GatePost. Difficult 2018 highlights importance of good spring barley establishment

Transcription

1 FROM THE BREEDER GatePost FEBRUARY 2019 Difficult 2018 highlights importance of good spring barley establishment RON GRANGER Arable Technical Manager Limagrain UK s arable technical manager Ron Granger says this demonstrates the tough conditions growers can face when trying to get crops established in the spring. Success stories He points out that despite the topsy-turvy spring, there were success stories, with good yields achieved where growers used windows of opportunity in both early March and April to drill into good seed-beds with plenty of moisture. However, where these chances weren t taken, rapidly drying seed-beds towards the end of the drilling window in April saw crops establish poorly and suffer as a consequence, particularly on heavier soils. It is known that drilling in late February or early March can boost yield potential, so growers should aim to drill earlier if the season allows. My view is that drilling should not be delayed if both weather and soil conditions allow for rapid emergence and unchecked plant growth. An extremely challenging spring barley season in 2018 has highlighted the importance of optimising crop establishment for achieving the highest yields. January was wetter than average for much of the UK and while February was drier, it was also very cold. Unsettled weather returned for much of March and April, before the record-breaking hot summer started in May. However, if growers are pushed later, like we saw in 2018, it s vital to wait for the right seed-bed conditions to allow for good crop establishment. The last thing you want is for a crop to start growing, run out of moisture and grind to a halt, explains Mr Granger. Flexible seed rates In addition to getting drilling date spot on, seed rates were also important for optimising yield in 2018, particularly as many crops were not established well into April. Mr Granger says flexibility is key when calculating spring barley seed rates and Limagrain trials have shown a good starting point for most varieties is 350 seeds/m 2 when sown into optimum conditions in Spring Barley Agronomy Lessons from 2018 Drill early where seed-beds are suitable for rapid establishment Exercise patience if drilling is delayed and wait for optimum conditions Use a benchmark seed rate of 350 seeds/m 2 for mid-march Adjust seed rates upwards if sowing date is pushed back into April High tillering varieties perform better in stressful situations Be flexible with nitrogen applications to ensure maximum N use efficiency Use balanced macro and micro nutrition to protect tiller numbers Ensure plants do not suffer any stress to maximise yield potential - this applies to all spring crops. continued >

2 > continued This should be adjusted down if drilling earlier and in very good conditions. Conversely, growers need to push up seed rates when drilling after the end of March, as varieties have less time to tiller and reach the optimum final ear count of 775 ears/m 2. Some of the very late-drilled crops in 2018 were in the ground for less than four months and seed rates of 550 seeds/m 2 were not uncommon. This was the only way a good final ear number and optimum yield could be achieved in many cases. Tiller survival Another aspect of spring barley agronomy impacted by the challenging 2018 spring is nutrition, with drying soils hindering nitrogen uptake and tiller survival in later-drilled spring barley crops. Mr Granger advocates a split dose approach and Limagrain trials, run in conjunction with Scottish Agronomy, have shown a yield benefit from applying 150kg/ha of total N, with 120kg/ha in the seed-bed (standard practice) and an additional 30kg/ ha N at tillering. Q However, greater flexibility might be needed in exceptional conditions, such as last spring, when insufficient moisture limited plants ability to uptake nutrients from the soil. Too many growers apply all the crop s nitrogen requirement in one dose and hope for the best that s a bad idea, particularly when it s dry. Be aware of the moisture status in the soil and ensure that the plants will be able to use the nitrogen straight away or you risk wasting N and losing tillers, he explains. Good quality blue peas usually make the best prices, whilst bleached samples end up at the feed mill, why is this? Premium markets need peas that are as green as possible. Micronizers want the pea to really stand out in the ration, whilst the canners have restrictions on the use of artificial colourings. Mr Granger emphasises that nutrition is not all about nitrogen, with adequate available phosphate in the soil imperative for crop growth and maintaining shoot numbers. Micronutrients also play an important role in establishment, rooting and maintaining tillers, so consider using a nutritional seed treatment, plus foliar manganese and phosphite applications early in the crop s development, he adds. QHow do we keep the peas green? Harvesting the crop early before the peas bleach, has always been good advice. Harvest at 18% moisture