The strong milling wheat and protein premiums available to growers are making the decision to push for grain quality this year an easy one. That’s according to ProCam agronomist Justin Smith.
However, the wet weather across winter and spring means that crops could face an uphill battle when it comes to meeting protein specifications, with soil nitrogen being lost through leaching and comprised uptake from the plant due to poor rooting.
“Where soil testing has been carried out, results indicate that soil N levels have been 20-30kg/ha below their usual levels in some places after all the rain,” he said.
“On top of that, root growth has been seriously compromised by waterlogging, because roots haven’t had to reach down far to find moisture. So not only is there less soil N available but affected plants will also have greater difficulty accessing what’s there.”
He added that these risks will need to be factored into mid- and late-season nutrition plans, especially if the summer turns dry. Although the range of foliar applied treatments may be able to supplement soil-applied nitrogen.
“These range from endophyte bacteria such as Encera, which fix atmospheric N inside the plant, to Twoxo Pro which stimulates the plant to improve N uptake. For the traditional flag leaf (T2) and ear (T3) foliar N spray timings, Pro+ N-Viron PCA has the advantage that it not only provides N directly into the leaf in an efficient urea form, but it also contains pidolic acid, which helps plants use N more efficiently. Which treatments are applied and when, needs to be based on individual field needs. If ever there was a year for tailored agronomy, this is it ”
If the weather does turn dry, then this will limit the uptake of nutrients such as magnesium and potash as well, however, Justin states that there are foliar treatments for this as well, including Proplus Excel.
“The other thing needed in milling wheat is good specific weight. You want plump, well-filled grains. So there are multiple reasons to protect photosynthetic green leaf area against disease.
“Septoria tritici is rampant this season, which will need controlling, and several popular group 1 winter wheats also have low resistance ratings against yellow or brown rust. As well as using a triazole fungicide active against Fusarium for the T3 ear spray, include a suitable strobilurin to stay on top of rust risks.
“It’s not worth missing out on the good milling wheat premiums available. The last thing you want is a milling variety being sold for lower-priced feed,” he concluded
For more information go to www.procam.co.uk