Sowing on the green and slug pellets

Richard III

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
CW5 Cheshire
I have drilled wheat into a white clover "cover" which appears to be indestructible, done passes with the Carrier along with Sub-lift + Carrier on a couple of strips combined with three applications of Glyphosate (+ a well known broad-leaf weed herbicide :cautious:) but still it grows. The slugs have all but destroyed the emerging wheat despite pellets being applied. The slugs are living on the soil surface just under the clover and have no interest in coming up to eat the pellets. The field has never had a crop of rape on it and came out of a two year ley last Autumn.
We have had great success direct-drilling into rape volunteers but wanted to take the technique up a notch to see if we could grow two wheats using clover as a cover/break between the two wheats, but it looks like being a bit of a failure. Elsewhere on the farm we have not seen a single slug even after spring rape.

Hi Jim,
I drilled into a big stand of pure white clover the first year I did No Till, sprayed off with half rate cmpp a few days after after drilling (before the end of sept. obviously :cautious:). I then pelleted at crop emergence. The cmpp slaughtered the clover and there was little slug damage, but that could have been due to me squashing them continually checking the field. :D
 
not convinced, when they finish eating the vol osr, they set about shredding the wheat plants which are only at one leaf , so doesn't take long to finish the plant off

I think its very variable and very dependant on lots of things.

In the same way that slug pellets won't stop slug grazing crops if they don't eat the pellets. Control works in various ways - there is no one answer and circumstances change all the time. This year I've hardly used any pellets, next year I might use more or use less. Who knows? Things aren't as repeatable and predicatble as we want them to be even if we may feel better for thinking we are always successful in cultivating or pelleting slugs away.
 

Robert

Member
Location
South East
Tried our Hybrid into standing OSR in 2012. It's obviously a totally different scenario to a no-till drill and I wouldn't do it again (even though that was the 'biblical' year - it makes the situation worse with such a loose mix of soil and decaying OSR so the slugs are right whee you don't want them near the seed. Would only do with our 750a now. Meanwhile this year i have been very proactive baiting pre drilling and with the dry September helping out, have had very good control.
 

SF1

Member
Location
glos
Drilled into good v osr rape cover with the dale in late september this year.
The slugs have gnawed the osr to the stumps wheat ok though,went out monday night with the torch. Big slug numbers,pelleted yesterday,this morning massive kill.
Its a nice theory but not on my heavy land im sure i would of have a ragged crop by next week.
 

BSH

Member
BASE UK Member
As I understood it, the idea was that the rape volunteers would keep the slugs busy with a food source they were used to ie using the rape as a decoy whilst allowing the wheat to emerge without too much slug pressure. As the rape got eaten the idea is to slug pellet before they run out of rape and start eating the wheat. I dont think the proponents ever suggested not pelleting at all.
 

SF1

Member
Location
glos
As I understood it, the idea was that the rape volunteers would keep the slugs busy with a food source they were used to ie using the rape as a decoy whilst allowing the wheat to emerge without too much slug pressure. As the rape got eaten the idea is to slug pellet before they run out of rape and start eating the wheat. I dont think the proponents ever suggested not pelleting at all.
Quite so,my v osr cover established really well no slug pressure when we were battleing to control them in new crop wosr (Sods law). I've walked the v osr regularly to monitor slug activity and seen very few.Now the wet weathers come so have the slugs after being so absent for 8 weeks.
Will say the condition of the soil after the cover is excellant and will do this again.
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
I've only got one field of wheat after WOSR this year.
5 acres of the heaviest ground was sprayed off 3 weeks before drilling as it has bad blackgrass (which I didn't want shaded by the rape).
It was drilled on 3rd October with a big disc. Spray off the day before or day after drilling.
After 5 days the seed in the sprayed off area (which has always been bad for slugs) was being hollowed, but where the rape was still green the slugs were on the top eating that. For the slug to force their way down into what I thought was a well closed slot was surprising.
The spayed off area got a full rate off pellets, the rest half. The pellets dissapeared pretty quick.
The whole field needs doing again now that the rape has died off, as the wheat is being shredded.
Monitoring is the key.

Yet again I think folks are confusing "notill" (opening a slot for the seed and closing it again) with "direct drilling" (pretty much any cultivation, then planting as long as you only use one pass direct into stubble).
 
after drilling with a big disc i have seen where slugs get in the slot and reduce establishment in wheat barley and beans
the question is what rate of pellets in the slot would be needed to prevent this
they can be fed into the airstream on the caddy

I am also coming to the view that if you have bg then some cultivation after rape is needed as leaving the rape to become big leaves too much shading for effective bg control especially on the heaviest silty clay land with no sand in the soil where slug are the main problem for no till
 

britt

Member
BASE UK Member
Putting pellets in the slot would not be cost effective as most of the slot was closed too tight for the slugs to get at the seed.
If the pellets had been put on the surface after drilling they would have done the job.
 

Desangosse Ltd

Member
Location
Cambs
Just thinking about that, do you think worms might eat slug eggs? They like anything with a bit of protein in it, if they are prepared to graze fusarium off wheat straw, slug eggs would make a nice juicy meal. I could find quite big slugs in a bean stubble a few weeks ago but scratching around, never did see any eggs, just loads of worms. I put some Slux on after drilling and can't find any now.

Not to my knowledge

after drilling with a big disc i have seen where slugs get in the slot and reduce establishment in wheat barley and beans
the question is what rate of pellets in the slot would be needed to prevent this
they can be fed into the airstream on the caddy

I am also coming to the view that if you have bg then some cultivation after rape is needed as leaving the rape to become big leaves too much shading for effective bg control especially on the heaviest silty clay land with no sand in the soil where slug are the main problem for no till

I am not a fan of the inclusion of pellets with the seed with wheat. I spend a lot of money researching attractants for my pellets to get the very best from them. In wheat - to add this attractant next to a food source (the seed) in my eyes is increasing the level of pressure in and around the seed.

A topical, well timed application has always performed better than down with the seed.
 
Not to my knowledge



I am not a fan of the inclusion of pellets with the seed with wheat. I spend a lot of money researching attractants for my pellets to get the very best from them. In wheat - to add this attractant next to a food source (the seed) in my eyes is increasing the level of pressure in and around the seed.

A topical, well timed application has always performed better than down with the seed.
I would agree when the soil is dry and well closed but if it does not close tight enough the slugs stay in the slot
all the rolling in the world does not help
the only answer may be to increase the seed rate and add some weight to the drill to get the press wheels put more pressure on
 

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