Nitrogen Plans for Winter Rape

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So we are now within a month of when we'd normally start top dressing our rape.

This year we have a massive canopy (all significantly above GAI 1 already), from a combination of high plant numbers and plenty of leafy growth. Some flea beetle activity and some background phoma. Put some teb on with the kerb last week and thinking definitely PGR at early stem extension.

But when do I start top dressing and how much? Normally 3 splits and 170-210kgN/ha. This time thinking 150-160kgN max and delaying first application till early March depending on weather in February. I reckon there's plenty of N to remobilise from existing older tissue before I apply any bagged fertiliser.

What are your thoughts on your crops?

 

[Breakthru]

Growth reg it hard and save 30% of N till start of flowering. Sure do not need any more vegetation.

 

[Against_the_grain]

Yep cant see the point of early N this year. Plenty 30-40kg N in the crop already and plenty of growth and no point increasing this as it will only make it more likely to lodge. Can see overall N use will be maybe 10-20%less this year.

 

[Brisel]

It's too early to be assessing GAI in osr. There's plenty of winter to go yet & pigeons are just starting to drop into the thinner pacthes where the combine swaths were.

I have 90 kg/ha N to go on regardless which includes the crop's sulphur requirements. I tweak this dose by timing - later (early March depending on temperatures) if a lush crop and sooner (at the start of spring growth from mid Feb) if backwards, with the final dose brought forward & split further. A green bud fungicide will probably be needed if LLS reappears so I just increase the dose of tebuconazole to 1 litre+ if the crop needs PGR.

Most osr has a GAI of 0.6 - 0.8 now. The early August strip tilled stuff is over 1.3 but last week's frosts are still opening up the canopy.

 

[franklin]

Big dollop when it will travel around Valentines day. Big dollop 5 weeks later. 210kg/ha total. Most here is smaller than I would like, mainly as it wasnt drilled until early September. We have had maybe 2 days of frost and there are still slugs about!