Autumn planting 

Autumn planting will be delayed this year as many fields are close to saturation point as a result of recent heavy rain. 

Choosing varieties from the DAFM recommended list of cereal varieties ensures reliability of varieties that have been tested in Irish conditions for a minimum of three years. Use thousand grain weight printed on the bag to calculate seed rate. 

Pre emergence herbicides in wheat and barley will give the most reliable control of weeds especially grass weeds and is also the most cost effective method of weed control in wheat and barley. Pre emergence herbicide also reduces the need for post emergence options where herbicide resistance is most likely to occur. Refer to weed susceptibility table to select herbicide most suitable for weed spectrum in each field.

Early sown crops are at most risk of BYDV. Access risk and apply pyrethoid insecticide at 2-3 leaf stage where risk of BYDV exists.  

Winter Oilseed Rape

Early drilled crops are growing well at the moment but later drilled crops are only at the 2 to 4 true leaf stage. Slug damage is reported in some crops while volunteer cereals are growing strongly and will need to be controlled. There are no reports of cabbage stem flea beetle damage. 

Weed control - crops that did not receive a pre emergence herbicide will need some weed control in the coming weeks. Herbicide choice will depend on the weed spectrum. Some growers will wait until December to apply Astrokerb while others will need to control volunteer cereals with a graminicide e.g Falcon which may well include a tank partner like Belkar and a fungicide.

Disease control - Phoma and Light Leaf Spot will be the big challenges this autumn for details of control strategies click on the link Autumn Disease Control

Potatoes

Digging to fill stores is a bit away yet as growers wait for the early desiccated crops to be ready and soil conditions to improve after the recent very wet weather. Some met stations have recorded over 60mm of rain in the past week which will make conditions very sticky.

Desiccation - most crops have received their first and possibly second application of whichever combination of Spotlight Plus, Gozai or Reglone. In most cases these have been slow to act, given the cloudy weather over the last few weeks, with the exception of crops which received the 0.75l/ha of Reglone which has helped. Remember the total rate of both Gozai and Spotlight Plus is 1.6 l/ha including any that was applied in the spring as a herbicide. See Potato Desiccants Table for details.

Both Gozai and Spotlight will be slow acting in the current weather so growers will need to have patience, in previous years we have seen that it takes up to six weeks to have full desiccation. In 2021 Teagasc conducted a workshop to show how combinations of the different products worked this can be seen on the following link Teagasc Potato Desiccation Workshop

Important dates for tillage farmers this autumn

Upcoming event

The Enable Conservation Tillage project is now coming to a close over the next few months and to present many of the findings and meet the participants Teagasc with the help of the partner organisations are holding an ECT conference.

Full conference agenda will be available nearer the date on the Teagasc Events Page.

ECT Conference;

Date; November 8th @ 10am

Venue; Kilashee House Hotel Naas, Co. Kildare Eircode; W91DC98