and then dry down gently, rather than waiting for the crop to get to 15% or below. Be aware of moisture status in the soil and ensure that the plants will be able to use the nitrogen straight away or you risk wasting N and losing tillers Breeders Perspective Will Pillinger Pulse Breeder Choosing a more vigorous tillering variety will help, as it will give some reassurance that the optimum tiller count will be reached. LG Diablo and LG Tomahawk new spring barley additions last season, sitting at the top of the AHDB Recommended List are higher tillering and have performed very well in 2018, despite tough conditions. Varieties that produce higher tiller counts also show benefits in high stress situations, as they will be able to compensate where plant numbers are low, adds Mr Granger. Q & A QDo some varieties have better colour retention than others? Yes they do. Varieties like Kingfisher are specifically bred and selected for their colour retention. Kingfisher has specific genes that help to retain the chlorophyll and keep the pea greener for longer. QHow does that work? Limagrain work with a mutation of the Lox gene called L-3. This gene blocks the chlorophyll degradation pathway in the ripening pea, hence the pea stays green rather than losing its colour. We use markers to follow the gene so that we can select only those lines that will keep their colour and achieve the best prices for the grower. FROM THE On-farm thoughts from some of our farmer partners around the country Tony Bambridge, Norfolk B&C Farming Ltd are contract farmers and producers of high quality seed potatoes, based in north east Norfolk, near Aylsham. Day to day operations are the responsibility of MD Tony Bambridge. Despite last season being one of the most challenging in recent memory, there is very little change to our rotation and areas will remain roughly the same going forward. However, the hot weather and lack of rainfall over the summer means that quality potato seed could potentially be in short supply, so we will need to adopt a more pragmatic approach to planting and tolerate smaller tuber sizes and potentially higher levels of disease resistance. We may also reduce the planting density by about 5% to accommodate for the shortage of quality seed. Lower yields mean higher prices, however it would be wise to remember the adage With this that nothing creates a surplus more than a shortage and not get too greedy. security of contracts, potatoes could prove to be one of the more Brexit-proof crops We face some difficulties around future desiccation with the impending loss of diquat and will need to carefully consider the alternatives and how to use them before we get there. There is still some positivity as good growth continues in the processing sector, and we have the security of long term contracts with our suppliers. With this security of contracts, potatoes could actually prove to be one of the more Brexit-proof crops. We have completed our new seed potato store and are extremely thankful for the contribution from the European Union productivity grants. Who knows when we will be able to get funding like this again? Hopefully, the sugar beet may yield more than anticipated as it continues to fill over the kind autumn - we hope that we will still fulfil our contract. It will be interesting to see if those growers on the one year contracts continue with the crop. Going into the winter, our thoughts turn to water. We need as much as we can get over here to build up winter storage reservoirs. Let it rain for the next few months! Phillip Gorringe, Hereford Phillip Gorringe farms 370 hectares on a Duchy of Cornwall tenancy. Cropping is all grown for seed. He runs a herd of suckler cows and a racing kart business. Good soils and precision technology make life simpler Autumn drilling was one of the kindest we have had for many years, rounding off what can only be described as a near perfect harvesting and drilling season - one that was long overdue for this part of the country. This meant that instead of our usual 250 combine hours, it was down this year to 165! Soils have also benefitted from the dry summer after several very wet summers, our clay and gravel loamy soils were not in great shape. But nature has a way of sorting itself out and bar some remedial subsoiling in gateways we left the soils alone to recuperate and the soil structure has come back. We ve even managed to min till a field after peas no ploughing needed. However that doesn t mean we have given up the plough - we will continue to use it where needed. I m not convinced that min till is the panacea that everyone believes. We also continue to bale the straw - at 200/ha it s worth too much to leave on the field. My son Monty has joined the farm full-time and it s great to have some young ideas and thoughts being introduced to the business. We have bought into a new system to replace Gatekeeper, and are now using a mobile cloud based system that is much more user friendly, efficient and intuitive to use. So for example, when we put in our spray records it automatically uploads the weather for that day. With the sad passing of our tractor driver Kev, it s been great to have Monty to step up into the breach. He has been able to take on all the tractor driving with very little help and I am very grateful for his efforts. We had very little issue with CSFB and our forage rape crops look very well. Let s hope the winter continues to be kind. Dec 2018 Dec 03

