The past three seasons have seen extremes of weather, from the ‘Beast from the East’, to droughts and flooding. When you purchase your seed, you don’t know what conditions your seed will be drilled into, or the weather for the remainder of the season. Fast emergence, good rooting and strong early crop development help to build a more resilient crop that can better cope with whatever the season throws at it.
ESTABLISHMENT CONSIDERATIONS
| Unpredictable weather can have an impact on the health of the crop throughout the season. |
| Soil types pose different challenges: • Light land – less able to deal with drought • Heavy land – more difficult to cultivate for an optimum seedbed |
| Grass weed mitigation involves delaying drilling to allow time for a flush of weeds and a good stale seedbed, but also balancing this with establishing a competitive crop. |
| Drilling date impacts temperature, moisture and availability of sunlight, affecting germination and establishment speed but also risks from certain pests. |
| Previous cropping can impact on the risk of certain diseases. For example, second cereals increase the risk of Take-all. |
| Aphid avoidance through delayed drilling can help to reduce the risk of BYDV. |
Read the full Summer and Autumn Guide here.
