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LATE NITROGEN BENEFITS OILSEED RAPE
Date added: 23/05/08 |
Late nitrogen applications in oilseed rape could be worthwhile in terms of yield this year, particularly in crops with good yield potential, suggests ProCam 4Cast.
“The debate on the usefulness of late nitrogen in rape has been going on for many years now,” says ProCam Group agronomist Nick Myers.
“Our 4cast data shows a building body of evidence that the application of late nitrogen in rape could result in extra yield of around 0.4 t/ha, albeit on a limited number of data points.”
This makes sense when you think about how yield is built up in rape, he says.
“High yielding rape crops are produced by a combination of high seed numbers with good seed weight. This number is determined quite late in the crops’ life by the amount of photosynthesis taking place two to three weeks after flowering.
“Canopy management using growth regulating fungicides and nitrogen is implemented in the autumn and spring in order to create an optimum sized canopy with a GAI of 3.5-4.0 at flowering. This optimum sized canopy is able to capture the maximum amount of light.”
Late nitrogen would be expected to keep the canopy green for as long as possible and so help to increase both seed number and size, thereby adding to the yield capability overall.
According to 4cast, fields where specific late nitrogen was applied at flowering produced an additional 0.4 t/ha, valued at £140/ha with rape at £350/tonne, Nick Myers says.
“Data from harvest 2007 also indicates a trend that the later the nitrogen, the greater the yield. Nitrogen applied between the 16th and 23rd May gave a yield of 3.88 t/ha, whereas when it was applied between the 21 March and 3rd April the crops yielded 3.44 t/ha. Nitrogen applied between the 7th and 20th of February yielded 3.16 tonnes/ha.”
PRM190
23rd May 2008
For further information please contact Nick Myers, ProCam Ltd., Royston, Herts. Telephone: 01763 261592
Issued by Philip Hainey, Proterra Ltd., Stamford, Lincs. Telephone: 01780 756299
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