Tillage Newsletter - July 2021

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In this month's edition:

• Straw Incorporation Measure
  The Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) is a welcome measure to help improve soil quality by adding carbon, and will also deliver reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. For farmers that applied for the SIM all eligible crops applied for must be harvested, the straw must be chopped, spread evenly, and incorporated into the soil as soon as possible after harvest.
• Grass weeds
  Blackgrass is an increasing problem on tillage farms. The problem normally starts with a very small number of plants but multiplies very quickly. One blackgrass plant/m² can return six million seeds/ha, so it is vital to walk crops prior to harvest. July is the perfect month to assess the level of grass weeds on your farm and to put an integrated pest management (IPM) control plan in place.
• Varieties for harvest 2022
  July is a good month to view and compare varieties for next season. Variety selection is becoming increasingly important as an IPM tool for tillage farmers, as the challenge from diseases increases. For example, selecting a variety that is weak on yellow rust can add significant cost and risk for the farmer.
• Pre-harvest glyphosate
  This has been a difficult season to achieve good weed control in spring crops. Initially growth was poor in April and broken weather in May resulted in delayed herbicide application and poor control on large weeds. Pre-harvest glyphosate is only allowed for weed control in cereals and as a desiccant for oilseed rape. Crops destined for seed or malting should not be treated with glyphosate.
• Tillage webinar - 11:30am July 6, 2021
  The Tillage Establishment Systems and Grass Weed Webinar, as part of the Enable Conservation Tillage (ECT) project, will focus on tillage systems and grass weeds from the south. The project is running a series of webinars focusing on farms from across Ireland that are converting to non-plough-based systems and also how these farmers are dealing with grass weed challenges. Find out more here