SEASON UPDATE: It's T1 time!

Toby Hogsbjerg, Norfolk.

“So far the season is progressing well,” says Toby Hogsbjerg, Farm Manager at the Wicken Estate. “90% of the winter wheat has established well, three quarters of the nitrogen has been applied and T0s have gone on.

“We’ve done everything we can now, we just need some rain.”

Toby’s decision to apply a T0 was partly about managing workload. At the Wicken Estate, winter wheat and barley are break crops for the farm’s onions and potatoes.

“The wheat’s T1 often falls at the same time the root vegetables need planting,” he explains. “Our variety choices and the T0 applications serve as insurance in case we miss that perfect spray timing.”

At T1, Toby applied Revystar XE + tebuconazole across the majority of the wheat acreage and he is now weighing up options for T2. With rust being a growing concern, Revystar XE + Comet 200 is a strong candidate.

“Revystar covers all the main diseases and gives us flexibility,” he explains. “If needed, we can add to it. Tank-mixing with Comet at T2 can help with rust control and with greening, for example.”

Being on sandy soils prone to drought, keeping crops green and rooting is important for Toby.

“We’re not in a hotspot for any particular disease so it’s about covering the bases,” he says.

To date, other than a little mildew, Toby hasn’t seen much disease in the cereal crops, and he hopes that they continue to have yield potential.

James Forrest, Suffolk.

Managing over just 1,600ha in Suffolk, James grows a variety of crops. On the home farm, they are all suited to its heavy land and include winter wheat for seed and malting, maize for grain and forage and sugar beet, as well as lucerne and herbage seed for the farm’s herd of red poll cattle.

Autumn 2024 drilling went well overall and by December, more than the original planned acreage had been sown.

“I can’t remember a time when we were so up to date with all the sprayer and fertiliser applications,” he says.

While James had scaled back his fungicide programme in acknowledgement of the dry weather, he says it may need to be reviewed after the rain last week.

“T1 and T2 timings are really important, and we will do what is necessary at the time. However, at the moment, crops are fairly clean.”

James hopes recent conditions have encouraged winter crops to put roots down in search of water, rather than to grow sideways.

“It could mean that crops will hang on a little longer, if we get a hot and dry period at the end of June or beginning of July,” he explains.

When it comes to fungicide choice, James leans hard on his agronomist and selects the most appropriate treatment for the variety and the best active for the job.

“Revysol has featured in the farm’s fungicide programmes for many years simply because it does a good job.

“This year Revystar will certainly be in the mix for some of the wheat and RevyPro will feature on the barley,” says James.