be an entry-level machine withmechanical controls. For the price, which is said to be under £90,000, there’s a lot ofextras, such as full air-con, LED lights and a choice of wheels.

Amazone will be exhibiting the new, high-capacity trailed UX 11200 with 40mboom, 12,000-litre tank, HighFlow pumpsystem and the option of DoubleTrail fully automatic steering. There’s a choice

of either AutoLift or Distance-Control boom guidance and driving is made easier thanks to hydro-pneumatic axle suspension. Also on the stand will be the mounted UF1801 sprayer with fronttank system.

Following the acquisition of Leebsprayers last year, Horsch will be showingits range of sprayers for the first time atLAMMA, including the new self-propelledPT 270 with mechanical rather thanhydraulic drive. Equipped to travel at50km/h and available with boom widths of up to 36m, this 8000-litre machine ispowered by a 270hp Deutz engine andcan be filled in as little as eight minutes. A host of other features make the Leebworth a look if you’re after a high-specmachine. n

Berthoud’s new Ektar B2 boom featuresdual-action pendulum-axial type suspensionwith anti-yaw technology. The three-sectionboom offers a combination of strength, low maintenance and improved ride, says the company. It provides operatorswith the flexibility to alter suspension to best suit the terrain they are working on, selecting either the pendulum or theaxial centre-pivot system from inside the cab. The triangular strut aluminiumstructure integrates pipes and nozzle

A step-up on field efficiencyThe cost of

all the useful options isreturned several times

over by savings in chemical costs and improved work rates.

“

”

Every year, another gadget or gizmocomes out promising to cut sprayingtimes and improve efficiency. But it can be difficult to know what’s worthinvesting in without getting confused byall the options. So which of the addedextras add extra value?

“If I was buying a new machine I wouldfirstly opt for GPS automatic boom on-offcontrol,” reckons Syngenta’s applicationspecialist, Tom Robinson. “Automaticboom height control is another feature that I would definitely invest in, and that’sone that can be retrofitted, too.”

Record-keeping can be another areathat can use up time unnecessarily, and

if this can be done automatically by opting for a spray computer that does itjob-by-job, then this could cut time too, he adds. Many manufacturers now offerauto-rinse cycles for cleaning out both the tank and spray lines between jobs or at the end of the day, and that’s another option Tom Robinson says is worth considering.

“We’re also seeing larger induction hoppers, which is an obvious plus in termsof speeding up filling times. If I was goingdown the GPS route I would definitely consider RTK to future-proof the system,should I want to go down controlled trafficlines,” he adds.


There are plenty of technologyand design improvements,both in the field and at thespray store, that can enhancefield performance. CPM asks operators and manufacturershow useful they really are.

By Emily Padfield

Amazone brand manager Simon Brownbelieves there are four key areas of technology that help reduce operatorstress and improve efficiency. The first is automatic boom height control, or inAmazone technical speak, Distance-Control.

Avoiding drift“With recommended boom heights of only 50cm to avoid drift, it’s difficult to control each part of the boom at once andconcentrate on spraying. Just 20cm toohigh can double the drift,” he explains.“Because we’re now travelling at speedsof up to 20km/h, the operator has a hardjob to maintain the correct height abovethe crop. Distance-Control ensures thenozzle height stays where it needs to be,even when in valleys and on uneven terrain.”

Automatic boom section shut-off isanother must-have for improving efficiency,both in terms of speed and chemicaluse, particularly on headlands and in odd-shaped fields, he says. “There

It’s not just technology and new kit thatmakes a difference, but the day-to-day operational aspects of spraying, TomRobinson points out. “The layout of the store and filling area is very important, both to ensure carrying chemical is kept to a minimum, and for other tasks, like rinsing containers.”

Applications at 100 l/ha, as opposed to200 l/ha, will increase output by 30%, in just one step, he adds. “Another thing toconsider is that a bowser, with a colleague to man it, makes a huge difference and will often pay for itself. Typically, it increases output by 25%.”

