Soil temperature has dropped low enough for oilseed rape residuals to be applied and there is still time to apply Atlantis and Broadway Star, say Farmers Weekly‘s Crop Watch bloggers.

In the east, AICC agronomist Ruth East said propyzamide and carbetamide were being applied to oilseed rape in her region, but there were concerns that thick canopies would prevent the product from reaching the soil surface. “We will have to wait for some hard frosts or flocks of pigeons to open up canopies.”

ProCam agronomist Nick Brown was offering the same advice to growers in the south, but suggested they add a fungicide to make the most of a short spraying window. Frit fly had been found in some wheat crops following oats, grass and fields where grassweed control had been poor last year, he added.

Soil temperatures were still high enough in the north for Atlantis and Broadway Star applications on winter wheat, said TAG agronomist David Martindale. “Where there have been good flushes of blackgrass, ryegrass or sterile brome it has provided a good opportunity to take them out while small.”

Winter barley crops were forward but some fields were carrying high levels of mildew, he said. “However, no fungicide is likely to be worthwhile at this stage as frosts should curb infection levels.”

Crops in Dan Dines’ Wiltshire area were also carrying high levels of mildew.

Pre-emergence herbicide sprays struggled to control blackgrass in his area so Atlantis would be applied to take out remaining plants, he said. “Weather will dictate when it actually goes on. If autumn conditions are not suitable we will resort to a spring application.”

But if spraying herbicides this autumn take care because crops are lush, especially if frosts are forecast, he warned.

To read the full reports visit our new Crop Watch Blog