SDHI trial results

[warksfarmer]

Ok so this is not scientific in anyway and the question was simply 'would SDHI's increase yield HERE for us?'. These are grade 3 soils and our yield expectation is 8.65t/HA (3.5t/ac) of milling wheat as a 10 YEAR AVERAGE

Growing costs have been mentioned and yes they can be provided but the difference is simply either 1 or 2 passes with SDHI. Probably costs should be in a separate thread? as we just wanted the above question answered because were we missing out on the magical benefits of SDHI chemistry?

As shown on the maps basically they have not made any difference to what the yield maps show because in both fields their are areas treated without the SDHI chemical that have yielded just as well. Remember this is a field scale in house farm trial so its quite simply 1 or 2 passes with SDHI timed exactly the same as the standard farm application of basic fungicides.

I am sure there will be plenty of people pull this apart but this was done for our benefit only but we are happy to share the results as promised all along. Theres probably some missing info people would like to know so ask away, but I've cobbled this together quickly today having done a nightshift on the combine so ........ human error can easily occur. Our agronomist is an active member on here and I am sure he will correct me if required.

Please note:
1. The headlands of the fields were not treated with SDHI but if I had tried to show this on a map using a pen it might of looked confusing.
2. We have made 3 herbicide passes instead of the planned 2 passes because Broadway Star did not work.
3. We swapped to 4 passes of cheap Fungicide instead of the normally planned 3 because of the weather and year and the way the crops looked at the decision times.
4. Each field crop was weighed over a ministry tested weighbridge and each load has a recorded tipping time, moisture, bushel, temperature, vehicle type.
5. The combine yield maps are merely showing a coloured variation in yield.

Field 1 details:
18.84ha
Light sandy soil suitable for rootcrops
P & K indexes of 4 (2014 test)
2014 crop Potatoes
2015 crop Milling wheat (Edgar and Skyfall but SDHI area is Skyfall) drilled 3rd October 2014 @ 300kg/ha using a disc drill into a shake rated and pressed/rolled soil.
All input applications occurred on the same day for the trial and none trial areas
Adjusted weighbridge total yield 9.0t/ha for the whole field.

Diflufenican, Pendamethalin and Lambda 30th October 2014
0.5l Epoxiconazole, 1l Trinexapax-ethyl, 1l Chlorm, 1l Chlorothanil, 0.5l Manganese 25th March 2015
Broadway Star 10th April 2015
1.25l 'Cyproconazole, Chlorothanil, Propiconazole', 0.5l Manganese 23rd April
Pinoxden + oil 12th May 2015 because the Broadway Star did not work at all
1l Epoxi, 0.5l Azoxystrobin, 0.5l Manganese 22nd May 2015
1.0l 'Cyproconazole, Chlorothanil, Propiconazole', 0.5l Manganese 15th June 2015
200kg N and 65kg S split 3 ways 4 weeks apart starting on 1st March (liquid fert)
40kg N protein spray 5th July

SDHI (ADEXAR) REPLACED the other fungicides at passes 2 for the one pass area and at passes 2 and 3 for the two pass area at the recommended rate. Rate was 1.25l/ha.

Map notes MAPS 1 AND 2
2 pass SDHI area yielded more than the 1 pass SDHI area but then on the other side of the field with no SDHI chemistry the same yields are achieved.
Top right corner of the map with very high yield is where there was a big pile of compost tipped 2 years ago!

Field 2 details:
14.42ha
Clay loam soil JUST ABOUT suitable for rootcrops
P & K indexes of 3 (2014 test)
2014 crop Potatoes
2015 crop Milling wheat (Edgar) drilled 15th October 2014 @ 300kg/ha using a combination drill into a Sumo'ed soil.
All input applications occurred on the same day for the trial and none trial areas.
Adjusted weighbridge total yield 9.4t/ha for the whole field.

Diflufenican, Pendamethalin and Lambda 30th October 2014
0.5l Epoxiconazole, 1l Trinexapax-ethyl, 1l Chlorm, 1l Chlorothanil, 0.5l Manganese 25th March 2015
Broadway Star 10th April 2015
1.25l 'Cyproconazole, Chlorothanil, Propiconazole', 0.5l Manganese 23rd April
Pinoxden + oil 12th May 2015 because the Broadway Star did not work at all
1l Epoxi, 0.5l Azoxystrobin, 0.5l Manganese 22nd May 2015
1.0l 'Cyproconazole, Chlorothanil, Propiconazole', 0.5l Manganese 15th June 2015
200kg N and 65kg S split 3 ways 4 weeks apart starting on 1st March (liquid fert)
40kg N protein spray 5th July

SDHI (ADEXAR) REPLACED the other fungicides at passes 2 for the one pass area and at passes 2 and 3 for the two pass area at the recommended rate. Rate was 1.25l/ha.

Map notes MAPS 3 AND 4
2 pass SDHI area yielded more than the 1 pass SDHI area on half but not the whole area, but again plenty of areas then on the other side of the field with no SDHI chemistry the same yields are achieved.

MAP 5
Just for info this is standard farm practise in a field over the hedge, same soil type as Field 2 and its done 4.2t/ac over the weighbridge. Admittedly a smaller field but ............

MAP 6
This is the compete block of fields all cut and treated the same throughout the year. Just for info really showing that they are all located within a few metres of each other.