Automatic boom levelling systems, available toretro-fit from a number of makers, will help cutdrift by maintaining the boom at the correctheight above the target.s

An increasingly common route is a switch from a trailed sprayer to a high-capacity mounted machine,says Lemken.

are also the agronomic benefits of preventing under-spray to avoid patchesof blackgrass developing and converselyreducing over-spray, which leads toscorching, especially when using liquid fertiliser.

“These days we are using more andmore boom-width part sections. But in my opinion, I’m not sure individual nozzle

shut-off is really necessary, because thenumber of times each nozzle operates canbe too frequent –– you’d need to be surethe time delay didn’t negate the benefits,”he explains.

But, he advises, automatic fill stop, agitation control and rinse out are key features worth opting for. “In terms ofreducing residual spray volumes, the

agitation control ensures more of thesprayer tank contents can be used without fear of foaming,” he says.

The automatic fill stop, as the namesuggests, prevents over-filling and allowsoperators to fill to the exact amount, whichis particularly important when they onlyneed a part tank to finish a field.

Wash out in the field“Automatic rinse out means the operatorcan wash the sprayer out in the field without leaving the cab and walking in the crop he’s just sprayed. And, the moreautomated the system, the more efficient itcan be with the fresh water on board. Forexample, the AMATRON 3 automaticallydraws in a proportion, then stops, thenrinses, then goes through the cycle again.”

Less important, according to SimonBrown, is self-steer, apart from perhaps onself-propelled machines. “But the cost ofall the useful options is returned severaltimes over by savings in chemical costsand improved work rates over the lifetimeof a sprayer,” he reckons.

Perhaps one of the simplest ways of upping efficiency is to increase thesprayer’s tank size. Mark Ormond ofLemken UK says there’s increasingdemand for larger, mounted sprayers,which are now accounting for a higherproportion of sprayer sales.

The 24m-wide boom on Derek Howe’s BatemanRB 26 contains the two most useful options onthe machine, he reckons. A contractor andsprayer operator, covering 14,000ha/yr aroundCirencester, Glos, he says it’s not auto-sectioncontrol that takes top honours, but the liquidrecirculation system.

“The ability to circulate thoroughly mixedchemicals through the lines and back to thetank provides instant starts. With ‘dead-ended’lines, the mixed spray takes time to reach theouter boom sections. In this case you have totravel up a tramline and note where and whenthe chemical begins to come through, and thenover-spray again.

“Alternatively, you need to sit on the headland spraying out until the mixture reachesthe outside nozzles. Neither scenario is ideal,and can waste time and cause inaccuracy byover-spraying.”

As well as offering immediate starts, therecirculation system also cuts cleaning time and improves efficiency, explains Derek Howe.“When washing out, it allows clean water to beflushed right through the booms. Otherwise, tocompletely clean ‘dead-ended’ spray lines,

you’d either spray out the contaminated liquid,or remove the end drain plugs and catch the liquid in a bucket. Neither of these are the bestsolutions,” he says.

Looking to future improvements, he says thesprayer, which is about two years old, is alreadyequipped to a high specification and any additions will be building on already firm foundations. In the initial buying process Derek Howe and Toby Baxter, the machine’sowner, decided to ‘future-proof’ the purchase by fitting it with virtually all the latest technologyavailable at the time. As such it already hasauto-section control, with separate one-metresections on the ends of each boom, Norac ultra-sonic boom levelling as well as AgLeaderONTrac2 automatic steering.

“If we do fit any more equipment, it will needto improve accuracy, efficiency or safety,” saysDerek Howe. “We could, for example, upgradethe existing EGNOS GPS signal to the more precise RTK system, although what we havenow is proving to be very accurate indeed. Alsowe could uprate to auto-control of individualnozzles, rather the sections, again to increaseaccuracy and reduce overlaps.”