3 New feed wheat challenges soft vs. hard preconceptions RON GRANGER Arable Technical Manager Limagrain carried out three snap Twitter polls on people s perception of hard and soft wheats and when looking for a high yielding wheat, 39% of respondents said they would still choose a hard grain type. The same proportion thought hard wheats would typically out-yield their soft milling cousins and finally, a significant 56% thought that hard wheats produce a better grain quality than soft wheats. Limagrain UK s arable technical manager; Ron Granger challenges this preconception years ago, soft wheats such as Riband, Consort, Claire and Robigus were dominating the UK wheat area, offering premium qualities and yields on par with hard feed wheats on the Recommended List. However, higher feed wheat demand and improved prices, plus a surge of top yielding hard milling feed wheats from breeders, saw the so-called barn fillers take over, as everyone strived for maximum grain output from their crops. Poll Results If choosing a high yielding wheat, which are you more likely to choose? 32% 29% Newly recommended LG Skyscraper is quashing the idea that hard feed wheats have yield and grain quality advantages over soft endosperm alternatives. 39% Hard Soft Either This has led to the perception in some quarters, that the highest yielding wheats are hard endosperm types, and we need to dispel that myth, says Mr Granger. Highest yielder Perhaps the variety to do that is soft Group 4 LG Skyscraper, which joined the 2019/20 AHDB Recommended List as the highest yielding UK wheat by 2% and has a range of additional traits attractive to all feed wheat growers. Bred in the UK, it has shown consistently high yields in trials across varying seasons and has demonstrated that same potential in first and second wheat slots, on heavy and light soils and when drilled late in the autumn. On top of its high output, other agronomic attributes include; early maturity, a good disease resistance package, orange wheat blossom midge resistance and a strong tillering ability combined with fast spring growth - which makes it ideal for blackgrass situations. Do you think hard wheats are higher yielding than soft wheats? 45% 16% 39% Yes No Undecided Source: LG Seeds UK Twitter poll, Nov/Dec 2018 Grain quality characteristics of a large grain, combined with a good Hagberg falling number of 221 and a high specific weight of 77.2 kg/hl, make it an attractive package when compared to other feed wheat varieties. Mr Granger believes the variety s all-round package should be considered by any feed wheat grower and not just those in traditional soft wheat-growing heartlands of the north of England and Scotland. It s no coincidence that the variety performs very well in the south east; an area associated with a drier climate after all, this is where the variety was bred. We know it has high yield potential and with the bonus of distilling potential, there might be additional premiums to be had over standard hard milling feed wheats, he adds. Do you think hard wheats produce better grain quality than soft wheats? 28% 16% 56% Yes No Undecided No stranger to high yields, Tim Lamyman of Worlaby Farms in Lincolnshire holds the world record yield for combining peas of 6.47 t/ha, with a crop of LG Stallion blue peas. Whilst not attempting a world record in 2018, Mr Lamyman still managed a very impressive performance in what was a very challenging season for pulse crops, with a second crop of LG Stallion peas that yielded 5.6 t/ha at 14.76% moisture. We asked Mr Lamyman what his top ten tips are for growing a successful crop of peas; Top Ten Tips 1. Variety choice Choose the right variety for your situation. It must be high yielding, have good standing power to support it s yield and have good disease resistance. 2. Drilling conditions The soil must be aerated before drilling and soil conditions must be excellent for drilling into - forcing any pulse crop into damp soggy soils will restrict root growth from the start. 3. Seed rate My experience with peas has taught me to edge on a 10% higher rate than recommended. This is to allow the peas to compete with each other earlier, and fill in all the gaps to stop the pigeons from getting in, (if you are lucky enough to not have a pigeon problem, then you can ignore this advice!). 4. Attention to timing of insecticide applications It s very important to prevent infection from viruses as these are detrimental to pea yields. 