OSR this year ?
- Thread starter buttercup
- Start date
4course
Member
- Location
- north yorks
Sadly the N needs rain as much as the osr
4course
Member
- Location
- north yorks
yes agree , but weve got 70 odd acres of grass down that with the forecast stands a chance of getting a reasonable crop of hay/haylage albeit not the best rocket fuel but could be wrapped against 30 acre of osr which if it fails could still be sown again with a combinable having made a seedbed applied a bit of n mucked it for the osr so do I want rain or sun either way its a risk worth taking as just might come good with both,.This farming malarky is a risky job, reckon we should be called professional gamblers cos thats what the job is .Sadly the N needs rain as much as the osr
- Location
- Minehead,Somerset
Well I started spraying yesterday evening for beetles on 10 day sown OSR, looks good as we have had plenty of moisture. Looks like the next three evenings will be a repeat , 30-35 ha / day . Some was only drilled week ago but just emerging . All contract spraying acerage , not mine.
- Location
- Darlington
Are you spraying in the dark?
It’s certainly the most effective time of day to hit them.
- Location
- Minehead,Somerset
Semi dark into dark yes . Don t know myself but there has been research to say that's when the beetles are most active .
- Location
- North Notts
I rigged up the tractor and sprayer to spray in the dark years ago, little buggers were still there in the morning. Lost the crop and not grown it since. I think they were resistant to it even then. All the beneficial insects were taken out, which to my mind, made the situation worse.
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I’ve been spraying in the dark. I’d say it buys you two days at most.,There seems to be less of them and less damage for a couple of days but migration into the crop soon makes the numbers back up. I’ve sprayed twice but given up now. It’s just not growing fast enough.
There are no beneficials that make the slightest difference to flea beetles so I don’t buy the spraying makes it worse argument. Yes it’s worse for the beneficials in that field but what’s that got to do with crop survival?
There are no beneficials that make the slightest difference to flea beetles so I don’t buy the spraying makes it worse argument. Yes it’s worse for the beneficials in that field but what’s that got to do with crop survival?
- Location
- North Notts
Taking out the beneficials with little or no effect on the CSFB doesn't sit easy with me. Either way I can't grow the damn stuff since neonicotinoids were taken away from us. More interference from the green do gooders...
- Location
- Cambs Essex
Are there predictors of CSFB
ground beetle, parasitic wasps I believe
Tompkins
Member
- Location
- NE Somerset
Currently stood in a field drilled last Wednesday looking for the little blighters. Does the fact there is a neighbours more forward crop next door help or hinder me?
Might have to do the unthinkable tomorrow evening....
Might have to do the unthinkable tomorrow evening....
Can you find many?
Tompkins
Member
- Location
- NE Somerset
Yeah found a few, not much damage but still at cotyledon stage so won't take much.
bigger picture maybe ? even if you’re not spraying resistant beatles they soon will be and the beneficials killed will be stopping other species like slugs becoming dominant and taking out the crop later
we redrilled 80ac this week, the rest is ok ( so far !) i reckon that 2nd role of the osr dice probably cost little more than spraying and likely has higher chances of success maybe ?
………. but that 80ac will still probably be winter beans !
- Location
- Lincolnshire
They seem to prefer cotyledons. Once you get some true leaves out they seem less interested. We’ve a field of volunteers that are hardly affected by beetles next door to a newly drilled field that’s been ravaged at cotyledon. They just can’t seem to leave cotyledons alone.
If I destroy the volunteers will I get even more pressure on my drilled crop? Not sure I will TBH. There doesn’t seem to be much logic to the way they migrate.
If I destroy the volunteers will I get even more pressure on my drilled crop? Not sure I will TBH. There doesn’t seem to be much logic to the way they migrate.