The ability to recirculate liquid through thespraylines and back to the tank provides instant starts and helps speed up the rinsing and cleaning process, says Derek Howe.

Boom additions are a boon


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“On the Sirius range of mountedsprayer, we offer tank sizes of 900, 1300,1600 and 1900 litres, and the largest isvery clearly our most popular size. In fact,it’s accounted for nearly half of all Siriussales in the past three years. The interestingpoint is those opting for a 1900-litre

capacity mounted sprayer are often replacing an aging trailed machine,”he says.

“This greatly reduces purchase price for a start. A 1900-litre mounted machine has astarting price of about £28,900, while

a 2500-litre trailed sprayer, with fixed

Mark Elliott covers 5000ha/yr using a self-propelled, 4000-litre Agrifac Condor with24m wide booms for Hardstaff Linby, Hall Farm,Linby in Notts. Treating crops of winter andspring wheat, winter barley, oilseed rape,potatoes, carrots, sugar beet, asparagus and,this year, parsnips, one of the aspects that has most improved the efficiency of his spraying operation is a purpose-made, coveredsprayer-filling area, complete with attachedchemical store, office and washroom.

A specially made filling table with mesh topand drip tray allows measuring to be carried outat a safe and convenient working height rightnext to the sprayer, and any spillages can becaught and rinsed straight into the sprayer.Gently sloping floors and an underground 5000-litre capacity tank have been installed toprotect against environmental damage should a spillage occur.

When the farm decided to invest in a new

sprayer, one of the main aims was to increasecapacity from 2500 litres to 4000 litres. “It’sbeen a godsend, especially this year. We’ve hadto spray for blight 18 times, and to do that witha 2500-litre tank would have been a nightmare.I also wouldn’t want to go back to not havingauto shut-off now, given the savings it’s made inchemical and the fact that it prevents scorchingat the end of runs,” explains Mark Elliott, a FarmSprayer Operator of the Year finalist.

“The bigger tank has made a huge difference. You don’t always have to fill it –– infact it’s quite rare that we do –– but for thevegetables and potato crops we grow, it’s definitely resulted in an improvement in efficiency. When I first had the machine I didn’tuse the auto-tank shut off, but I’m convertednow because I don’t have to keep an eye on itall the time and can get on with other tasks,”he adds.

During washing out, the GreenFlowPlus

system also allows for the tank to be completelyemptied when rinsing. “I let some water out,rinse again and then let out a little more. Itmeans the booms are completely rinsed out at the end of the day.”

Mark Elliott uses a specially made, waist-heightfilling and draining table to improve the fillingroutine.

Bigger tank brings big benefits

drawbar, starts at £34,000. Adding steering could put this up by £4000.”

Using a mounted sprayer also has thepotential to cut crop damage, as fewer axlesare travelling over the ground, and it’s moremanoeuvrable when backing into corners orawkward headlands, says Mark Ormond.


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Kuhn has introduced its Electronic Mass Control(EMC) metering system onto the Axis hydraulic-drive twin-disc range of fertiliser spreaders.A mechanical-drive version of the system hasalso been developed and will be rolled out acrossthe range in 2013.

EMC has been developed for Kuhn by Germanmanufacturer Rauch –– the two companies haveworked together on spreader technology for thepast 45 years. “Weigh cells have limitations as ameans of measuring fertiliser on a movingmachine,” says head of product developmentNorbert Rauch. “So we started with a totally new technology, influenced by how sprayers meter liquid.”

The Rauch team found there was a linear relationship between the pressure applied to the hydraulic drive of a spinning disc and themass flow (in kg/min) of fertiliser that was beingdistributed onto the disc. A pressure sensor in the hydraulic unit would therefore provide veryaccurate information on the actual rate of fertiliserapplied in real time. The system does away withconventional static calibration testing, with all theadjustments handled by pre-programmed data inthe in-cab controller.

