My direct drill and cultivation trial 2022

[principal skinner]

Pacifica knocked the crap out of some of my wheats last year and didn’t work particularly well on the grass weeds. I’ve come to the conclusion spring applied grass weed control isn’t worth the crop damage and haven’t done any this year, bought a Claydon hoe instead

 

[teslacoils]

Proverb has done the BG where I used it. 5th cereal but includes spring oats and winter barley. Im sure recent rains will have made a few grow though the cracks, which will be removed by hand.

 

[Feldspar]

I would not contemplate growing 5 winter straw crops any farming system herbicides cannot compensate for the increased weed burden
and in the last 35 years I have never had 5 consecutive autumns when mid October planting produces a descent crop soil type and rain fall the freer draining soil round here should not surport runs of winter cereals

Imho su should be used very early March or later in April
if bg is not the target bromes ect later in April is the safest and most effective with much less crop effect and good blw and wild oat control compare to earlier application
also with notill crops and su I would never need to use growth regulator

Do you extend that SU timing points to things like metsulfuron?

 

[ajd132]

Our s

Winter Barley’s Blackgrass suppression seems to work well with Hybrids.
Surprisingly well considering it is planted at such a low seed rate!

I did want to try some Sensation Conventional this year which is also supposed to be good against BG, but it never turned up.

IMO it is the tallness of the crop that has such a tremendous effect against the BG. It isn’t masking it, the BG just gives up.
The same effect happens when using tall wheat varieties, especially when drilled at a highish seed rate.
Which also IMO gets buggered up if using an SU against BG. The SU doesn’t work, then because you’ve shortened the wheat too much, the surviving BG explodes into life again and takes over.

Again, what works here, might not necessarily work with you.
However, I find using Hybrid Winter barley a very useful tool against the never ending war against BG. Even when establishing it with DD.

It’s a war we will never win. But we can win many battles.
The trouble being that if we lose a battle, it takes a lot of wins to get back to were we started and recover to control the level we had.

Which is why although I have converted to DD, there is still a plough in my shed - just in case……..or in really for nostalgia purposes! ( PS, FFS don’t tell @Clive, @ajd132 or @Badshot!!)

we had quit w a few false starts with DD and they are related to lack of knowledge/experience.
The main issue being considering it as simply lack of cultivation whereas in reality it is a different agronomic system.

 

[farmerfred86]

Niab star project showing highest margin in shallow till again (they don’t have a true dd in that though).

what is the actual DD option for the STAR project? I have been but didn't think Id learn anything extra from going subsequent years.

 

[ajd132]

what is the actual DD option for the STAR project? I have been but didn't think Id learn anything extra from going subsequent years.

Don’t think there is one

 

[Hindsight]

what is the actual DD option for the STAR project? I have been but didn't think Id learn anything extra from going subsequent years.

Have a read of the reports - they are on the web page. Cultivations are 1 PLough, 2 Deep non Inversion Tillage (20cm) 3, Shallow non inversion tillage (less than 10cm) 4, Managed - where the staff decide which of the cultivation techniques to use each Autumn.

Sustainability Trial for Arable Rotations (STAR) | NIAB

www.niab.com