Growers are reminded that the sowing date of late-drilled winter cereals will determine the eligibility of certain plant protection products that can be applied this spring.

Rules set out by the HSE’s Chemicals Regulations Division (CRD) state that winter cereals sown after the end of January can only be treated with products approved in spring cereals.

The CRD defines a winter cereal as one that has been sown on or before 31 January.

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Hutchinsons technical support manager, Duncan Connabeer, explains that any cereal drilled after this date – even if it is a “winter” variety – is legally classed as a spring cereal and must be treated as such in the eyes of the CRD.

“Equally, a ‘spring’ variety sown before the end of January, will technically be considered as a winter variety from a regulatory viewpoint,” explains Mr Connabeer.

Although sowing date doesn’t change the genetic traits of a winter or spring variety, these drilling date definitions have important implications for the use of herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and growth regulators that can be legally applied on those crops.

“Likewise, any product authorised for use in winter cereals can legally be used on spring cereals when they are sown before the end of January.”

However, Mr Connabeer warns that such use may not necessarily be supported by product manufacturers or agronomists.

“There can be increased risks of crop damage from using some chemistry on winter cereals drilled in the spring, or spring cereals sown in the autumn, therefore growers must check product labels carefully and discuss the most suitable options with their agronomist,” he says.