“With the EMC system, measurements arebeing taken every second, which means almostinstantaneous, on-the-move adjustment of aperture size independently to either side of

the machine in response to changes in fertiliserflow-ability. This can maintain accuracy on hillyterrain, for example, or can respond if a lump offertiliser temporarily blocks an aperture. In thiscase, the sensor will register the drop in pressurecaused by the blockage and will open the apertureto remove it. Then it’ll self adjust to maintain thetarget rate.

“We wanted to get the same system on amechanical drive. It took seven years to develop,but we got there eventually,” says Norbert Rauch.Sensors on the mechanical drive shaft measurethe change in torsion, to a similar level of precision as the hydraulic sensors. Mechanical-drive EMC will be introduced across the Axisrange (Axis M EMC) in spring 2013, and modelsare expected to be priced around 20-30% belowthe hydraulic drive (Axis H EMC) models.

Further in-field accuracies can be achievedwith Opti Point and Vari Spread, he claims. OptiPoint uses GPS to open and close the aperture onthe headlands. The optimum distance from theheadland tramline is decided by the fertiliser type,as well as bout width. Vari Spread works with thehydraulically operated EMC to change the spreadpattern in short work and overlaps to reduce theover-application of fertiliser.

“Vari Spread adjusts the disc speed, applicationpoint and rate on one side or the other to achievethe optimum spreading pattern. If you add up all

points in a field where overlaps typically occur,it can be up to 50% of the field area.”

In the pipeline is an electric drive for the twin-disc spreader, that would deliver even greaterin-field accuracy and precision, says NorbertRauch. “But it would take some modifications tothe tractor to power the 480V motor needed, so it will probably be 2014 before this technology iscommercially available.”

While Opti Point is available across the Axisrange if Quantron electronic control is fitted, VariSpread is limited to an on/off facility on either sideof the Axis M EMC models. With working widthsfrom 18-42m and a maximum hopper capacity of3000 litres, the starting price of the Axis 40.1 HEMC is £17,964.

Weigh cells have limitations as a means ofmeasuring fertiliser on a moving machine,says Norbert Rauch.

Greater precision for Kuhn spreaders

Auto-fill systems ensure exact quantities of waterare added to the tank for part loads.

Mounted assistance“These new mounted sprayers now includeall the operator-assistance features, such as auto-boom height control, headlandmanagement, auto-section control andautomatic filling and cleaning systems.”And because a large mounted sprayer is now nearly as big as a small trailedmachine, output is very similar betweenthe two types, he concludes.

Drift is another area where purchasingthe latest nozzle technology not only helpsoperators comply with industry guidelines,but they can also improve application efficiency. Low-drift nozzles can also ultimately result in chemical savings,thanks to more accurate pesticide placement. It’s also possible to extendspraying windows using specialistdesigns, like double-fan nozzles and air-inclusion systems.

Harrison Ag Technologies and Altekhave launched a second generation ofSmart Nozzle that uses GPS technology to control individual nozzles on the sprayboom using the latest electro-pneumaticdirect-control valves from Altek. This cutsover-spray and can reduce chemical costsby 20%, says Altek.

Meanwhile, Hypro’s new VPTechinclined nozzle is designed for pre-andpost-emergence spraying and delivers aflat-fan spray at a 30° incline. The nozzle

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One of the best ways to improve overallspraying efficiency and improve environmental protection is to invest in updating your spray store and filling area. This will reduce turnaround times and keep the job safely all in one place.

Aside from being designed to protectagainst and contain any spillages or washings reaching watercourses, a welldesigned filling area should have:l A secure, identified and bunded store

l Easy access to pesticide storagel Emergency numbers and procedures

clearly shownl Emergency equipment, such as fire

extinguisher and first aid kit, easily to hand

l Only store chemicals that have a planned use

l Waist-high work surface for easy handling and measuring

l Area for draining, segregating and storing rinsed pesticide containers

l Clean water storage tank or water supplied via a double-check valve

l Drip tray or portable bundl Spill kit (cat litter, dust pan/shovel,

brush etc).

