Cereal growth ‘jumping’
The only tillage problems are lack of moisture hitting late sown barley in the south east; the first confirmations of potato blight in Cork, Kerry and South Tipperary; and crows attacking winter barley.
Winter wheat: nearly all crops are at the booting to head emerging stages; some advanced crops are at flowering stage. Septoria tritici is widespread at moderate levels on the lower leaves.
Earlier sown crops have some pressure coming up from the base but in general, most crops are clean down to the third last leaf. Varieties that require more attention include Savannah, Consort, Tanker and Richmond.
Mildew can be found at a low to moderate level on Richmond, Claire, Option and Trust.
Growers are advised to complete nitrogen top-dressing and apply plant growth regulators.
Claire will need special nitrogen and plant growth regulator attention.
Control of wild oats and grass weeds is also recommended.
Teagasc advise that the total budgeted spend on fungicide for winter wheat should not exceed €150/ha (€60/ac).
Winter triticale crops are also looking well, with most crops at the heading stage, and disease free.
Winter oats crops are at heading stage; the final fungicide should be applied to all crops at the heading stage, if not already completed, with mildew one of the main targets, along with crown rust.
Winter crops are at the flowering stage and low levels of Chocolate Spot are reported. Spring crops are at the 4 to 6 leaf stage; bean weevil notching, and some Chocolate Spot at low levels in Cork are reported.
Growth jump: Spring cereals have “jumped through” growth stages in the last two weeks, according to Teagasc, with rain having alleviated soil moisture deficit problems.
A second application of manganese may be needed, and magnesium deficiency should be watched for in soils that are marginally low.
Aphid numbers are high; aphicide should be applied where five or more aphids are present (use a systemic aphicide such as dimethoate or Metasytox).
Spring wheat is also growing well, but mildew levels are high in thick crops or in sheltered fields.
Crops should be assessed for lodging risk.
Most crops are at or near the timing for the main fungicide application; they appear clean, but latent septoria is a risk.
On spring barley, mildew on Tavern, and rhynchosporium and net blotch on Lux are the exceptions to a generally very clean bill of health.
Target fungicide cost should be in the range €55 to €75 per ha excluding VAT.
Products containing epoxiconazole (Opus, Epic, Allegro, Opera, Mantra etc) should not go on malting barley after growth stage 49, in keeping with the British Beer and Pub Association restriction, to which Minch Malt adhere.
The same applies to feed barley after growth stage 59.
Teagasc advisers around the country report that sugar beet is growing strongly.
Recent rain has helped to wash in fertiliser.
Where a third application is needed, it should go out in the next few days.
Potatoes: Although most main crop potatoes are breaking the ground now, other crops range from planted about a week to harvesting.
Systemic fungicides are a “must” until the canopy is developed, according to Teagasc advisers, who says blight prevention is paramount this year, because early season growth is so risky, and if blight is allowed in at this stage, final crop yields will be severely diminished.
Weed control is fair in most places.
Aphids must be kept off seed crops; in ware crops, up to 5% infection might be tolerated. In Ireland, potato seed growers have become conscious of virus problems in crops and routine spraying is now widely practiced, according to Teagasc.
When 80% of the potato crop has emerged is the recommended time for aphid control and preventing virus spread.
Viruses, aphicide resistance and the role of beneficial insects all have to be taken into account when deciding aphicide strategy, but 2004 has some of the highest numbers of aphids for the past number of years.
Most maize is now above the ground and growing well.
Weed control is needed where no pre-emerge was used.
A tidy up job of the Atrazine resistant weeds is also needed in fields where maize has been grown for more than two years in a row.
