Second wheat growers should take full advantage of one of the most promising drilling seasons for many years to get their crops off to the best possible start this month, advises technical specialist, Jim Carswell of Frontier Agriculture.

“The first half of October is almost always the best time to sow second and subsequent wheats,” he explains. “And conditions couldn't be better this season across most of the country.

“We've had neither September drought nor deluge to get in the way of cultivations, so the majority of growers should have had little difficulty in preparing the good quality seedbeds the crop needs. At the same time, we've had more than enough moisture in the ground, so most will also have been able to get good Roundup control of problem grass weeds and volunteers ahead of drilling.

“Take-all remains a threat, with the warm, moist soil conditions favouring early disease development on the roots,” he warns.  “Especially so since inoculum levels were quite high in many areas last season.

“However, as our five years of drilling date and seed treatment trials at Haywold in Yorkshire clearly show, combining October drilling with specialist take-all seed treatment is, on average, worth nearly an extra tonne of grain to the hectare.

“What's more, while we've been able to boost yields from 10.41 t/ha to 11.31 t/ha on average by delaying drilling until October and using Latitide (silthiofam), this combination has given us yield increases of over 1.25 t/ha in three years out of the five.”

In the past Deben, Napier and Consort have proved some of the most reliable performers as second and subsequent wheats in the Frontier trials. Among the newer varieties, Glasgow, Einstein, Gladiator and Cordiale currently look particularly promising.

From his extensive trials and field experience, Jim Carswell recommends the following recipe for October-sown second wheat success this season:

• Ensure fine, even seedbeds;
• Choose varieties known to perform well as second wheats;
• Use a specialist take-all treatment;
• Match seed rates carefully to seed quality and conditions;
• Roll immediately after drilling to consolidate well; and,
• Keep up the guard against slugs.

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