Baling straw to reduce BG?

[Flat 10]

Not convinced by this idea. How much BG seed actually ends up in a bale? Some sure, but is it significant?
I reckon half has shed by harvest and what goes in the combine most gets blown out and how much is in the straw trail? I reckon any perceived improvement is probably due to improved BG chit due to less straw inhibiting germination and improved residual herb efficacy? Any thoughts? @ Feldspar? You read anything illuminating?

 

[teslacoils]

The more time I spend pulling the stuff out, the more I see that BG is either in the row so from moving my stale seedbed, or growing from under some trash be that chopped straw or plucked out roots. Chopped straw is dirty poison and needs turning into composted or well rotted fym.

 

[Two Tone]

I don’t know if baling previous crop straw reduces Blackgrass but it sure as hell helps with OSR establishment.

Even better if you can put FYM on before you drill it.

Two weeks after germination the mucked fields take off compared to those that didn’t get any.

 

[farmerm]

I would think chuff all BG seed will be in the bale, just enough to start new populations of BG on the ground where you spread the muck....

 

[Flat 10]

I would think chuff all BG seed will be in the bale, just enough to start new populations of BG on the ground where you spread the muck....

Straw will likely be burnt round here

 

[tr250]

We are mixed farmers and bale 100% for use for our stock and muck is spread back on our arable which is good but it means we spread bg round our farm quickly and we haven’t got a field that’s never had bg in it. But the flip side is being mixed grass leys spring crops no-till is all helping and keeping it at reasonably low levels. But I cannot get rid of it try as we do

 

[David.]

There is always seeds in the corners of the baler chamber.

 

[benny6910]

There will be some no doubt about it, but will there be more in a baler than a combine?

 

[tr250]

There will be some no doubt about it, but will there be more in a baler than a combine?

Total rubbish they both as bad as each other although you can’t see it so well on a combine. But balers do usually cover more acres and move more

 

[Brisel]

See where a baler has been blown down & you'll have a patch of blackgrass. I'd rather not have one on the farm for this reason. You've already got the combine spreading it but if it's your won machine you have no one else to blame. I don't think there's much in it for residual herbicide lockup nor germination though a layer of straw on top keeps a moist microclimate in a stubble bottom so should give a better chit post harvest.

I'd say that with a clean baler there is little difference - really it's down to your system. Soil organic matters will lower by baling it off if it's not coming back as muck. Lower organic matter = better conditions for BG. Personally, unless the straw sales buy you a lot of muck or compost I'd chop instead.

 

[Pieces_of_Eight]

All the rage in Australia:

http://www.glenvarbaledirect.com.au/content/videos/

But I would think BG has dumped its seed before wheat harvest, maybe even germinating before combining in a wet year.

IMHO the key to BG control is not letting it get to July in the first place.

 

[Brisel]

IMHO the key to BG control is not letting it get to July in the first place.

This

There's usually still some viable seed on the stalks by harvest but IME most of it has already shed.

 

[tr250]

See where a baler has been blown down & you'll have a patch of blackgrass. I'd rather not have one on the farm for this reason. You've already got the combine spreading it but if it's your won machine you have no one else to blame. I don't think there's much in it for residual herbicide lockup nor germination though a layer of straw on top keeps a moist microclimate in a stubble bottom so should give a better chit post harvest.

I'd say that with a clean baler there is little difference - really it's down to your system. Soil organic matters will lower by baling it off if it's not coming back as muck. Lower organic matter = better conditions for BG. Personally, unless the straw sales buy you a lot of muck or compost I'd chop instead.

We own a combine and a big baler and there is no difference it all comes down to who’s in control of them. We have grass near the yard and blow down on that at nights there’s a big pile of straw from the baler but bet there’s lees seeds than in a Combine stone trap alone. But I agree with you if I wasn’t in control of the baler and didn’t have livestock I wouldn’t sell straw

 

[warksfarmer]

Not convinced by this idea. How much BG seed actually ends up in a bale? Some sure, but is it significant?
I reckon half has shed by harvest and what goes in the combine most gets blown out and how much is in the straw trail? I reckon any perceived improvement is probably due to improved BG chit due to less straw inhibiting germination and improved residual herb efficacy? Any thoughts? @ Feldspar? You read anything illuminating?

In Oz they are miles ahead of us with this. They’ve got loads of test results clearly showing BG is wherever there’s straw and chaff. So to get around it they remove the lot from the fields by baling everything out the back of the combine by towing a baler behind the combine.

They also use a hammer mill type machine to smash the seeds up and drop it in lines behind the combine wheels.

 

[Flat 10]

In Oz they are miles ahead of us with this. They’ve got loads of test results clearly showing BG is wherever there’s straw and chaff. So to get around it they remove the lot from the fields by baling everything out the back of the combine by towing a baler behind the combine.

They also use a hammer mill type machine to smash the seeds up and drop it in lines behind the combine wheels.

I've seen both of those. There was even an organic farmer who made his own mill to go on an elderly JD combine which i thought was great.

 

[yellow belly]

more than enough bg seed is shed before harvest unless it is so late planted the bg only produces heads in august

 

[AndrewM]

In Oz they are miles ahead of us with this. They’ve got loads of test results clearly showing BG is wherever there’s straw and chaff. So to get around it they remove the lot from the fields by baling everything out the back of the combine by towing a baler behind the combine.

They also use a hammer mill type machine to smash the seeds up and drop it in lines behind the combine wheels.

I think the australian hammer mill for grinding up the chaff +weed seed would give a useful reduction in bg seed return depending on time of harvest, not going to be much seed left if its not cut till september. Probably same control as atlantis 30% maybe.

 

[ih1455xl]

I'm sure rekord used to do a chaff conveyor that dropped the chaff on top of the straw swath can't find any pics tho

 

[Flat 10]

Lower organic matter = better conditions for BG. Personally, unless the straw sales buy you a lot of muck or compost I'd chop instead.

Disagree I’m afraid. BG always lurks in the parts of fields with highest OM here. On heavy land increasing OM might help but it can be to excess!

 

[Brisel]

Disagree I’m afraid. BG always lurks in the parts of fields with highest OM here. On heavy land increasing OM might help but it can be to excess!

What is the highest OM soil? Peat that locks up any residual herbicide? just a bit that is more fertile?