Whether just because of the drought, or perhaps because of herbicide residues undegraded because of the drought, as well as the overlay of negatives from minimal or poor treatments, or other influences, winter cereal development is in dire straits in some areas of the country this fall. In the first ten days of February the picture began to change sharply in a positive sense - leaves began to emerge from the ground, some crops that had managed to sprout began to tiller and farmers breathed a little easier and greeted spring with more optimism.
But let's not kid ourselves. Winter cereals need to go through a stage of vernalization to form normal generative plants. Emerging in spring in mild temperatures, they already have a greatly reduced yield potential. There will also be unsprouted fields that need to be reseeded and here comes the question - with what. The choice is mainly between sunflower and maize, but there is a growing demand for cereals with a fused surface such as spring barley, oats and spring wheat. Although spring barley and wheat have lower potential than winter forms, they are still an option for maintaining a normal rotation if necessary. Oats are even a wonderful crop, quite underestimated due to its lesser market importance.
What do we need to know technologically about spring cereals? There are a few rules to follow to increase the chances of success.
1. Sowing should be done as early as possible - at the first opportunity to get into the fields in February. After mid-March, any delay is now yield-reducing.
2. Depending on the soil, the sowing depth should be between 2 and 4 cm. Aim for an optimum soil bed, without muddy weather and soil compaction, but also without uneven clods or deep loosening without settling, which will compromise uniform seed germination.
3. Fertilization - it is recommended to apply 50% of the nitrogen pre-sowing. The remaining 50% is either fed at once at the end of tillering or, if we have a wetter forecast and growing area, 30% at the end of tillering and 20% at the end of spindling to the start of flag leaf. However, if stabilized forms of nitrogen fertilizer or retardant are used, then 75% of the fertilizer rate should be given pre-sowing and 25% during stem growth should be mandatory in a quick-release formula. There are of course nuances here - whether the wheat is high protein, whether the barley is forage or malting - rates, doses and timings vary. With oats, traditionally the entire fertiliser rate is applied pre-sowing. Absolute values of active substances should not be compared with those for winter cereals. However, it does matter what yield is expected and on this basis investment in fertiliser is made. Here I will open a bracket - well assess the yield potential of your winter crops, when they sprouted, were they tillered before winter, are they well topped - there is no way that a high fertiliser rate can compensate for the disadvantages of a bare barely sprouting field. Fertiliser rates are always a derivative of expected yields, planned realistically based on crop condition and development forecasts.
It is important to provide sufficient magnesium and sulphur at an early stage. Boron and copper can be fed from early to later stages. Of course the need for phosphorus and potassium is not less, but it is assumed that fall fertilization has been made at least with the phosphorus, and potassium may be applied foliar if it is not available.
4. Plant protection
a/ On weed control, bear in mind that, due to the rapid developmental stages, spring cereals compete better with weeds than winter cereals, but on the other hand weeds emerge later in these crops, so herbicide control should be derived after observation and consideration. It would be a good idea to bring in the broadleaf herbicides by the end of tillering (no earlier than 3rd leaf of course). After the harrowing phase it is imperative to monitor the registration of the plant protection product, besides there is a rise in temperatures, sometimes accompanied by drought and causing herbicide stress is dangerous. For all of the above reasons, lower rates of registered herbicides have been successful in spring cereals. One mistake that is also made in winter cereals is to lump cereal weed control in cereals under one denominator, and their varieties germinate over a very different time range. Wild oats come up quite late and grow at lightning speed, so let's stick to the rules of scouting fields and treating as needed and in phase.
b/ Spring cereals are under less infectious pressure from fungal diseases due to the timing of sowing and growing conditions. The application of plant protection products is always carried out on an as-needed basis and makes prophylactic sense already at stem growth, not before. Fusarium and late blight infections are fought during emergence. Growth regulators in spring cereals are not applied.
c/ Insecticides are generally used in a targeted manner, after surveying the threshold of economic harm, monitoring for the usual pests - bedbugs, leeches, stingers, aphids, etc.
How do we choose which cereal is right for us?
Of course first everyone thinks about its market value and demand. Here wheat comes first, followed by barley and finally oats. However, in terms of economic profitability, which is formed from the elements of yield, price and cost, oats can reach 200% profitability. It is another matter that its demand is more limited. BUT: In recent years, after our tireless work on the implementation of catch crops, we have managed to find a less soil-damaging option to comply with the Bulgarian list and have got Bulgarian farmers used to at least using oats as a cereal component in the mix with catch crops instead of wheat. Thus the demand for oats in the country has increased sharply.
The golden mean and a good option is spring barley - a satisfactory yield for the circumstances, moderate cost, quick realisation and a good price. With wheat, yields are not always satisfactory, feed and crop protection needs are higher, hence the cost. That is why we at Leader Consulting recommend that if it is to be spring wheat, hard wheat should be chosen for southern Bulgaria and protein wheat for northern Bulgaria, as the yield will be compensated by the better price.
On the other hand, the region in which we work is important - on very weak soils or on more acid soils the only possible solution with a favourable outcome is oats. Wheat is for deep fertile soils. At higher altitudes it is better to choose barley over wheat.
What we suggest you choose for the spring campaign
1. TWO-YEAR SPRING BARLEY - with stable, high yields, coarse grain, high hectolitre weight and very good resistance to Pyrenophora teres and Rhynchosporium secalis. Short stems, resistant to lodging, medium-early maturity.
2. SPRING OAT - extremely high hectolitre weight, very high grain quality, minimal proportion of weeds. Flexible in terms of conditions, good for the soil and sought after by the food industry throughout Europe.
3. SPRING HARD WHEAT - low, early maturing, robust, fulfilling the required quality parameters. The stability of the high fall number is an additional assurance of the quality parameters.
4. SPRING DURUM WHEAT - medium-early protein wheat with very good performance, high hectolitre and good health. The transitional winter-spring forms ensure a more versatile use of the variety - both for spring and late autumn sowing.
A few more tips for the spring campaign
Legumes/protein crops
Chickpea acreage jumped sharply across the country in 2018. However, it was a down year for legumes due to the stacked agro-meteorological conditions. Chickpeas, peas, lentils, etc. did not produce the expected or rather dreamt yields. To top it off, there is no production and there is no market. Of course, this year, all the legumes were scrapped. They forgot about their benefits for soil, for crop rotation....Let us observe a moderation and plan our crop rotations intelligently and in the long term. Let those farmers who had specialised in this crop for years look after chickpeas. But field peas for grain in the years 2015-2017 proved to be suitable for every farm. Both small and large farmers were able to realize excellent yields of high-protein grain from the yellow-seeded pea type afila. In every crop, once every 4-5 years, and some twice, there have been stacked adversities. That doesn't mean we write them all off our sowing plan. And what we will sow. Chia? Quinoa?...
Catch crops
Now is the time to consider our further strategy in the intercrop fields. These cannot be left until sowing of the main crop without shallow surface tillage to interrupt capillary evaporation and prevent the soil from drying out and spinning. If there are crops that have not frosted, it must be decided according to species composition how to accelerate the rotting of the crop mass.
The time will soon come to delineate ecologically oriented areas . Consider and consult on the intercropping options to plan - on which areas, what technologies to apply, which plant species are suitable, etc. Spring is on our doorstep and we need to be ready for it.
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products from SAATBAU LINZ - a combination for successful farming.