5. Early nutrition in the form of XStress This helps the pea plant to fight the extremes of weather through the growing season. When the weather conditions are as dry as they were last season, it is essential to use this product more than once. LG Stallion gained full recommendation onto the PGRO Recommended List based on its high yields, excellent colour retention and its suitability for human consumption and micronizing. These factors, along with LG Stallion s excellent standing power and good disease resistance, explain why the variety already holds 7% of the combining pea market. Top Ten Tips for growing peas... soil must be aerated before drilling and soil conditions must be excellent for drilling into Tissue testing Carry this out three to four weeks before the pea plant is due to flower, to ascertain any nutrition deficits and to allow yourself plenty of time to balance them up. 7. Potassium levels at flowering Must be kept up as this element will severely restrict yield if it is low. I would always be applying ToPPit at this time and a 0/30/40 high P and K product specially designed for use in peas. 8. Fungicide choice Use a targeted approach for the diseases to which your peas are susceptible. 9. Flowering Targeting specific nutrition at this time will help increase your yield and even out your sample of peas. I would seriously recommend trying CalFlux and XStress mixed in with the fungicide timing. 10. Desiccation timing To obtain a human consumption sample and a big premium, desiccating a day or two earlier is much safer for sample quality than being a day or two late with the 05

4 SPRING BARLEY AGRONOMY NEWS MAIZE - An opportunistic crop this year TIM RICHMOND Maize Manager UK and Ireland With livestock farmers looking to rebuild forage stocks, there will be increased interest in either growing maize on contract with a local arable farmer, or buying standing crops. Maize on arable farms could be an attractive option this season for use as AD feedstock or for livestock feed. Maize works well as an alternative to spring cereals in the rotation and can be a useful break crop if blackgrass is an issue. As the objectives of the end user and grower are different, it is vital to select the right variety. The livestock farmer will be interested in both the quality and total yield of forage, focussing on characteristics like dry matter yield, starch content and cell wall digestibility. AD plant operators will want to maximise energy yield to optimise methane production. The grower will be more concerned with fresh yield and early maturity, to harvest in time to allow for an autumn sown crop to be established in the rotation. First, look for the correct maturity of varieties to suit your site. Then, select varieties with improved early vigour for rapid establishment. Finally, select for yield and quality parameters to ensure your maize will combine high yields with excellent feed quality. Following this process will ensure you produce forage that will meet both you and your end users needs. First, look for the correct maturity of varieties to suit your site. Then, select varieties with improved early vigour for rapid establishment. Pinnacle, Prospect and Gatsby are three new varieties from LG which combine agronomic, yield and feed quality attributes to successfully meet the diverse needs of both growers and end users. PROSPECT MAIZE /maize Putting malting barley to the test It can be frustrating for growers to see a spring barley like LG Diablo sat at the top of the Recommended List with provisional approvals for malting use, but to then find that their grain merchant isn t too keen to offer a contract to grow it. Why would that be? Surely if it s a malting variety, there must be a market for it! Perhaps we can help by explaining the malting approval process that all barley varieties in the UK must go through. To do this, we have to go back to the three harvest years before LG Diablo appeared on the Recommended List. In each of these three years, not only did AHDB gather yield and agronomic data but samples were taken and tested for their suitability for the three malting barley categories in the UK: Brewing Malt distilling Grain distilling These were Tests, carried out on small trials samples by an industry group working to exacting protocols, called the Group (MMG). LG Diablo Testing Timeline 3 years of official yield and agronomy trials The results were passed to Malting Barley Committee (MBC), made up of representatives of maltsters and end users who control the approval system and advise the AHDB on whether or not the variety is suitable for use as a malting barley. This process is the guarantee to seeds sellers, agronomists, growers and grain merchants, that a malting barley is just that a malting barley. Three years of testing brings us to December The MBC advised the AHDB that LG Diablo was suitable as a potential malting barley for use by distillers and brewers, so it was duly added to the 2018/19 Recommended List as the highest yielding spring barley, with provisional malting approval. The good news for the supply chain is that the testing process continues into a fourth year. It s all well and good saying that a small trial sample has sound malting quality but what happens when you put hundreds of tonnes into a malting and then into a brewery or distillery? Does