Wheat drilling 2020

Case290

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Worcestershire
How early can it go in before we need the use of insecticide obviously to early this week. But next week maybe ? Be to dry to drill after another week of dry weather on some fields.
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
Worry about that next May.

I'm worrying about it now!

This is the first real autumn without neonic seed treatment. Although it was not available last autumn few crops were sown before early October and even if they did not get an autumn insecticide had little BYDV, as October was equally awful for aphids as farmers!

I did have a some wheat crops to look at sown 17 - 20 September that did not get an insecticide until mid January in one case and mid March the other. I thought at the time the insecticide was fairly pointless but the farmers were keen to apply something.

Both places 30 miles apart had odd small foci of virus. So it was out there and was transmitted by aphids but spread was minimal I assume because aphids do not like continual awful cold wet weather.

This autumn I can see we are going to find out whether pyrethroids work on Bird Cherry aphid - should do although some tolerance identified in Ireland. And if Grain aphids invade a crop with virus then game over as these are most certainly resistant to pyrethroids. Oh well we shall know soon enough. I have some wheat sown last week - against my better judgement. Such is life and an over reaction to last autumn.
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
How early can it go in before we need the use of insecticide obviously to early this week. But next week maybe ? Be to dry to drill after another week of dry weather on some fields.

The AHDB website has a good tool for predicting timings of insecticide. The Syngenta BYDV Assist app is based on sowing date, not emergence.

Starting drilling wheat here tomorrow.
 
Last edited:

Lincsman

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
I'm worrying about it now!

This is the first real autumn without neonic seed treatment. Although it was not available last autumn few crops were sown before early October and even if they did not get an autumn insecticide had little BYDV, as October was equally awful for aphids as farmers!

I did have a some wheat crops to look at sown 17 - 20 September that did not get an insecticide until mid January in one case and mid March the other. I thought at the time the insecticide was fairly pointless but the farmers were keen to apply something.

Both places 30 miles apart had odd small foci of virus. So it was out there and was transmitted by aphids but spread was minimal I assume because aphids do not like continual awful cold wet weather.

This autumn I can see we are going to find out whether pyrethroids work on Bird Cherry aphid - should do although some tolerance identified in Ireland. And if Grain aphids invade a crop with virus then game over as these are most certainly resistant to pyrethroids. Oh well we shall know soon enough. I have some wheat sown last week - against my better judgement. Such is life and an over reaction to last autumn.

If you feel the need to drill now because you should have done last year you have to face the consequences, years ago some years no spraying got done and it was OK, others not, the only option is to drill late to be sure.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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