OBM / Lemon Midge

[snarling bee]

Humankind has upset the balance. Get rid of 95% homo sapiens and the balance might be restored.

I don't see conventional farming as any different to modern medicine. Tillage and chemicals are no different to surgery and pharmaceuticals. Whether you agree with either is a different argument.

 

[Clive]

Few bags & bottles used in Africa, yet they still get plagues of locusts. Do your best and spread your risk with a good rotation then you won't be exposed to one serious event.

We don’t live in an extreme ecosystem like Africa

 

[Brisel]

We don’t live in an extreme ecosystem like Africa

An outbreak of a pest is a temporary extreme. My point is that whilst we can do more to mitigate the impact of midge we will always have this problem while the British countryside is cropped.

 

[ajd132]

Some things are inevitable with mono cultures

 

[Brisel]

Back in topic, I found a few this evening but nothing remotely approaching spray threshold level.

Just the one near the bottom of the emerging Graham ear.

 

[Zippy768]

Back in topic, I found a few this evening but nothing remotely approaching spray threshold level.
View attachment 803048
Just the one near the bottom of the emerging Graham ear.

....give it an hour.....

Worried alot last year and sprayed most over two eves/nights.
Not gonna look this year. Out of sight, out of mind

 

[teslacoils]

No traps.
No spray.
Not even going to look for them.

 

[principal skinner]

Santiago 30/5/2018 they definitely had an effect on grain quality

 

[FarmerBruce]

View attachment 803076 Santiago 30/5/2018 they definitely had an effect on grain quality

Thought Santiago was supposed to be resistant?

 

[principal skinner]

Thought Santiago was supposed to be resistant?

It is. I just don’t believe it could handle that level of infestation though, very nearly sprayed it but didn’t.

 

[robbie]

Last year I remember sitting on a sun bed in Majorca watching the obm thread and knowing I was completely unable to do anything and things would have to sort themselves out was wounderful.

Guess what, I'm doing the same again so no insecticide going on my crops. If I was at home id be looking and worrying but can't so I won't.
Simples.

 

[Brisel]

View attachment 803076 Santiago 30/5/2018 they definitely had an effect on grain quality

What effect? Santiago’s specific weight isn’t exactly high without any damage like that.

 

[Zippy768]

What effect? Santiago’s specific weight isn’t exactly high without any damage like that.

I happened to be looking back through some records last night (Rock 'n' Roll I know) and in 2014 we were absolutely pegged back with some hefty penalties for low weight Santiago. Mid 60's I think

 

[principal skinner]

What effect? Santiago’s specific weight isn’t exactly high without any damage like that.

Screenings were higher on that block

 

[Boysground]

I gave up looking here a few years ago. Hated using Dursban and killing everything. I grow resistant varieties in areas where i could have issues and forget about them.

Bg

 

[Brisel]

I happened to be looking back through some records last night (Rock 'n' Roll I know) and in 2014 we were absolutely pegged back with some hefty penalties for low weight Santiago. Mid 60's I think

I grew it for a few years including 2014. No midge damage here that year but it still had low spec weight. That, mediocre yields, poor standing ability and a poor disease profile was why I dropped it.

 

[Robm 1959]

Luckily never had to resort to dursban for them in the past.
Now I have a quick look late evenings and if I can’t see an orange cloud of midges I hope I’m ok !!

 

[principal skinner]

I grew it for a few years including 2014. No midge damage here that year but it still had low spec weight. That, mediocre yields, poor standing ability and a poor disease profile was why I dropped it.

I’ve wanted to drop it for the last two years but last year was my best yielding (non midge fields) and looks great on heavy ground this year, huge flag leaves.

Have 10ha of Gravity in the ground as a h/S seed crop for this autumn which looks better at the mo

 

[Brisel]

Santiago promised so much & was a step on from Oakley etc. The big flag leaves gave great hopes! Still a bit grown, I think. Now there's less of it grown perhaps the disease pressure has dropped?

 

[yellow belly]

Resistant variety is a must

Last year grafton on one farm affected this year spring barley there

As for aphids too many lady birds here for them to build up

In 2017 we had a few beanplants with black bean aphid 2 weeks later there was no aphids alive but every plant that had bb aphid previously had an abundence of ladybird larvae
The field had no insecticide for p b weaval


This year on crop walking there are many lady birds on every acre cultural control saves money one careless insecticide application as an agronomists precaution could ruin that cultural control