Agronomy Advice | Managing late drilled cereal crops

Where drilling of winter wheat has been delayed, the crop nutrition strategy should be adapted to help recover the lost yield potential

With delayed drilling of wheat crops come two issues. Firstly the soil state as a growth medium is poorer. Soil temperature drops by approximately 2 degrees/month and saturated soils clearly have less air spaces, reducing growth rates and nutrient availability. Secondly over four weeks of the growth period has been lost. The latter is crucial as the fundamental for yield attainment is crop biomass (50% of this will go into yield).

Crop biomass development is crucial for yield

One of the key components to achieving high biomass crops in May, June and July is the management of the early foundation stage of crop development. A Yara crop nutrition strategy can be used as a remedy, helping to recover some of the lost yield potential. Such a strategy requires a combination of actions to increase early spring growth rates, involving fertilizer and foliar applied nutrients. When the soils start to warm up, and reach 5 degrees C crops will begin to grow again, however the nutrients (N,P,K,S) will be at their lowest availability, especially in the rooting zone. The first spring management action is to apply an appropriate fertilizer (late February) to meet this nutrient demand. The phosphate source is particularly important and needs to be one that is NOT immediately ‘locked up’ (TSP, MAP, DAP based fertilizers), and gives season long, continuous supply (YaraMila with P-Extend).

Coincident with this application a foliar phosphate e.g. YaraVita Magphos K (NOT phosphite) should be applied to the growing crop to give it a ‘boost’ of energy, accelerating the early spring growth.

Higher nitrogen rates help recover lost biomass

The second spring management action should be to apply a higher nitrogen rate at this first timing. Higher nitrogen rates give faster leaf and tiller development to recover the biomass lost. None of these actions need to add extra applications as a uniform NPKS compound can be selected, and the foliar application can made in a tank mix with other crop protection applications.

Key actions

Apply YaraMila Actyva S at 438kg /ha or YaraMila 52 S at 340kg / ha (to supply 70 kg Nitrogen) at first application in early spring (late Feb/early March)
Apply YaraVita Magphos K at 5 l/ha at GS25

Recommended fertilisers

The following fertilisers are recommended for early season application to all crops and will supply nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulphur (NPKS) ideal for early season applications to cereals together with a recommended foliar phosphate to give crops a boost of energy

YaraMila ACTYVA S

15.6-14.6-14.6+ 6.5 SO3 - Granular fertiliser often used for grassland, winter cereals and oilseed rape to supply phosphate and potash together with nitrogen and sulphur.

YaraMila 52 S

20.6-8.2-11.6 +6.5%SO3 - Compound NPKS fertiliser containing Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potash and Sulphur suitable for all crops.

YaraVita MAGPHOS K

A liquid fertiliser containing a high concentration of phosphate together with potash and magnesium for foliar application to potatoes and other crops.

All fertiliser choices

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Managing late drilled wheat crops