Importance of Autumn treatments key to early-drilled winter cereal crops

By Aminoa

Early drilled winter cereal crops are at, or soon will be, the T-Sum calculation trigger for applying an insecticide to control barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), and in these mild conditions may need further applications this Autumn. Early treatments of natural bio-stimulant AminoA FLO influences final yield and quality, and it is recommended to include it in all Autumn fungicide and insecticide treatments.

Early drilled winter cereal crops are at, or soon will be, the T-Sum calculation trigger for applying an insecticide to control barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV), and in these mild conditions may need further applications this Autumn. The mild wet conditions have also encouraged the development of phoma in OSR, and will require fungicide treatment soon. Early treatments of natural bio-stimulant AminoA FLO influences final yield and quality, and it is recommended to include it in all Autumn fungicide and insecticide treatments. The effectiveness of AminoA FLO has been demonstrated on a series of independent trials and customer experiences across all crops, including cereals and legumes. Significantly, independent trials conducted in drought prone soils, comparing the performance of commonly used bio-stimulants on Skyfall winter wheat with a 50% fungicide programme, have found AminoA FLO to be one of the best performing and most consistent bio-stimulants in the study. The NIAB trials conducted at Cirencester saw AminoA FLO, a UK manufactured, highly concentrated natural bio-stimulant and nutrient source, produce a statistically significant yield increase above the reduced fungicide programme, and also a significant increase in green leaf retention. “Statistical analysis of data showed that the treatments had a substantial effect on the grain yield,” explains Richard Phillips, managing director of AminoA. The full fungicide programme produced a higher yield (9.18 t/ha) than the reduced rate of fungicide treated plots (8.69 t/ha). The untreated yield was 7.54 t/ha. “The use of AminoA FLO with the reduced rate of fungicide at T0 and T1 had a positive effect on the grain yield and produced 9.17 t/ha. Reduced fungicide with AminoA FLO at T1 and T2 produced 9.00 t/ha,” explains Mr Phillips. The AminoA Flo T1 and T2 programme resulted in pointedly higher green flag leaf retention (78.30%), compared to the untreated at 28.30. The full fungicide inputs (36.7%), was much lower than the 63.30% AminoA FLO T0 and T1 treatment. “This shows the importance of early applications to establish yield potential, and the importance of including AminoA at all fungicide timings,” adds Mr Phillips. The findings back up a previous NIAB trial (2019) that showed that AminoA FLO can reduce reliance on fungicide inputs. At two further trials site run by NIAB this year, in Hampshire and Devon, plots treated with AminoA FLO only had no visible disease until mid-June , whilst untreated plots had visible Mildew, Septoria Brown and Yellow Rust.