Spring Barley issues

NFC Tipple drilled into a ploughed up grass ley, lightish land, one pass power harrow and drill combination, but not consolidated enough to prevent the roots being dried out when the dry spell with cool conditions prevailed in April through to May. Plants dropped leaves and tiller numbers, some plants died. Digging extensively over the fields only presented one leather jacket which had been suspected, but white tips suggested also a nutrient and moisture issue as well. The fields were subsequently all rolled with a flat roller and subsequently recovered, but not before the crop was left much thinner.

The crop was given a foliar feed to stimulate root development once the crop received some rain.

The result of some patience, although the crop is not very thick and is not likely to yield a huge crop, too few heads per square meter.

Small miracles

Same fields of Timber showing signs of recovery, taken 29th April and 15th May.

Winter wheat trials and tribulations 2

1st of April:

Resembling more a desert landscape, rather than a crop of wheat. This is Timber, not looking too healthy, although there are still drill lines just about visible in some places. Do you rip up and redrill another crop, as your spraying agronomist advises, or do you risk it, try a foliar feed, with a bit of growth regulator, hope the sun shines and the plants respond......?

Winter wheat trials and tribulations!

Last years poor conditions lead to a lot of wheat crops being planted in sub-optimal conditions to say the least, some however were drilled in what was considered at the time as not to be too bad a condition.

However, few could guess that this winter would deliver the cold conditions that lead to some considerable frost heave in certain soils and fields. What is interesting to note is that it would appear that crops planted with one-pass power harrow drill combination machines faired worst when planted mid October, especially on the lighter soils around Launceston. The photo's illustrate what resulted after the snows melted in January.

Not a lot of leaf, or plant material to see here! Photo's taken 3rd March 2009.

What is interesting in this photo is that there is a destinct cut off line where the strong northerly winds scoured the side of the hill, everything below the tree line was not badly affected, above, severely. This line went across this field and several others either side of this particular field of 120 acres.