Phosphate problems

[will_mck]

Hello, Spring Barley drilled one month ago, p&k indexes are 3. Got alot of wet weather 2 weeks after it was sown. I didn't put compound fertiliser on as I intended to try 3000 gallon of pigs slurry instead, which it got a week ago. This has been a bit of an 'experiment' this year which doesn't look like it's been very successful. With hindsight I should have spread the slurry after ploughing and put it in the seed bed but it's only the wetter spots of the field that show symptoms.

1. Does wet, heavy soil lock up P & K even if indexes are high?

2. What can I spray on the crop to help it recover?

.....and obviously it's a field near a road with a great view of it

 

[Flatlander]

The nutrients from the pig slurry won’t be having any visible effect yet. The purple lookin patches are more than likely water logged and restricting growth. I’d sit back and wait for it to have a chance to grow.

 

[yellow belly]

Index 3 will not need phosphate for a few years

 

[will_mck]

Here's a bit more close up. Plants are all there but with purple tinges. The wet spell is definitely the cause but this has to surely impact on tiller numbers and final yield, is there anything I could spray to help wet spots recover quickly?

 

[Old apprentice]

Barley loves lots of manganese

 

[Jim75]

Plants are still there. Ourselves and a few others locally have resown drowned out patches.

 

[Flatlander]

Those roots need oxygen no amount of wonder cure from a sprayer is going to help that. Mother Nature is your best bet. And hope she is in a forgiving mood. Chances are those patches are not going to tiller like the dryer parts of the field. If it dries up and it’s too thin I’d consider re drilling the patches If large enough

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

Are the tractor wheelings a darker green?

 

[clemmo]

First thought would be manganese !

 

[will_mck]

Are the tractor wheelings a darker green?

No, I might try Manganese sulphate, can't do any harm.

 

[tullah]

Are the tractor wheelings a darker green?

I have a field like that similar to the OP's. Medium well drained land but wheelings a darker green and looking good. Its been getting worse over three years.

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

I have a field like that similar to the OP's. Medium well drained land but wheelings a darker green and looking good. Its been getting worse over three years.

Darker green, healthier looking wheelings would be an indicator of Manganese deficiency.

 

[ollie989898]

Cold wet soils are less kind to roots and this makes phosphate deficiency more likely. The fact you have applied pig slurry instead of compound probably isn't to blame either in fairness.

A go with some manganese and mag phos K would help it. You have the plants there they are just going through growing pains. Some good warm weather may well correct it on it's own but I hate to see an otherwise good crop suffering. You can also buy some foliar phosphate products to use, I can't remember the products though.

 

[jpd]

i think you answered your own question
barley cannot abide wet
or
could be take all
i can have problems wit t a in w barley
and a can see it some times in spring