Patience is needed for those yet to establish their winter wheat to ensure that soil health is not compromised by the recent wet conditions.
That’s the advice of Hutchinsons technical manager, Dick Neale. After record-breaking rainfall in September and continued wet weather in October, the forecast of settled weather into November is welcome news.
For many, the recent downpours will have been a worrying reminder of last autumn. “The big issue for many growers in 2023 was that many rushed to get seed in the ground just before the heavy rain came,” he says.
“Seedbeds were then extremely vulnerable because they’d just been made, so a lot of soils slumped under the amount of rain that fell, and water couldn’t pass through the seeding zone, causing seed to rot.”
The fact that rainfall has come earlier in the year could be a blessing in disguise, he notes. Many crops had not been drilled and in many cases, seedbeds were only 80% complete, which has reduced the risk of slumping or seed rotting.
Patience is a virtue
The settled conditions will hopefully provide an opportunity for the remaining fields to be drilled, however, Dick warns that soils will be slow to dry out, especially with no roots to draw moisture from depth.
Patience will be vital, with growers having to pick the right conditions and carefully set up their machines to protect soils and give crops the best chance.
“Pick your timing carefully. For example, at this time of year, drilling when it’s foggy risks the drill just picking up soil on the damp surface. It may be better to use that time to apply the pre-em to any fields that have already been drilled and then start drilling when the soil has started to dry later in the day.
“Remember though, that even if the surface is dry enough to get on with the drill, soil is likely to remain wet at depth, so the biggest issue will be tractor wheelings. Growers have to really focus on getting seed in as best they can in these conditions.”
Seven tips for autumn establishment
- Be prepared to wait – last year some had to wait until January before there was a weather window to sow winter wheat In many cases, these crops still performed well, with some yielding 10 t/ha. Remember though, that later-sown crops will need more care and attention to compensate for a shorter growing period
- Reduce tyre pressures – running the lowest possible tyre pressure is key to spreading machine weight over a larger area and therefore reducing soil compaction risk. VF (Very High Flexion) tyres offer a larger soil footprint than standard tyres, so use those if you have them
- Reduce speed – higher forward speeds during drilling will disturb more soil, potentially bringing up wetter material that then sticks to machines and compromises seedbed quality. Instead of travelling at 12 kph, look to reduce speed to nearer 8 kph
- Setup drills correctly – much less downward pressure is needed to push discs, tines or other parts into wet, soft soil, so adjust downforce accordingly, running the lowest possible pressure needed to get seed in correctly and avoid squeezing wet soil up through drill components. Equally, aim to run coulters at the minimum depth possible to avoid pulling up wet soil
- Focus on wheelings – wheelings will inevitably be an issue on wetter soils, so look to adjust drill setup to account for this, such as running coulters slightly deeper behind tractor wheels
- Leave headlands if too wet – headlands often remain wetter and are harder to create a good seedbed on than the field centre, so if they are unworkable, consider leaving them to drill later, or maybe even sow headlands in the spring and manage them separately
- Consider using smaller, lighter machinery to reduce the risk of compaction.
“Ultimately, it’s all about managing the fine details,” concludes Dick. “The situation may still not be perfect, but it should get a crop in the ground. If it’s too wet though – and growers/agronomists know those fields or parts of fields where it’s just not going to be possible to drill this autumn – don’t even try.
“It’s far better to wait and put something in next spring, rather than trying to maul a crop into the ground that’s just too wet.”
