Oilseed Rape Research Project Questionaire

[Jacsum24]

Good Afternoon,

I am a final year student at the Royal Agricultural University, and am completing my research project titled: 'Challenges to the Future Viability of Successful Oilseed Rape Cropping in the UK'

I would appreciate it greatly if any conventional arable farmers could take 5 minutes to complete my questionaire about winter oilseed rape, as I am exceptionally short on responses.

The survey is available below:

https://rau.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/challenges-to-the-future-viability-of-successful-oilseed

Thanks in advance

Jack

 

[Brisel]

Done

 

[Jacsum24]

Done

thank you very much, very kind!

 

[Two Tone]

Done

Me too.
Out of interest @Brisel, did all the OSR you planted last Autumn survive?
Ours did apart from the odd patch, thank goodness!

What the heck else would you grow as an alternative Break crop?
We were forced into Spring OSR in 2013 after the awful Autumn of 2012. It did Ok that year, but I wouldn't want to rely on it every year. The CSFB now would be even worse!

 

[Jacsum24]

Me too.
Out of interest @Brisel, did all the OSR you planted last Autumn survive?
Ours did apart from the odd patch, thank goodness!

What the heck else would you grow as an alternative Break crop?
We were forced into Spring OSR in 2013 after the awful Autumn of 2012. It did Ok that year, but I wouldn't want to rely on it every year. The CSFB now would be even worse!

thank you!

 

[Brisel]

Me too.
Out of interest @Brisel, did all the OSR you planted last Autumn survive?
Ours did apart from the odd patch, thank goodness!

What the heck else would you grow as an alternative Break crop?
We were forced into Spring OSR in 2013 after the awful Autumn of 2012. It did Ok that year, but I wouldn't want to rely on it every year. The CSFB now would be even worse!

So far, yes. About 1-2% is looking precarious from poor establishment and some flea beetle grazing. The plants, well, most of them actually, that have CSFB larvae feeding inside them look like they are hanging on ok. Looking around here, there are a few write offs, plenty that look backwards but over half looks ok. Maybe we escaped the worst of the epidemic? 2" of rain over the Bank Holiday weekend in August helped most out.

I agree about alternative break crops. Most of the others like peas, beans, oats and linseed have to do very well indeed to compare with the net margin of a 30 cwt/acre winter osr crop. Great for those with options like maize or rotational grass leys but not here. Growing maize on chalk is tricky without a good layer of muck and the nearest AD plant is a long way away.

 

[Two Tone]

So far, yes. About 1-2% is looking precarious from poor establishment and some flea beetle grazing. The plants, well, most of them actually, that have CSFB larvae feeding inside them look like they are hanging on ok. Looking around here, there are a few write offs, plenty that look backwards but over half looks ok. Maybe we escaped the worst of the epidemic? 2" of rain over the Bank Holiday weekend in August helped most out.

I agree about alternative break crops. Most of the others like peas, beans, oats and linseed have to do very well indeed to compare with the net margin of a 30 cwt/acre winter osr crop. Great for those with options like maize or rotational grass leys but not here. Growing maize on chalk is tricky without a good layer of muck and the nearest AD plant is a long way away.

There are a few write-offs around here too. We took the view to get it in early. I know our system is quite different from your own. We ploughed and there was a surprisingly useful amount of moisture we turned up. We then quickly combi-drilled the plough and rolled it hard to prevent moisture evaporation. This was all done by 7th Aug. We had also managed to put FYM on most of it ahead of ploughing.

It emerged within 3 days and all grew at the same rate. As the drought started to hit again, we noticed that the fields that had been mucked suddenly took off, almost alarmingly! The 1/3" of rain we got here over the Bank holiday weekend is probably what saved the fields that didn't get the muck.

Of 2 neighbours we have, 1 also planted early August, but straight into stubble with a Vaderstad drill and had to do it all again early September. He has a crop, but very patchy.

The other did the same but mostly into Sumo'd land on about 20th Aug which then lost all its moisture. The only bits he has left now are one field he didn't Sumo and another field that is very Sandy, but seems to sweat moisture. He has maybe 30% of what he planted as a crop left!

Interestingly, he Vaderstad drilled Stubble turnips in the Ist week of August as I drilled our OSR. He had a good crop of Stubble Turnips except for his heaviest land.


Have you got any OSR on South facing hills?
Around here, it appears this is where it suffered most from CSFB.
Or could it be that facing the Sun, CSFB and the drought finished it off?

 

[Brisel]

My harder hit patches face in various directions. IMO it was more to do with topsoil depth or seedbed quality. The thin chalk outcrops are backwards and naturally colder but any seed going into a bit of clay where the soil to seed contact wasn't quite as good provided less moisture and a place for the beetles to hide. My normal main summer pest is slugs when August is the wettest month of the year, but there weren't many of them this time. None of the grazing was typical of slugs and the crop got at least 2 doses so I could be sure it wasn't them in the backward bits. I only found CSFB.

 

[John Slejpner]

Done

 

[T Hectares]

Started, but lost interest at question 14 when I saw there were another 12 to go !!

 

[thameslade]

done

 

[Jacsum24]

done

thank you very much

 

[Jacsum24]

Done

thank you!

 

[Jacsum24]

BUMP

 

[Jacsum24]

BUMP