Barley! Hybrid v conventional

[ollie989898]

it's the same principal as an agronomist selling seed to a farmer in the hope/knowledge they get the margin on the chemical later in the season then?

Nothing like the same. I only sold seed to someone who intended to grow the crop to begin with, and I would make sure those who had not grown it before knew full well what was involved in getting a half useful crop from it. I didn't sell it and then say oh but you must use brand X or Y or Z fungicides and growth regulators.

 

[SilliamWhale]

I think as farmers we need to be very careful.

We already have hybrid barley which has a recommendation to use certain special Chems and no option to FSS.
we also have clearfield osr and in a couple of years we'll have a clearfield equivalent for beet, where by the farmer tide to a "package" .

I think it's only a matter of time before we are all forced down this route with all major crops where we buy the "whole package". fss and choosing what inputs we use and at what spending level will all be a thing of the past and the ag inputs indudtry will have us well and truly by the danglies.

I agree and its also smoke and mirrors. Bloody rape yields were same yield 20 years ago plus.

 

[Gong Farmer]

Any six-row will give grass weed suppression, better than that of a two-row. Doesn't have to be hybrid, but they do tend to have better spec wt than other six rows.

 

[franklin]

Any six-row will give grass weed suppression, better than that of a two-row. Doesn't have to be hybrid, but they do tend to have better spec wt than other six rows.

Why is that? I'm sure the evidence is there, but is there something about them beyond ear fertility?

 

[Barry]

It looks likely that 6-rows are more vigorous in the spring than 2-rows, which helps with the blackgrass suppression. Another season's results will give us more information about whether hybrids are significantly better than conventional 6-rows.

Certainly, being a bit taller helps, in that it seems to reduce ear size and therefore seed return.

Not sure that hybrid 6-rows are automatically better on sp wt than conventional 6-rows. We are only seeing a limited number of conventionals here in the UK and those are largely being bred abroad, where they don't seem so concerned about sp wt. Syngenta know that sp wt is a key issue that needs to be addressed on hybrids and they have done with better sp wt on the likes Bazooka, Belfry, Kingsbarn etc.