What to do stubbles pre Spring Barley

Alfie

Member
BASE UK Member
Got a 100ha block of good looking wheat with varying populations of blackgrass in it.

Will double break next with spring barley then either winter or spring beans.

Question is, what do I do after harvest?

Cultivate shallow to encourage bg germination then spray off and repeat?

Plant cover crop straight behind combine?

Encourage multiple bg germinations and 2 or 3 roundup applications?

8 years no-till here so don’t suggest ploughing!

I can’t be the only one with this dilemma?!
 

JD6920s

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Shropshire
Got a 100ha block of good looking wheat with varying populations of blackgrass in it.

Will double break next with spring barley then either winter or spring beans.

Question is, what do I do after harvest?

Cultivate shallow to encourage bg germination then spray off and repeat?

Plant cover crop straight behind combine?

Encourage multiple bg germinations and 2 or 3 roundup applications?

8 years no-till here so don’t suggest ploughing!

I can’t be the only one with this dilemma?!

We have a similar problem with Italian Rye Grass, some of it is going into a CC and some into osr, we will try and get a chit right behind the combine hopefully before both the next crops go in, light shallow disc and roll to preserve moisture.
 

martian

DD Moderator
BASE UK Member
Location
N Herts
Plant cover crop straight behind combine. It's a waste of time IMO to try to reduce the BG seed population with multiple passes. A cover will help create the conditions that BG doesn't like and leaving the seeds on the surface will ensure that most will let eaten, lose vigour, chit and die or grow and get eaten off or terminated with the cover crops.
 
Last edited:

Farmer Roy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
NSW, Newstralya
Plant cover crop straight behind combine. It's a waste of time IMO to try to deduce the BG seed population with multiple passes. A cover will help create the conditions that BG doesn't like and leaving the seeds on the surface will ensure that most will let eaten, lose vigour, chit and die or grow and get eaten off or terminated with the cover crops.

YES

The best thing you can do with stubble is leave it alone or plant something else into it
Cultivations negate all the benefits of no till . . .
Cultivation can also bury a lot of weed seeds, leaving them viable to germinate next year or later . . .
Best thing to do with weed seeds is leave them on the surface to suffer the fates that @martian has indicated
 

Alfie

Member
BASE UK Member
YES

The best thing you can do with stubble is leave it alone or plant something else into it
Cultivations negate all the benefits of no till . . .
Cultivation can also bury a lot of weed seeds, leaving them viable to germinate next year or later . . .
Best thing to do with weed seeds is leave them on the surface to suffer the fates that @martian has indicated

Thanks, just ordered a 12 way diverse mix from Kings that will go in behind the combine[emoji2][emoji106]
 

Tompkins

Member
Location
NE Somerset
Vetch, Berseem clover, S. Triticale, Sorghum, Adagio Radish, Turnip Rape, Nyger, Sunflowers, Quinoa, Phacelia, Linseed, Buckwheat.

Wow, sounds interesting! Would you be willing to divulge the cost? I was thinking of doing the same thing with a few spring oats ans a bit of linseed if i can find some!
 

Brisel

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Midlands
I'd take the opportunity to get as many chits between cash crops as possible. Scratch the top lightly and put a lower seed rate of cover crop in so the blackgrass can grow amongst it. You'll still get a good bit of biomass from the CC, not disturb much soil other than what you need for a 6 month stale seedbed. The hares & birds will enjoy the more open canopy over the autumn & will eat some of the seeds for you.
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
I for the first time left my stubbles alone entirely before planting wheat, osr and beans.
Cleanest I've been for a very long time.
Pre linseed I planted oats,vetch,oil radish.
I'm undecided if it was worth it.
Sheep buggered the surface , I reckon @Simon C is probably right, covers on heavy land aren't worth it.
I'm not sure if I'll try again this year.
 

jonnyjon

Member
I for the first time left my stubbles alone entirely before planting wheat, osr and beans.
Cleanest I've been for a very long time.
Pre linseed I planted oats,vetch,oil radish.
I'm undecided if it was worth it.
Sheep buggered the surface , I reckon @Simon C is probably right, covers on heavy land aren't worth it.
I'm not sure if I'll try again this year.
Project lamport would suggest they are very beneficial
 

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
Project lamport would suggest they are very beneficial
I'm afraid I take a lot of these trials with a lorry load of salt.
I went to France this year, to hear about some conservation ag trials, using covers.


Very beneficial apparently, based on TWO years data.

They're all encouraging us to do this stuff with NO long term trials and known effects.

I could say everyone should be using a gd drill after my results this year, blackgrass levels lower than ever.
But until I see the longer term effects I'd shy away from that advice.
 
I'm afraid I take a lot of these trials with a lorry load of salt.
I went to France this year, to hear about some conservation ag trials, using covers.


Very beneficial apparently, based on TWO years data.

They're all encouraging us to do this stuff with NO long term trials and known effects.

I could say everyone should be using a gd drill after my results this year, blackgrass levels lower than ever.
But until I see the longer term effects I'd shy away from that advice.
What we need is knowledge from the farmers who used these techniques in the 19 century
 

Spud

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
YO62
Pre s barley here is mostly into ploughing after Feb lifted sugar beet, or into a cover crop.
Tbh it's more often spring wheat or oats follow a cover crop on heavy land. The key to me is don't drill them too thick, so the sun and wind can get in to dry the ground, keep stock off them, spray off a fortnight or so before sowing the following crop at a highish seedrate, with as little disturbance as possible. The dead cover will suppress the weeds while the crop gets up and away.
 

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quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

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