The winter of 2023/24 was long and wet, and many winter-drilled cereal crops suffered and failed to establish. This led to some re-drilling through various parts of the country, exposing additional costs and losses.
Plant growth 11 days after drilling
A mid-October drilled crop of LG Caravelle over wintered very differently on the outskirts of Sidmouth, just a mile from the coast. This crop experienced six months of saturated soil and salty winds to produce a bumper crop at 4.5t/acre. This was largely due to a good strong root system being put down early with the help of Nickerson’s GPA proprietary seed coating. This helps to protect the seed and provide essential micronutrients where it is needed to promote good root growth and establishment. This in turn let the roots grow below the saturated layer of soil at the surface, and enabled oxygen to still be taken in by the roots. The same could also be said of drought periods, a good root structure can still find moisture in the lower soil levels, reducing crop stress due to lack of moisture.
Mid-April after 6 months of wet weather
The seed used was also of a very high quality, as you would expect from Nickerson, with a high germination and vigour rate. This all contributed to providing a good grain yield and large amounts of quality straw. There was so much straw that the combine had to push his header 4-5 foot outside of the crop, as the bailer could not cope.
Harvest day, note the header outside of the crop so the bailer can cope with the straw
It is worth seeking out the best quality seed with the right seed coatings to minimise risk when faced with the potential of adverse weather.
If you’d like more information on cropping options or our GPA coating, please contact Rob Ayres on 07827 890 390
About The Author
Rob Ayres
Seed Specialist
