shakerator
Member
- Location
- LINCS
Winter Cereals about fully filled by now surely ?
Conditions getting a little bit worrying weather wise
- Thread starter tw15
- Start date
- Location
- East yorks
Still a bit to do here but it’s enjoying this sun and warmth, recon the wheat is at least 6 weeks away from harvest unless it stays in the mid 20’s for a few weeks
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Was roguing some wheat this afternoon and it was definitely showing signs of drought stress. Also quite a bit of fusarium or blank white grains despite ear spray. But I have got used to it in light grade 3. It just isn't wheat land. Also, low organic matter seems to mean there is little nutrient or moisture buffering capacity left. 4" of rain has gone in a fortnight. Nutrients have also gone from the beet field as well by the looks of things. Where to start? Liberal doses of FYM, Grass leys. But nobody wants the meat. Diffcult one.
A spud grower in East Anglia showed a cross section of a bed in June after they had 5” of rain. I can’t remember who that was. Like you, it wetted the top foot of soil but very dry underneath. There’s a big soil moisture deficit in a lot of England.
I have ponds still dry here, they did fill to a degree over winter but were dry again by Mid May, after the June spell of rain they partially wetted the floor but have been dry again for the last 2 weeks. The soil moisture deficit will take a wet winter to sort here.
4course
Member
- Location
- north yorks
barley yes wheat no
Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
Got the fire on here tonight. 11 degrees
Dave6170
Member
- Location
- Watten, caithness
Crops and grass have done nothing here this week. Dull, cold and showers of drizzle. Still about 3 full days of spraying to do. Done 80acres this week
4course
Member
- Location
- north yorks
even up here sat outside in tee shirt and shorts, mindst mrs 4 course is starting to winge a bit ,so will have to fetch another g&t and put the patio heater on before sunset
Chae1
Member
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
I got finished up Thursday night at 11 in the dark. That'll be it till glyphosate.Crops and grass have done nothing here this week. Dull, cold and showers of drizzle. Still about 3 full days of spraying to do. Done 80acres this week
farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
I can do better than that.. somewhere I have a cross section of a ridge that had barely wet the top inch after 30mm irrigation, dry potato ridges can become very hydrophobic after planting! The field looks wet, you walk over it and it feels wet, but then you have a dig and find all the irrigation as disappeared down the drains!
We monitor a lot of soil moisture in irrigated crops, I would say I have seen drier seasons. We only have a small number of sites showing below 50% of moisture holding capacity at the moment, though if we get a few high temperature, high transpiration days where water uptake hits 7/8/9mm per day it could turn around very quickly!
Below is data from a crop of spuds in East Anglia, it sat water logged for 10 days in June but now has a 60mm moisture deficit, It managed to chase the moisture down as the upper layers dried out and started using water from 50cm a week ago, it will have exhausted all the available moisture in the top 50cm within a few more days... Guard cells are closing, transpiration is being restricted and growth slowed. It really needed 25mm irrigation a week ago followed by another today...
Where cereals are still green and have moisture available in the soil they are using 2-3mm water per day. 10 days without rain can be enough to take soil from capacity to moisture stress on light land.
- Location
- Owaka, New Zealand
That's quite fascinating, thanks.I can do better than that.. somewhere I have a cross section of a ridge that had barely wet the top inch after 30mm irrigation, dry potato ridges can become very hydrophobic after planting! The field looks wet, you walk over it and it feels wet, but then you have a dig and find all the irrigation as disappeared down the drains!
We monitor a lot of soil moisture in irrigated crops, I would say I have seen drier seasons. We only have a small number of sites showing below 50% of moisture holding capacity at the moment, though if we get a few high temperature, high transpiration days where water uptake hits 7/8/9mm per day it could turn around very quickly!
Below is data from a crop of spuds in East Anglia, it sat water logged for 10 days in June but now has a 60mm moisture deficit, It managed to chase the moisture down as the upper layers dried out and started using water from 50cm a week ago, it will have exhausted all the available moisture in the top 50cm within a few more days... Guard cells are closing, transpiration is being restricted and growth slowed. It really needed 25mm irrigation a week ago followed by another today...
View attachment 817692
View attachment 817690
Where cereals are still green and have moisture available in the soil they are using 2-3mm water per day. 10 days without rain can be enough to take soil from capacity to moisture stress on light land.
Interesting to see the ripply lines as the crop draws moisture out in the daytime, what daytime temperatures to have that effect?
This was less than a month ago here.
- Location
- S E Glos
Former RAC principal Vic Hughes was always telling us isolated rainfall events (on Cotswold brash) is of limited value in June as the big leafy crops transpire it away so quickly. Tempered our 'Yes, we're saved!' enthusiasm when it rained in a drought
I can do better than that.. somewhere I have a cross section of a ridge that had barely wet the top inch after 30mm irrigation, dry potato ridges can become very hydrophobic after planting! The field looks wet, you walk over it and it feels wet, but then you have a dig and find all the irrigation as disappeared down the drains!
We monitor a lot of soil moisture in irrigated crops, I would say I have seen drier seasons. We only have a small number of sites showing below 50% of moisture holding capacity at the moment, though if we get a few high temperature, high transpiration days where water uptake hits 7/8/9mm per day it could turn around very quickly!
Below is data from a crop of spuds in East Anglia, it sat water logged for 10 days in June but now has a 60mm moisture deficit, It managed to chase the moisture down as the upper layers dried out and started using water from 50cm a week ago, it will have exhausted all the available moisture in the top 50cm within a few more days... Guard cells are closing, transpiration is being restricted and growth slowed. It really needed 25mm irrigation a week ago followed by another today...
View attachment 817692
View attachment 817690
Where cereals are still green and have moisture available in the soil they are using 2-3mm water per day. 10 days without rain can be enough to take soil from capacity to moisture stress on light land.
That picture I was referring to might have come from you... I can't remember what I posted last week, let alone last month.
kingfisher
Member
- Location
- East Anglia
Cereals will not hang on long here, only 220mm rain since beginning of year and most of that in June and disappeared straight down cracks!
Spring Barley turning fast and will be harvested before winter wheat.
Spring Barley turning fast and will be harvested before winter wheat.
carpenter1
Member
- Location
- devon
It is very dry here in south Devon. The same as Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset
Been very warm lately slightly cooler today.
To be honest I am enjoying it
Been very warm lately slightly cooler today.
To be honest I am enjoying it