Seed delay for wheat growers
A spokesman said winter wheat seed availability is very tight, especially of native-grown seed.
However, at least 4,000 tonnes of native Irish certified seed wheat will be available to Irish growers this autumn, enough to sow 26,000 to 30,000 hectares.
ISTA president Donal Fitzgerald said getting wheat seed back on farms for early drilling was severely compromised by the delayed harvest.
“Seed assemblers are anxious to have the full germination tests complete before processing to ensure that growers receive only the highest quality seed,” he said.
Winter barley seed availability is described as “good”, with many samples showing very good germination levels despite bad weather.
Whilst native seed supplies of winter barley are tight, there have been significant imports of recommended varieties, to make up for poor Irish yields and higher than normal screenings.
According to ISTA, there is huge variation in the price of imported seed, generally costing about €100 per tonne more than native supplies — which will push the on-farm cost well over €700 per tonne.
Growers should be aware that the thousand grain weight (TGW) is likely to be lower than normal, for all native seed and most of the imported seed from Britain. Seed from the continent is more likely to be closer to normal levels of TGW.
Depending on germination levels, lower TGW seed might allow growers to reduce their seeding rates, thus keeping the seed cost per hectare more in line with 2011 costs.