Spray store design

comprises a Hypro TwinCap body –– one80° or 110° VP tip and a blanked secondoutlet available for twin-spray applications.Nozzle tips should face alternately forwards and backwards along the boom.

The new AI3070 spray tip from TeeJetTechnologies is designed specifically forfungicide application in cereal crops. The air-induction nozzle is said to providethorough plant coverage with minimalspray drift, using two spray patterns –– the 30° forward-facing pattern for foliagepenetration and the 70° backward-facingpattern for upper crop canopy and earcoverage. n

Power push

We wanted more weight and

power to be able tomaintain our target forward speed of

10km/h at depth, ifrequired.

“

”

For most, calculating what horsepower isrequired for a given acreage is driven bywork rates. But while during a dry season,it’s possible to get by with just enoughhorsepower, this year has shown that having just that little bit more isn’t always a bad thing.

James Whitfield and his father Bill farm in the region of 380ha, based at Furzen Hill Farm, near Kenilworth in Warwicks. A proportion of this land is used for onion production by fresh produce grower,Sandfields Farms. This means rotation is altering continually to suit market demands.

“Each field is treated differently and there’sno fixed rotation. Predominantly it’s two wheatsfollowed by an oilseed rape,” explains James.

“We changed from ploughing to min till in 2007,” he says. Everything now has a pass with a 3m Sumo Trio and is then drilled with a Weaving 6.6m tine drill.

And despite the desperate drilling conditions experienced this year, most of the

2013 crop had been drilled by the start ofNov –– 80ha of OSR and 160ha of wheat.

“In the past, many farms would’ve resorted to the plough in this situation, and pulled the combination drill out of theshed. But in some cases, even that hasn’tbeen an option.

“We’ve had to plough and leave fieldsbefore in the hope of getting on them at a later date,” James Whitfield continues. “But this year, it’s been a job to know what to do, as there’s been no telling when aworking window will appear.”

Milling wheat varieties Gallant, Cordialeand Solstice are grown alongside JB Diego.“Because we have light land, wheat burnsoff early, so quality is important to us as high

yields aren’t often achieved. This is why optimising our ability to time applications,planting and harvesting is vital, especially in a season when yields are down and premiums are reaching £35/t.


Upgrading from a MasseyFerguson 6495 to a newlylaunched 7624 Dyna-6 hashelped one Warwicks farm up work rates and adapt cultivation practices to suit changing rotations.

By Emily Padfield

O N - FA R MO P I N I O N

Mark Lissaman, the foreman andmain driver of the MF 7624, hasalways favoured Massey Fergusonproducts.

“Compared with a lot of people, we seem to have fared well, in terms of specificweights, achieving 73-74kg/hl this year, which is lucky. And fortunately, we don’t really suffer from blackgrass problems.As and where we’ve had patcheswe’ve kept on top of it and have managed to keep it to a minimum.”

Foreman’s favouriteUntil this year, all cultivations had been done with an MF 6495–– the MF range is something of a favourite for foreman MarkLissaman, who started working atthe farm in 1985. “When I cameto the farm we had a number ofdifferent makes of tractor.However, I like Massey and itsproducts, and because we’vealways had good support, slowlythe fleet has all turned red.”

The change in cultivation policy means that work rates arenow paramount in allowing thedrill to carry on working. “Withthe Sumo, we’re able to cover inthe region of 20-23ha in a day. In terms of drilling, our work rates are more like 40-45ha,which is why we needed morehorsepower to cover groundahead of the drill,” explains Mark Lissaman.

“We wanted more weight andpower to be able to maintain ourtarget forward speed of 10km/hat depth, if required.”

For several years, OSR wasdrilled after a pass with the SumoTrio, but trash was difficult to dealwith, so they opted for a seederunit on the back of the tinedmachine. This year, all OSR hasbeen established with the Sumo and Stocks seeder unit.

