Using high seed rates to make no-till work on heavier soil?

[Feldspar]

It reduces slug issues, moves residue around, mineralises a bit more N, and improves consolidation, aswell as "closing " any opening slots from drill 1, so it hedges ones bets nicely I find. You are bang on re timeliness, and also later in the season you often don't want the extra consolidation, I feel it has more of a place for early spring "touch and go conditions"

So do you think then to do something like zero-till 2nd wheats / other particularly challenging situations early (i.e. before the main drilling rush starts) and do them twice with a decent seed rate?

 

[shakerator]

So do you think then to do something like zero-till 2nd wheats / other particularly challenging situations early (i.e. before the main drilling rush starts) and do them twice with a decent seed rate?

Don't know I'm no guru

 

[Feldspar]

Also, having sat on the fert spreader again yesterday in some of the 2nd wheats, I think if we do use our rake, it would at least be worth doing it round the headland where the combine turns. That seems to be where particularly bad residue problems seem to be.

 

[shakerator]

Looked at a post-em black-grass trial in some of Jeff Claydon's fields the other day. Results didn't exactly enthuse me to follow your no pre-em strategy!

Atlantis kill %?

Not advocating it at all, just offering up possible explanations about poorish stands in certain situations

 

[shakerator]

Also, having sat on the fert spreader again yesterday in some of the 2nd wheats, I think if we do use our rake, it would at least be worth doing it round the headland where the combine turns. That seems to be where particularly bad residue problems seem to be.

I think you'd be a lot happier if you'd have stuck some N on at the end of jan with those fields

 

[Feldspar]

Atlantis kill %?

Not advocating it at all, just offering up possible explanations about poorish stands in certain situations

Fair enough. No idea what the treatments were. A whole varieties of post-em mixtures with no pre-em. All looked disastrous.

 

[Feldspar]

I think you'd be a lot happier if you'd have stuck some N on at the end of jan with those fields

We did (around that time anyway within legal bounds), and added something in the autumn on the early drilled crops. Couldn't have done more on that front without being irresponsible.

 

[shakerator]

We did (around that time anyway within legal bounds), and added something in the autumn on the early drilled crops. Couldn't have done more on that front without being irresponsible.

What was autumn herbicide treatment on the 2nd wheat fields and timing ?

 

[Feldspar]

Another question: does placing fert with the seed (liquid or solid) help with establishment losses, or is it more about helping the plants that do establish get going better?

 

[Feldspar]

What was autumn herbicide treatment on the 2nd wheat fields and timing ?

Largely, but with some exceptions, Avadex with rolls. 4 l/ha Crystal + 0.25 (IIRC) DFF a day afterwards.

 

[shakerator]

Fair enough. No idea what the treatments were. A whole varieties of post-em mixtures with no pre-em. All looked disastrous.

how many plants /Sqm ?

 

[Feldspar]

how many plants /Sqm ?

Don't know. Decent population, but just choked with BG.

 

[shakerator]

Largely, but with some exceptions, Avadex with rolls. 4 l/ha Crystal + 0.25 (IIRC) DFF a day afterwards.

And Pacifica in spring ?

 

[Feldspar]

And Pacifica in spring ?

Not on the earlier drilled 2nd wheat, but yes on the later drilled block.

 

[shakerator]

Not on the earlier drilled 2nd wheat, but yes on the later drilled block.

Unqualified opinion:
I think you lost plants because PDM got into the strawy areas and into crop roots without any soil buffering. Plants can grow well in straw but lack trace elements initially until the roots reach soil. The avadex would form a vapour between the large aerated areas between straw lengths, would certainly aggrevate the problem, aswell as slugs

Is that no tills fault, the herbicides fault, or simply a consequence of the system we need to operate in to pay the bills

 

[Feldspar]

Unqualified opinion:
I think you lost plants because PDM got into the strawy areas and into crop roots without any soil buffering. Plants can grow well in straw but lack trace elements initially until the roots reach soil.

Is that no tills fault, the herbicides fault, or simply a consequence of the system we need to operate in to pay the bills

More likely than the Avadex? Have some fields without Avadex though, and they're just as bad.

What's irritating is there are some areas of a few acres that are actually quite acceptable. It's just overall they're not.

 

[shakerator]

More likely than the Avadex? Have some fields without Avadex though, and they're just as bad.

What's irritating is there are some areas of a few acres that are actually quite acceptable. It's just overall they're not.

Adding to the stack adds to the stress. But PDM is most root active
Liberator comparison would be interesting

 

[shakerator]

More likely than the Avadex? Have some fields without Avadex though, and they're just as bad.

What's irritating is there are some areas of a few acres that are actually quite acceptable. It's just overall they're not.

Swath straw with combine. Drill between swaths. Drive sprayer over swaths block same nozzles off. Manual precision farming.
Next year move swaths

Call swath EFA.

 

[Feldspar]

Swath straw with combine. Drill between swaths. Drive sprayer over swaths block same nozzles off. Manual precision farming.
Next year move swaths

Call swath EFA.

An interesting approach! I think just baling some of the straw would be an easier first option. I do think we need to be more active on the +/- 5% seed rate button. I.e. manually vary seed rate in higher trash areas.

Also, in some fields which were drilled with the Mzuri last year we drilled along the same bearing as the old crop rows. This didn't work very well as some coulters were running for the entire bout in the old crop row causing lower establishment. Claydon had drilled at an angel so we didn't have the problem there.

I wonder when doing 750a drilled fields next year whether we can get use the RTK to drill in between the rows. Probably not because I ballsed up the offset for quite a bit of the drilling. In theory though, I wonder if inter-row drilling would help? @Clive, do you do this?

 

[martian]

Swath straw with combine. Drill between swaths. Drive sprayer over swaths block same nozzles off. Manual precision farming.
Next year move swaths

Call swath EFA.

Genius.
Interestingly where we had our no-till potatoes two years ago and we left a very thick pile of straw, now every trace of straw has gone and the ground is blackgrass free. Rest of field isn't, to say the least. Think you may be on to something here, John...