Maize 2011 so far.

It all started so well, warm hot weather, ideal sowing conditions and this on the 10th April through to 19th.

Dust flying as the demo plots are drilled at North Tawton.

Maize under plastic really started to struggle in the dry weather. The conventionally drilled stuff actually looked really good in comparison, wasn't as badly droughted.

In the early stages, condensation on the underside of the sheets was enough to keep the plants going, but the weed problems were only just beginning as can be seen in the photo. This system really does need very robust chemical input, which only adds a very significant cost loading, £70+/ha, to the spray program and even then expect to do a post emergent spray program as well. Looking at the sums supplied by the Maize Growers Association, the cost per ton of DM is still higher, even with an additional 25% yield advantage over conventional.

Lorado drilled conventionally, with Lorado and standard varieties in a small trial to see the differences. Under plastic stuff noticeably paler as not starter fertiliser available early on to get plants going.

Some seed was drilled  really deep! It was also rolled afterwards and I was worried it would really battle to come through. Fortunately it worked and the crop looks pretty good.

Germination generally was good., but on heavier ground it was patchy. Near Ashwater.

Beethoven standing like soldiers, near Launceston

The prolonged wet spell in June (just after the declaration of a drought) along with cool damp windy conditions started to encourage eyespot formation and spread on 2nd year maize ground. This taken on 24th June, way earlier than thought normal caught a lot of people off guard with a lot of people advising not to spray as it was too early...?

Later drilled maize really struggled to germinate due to the dry conditions, then struggled with the cold dry windy conditions which was then further exaccerbated by the cool wet windy conditions in June and July. Not good!

On south facing, warm, more sheltered fields the maize kept on growing, albeit slowly.

The dry, cool, conditions early on meant weeds didn't germinate, or came up sporadically meaning spray timings were tricky. On top of this, the very windy conditions made this even more difficult with windows extremely tight, a lot of the time being missed resulting in situations like the above.  These conditions lead to applications being apllied later than ideal with resulting leaf scorch, stunting etc.

Leaf scorch after late spraying.

Desperate situation.

Eyespot continued to spread whilst spray advisors held off spraying.....

15th July and not looking very good, the cool dry conditions meant soil temps were low, root growth and nutrient uptake poor, foliar feed sprays with P&K, Zn, Mo, Cu, Mn and S definitelly helped rescue the situation.

Plant development by 15th July in the poorest fields near Holsworthy. This crop was drilled 20th April, in a field that was 5th year in maize, quite exposed to south westerly wind, but not the worst maize ground by any means. Shows what cool, dry windy conditions do to maize.

3 weeks after initial eyespot discovery and the leaf areas effected were drastically worse. This stimulated action on the spraying front, albeit late!

Eyespot effected plant.

20th July and Eyepot is serious where not sprayed early.

New variety Ambition, alongside Beethoven. The way the leaves grow more erect in Ambition makes it look more impressive, however the tops of the funnels are roughly the same height. Ambition is a slightly earlier maturing variety that has promise, supposedly yielding as well as Beethoven which is the highest yielding variety in marginal areas.

Eyespot getting up onto the top leaves now, 20th July.

Fieldscale photo showing how it spreads from focii.

The effect of wind on growth, plants at least 6 inches taller where protected by sheltered area of the hedge.

Not the tallest maize plant, but eyespot on all leaves. Early treatment, not planting more than 2 crops on the trot, and warm dry weather all help in preventing Eyespot.

Lorado cob taken from field at Bude. Lorado (for grain) was planted 15th April. The other cob is from a crop near Holsworthy, planted 10th of May, don't know what variety it is, but as at 20th September this cob has no real grain development at all.  As that process normally takes 10 weeks in average conditions from August through to early October, the chances of any starch being laid down are very poor, given we are now in cooler temperatures and shortening daylight hours and potential night frosts. All in all, the situation for the white cob maize is pretty dire. This raises some very important questions about what to do now. The grower has a very large dairy herd, the ground is prone to getting wet and sticky fairly quickly, it's in a catchment sensitve area not far from major water courses. Does he wait till November in hope that he gets some starch development and run the risk of causing potentially severe soil run-off into the water courses, or take it earlier whilest ground conditions are better with little starch and green and try and chop it and preserve it in the clamp as best he can? Hobsons choice?

More photo's will follow, but what is really clear this year is that those who planted when the conditions were right, not by calendar  date have the better crops as they were able to get away early, get roots developed so that when the conditions became adverse, the plants were better able to cope.

Today, 20th September, the weather has been wet, mizzly and generally more like a November day than normal, the ground is wet, soaked right through, travelling conditions are poor and it is going to require a good period of dry weather to enable maize plants to dry down and reach maturity. My fear is that having seen such variability in fields from uneven germination, judging the right time to harvest is going to be judged more by traveling conditions and a desire to get the crop in the pit, than when the crop is fit to cut. Another factor at this minute in time is the weather, it really is favouring eyespot development and spreading, if it continues in the same vein for a week like it was today, the plants are going to be dead from the disease in 2 weeks anyway, with the result that starch levels won't increase much as the plants won't be photosynthesising. Waiting till November for the plants to die off and thereby try and raise the drymatter is not really going to help either, the cobs won't mature anyway if there is no green leaf area. The only thing to do will be to cut it and make provisions for possibly acidic silage and additional effluent, which can be mitigated by using chopped straw, or better still, chopped sugarbeet on the floor of the pit to soak it up. The other risk from leaving plants badly effected  by eyespot in the field for a protracted period in the hope of raising drymatter levels is the increased rick of afflotoxins developing, Fusarium in particular, which will effect cows ferility and general well being far more than feeding a bit of acid silage. At least the acidity can be buffered, afflotoxins will do far more and longer term damage to cow health and milk yield than acidity, so trying to harvest brown paper like maize is NOT a good idea. 30% drymatter and 30% starch is going to be good down here this year, 25%  I think is going to be more likely the norm this year.

Another very important consideration from now on for anyone farming in a catchment sensitive area is that the Environment Agency are going to be utilising existing legislation to prosecute and enforce best management practice with relation to run-off, soil sedimentation/siltation from fields that polute/ silt up watercourses. The legislation is already there, be warned, they will not be as tolerant with people who grossly flout the rules. As the main man from the EA said at the MGA meeting, it's like speeding, doing 80mph on the motorway, you'll probably get a caution, doing 60mph in a 30mph zoine past a school, they will through the book at you and it will go strait to court! Dragging very muddy vehicles/trailers out onto roads/tracks right next to watercourses, not chisseling the maize stubbles right behind the harvester to reduce surface run-off and soil erosion if they are to be overwintered are going to be hotly monitored in the South West and other catchment sensitive areas. The EA will be monitoring from the air too, they have the aircraft standing by, they will be able to pinpoint exactly where the problems arise,photograph it and present the evidence, so it is in everyones best interest if the principles set out on the MGA site, in the DEFRA Soil Management Guide, as well as other sources are adhered to.