April
What's happening in wheat in April
Wheat Crop Update – 2023
March was a difficult month for most wheat growers, with crops held back by cold weather, and wet ground preventing many field activities. However, the colder weather also held back a lot of disease pressure, including Yellow Rust, although Septoria can quite easily be found.
By the end of March crops are approaching or have already reached GS30 (first node detectable) and where some growers were able to take advantage of the limited spray windows to apply T0s, but for most, this has not been possible. During April, growers will therefore have to decide what to prioritise.
Outstanding grass-weed control should be the first issue to address if this hasn’t been completed, followed by T0 fungicide applications. Remember, if tebuconazole is being applied for disease control, it cannot be applied with herbicide products containing mesosulfuron.
By the third week in April many wheat crops will be reaching GS31 with leaf three fully emerged. This signals the timing for T1 fungicide applications.
At T1 there are a multitude of diseases to be targeted, including Septoria, Yellow Rust and stem-based diseases such as Eye Spot. To better understand the disease pressure facing crops, growers can use Bayer’s CropCheck service, via their local Technical Manager. CropCheck can identify latent Septoria and Yellow Rust present in leaf samples, before lesions are visible in the crop. This can help to aid decisions on fungicide choice and application rates.
For crops under moderate disease pressure, 1L/ha of AscraXpro will provide excellent control of a broad spectrum of diseases present at T1. Where crops are at higher risk of disease, the rate can be increased to 1.2L/ha, with the addition of a multisite (e.g. Folpet) if desired, which will also help with resistance management.
Other priorities this month include a second application of Nitrogen and assessing the need for any micronutrients.
Priorities now:
- Complete weed control programmes
- Assess disease pressure in the crop, using CropCheck if needed
- Plan and apply T1 fungicides