Foliar feeding drought stressed wheat?

Andrew K

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Essex
Joel,
If you feel the N hasnt really kicked in, I would just spray it on the foliage with N20 urea solution at night at a rate of 200l/ha.
Avoid doing it in hot spells if you can.
I have done this countless times over the years when N is not getting into the crop, and it helps IMO.
If your soil prone to Mg deficiency, I would use Manganese Sulphate at 5kg/ha as a seperate operation.
 
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PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
Joel,
If you feel the N hasnt really kicked in, I would just spray it on the foliage with N20 urea solution at night at a rate of 200l/ha.
Avoid doing it in hot spells if you can.
I have done this countless times over the years when N is not getting into the crop, and it helps IMO.
If your soil prone to Mg deficiency, I would use Manganese Sulphate at 5kg/ha as a seperate operation.

Sprayed the offending 80 acres at the darkening last night with a home brewed mix of some left over liquid DAP ammonium polyphosphate starter fert (only 5 l/ha), urea, bittersaltz (5kg MgSO4) and zinc sulphate (0.35kg), mixed in the fertiliser plant.
I kept the N deliberately low (10kg/Ha) to avoid any risk of scorch through a flat fan at 120 l/ha as it fitted the logistics. Also did tramlines in 2 other better looking fields just to see if there is any visual response.
If it doesn't work at least I've tried, and thats enough.
 
Last edited:

Flat 10

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Fen Edge
Sprayed the offending 80 acres at the darkening last night with a home brewed mix of some left over liquid DAP ammonium polyphosphate starter fert (only 5 l/ha), urea, bittersaltz (5kg MgSO4) and zinc sulphate (0.35kg), mixed in the fertiliser plant.
I kept the N deliberately low (10kg/Ha) to avoid any risk of scorch through a flat fan at 120 l/ha as it fitted the logistics. Also did tramlines in 2 other better looking fields just to see if there is any visual response.
If it doesn't work at least I've tried, and thats enough.
Share the results
 

Colin

Member
Location
Perthshire
Water, water, water. That and warmish weather is the answer. As for trace elements on our light soils I use a lot of epso combitop which has Mg, S , Mn, Zn. Tissue tests show up slightly low B sometimes but I don't treat for that yet. Get all of the N on early to feed biomass and the energy storage in the stems, also high seed rates especially later drilled, 600 seeds if wheat bulb fly will be on the go. My theory is that better the root system feeding 1 or 2 tillers than trying to feed 10 as we used to get with early drilling and low seed rates. Just my ideas. This year crops are short but starting to sprout now, we have lots of irrigation capacity but haven't tried it on cereals yet, I need to find out more about the best time to apply it.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Water, water, water. That and warmish weather is the answer. As for trace elements on our light soils I use a lot of epso combitop which has Mg, S , Mn, Zn. Tissue tests show up slightly low B sometimes but I don't treat for that yet. Get all of the N on early to feed biomass and the energy storage in the stems, also high seed rates especially later drilled, 600 seeds if wheat bulb fly will be on the go. My theory is that better the root system feeding 1 or 2 tillers than trying to feed 10 as we used to get with early drilling and low seed rates. Just my ideas. This year crops are short but starting to sprout now, we have lots of irrigation capacity but haven't tried it on cereals yet, I need to find out more about the best time to apply it.
Personally I would think high seed rates and loads of biomass are not what you want in a drought year?
 

PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
Water, water, water. That and warmish weather is the answer. As for trace elements on our light soils I use a lot of epso combitop which has Mg, S , Mn, Zn. Tissue tests show up slightly low B sometimes but I don't treat for that yet. Get all of the N on early to feed biomass and the energy storage in the stems, also high seed rates especially later drilled, 600 seeds if wheat bulb fly will be on the go. My theory is that better the root system feeding 1 or 2 tillers than trying to feed 10 as we used to get with early drilling and low seed rates. Just my ideas. This year crops are short but starting to sprout now, we have lots of irrigation capacity but haven't tried it on cereals yet, I need to find out more about the best time to apply it.
I’m with you on the high seed rates.
We used to try to copy all the new fashioned ideas in the FW, but their low seed rate ideas never worked here. Slugs, cold late Springs (2013), droughty early springs (2010/‘11/‘12!) , too wet to get early fert on (2013/2020), etc etc; all led to spindly thin stands at booting.
Moved to variable rate seed between 300m2 and 450 and pretty much sorted out the density issues.
 
That's interesting.

I thought plenty biomass would mean the plant could utilise the biomass to ripen and produce something when it starts to die off. Ie it would die and go to the head.

Plenty biomass definitely holds moisture better. If there's a heavy dew it will stay damp in bottom for much longer than a open, exposed one like in pictures above.

but it uses all the available water before any grain is produced

in the uk on drought prone soils early planting is the best drought beater
heat has a factor as high yields cannot be made when grain fill is hot
but earlier crops in a cool year hit grain fill when the days are shorter
if the uk had consitantly hot weather we would grow more maize for feed grain and class 1 wheat for flour
 

Hindsight

Member
Location
Lincolnshire
but it uses all the available water before any grain is produced

in the uk on drought prone soils early planting is the best drought beater
heat has a factor as high yields cannot be made when grain fill is hot
but earlier crops in a cool year hit grain fill when the days are shorter
if the uk had consitantly hot weather we would grow more maize for feed grain and class 1 wheat for flour

Blackgrass has a lot to answer for. Delayed drilling has ruined the resilience of the Winter Wheat crop. 20 or more years ago mid September or earlier drilled wheat would have been lapping up this weather on heavy Lincolnshire clay. Loads sun. But now winter wheat drilled to late or worse as this year spring cereals. Goodness an effective contact blackgrass herbicide in cereals is desperately needed.
 

Bury the Trash

Member
Mixed Farmer
from what I’ve read , haying off is where too much soil moisture is used before grain fill- often encouraged by higher N rates ?
Could be tbh I don't know,never heard of it actually but the low seed rates i assumed were simply a natural approach to just have less plants for the less moisture available, much less inputs they used/ use for the same reason ... far more extensive, generally of course....way different ball game.
Mind you I do remember seeing much thicker Eurooean type/ crops/ canopies which would've been in higher rainfall down nearer Vic. And Using more of everything including N. but that was trial plots , few tramlines there iirc as well but I dont think they took off either, ever, in general use... :unsure:
 

Spencer

Member
Location
North West
Sprayed the offending 80 acres at the darkening last night with a home brewed mix of some left over liquid DAP ammonium polyphosphate starter fert (only 5 l/ha), urea, bittersaltz (5kg MgSO4) and zinc sulphate (0.35kg), mixed in the fertiliser plant.
I kept the N deliberately low (10kg/Ha) to avoid any risk of scorch through a flat fan at 120 l/ha as it fitted the logistics. Also did tramlines in 2 other better looking fields just to see if there is any visual response.
If it doesn't work at least I've tried, and thats enough.
We never heard how this ended? Did you see any benefits? Things are getting dry here now..🤔
 

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