2019 Beet area

[alomy75]

I contract spray some fodder beet for a neighbour, every drill tractor wheeling the beet are twice as big in the rows?

This pic was taken several wks ago -
View attachment 818492

The beet are massive now in those bits and still struggling in the rest of the field. We don’t know why, but I’d say something todo with soil compaction at drilling. But I don’t know why the wheeling would be better? Just one of those unexplainable things I suppose?

This field is fairly sandy and was just cultivated and rolled then drilled.

Seedbed dried out IMO apart from where your drill tractor ran. We have the same effect from our cultivator tractor; dual wheels all round compacted the soil nicely and maintained the moisture; under the tractor was rubbish....you could even pick out the duals in the emergence! Front press coming for next year to compact under the tractor

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Seedbed dried out IMO apart from where your drill tractor ran. We have the same effect from our cultivator tractor; dual wheels all round compacted the soil nicely and maintained the moisture; under the tractor was rubbish....you could even pick out the duals in the emergence! Front press coming for next year to compact under the tractor

A good theory!

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Had the plant results back, it is BYV. The beet are very big now, is there any point spraying or worry about it now?

 

[Bill Turtle]

I think I have patches of virus in one field now. This doesn’t bode well for future years. Why can’t the NFU release an indicative price now so that I can get on and plan next years cropping with or without sugar beet.

 

[shakerator]

Look at this for a mess.View attachment 818422 View attachment 818424 View attachment 818426

Tramline wheelings and the beet round the edges are green. The rest is badly yellowed as shown up close in third picture.
I'd say nitrogen defficiency. N runs into the wheelings and there is less competition for it round the edges.

Better mn nutrition in the wheelings ? Lack of regular rain means roots are struggling ?

 

[DrWazzock]

Better mn nutrition in the wheelings ? Lack of regular rain means roots are struggling ?

Its looking like nematode damage triggered by the heavy rain event which allows then to swim up through the profile. The wheelings and hard areas are better because they are crushed and cant move between the soil particles in such conditions. The loose sandy areas are by far the worst. It has had copious amounts of manganese now but the symptoms just worsen. A trial area of nitrate made no significant difference.

Exactly which type of nematode is yet to be established. We had p graminis in this field which infected a crop of winter barley with BMV a few years back.

Getting some tests done next week. Looks like a semi write off though. We have had it before for no apparent reason so I would like to know a definitive reason this time and maybe take beet back out of the rotation.

 

[Will 1594]

Its looking like nematode damage triggered by the heavy rain event which allows then to swim up through the profile. The wheelings and hard areas are better because they are crushed and cant move between the soil particles in such conditions. The loose sandy areas are by far the worst. It has had copious amounts of manganese now but the symptoms just worsen. A trial area of nitrate made no significant difference.

Exactly which type of nematode is yet to be established. We had p graminis in this field which infected a crop of winter barley with BMV a few years back.

Getting some tests done next week. Looks like a semi write off though. We have had it before for no apparent reason so I would like to know a definitive reason this time and maybe take beet back out of the rotation.

Bcn. Pull some up and look for white spots on roots and have they been grazed off , rain will help

 

[Laggard]

Anybody got any disease/ sprayed fungicide yet?

 

[DrWazzock]

Bcn. Pull some up and look for white spots on roots and have they been grazed off , rain will help

Can't find any white cysts on the roots with the naked eye. The bit to which I applied some nitrate by hand is now greening up more than the rest of the field now the rain has washed it in. Pretty good tap roots.

It's greener along the join with the Spring barley where there is a metre gap of bare soil. This hasn't been run on by the sprayer yet is greener so I would think it's getting more nutrients and moisture there due to less competition. So I think nematode damage is less likely to be the cause. Nutrient leeching and lack of moisture looks likely to the the main cause of the stunted growth and yellowing.

Wondering now if it's worth applying a bit of N to the whole field, and maybe some K, given that the but where I put some on by hand has greened up more markedly than the rest of the field. Despite the yellowing, the roots aren't disastrously small but could be much better.

I am sure it was the 4" of rain that did for it. Before that arrived it looked excellent.

 

[DrWazzock]

PS. Anybody know of a worthwhile foliar feed with N and K for beet?

 

[Chalky]

Potassium nitrate?

 

[DrWazzock]

I can now see the drainage system. The beet over the drains is dark green and healthy. Low areas of the field and heavy areas are now greened up again. I think it's just water shortage that is now coming right thanks to recent half inch of rain, though a foliar feed wouldn't do any harm.

I really don't need any more scorching weather though,

 

[Heathland]

Anyone heard on the jungle drums about next years price,really need to be knowing re cropping plans.

 

[Flat 10]

Anyone done fungicide yet? planning on it this weekend if possible.

 

[Flat 10]

Anyone heard on the jungle drums about next years price,really need to be knowing re cropping plans.

NFU have sent us an email.....
It’s not terribly illuminating.

 

[Heathland]

Anyone done fungicide yet? planning on it this weekend if possible.

Chemical sat in the store,probably do it next week,I've been pulling seedy beet most of the week,crop looks clean so not panicking.
I'll have to go into the office and hsve a look at what they have sent.

 

[Flat 10]

Chemical sat in the store,probably do it next week,I've been pulling seedy beet most of the week,crop looks clean so not panicking.
I'll have to go into the office and hsve a look at what they have sent.

I found small pockets of disease when pulling this week hence my plan. Probably should have done it today. Another of my cock ups.....

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Anyone done fungicide yet? planning on it this weekend if possible.

Done all today.

 

[Laggard]

What nutrients do people mix with the fungicide?

 

[Sonoftheheir]

What nutrients do people mix with the fungicide?

I just put in manganese this time.