Download PDF - Dairygold Agri-Trading

Upcoming tasks• Weed control - Broadleaf weed control options are very limited at this stage and thereis a poor return over the cost of applying products in most cases. Focus on grass weedcontrol if not already completed using the likes of Stratus Ultra.• Fungicides - To determine the type of fungicide required, calculate the Green AreaIndex (GAI) of your crop before spring growth begins. If the GAI is above 0.5 useCaramba/Riza for a PGR effect at the green bud stage. If the GAI is below 0.5 applyProline/Punch C for Light Leaf spot before stem extension. Include Nutriphite, boronand trace elements as required when applying the disease spray.Green Area Index (GAI) Calculation1. Cut and Collect all the green material (leaves and stem) in 1m 22. Weigh and multiply weight by 0.8 to give you the GAINote taking a photo and uploading to internet sites for GAI is a useful guide but is notas accurate as the above.• Fertiliser - N strategy should be dictated by the crop plant count and GAI. The targetis to build a GAI of 3.5 at green-yellow bud stage. For thin crops apply the first splitof N about 50Kg/ha (40 units/ac) as soon as ground conditions permit (if not alreadycompleted). All crops should then receive 140-150 Kg/ha (112-120 units/acre) in earlyto mid-March (the higher end if no N received before this). A final application of circa35 Kg/ha (28 units/acre) should be applied at seed fill (early April). OSR has a largedemand for sulphur (circa 30Kg/ha or 24 units/acre) and this should be applied earlyMarch making ASN a suitable choice for early N applications.Spring CerealsAim to sow spring cereals by target plants per m 2 rather than by traditional weight perhectare/acre. Therefore to determine sowing rates you need to know:• Target plants per m 2 -This varies depending on the crop and the time of sowing.Increase sowing rates for later sowings.• Germination % - Normally 90-95%, but assume 85% for native certified seed in 2013(assume 95% for imported seed).• Field losses - Assume 5% losses for sowing in good conditions but could be muchhigher if sown in poor conditions.• Thousand grain weight (TGW) - This can have a major effect on seeding rates andvaries from year to year, between varieties and between batches of the same variety.Make sure to check the TGW of the seed you are sowing before deciding on yoursowing rate.8