OUR SUMMARY
1. Spent to much on herbicides but BS didn't work so had no choice.
2. Would of preferred 3 passes of cheap fungicide but the year dictates the decision.
3. From the combine seat looking at the way the crop looked then I would say the SDHI cropped looked better.
4. Sorry no SDHI individual milling spec tests been done because we were busy harvesting the crops!
5. Cannot replicate the trial in the same fields next year as both fields going to non cereal spring crops.

So will we use SDHI next year on any cereals?

Probably not because here this year its showed no benefit to YIELD.

 

[Steevo]

Not quite the reply you may have been hoping for....but I like the % bits the software shows on the yield maps. Is that the Claas software?

 

[Clive]

@warksfarmer can you post the maps as yield trace rather than contour ? the software that crete the contour via averaging equation will be hiding some good info

sorry to be a PITA but its hard to draw much from contour maps

 

[warksfarmer]

New maps attached and I've had a question about how I know where the treated areas were. Quite simply I have counted the number of tramlines in the fields and then used a good old fashioned ruler to split the maps up into the same number of trams. Then made notes of each pass when in the field. I was on the sprayer seat myself on both occasions so you can be sure the SDHI was actually applied which was another question asked!

 

[Clive]

New maps attached and I've had a question about how I know where the treated areas were. Quite simply I have counted the number of tramlines in the fields and then used a good old fashioned ruler to split the maps up into the same number of trams. Then made notes of each pass when in the field. I was on the sprayer seat myself on both occasions so you can be sure the SDHI was actually applied which was another question asked!

thanks Lee - much better in trace than contour format, contours look pretty but tell you far less IMO

certainly not a lot to suggest the extra spend was worthwhile this year is there ?

we used adexar on one pass this time, it's been a low pressure year again I guess

 

[Gong Farmer]

So we can assume the areas you haven't drawn in are those not getting any SDHI?

SDHIs give a fungicide programme robustness, can cope better with delayed sprays, wrong product or partner product choice, whatever but if you are bang on with timings and keep disease well under control you can probably get away without that insurance in some years.

That said you used Cherokee at T1 and left it more than four weeks before the T2, which blows my argument out of the water.

Kids, don't try this at home

 

[warksfarmer]

So we can assume the areas you haven't drawn in are those not getting any SDHI?

SDHIs give a fungicide programme robustness, can cope better with delayed sprays, wrong product or partner product choice, whatever but if you are bang on with timings and keep disease well under control you can probably get away without that insurance in some years.

That said you used Cherokee at T1 and left it more than four weeks before the T2, which blows my argument out of the water.

Kids, don't try this at home

Yes all the other areas got the program listed about without SDHI.

 

[Chae1]

I'm definitely not using it on spring barley again. Costs a fortune and no difference in fields I've split.

 

[clemmo]

Just my 2 pence, but all very well in a low disease year I would suggest that there would be bigger differences in a bad year

 

[Chae1]

But surely a decent agronomist can judge disease pressure and choose products accordingly?

 

[clemmo]

Should be able to! Hind sight is a wonderful thing though ...

 

[Chae1]

I agree. It could rain for 3 weeks then the agronomist will be cursed for using cheap fungicides. But there must be a middle ground.

 

[rob1]

But surely a decent agronomist can judge disease pressure and choose products accordingly?

But they cant foretell the weather for the next few weeks, thats the hard part

 

[clemmo]

I wouldn't totally dismiss sdhi fungicides IMO they have their place

 

[richard hammond]

I wouldn't totally dismiss sdhi fungicides IMO they have their place

We fully agree the SDHI fungicides have their place, but so has lesser chemistry , depending on the disease pressure in any specific year.
I will be corrected but in my opinion good agronomy looks at 1)What has been, 2)What is on the day rec made.3)What are you expecting,(agronomists opinion
and where a decent agronomist will TAKE the risk if a working relationship is in place with the farmer)
For example Lee and myself kept discussing the above criteria and "WE" decided to do as Lee has listed.
Just for info I dislike hearing farmers say" I cannot take the risk!" if that is the case use the kitchen sink and pay the bills and
stop moaning.

 

[4course]

reply to clemmo ,they do left in the manufactures store at £110/t different at double

 

[clemmo]

We fully agree the SDHI fungicides have their place, but so has lesser chemistry , depending on the disease pressure in any specific year.
I will be corrected but in my opinion good agronomy looks at 1)What has been, 2)What is on the day rec made.3)What are you expecting,(agronomists opinion
and where a decent agronomist will TAKE the risk if a working relationship is in place with the farmer)
For example Lee and myself kept discussing the above criteria and "WE" decided to do as Lee has listed.
Just for info I dislike hearing farmers say" I cannot take the risk!" if that is the case use the kitchen sink and pay the bills and
stop moaning.

That's what I was getting at

 

[SilliamWhale]

I wouldn't totally dismiss sdhi fungicides IMO they have their place

In wet West Wales I think they are very worth it. I'd rather spend more on a good flag leaf spray and less on the others if I had to.

 

[richard hammond]

In wet West Wales I think they are very worth it. I'd rather spend more on a good flag leaf spray and less on the others if I had to.

Have you done any field trials? re timings,products and results! if not how are they worth it?

 

[Clive]

@warksfarmer tip to improve the yield maps, set up some filters to take out zero yields and you won't get that red band around headlands that I'm sure didn't really do zero yield ?

Likewise also set up a filter to take out yields over 16t/ha to reduce error

Can all be done in the Claas software I think, certainly doable in gk