Maize and weeds!

Maize as it should be, clean, green and growing vigourously!

Oilseed rape volunteers. At the outset they seem small and innoccous, hardly something that would threaten maize then? OSR has large leaves, deep roots and is a fierce competitor for nutrients, light and moisture and has a very severe effect of maize plants ability to grow. It is well known that maize doesn't like competition, it doesn't like scavenging for nutrients either!

Volunteer oats that had not been controlled in the first premergent spray coming through in this field of Lorado grain maize. Similar issues with a few growers this season, the dry period at drilling in late April meant that not all herbicides were as effective as they should have been. The resultant checking and uneveness in the picture below this shows control achieved, but at the resultant cost to plant growth, along with striping due to uneven fertiliser uptake, as shown in previous post.

Maize- Fertiliser issues.

Not the best seedbed to be planting into, but very noticeable variances in fertliser uptake, some plants in-row being purple and stressed, with others next door green.












Striping of rows in field, very pronounced, with an 8 row sequence of green vs purple in some photo's. DAP at 50kgs/ac was supposed to have been placed down the spout here at drilling. Possible causes: Placed too deep, blocked coulters, uneven distribution from the distributor box. Whatever the reason, the cost to the crop is a significant loss of plant growth at the start, root development is stunted and the crop as a result is compromised right from the outset, with no way of rememedial action. This leads to uneven cob development which then impinges on harvesting date, starch analysis and feed value. Maize has to get off to the right start!

Royal Cornwall Show.

Beautiful weather at the Royal Cornwall Show, apart from the one day when there were a few spots of rain and it was a little cool, don't know if this was a portent for the weather that followed in July and August. Great to see many of our customers and some new ones too, being situated right next to the cattle judging rings it was good to see the high quality of livestock on display!

With 2010 just around the corner, show season planning for next year is taking place, hopefully we will be doing a few more local shows too.

Maize under plastic. Trial at Sticker, St Austell.

Trial used 2 varieties under plastic to see firstly if they would come through the plastic and to see secondly how they grew compared to the stock variety Justina

Nescio im the first 2 rows near the hedge, then Justina in next 2, followed by Nescio in next 2 and so on up the field till the drill ran out of seed, the switched to LG3193. The bag in the 2nd photo is the start of the LG3193. Photo's taken 3rd and 19th June, crop drilled 14th May.

Oops!

Organic Spring Barley...£250 worth on a road near Launceston.....

Lime and Spring Barley.....or lack of it!

Got a call to go and have a look at some Spring barley that was looking rather sick near Bodmin. The first field had come out of grass and had had no lime before being drilled as it was assumed that the seasand that had been applied in the past(4-5 years previously) would still be active. The second field had been limed the season before at 2 ton/ac with maglime, which had been ploughed over and down for this crop. pH tests revealed figures of 5.1 and 5.5 respectively, not good! The pictures below reveal the stress on the stems (purpling) and leaves, sparse plant populations and evidence of herbicide breakdown. At this stage it's almost too late to save, granular lime at 300kgs/ac might have saved it, however the farmer ploughed it in. Very expensive loss.

Beethoven Maize at Cann Orchard, Bude.

Picture taken 28th May, this was planted on the 25th April during the warm dry weather spell at the end of April. This could have been drilled earlier, however the fear of frost kept the drill out of the field.

The field was dunged with solid FYM, ploughed over and then had 2t/ac of layers muck broadcast over it, before being worked with a powerharrow pre drilling. Drilled at 45,000 seeds/ac, with 50kg/ac DAP down the spout too. The seed was also treated with Poncho as well as the standard Mesurol to counter wireworm and cutworm potential threats.

Picture taken 15th June and the crop is starting to motor!

Picture below taken 26th June and the growth deveopment is rapid, just what is wanted.

Knee high by the 4th of July...? Picture below taken 3rd July!

July 14th and the crop is already overhead!!