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T0 SPRAY ADDS OVER 0.5 TONNES EXTRA YIELD
Date added: 25/03/08 |
Arable producers should try hard not to miss T0 sprays this year despite continuing bad weather reducing opportunities, warns ProCam.
Well-timed T0 sprays added over 0.54 t/ha extra yield last year, valued at £75 with wheat at £140/tonne, according to the company’s powerful 4Cast agronomy database.
“A T0 fungicide treatment is a cost-effective insurance spray that allows more leeway to apply a T1 treatment at the right time but 4cast shows it also results in additional yield in its own right,” explains ProCam Group agronomist Nick Myers.
“A high percentage of our farmers applied a T0 fungicide last year and they produced an average yield of 8.16 t/ha, those that didn’t had an average yield of 7.62 t/ha - a clear yield benefit, Not only does a T0 treatment bring in yield benefits, it also keeps out diseases such as Septoria and rusts,” he says.
“If a T0 treatment is not used, timing of the T1 treatment will be compromised, disease is let into the crop and you will always be fighting to get back into control.
“T0 sprays in wheat are largely protectants, usually applied with growth regulators between GS 25-30. This is normally around the end of March. The T1 spray is then applied three to four weeks later and the T2 three to four weeks after the T1.”
He recommends the use of a strong multi-site protectant, either chlorothalonil (such as Bravo/Sonar) or mancozeb (such as Laminator) in the T0 slot.
“At T0 timing Septoria tritici is the most important target. Chlorothalonil and mancozeb are both good protectants against this yield-damaging disease. After last year, I would factor in rust control, too, particularly in rust-susceptible varieties such as Alchemy. Mancozeb is more active against rusts than chlorothalonil, so my preference would be mancozeb.”
A rust-active triazole such as cyproconazole (as in Menara) could also be considered in the mix, Nick Myers says.
“Prochloraz (Poraz) may be worth considering if growing second wheats. It appears to make T1 sprays more effective, as there is evidence that it reduces the selection pressure on some mutated Septoria strains.
“With the current excellent wheat pricing, it makes good economic sense to apply a T0 spray this year and get the crop off to a good start when it comes to disease control. Cereal growers can only benefit from investing in their crops and so maximise their yields and profits.”
For further information please contact Nick Myers, ProCam Ltd., Royston, Herts. Telephone: 01763 261592
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