it process as well as the old varieties, does it give a high spirit yield? Does it produce cloudy beer? There is only one way to find out. The maltsters and end users need to carry out macro, industrial scale trials. Such was the huge interest in LG Diablo, that over 5000 tonnes of grain was produced LES DAUBNEY Cereal and Oilseed Product Manager from harvest 2018, for up to 10 full scale brewing and distilling trials. These trials are now underway. The results of the trials will be reported to the MBC, and when the MBC meets in May 2019, they will decide whether LG Diablo should be given full approval. When we sow the 2020 crop, we will all know whether LG Diablo is fully approved or not, but that doesn t help growers decide what to do this year! The enthusiasm for LG Diablo seems to grow. The trial crops all yielded well, growers are happy, and the results so far have been encouraging. Maltsters must now make decisions about what contracts to offer for harvest Although some will wait to see what the MBC decides in May, many will have already made the decision to produce larger volumes of LG Diablo so that they can carry out even bigger trials. So, what does this all mean? It means that LG Diablo has widespread support from the industry, but it will not be fully approved until after you harvest this year s crop. If your grain buyer can offer you a contract, then you should take the opportunity to try this exciting new barley and if you can t get a contract, then perhaps there is not too much risk, as LG Diablo looks to us, to be a real winner! FEB MAY AUG NOV FEB MAY AUG NOV FEB MAY AUG NOV FEB MAY AUG NOV FEB MAY AUG NOV National List Year 1 Trials National List Year 2 Trials Recommended List Trials 5000t Commercial Trials Bulk Production Entered into National List Trials Promoted to AHDB Recommended List Trials Added to AHDB 2018/19 RL 5000t Commercial Trials Bulk Production MBC Full Approval 07

5 Third fundraising dinner supports Lincolnshire charities Three Lincolnshire charities will benefit from proceeds raised at the third Lincolnshire Rural Charities Dinner, on Thursday 11 April 2019 at the Epic Centre, Lincolnshire Showground. Following two very successful events in 2014 and 2016, this prestigious event will raise funds for the Jon Egging Trust, the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society and LRSN. For the third year running, Limagrain UK is the Champagne Reception sponsor, with three other Lincolnshire businesses; Brown and Co, Smailes Goldie Turner and Wilkin Chapman LLP also returning as main Dinner Sponsors. Chair of the organising committee, Meryl Ward, said: We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of the four corporate sponsors, so far announced. They all supported our efforts in 2016 when we raised more than 40,000; now we want to build on that success and our aim is to raise even more money for the charities involved this year. The third Lincolnshire Rural Charities dinner will provide a memorable and unique way to tell their stories and by raising money for them, will enable them to continue the great work they do in the county. We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of the four corporate sponsors, The evening will celebrate the three charities work to support communities throughout Lincolnshire and beyond. With a theme of Past, Present and Future, guests will be guaranteed a sumptuous meal of Lincolnshire produce designed and introduced by Steven Bennett, The Lincolnshire Chef, of Healing Manor fame. But the food is only part of the evening s entertainment. Hosted by our favourite MC, Sean Sparling, there ll be fun and frivolity as well as the opportunity to find out more about the three charities essential work. The dinner will build on the success of the two previous events, which raised tens of thousands of pounds for charitable causes in the county. Tickets are on sale now at 800 for tables of 10 or 80 for individual tickets. For more information on ticket sales, please della.armstrong@lrsn.co.uk Jon Egging Trust (JET) Set up in memory of Red Arrows pilot Flt Lt Jon Egging (Red 4) who was tragically killed in 2011 during a display at Bournemouth Air Festival. The Trust works with young people to help them overcome adversity and be the best they can be. So far, more than 17,000 young people nationwide have been helped. Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN) Supporting more than 140 families a year, LRSN s helpline, healthcare and casework services help to plug the gap left by local services and the stretched resources of the public sector. LRSN help Lincolnshire s farming community that are experiencing problems with their mental and physical well-being. Lincolnshire Agricultural Society Celebrating 150 years in 2019, the Society aims to educate people about food, farming and sustainability through its work with the farming community, children and young people from all walks of life. We d love to hear from you, get in touch: E: enquiries@limagrain.co.uk Limagrain UK, Rothwell, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN7