Late drilling of OSR to avoid CSFB.

[Aceface]

After the disaster of last year where we were badly infected by CSFB, we are (were) planning of drilling a greatly reduced area of OSR to see if we could establish a viable crop after the migration. Anyone else doing it?, if so how late were you planning on going, here in mid Lincolnshire I am hoping to go around the 21th of this month if there is sufficient moisture about with a vigorous hybrid. Hopefully the migration will have run out of steam by then. Any views and opinions? T.I.A.

 

[Two Tone]

It appears to me that the rule book for successfully establishing rape changes every year. What works one year is completely wrong the next!
What ever you do is taking a chance and it is far too risky for me.
However, it seems that a lot of people seems to have got good establishment so far this year. They seem to have got away with it with no or few signs of CSFB this year.
But @Adeptandy Combined some yesterday and his Combine Tank was plastered with them!

Great name by the way! Did you get it from Sting’s character in the Quadrophenia film?

 

[Aceface]

Here in Lincolnshire apparently the migration is later than has been the case (in this area at least), and some crops that have been nicely established are getting a good kicking now, with some possibly getting to the point of no return. It all depends on the moisture and conditions from now on, the osr seed may stay in the bag until next August.

(Yes, (the) Aceface came from Sting's character in Quadrophenia, well recognised.)

 

[DrWazzock]

For us last year here in mid Lincs drilling in a hot dry September ended with no crop at all. It could well be different this year so can’t really say but we aren’t drilling any at all. One less thing to worry about.

 

[Adeptandy]

I was planning on drilling some more this week, but think it will be a waste of time & money now

 

[Shropshire Farmer]

So what’s the best alternative break ? winter oats ?

 

[DrWazzock]

Set aside.

 

[Adeptandy]

So what’s the best alternative break ? winter oats ?

Not sure there is one

 

[DrWazzock]

So what’s the best alternative break ? winter oats ?

If it’s good bodied land that doesn’t dry out then I’d go for oats, yes indeed.

 

[Brisel]

Still drilling osr here after a break having caught up with the combines. I’m currently chasing the subsoiler with a set of rolls and applying pellets.

Freshly emerged osr from 10 days ago has no damage yet but earlier sowings into bare soil are getting munched here in N Yorks.

 

[Hindsight]

Still drilling osr here after a break having caught up with the combines. I’m currently chasing the subsoiler with a set of rolls and applying pellets.

Freshly emerged osr from 10 days ago has no damage yet but earlier sowings into bare soil are getting munched here in N Yorks.
View attachment 907377View attachment 907376

Your thoughts on insecticide - going to treat? If so with what? And how many times will you go?

 

[Brisel]

Your thoughts on insecticide - going to treat? If so with what? And how many times will you go?

Insecticide and wetter is in stock so I’m prepared to go once only. I’m hoping to be able to send it back unused! Far too windy here to consider spraying yet anyway. I just hope that any flying beetles can’t land in the osr fields due to overshooting the mark!

 

[DrWazzock]

All brassicas like a good drink in the early stages. Its that more than grazing that determines establishment success. Egg laying and later larvae damage is part 2. Again the stress of larvae on the plant is compounded by lack of spring moisture. So the past year has seen csfb damage and moisture stress coincide twice here. Bad luck. Maybe this coming year will be better.

 

[Northdowns Martin]

Sat in garden watching nature thought came to me after seeing spiders ‘ballooning’ would this be a trigger to start planting rape as I assume spiders would be a predator of flea beetles?

 

[steveR]

Chatting to a neighbour yesterday who was planning his 2nd pass with bug killer!

"Does it work?", says I.

"It makes me feel I am doing something!", he replied

 

[Two Tone]

Here in Lincolnshire apparently the migration is later than has been the case (in this area at least), and some crops that have been nicely established are getting a good kicking now, with some possibly getting to the point of no return. It all depends on the moisture and conditions from now on, the osr seed may stay in the bag until next August.

(Yes, (the) Aceface came from Sting's character in Quadrophenia, well recognised.)

Better Name than Bell Boy, isn’t it?

The Bit that cracked me up was when Aceface asked the judge if he could pay his fine now by cheque and asks the judge if he could borrow his pen!

 

[Hindsight]

Sat in garden watch nature thought can to me after seeing spiders ‘ballooning’ would this be a trigger to start planting rape as I assume spiders would be a predator of flea beetles?

I thought there were few if any natural predators of the adult beetle. Thus part of the problem. And there are only partially effective predators of the larvae. I did have an article by Sacha White of ADAS, enetomologist, but beggared if I can find it.

 

[Hindsight]

Insecticide and wetter is in stock so I’m prepared to go once only. I’m hoping to be able to send it back unused! Far too windy here to consider spraying yet anyway. I just hope that any flying beetles can’t land in the osr fields due to overshooting the mark!

Yes, I have stocks of Lambda, non ionic wetter and Xchange water conditioner stashed on a couple of farms 'in case'. At the moment them mid August sown is 4 true leaf, totally safe, pretty much as I expected. But the fields sown 25 August onwards are at a similar stage to that in your picture with similar level of surface leaf grazing. And at moment after walking a few fields yesterday have advised 'watching, monitoring brief'. Time will tell. Tricky one.

 

[DrWazzock]

Go out at night with a torch if you really want to know the situation. Best time to spray if it works at all.

 

[Jo28]

Does xchange help with insecticides? We use it with roundup etc but have never bothered with it fir insecticides?