At the time of writing this column some areas of Upper Eyre Peninsula have received good rains to commence the general sowing process whilst others have missed out.
Leading into seeding most of the farm decisions have been made, so I thought it appropriate to remind us all to keep our eyes open post sowing, to notice any early crop emerging problems. A good idea is to look at paddocks from various angles with the sun behind and in front if you as this can assist in picking up any crop abnormalities.

Herbicide resistance is out there with weeds such as annual ryegrass, wild oats, Lincoln weed and ice-plant showing resistance to a number of herbicides. If after spraying you notice any weeds targeted in your spray program not dying (and you can rule out errors from chemical application) then think about getting a plant herbicide resistance test. This can be done either early in the season or later as a seed test prior to harvest. Monitoring for herbicide resistance is ongoing through to harvest.

 Driving around your crops during emergence, you may notice bare areas and if its not sand blasting, then it may be insect damage. Certainly get down and check it out (at night is the best time). Spraying a small area with a commercial insect surface aerosol product can assist locating the “little blighters” especially if it’s left over night. A positive identification can be made, which is important so you use the right insecticide for the job or may not need to spray at all.

A traditional issue is poor emergence along rows of crop or across sections of your sowing machine. Have a dig, as it’s usually a sowing depth (too deep or too shallow) problem compounded by soil type, soil moisture, herbicide damage or combinations of each. Too late to do anything this year but at least you know what’s happened and can make adjustments next season. Thankfully this year you can rule out mice damage if you see missing rows, especially where press wheels are used.

If your crops are really slow, have poor emergence and you can rule out those previous issues, then consider that your seed is the problem, having poor germination or lack of vigour. Do a plant count and back that up with a seed germination test if you have some left over.

Generally these issues appear in the first four weeks of crop establishment, after which nutritional deficiencies and diseases cause most crop symptoms.  But at this time of the year, get your crop in and be alerted to poor or patchy emergence.

 A good reference is the PIRSA Crop Monitoring Guide (5th edition), which is available from the Streaky Bay district office. The information in the book is a great checklist on crop performance right from crop establishment through to grain fill.

Finally some farmers will receive a survey from Naomi Scholz, which is required from our funding bodies to review our past performance at Minnipa Agricultural Centre and plan for future directions. I hope those who receive the survey find time to fill out the information and return to Naomi.

AUTHOR: Neil “Fish” Cordon, Senior Extension Agronomist, SARDI
CONTACT: Neil Cordon, Minnipa Agricultural Centre, Telephone, 08 8680 6210, or Email, cordon.neil@saugov.sa.gov.au