A comparison of establishment.

[moldengineer]

Both areas were drilled with an Amazone Cayena drill. The poorer looking area is direct drilled the better area was cultivated with low disturbance tines and a cultipress. The direct drilled area has had more slug pressure. The crop is oats and vetch. We did have a lot of rain after drilling. The lighter land direct drilled looks better but no where near as good as the cultivated area. We have had good results dd ing with the cayena when establishing mustard and oats. But poor results with the oats and vetch. You thoughts please.

 

[moldengineer]

The soil type is the same.

 

[Rob E]

Mustard establishes easy, even on the surface. Oat and vetch...not so much. Making a seedbed for cover crop makes complete sense to me anyway.

 

[Andrew K]

The soil type is the same.

Mustard is less attractive to slugs than vetch, consolidated and cultivated area less easy for slugs to thrive in also.

 

[Clive]

nitrogen

The cultivated area had 20kgs and the direct area had none

You would expect a difference

 

[chickens and wheat]

Thats a big difference for 20kg N , I suppose your talking 20kg of available N which makes more sense.

but what happens to the N in a DD situation does it wait in the soil? or is it lost in exchange for no cultivation expenses?

 

[Clive]

Thats a big difference for 20kg N , I suppose your talking 20kg of available N which makes more sense.

but what happens to the N in a DD situation does it wait in the soil? or is it lost in exchange for no cultivation expenses?

20kg of available N make a lot of difference to establishment

You don't loose the N in dd it's just there and available at a time where it might be more use to build yield

Does autumn N on a cereal crop contribute to yield ? Certainly not if you ask RB209

 

[moldengineer]

But is 20 kg N at planting going to guarantee success or does soil movement bring more. As mentioned less slugs in the tilled soil. Is this all stuff that year 2 or 3 of no till brings, I guess a balance to the establishment equation. Or is there a minimum amount of soil movement required for successful crop establishment in U.K. Soils?

 

[average farmer]

Looking at the pics I'd have said that 20kg of N was the bast money spent all season, if it come down the spout or through cultivation i'm not bothered

 

[Clive]

Looking at the pics I'd have said that 20kg of N was the bast money spent all season, if it come down the spout or through cultivation i'm not bothered

Unfortunately the EA / DEFRA are bothered

RB209 needs to reconsider the differences between crop establishment methods IMO

 

[The_Swede]

New RB209 due soon enough - I wouldn't hold your breath though.

Haven't seen any of the new arable section yet but my hope for simplification of grassland nitrogen has officially evaporated, the concentrate use element lives on it would seem.... Why oh why cant we be trusted to have a N recommendation process focused on maximising grass growth and then factor in our own concentrate adjustments separately as required. Its totally counter intuitive IMHO.

Sort of off topic - sorry!