Cropping and land management around the onions–– around 60ha of the rotation –– must be managed carefully,explains James Whitfield. “Wecan’t have OSR in the rotationregularly on land destined foronions for fear of introducing disease problems in the crop.”

Soil types are predominantlysandy loam, which makes it idealground for growing onions, andfields destined for the crop are


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Model MF 6495 MF 7624

Engine AGCO SISU Power AGCO SISU Power e3 SCRsix-cylinder six-cylinder

Capacity 6.6 litre 7.4 litre

Transmission Dyna-6 Dyna-6

Rated power (ISO hp) 185 235

Max. power (ISO hp) with EPM

Max. Torque (Nm) 841 1030

Max. Torque with EPM (Nm) 904 1120

This is the first tractor on the farm to needAdBlue, although it hasn’t been a big issue.

The cab now has the same style and shape asthe MF 8600 range and interior colour has alsochanged from grey to beige.

ploughed, to ensure a clean start. “Afterthe onions are lifted, the soil flows like sandin an hourglass, which has implications forcompaction management. We try to managethis on a field-by-field basis.

“With the higher-horsepower 7624 we’reable to put the mounted Sumo in deepenough –– up to 35cm if required –– to get rid of any compaction issues we may have.”

Having tried a trailed Sumo, they decidedon a mounted because the previous tractor wasn’t quite man enough. Given theweather this year, however, even the higher-horsepower model would’ve done well tocope, he reckons.

The MF 7624 has done just over 400hrssince it was delivered in the summer. Onaverage, each tractor on the farm doesabout 500hrs/yr, which both admit isn’ta high workload.

And although the MF 7624 is now the flagship of the Whitfield’s fleet, other tractors still play a pivotal role. The MF 6480carries out all drilling, while the compact MF5480 does all the spraying, coupled to aCleanacres Airtec sprayer. “The 5480 is areally punchy little tractor and ideal forspraying and rolling.”

The MF 7624 is the first tractor theWhitfields have had with SCR (selective catalytic reduction) and therefore the first to use AdBlue.

Mark Lissaman’s experience of drivingHGVs in the winter means he’s been usingthe system for the past eight years. “It’sstraightforward, and I haven’t had any problems at all in HGVs, so I didn’t see anyissues with having it in a tractor,” he says.

AdBlue usage is roughly 10 l/day andcosts in the region of 52ppl. “Although itwould do three days’ worth of work, I tend to fill it up every time I fill the diesel tank, so it’s easy to keep track of use.”

“We did think about getting an oldermodel without the new technology,” adds James Whitfield. “But as Mark hadexperience with a dual-fuel vehicle, it wasn’t a big issue.”

When pulling the 3.5m Sumo Trio at10km/h and at 35cm depth, fuel use has

Spec by Spec – MF 6495 vs MF 7624

205 260

been in the region of 17 l/ha, reckons Mark Lissaman.

Need to refill“If you’re working all day solidly it’ll do a 12hrstint, but anything more than that with thecultivation work we’re doing at depth, wewould need to refill, which is what I’d expect from any tractor of that size.”

Although all MF 7600 Series tractors come AutoGuide, ready with full auto-steercompatibility, and can be fitted with thenewly launched AGCOMMAND telemetrysystem, there are no plans to go down theGPS route just yet, says James Whitfield.

“We did have yield mapping on one of ourearlier Massey combines, but apart for thiswe’re not really looking at adopting GPS atthe moment.”

Of the three spec levels of the MF 7624available –– Essential, Efficient and Exclusive–– the Whitfields have chosen the mid-rangeEfficient, expected to prove the most popularacross Europe.

Essential provides an entry-level model,with a new right-hand console and traditional‘T-bar’ lever, as well as mechanical spoolvalves. Efficient models get both mechanicaland electronic spool valves and the option of a new multifunction joystick instead of the‘T-bar’. For those wanting all the bells andwhistles, the top-of-the range Exclusiveoption has all-electronic spools, CommandControl Arm with Multipad lever andMultifunction joystick.

