Weather

This week is giving good weather and hopefully this will help with grain fill in winter crops and bring on spring crops as well. It will certainly make spraying a bit easier.

There are bits of rain here and there, which will help any disease to take off.

Spring cereals

Spraying should be finishing up on spring cereal crops. Yes, some were planted later, but as we approach the end of June, it’s time to be closing gates. Apply the final fungicide at awns peeping.

Even if it is not long since the T1 was applied, the interval can be shorter to get the timing right. Folpet should be applied with an azole and SDHI mix. Consult with your advisor.

Spring oats should receive fungicide when the head is coming out. Elatus Era or a mix of Proline and a strobilurin plus a mildewcide where needed should cover it.

Some farmers are telling me they are going on holidays and considering spraying when they get back, which may be two weeks in some cases. You should not leave the crop unsprayed. Apply before you go.

Beans

Most crops should have their T1 fungicide by now. Some may be on their second. Remember that Elatus Era can only be applied once to a crop.

If you are applying a second fungicide, apply it two to three weeks after the first one. Foliar phosphorus and potash may help to control downy mildew.

If crops were sown late, a second fungicide will likely keep the crop greener for longer. This can be good for yield, but may delay harvesting.

Some farmers will struggle to spray crops when they get tall, so one fungicide might suit. Aphids are appearing on beans, but at this stage are not a big concern.

Consult with your agronomist on high numbers.

Walk crops

Walk your crops. At this time of year get out into your winter crops and assess how they are doing. Check any unsprayed patches for disease and straw strength.

Look out for grass weeds and pull them where possible. If grass weeds are in high numbers, they may need to be topped and sprayed.

If a whole field is affected then you should consider whole crop, particularly for a weed like black grass.

Harvest preparations

Early winter barley varieties like KWS Joyau will likely be ready not long into July in some places. Now is the time to get ready for harvest.

Any repairs to the combine, balers etc should be carried out as soon as possible in case any job is bigger than originally thought.

Blight risk

Blight control is well underway for many, and the advice to mix and alternate chemistry looks to be taken up well by growers.

For those that haven’t started spraying or have a few potatoes in the garden, keep an eye on the blight forecast on Met Éireann’s website. There is some high blight pressure around the coast this week, but there is a low risk in most of the country.