Soil advice ahead of Spring – Arable Farming – Toby Kellie, George Baxter

Travelling in very wet fields and making ruts can risk creating damage lasting for years.

That is the dilemma for combinable growers this spring – whether seeking to treat winter crops or plant spring ones – says Toby Kellie, Gloucestershire-based agronomist for Hutchinsons.

Early identification of any soil structure remedial requirements and avoiding further problem creation will be critical to crops’ success, he believes.

He says: “Dig to identify the depth of any compaction on spring crop land, but don’t cultivate to drain. Rapid passage of water will take with it fine soil particles, creating a deeper sediment layer that compacts, reducing pore capacity and discouraging aerobic activity which supports biological function, affecting extraction and delivery of nutrients to the plant.

It’s pointless subsoiling spring crop land now. The subsoil won’t be dry enough to crack – it will smear, bring up wet soil and create further compaction.

Neither should topsoil be cultivated too fine prior to drilling.

Aim for weatherproof surface creation using the natural soil structure to allow water infiltration via capillary action.

Keep green cover as long as possible to maintain structure, but spray off heavy cover crops -especially those with high cereal content – a month ahead to reduce allelopathy risks.

Shallow cultivation, leaving residue exposed, will help protect soil and support machinery.

Rolling post-drilling should generally be unnecessary, helping tillering only where seed:soil contact is poor on light, puffy land. Don’t drill too early as black grass may not chit until late March. Spring barley works well here, happily drilling late with little yield penalty.”

Turning to established winter crops, early nutrition will be essential given many are backwards and shallow-rooted, and nutrients may have been washed from the root zone, says Mr Kellie.

Potential

“Even if reducing total application to poorer-potential crops, little and often applications will reduce the risk of antagonistically affecting backward crops.”

Soil and tissue testing are key to detecting deficiencies while still rectifiable, he emphasises. “Once seen, damage is done. These conditions heighten deficiency risk and shallow roots reduce nutrient access.

Correlate nutrient requirements with soil/tissue and fresh weight/dry matter testing results, and check each product’s element delivery, particularly with nutrients supplied in formulations.

Sulphates and nitrates are most valuable, while carbonates are too heavy and don’t translocate quickly. Beware of tank mixes and scorching from application timing, mixtures or the product’s salt index.

Maintaining green leaf will be crucial to mitigate yield loss from poor establishment.

Consider growth promoters and rooting products to help plants access water at depth should the topsoil dry out later.

Phosphite and zinc can be particularly beneficial. Biostimulants are worth considering, but take advice and select carefully.”