“I’m not keen on a lot of automation,”explains Mark Lissaman. “But I do rate theforward and reverse shuttle on the joystick–– having multiple functions in one placemakes it good to drive.

“At first I didn’t like the change of colour in the cab from grey to beige, but now I’vegot used to it, I do. It’s easy to drive and isdefinitely powerful enough for what we needit for,” he adds.

“Although I know that there are probablylots of functions I won’t use, there are a few

that I find really useful, like the engine presets and memory functions. I’ve usedthe headland management system, but

again, for the work I’m doing, I prefer to drive it manually.”

“But there’s one aspect I haven’t got myhead round yet –– when you select reverseat low speeds, it often returns to the presetgear and not the one you’ve been moving inimmediately before. You find yourself havingto select another gear quickly to avoidhurtling back at speed.”

The 235hp MF 7624 is fitted with a second generation AGCO POWER e3 SCR 7.4 litre engine. There’s a maximumhorsepower with engine power management(EPM) of 260hp, which brings the MF 7624 a torque level of 1030 Nm, rising to 1120 Nm when EPM kicks in during pto and transport modes.

Other new features on the range includethe new cab, passed down from the MF 8600 range. Available with either a Dyna-6 or Dyna-VT continuously variabletransmission, the Whitfields have opted forthe Dyna-6 powershift.


s

William DP Whitfield, Furzen Hill Farm,Warwicks

l Tractors: MF 7624, MF 6480, MF 5480, MF 3680, MF 398

l Combine: MF Centora 7282

l Sprayer: Cleanacres Airtec sprayer with 20m boom

l Drill: Weaving 6.6m Pneumatic Tine Drill

l Cultivation: 3m Sumo Trio, 3m McConnell Shakearator, 5f Dowdeswell plough

l Telehandler: JCB 526-56

Machinery line up

Happy with the Dyna-6“We didn’t really see the need for a CVTtransmission for what we do as it’s primarilya field-work tractor and we were happy withthe Dyna-6 in the previous model –– I don’t think it would have warranted theextra cost,” explains James Whitfield.

The new Command Control Armrest houses most controls, and can be speccedto feature a number of different joysticksdepending on the intended purpose.

“We opted for what local AGCO dealerBruce Hopkins had in stock, because

It’s easy to get the hang of the new screenarrangement, says Mark Lissaman, and themultifunction joystick has a usefulforward/reverse shuttle.

we didn’t really want any of the extras.”However this model did come with a multifunction joystick which has eased operation as all functions are available in one place.

Hopkins, based in Shennington, nearBanbury, looks after the primarily red fleet oftractors and the combine on the farm, notesJames Whitfield.

“We’ve had brilliant service over the yearsfrom the fitters at Bruce Hopkins, particularlywith our combine, as the fitter we use knowsevery model inside out.

The farm replaced its previous MF Cereacombine with an MF Centora two years ago.“We were pleased with the Cerea combine,but after eight years there were a few issuesstarting to appear. Saying that, the personwho bought it second-hand hasn’t had anyproblems with it so far.”

They haven’t really had any problems with any modern Massey Ferguson, addsMark Lissaman. “There were serious issueswith them in the 90s, but these seem to have been ironed out.”

Recently, changes to the dealer network have been announced by AGCO,with the MF dealership changing handsfrom Bruce Hopkins to Lister Wilder. “We’ll have to wait and see what thesechanges bring, but the dealership is

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

going to be nearer which is a good thing.”Not quite as near as the AGCO European

office, which is just down the road. So wouldthis explain the farm’s loyalty to the manufacturer? “Not really,” saysJames Whitfield. “We’ve dealt with Massey formany years. However, we do occasionallytest things on the farm, and no doubt it’s agood thing for them to have red tractorsworking in the fields around their offices.” n


in this issue - cpm magazine...many roe deer that wreak havoc on the new saplings....

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