Warmer weather prompts rapid crop growth

A combination of sunshine and warmer temperatures has prompted rapid crop growth – with reports coming in of mounting disease pressure.

While nutrient applications have been top of the to-do list for many growers, fungicide programmes are also near the forefront of many minds, with some crops showing signs of disease.

Farming 310ha in the Cambridgeshire fens, Hannah Darby grows winter wheat and spring wheat, as well as intercropping beans and peas with oats. The soil type presents some interesting challenges when it comes to soil health and crop nutrition.

“We didn’t plant as much winter wheat as originally planned this season,” says Ms Darby, who recently moved farms. Taking on land with a blackgrass problem meant she was in no rush to drill much of the wheat area.

Variable progress

“While we were waiting to drill, the weather broke and so we opted for spring wheat instead. It means that we’ve now only got 15-20ha of Dawsum which has followed sugar beet, and 80ha of Skyscraper.”

The Dawsum has been a little backwards and soil disturbance from the beet harvester brought up some blackgrass seed. But the Skyscraper has three or four tillers and is looking good..

Healthy plants

While many activities came to halt in March, the dry February provided a window to drill the spring wheat. Ms Darby is now focusing on crop nutrition. Disease is important but so is keeping the plants healthy, she explains.

“While many fungicides have preventative
activity, you get more from them if plants are strong to start with. Because we’re on the fen, we apply manganese, magnesium and copper early in the season to help the plant’s own defence.”

A decision on whether to include a fungicide at T0 was being made as Anglia Farmer went to press. But a robust fungicide would be in the mix at T1, said Ms Darby

Although spring had been wet, warm weather had added to disease pressure.