Farm-saved seed will be an invaluable service for many existing and new growers come this autumn. There is huge pressure on the national certified seed-crop after the most challenging autumn and spring conditions in recent history. The seed area is significantly down and yields expectations are much lower than normal year. This is compounded by the fact that farmers are in a similar situation with their own crops and demand for certified seed is likely to be high especially for the newer and upcoming varieties. We saw this exact scenario with spring barley earlier this year.
WHY FARM-SAVED SEED COULD BE YOUR BEST OPTION!
Select your best field for farm saved seed – and earmark it!
- Discuss early with your agronomist or local FSS contact
Ergot?
- Ergot is a key consideration and this can lead to crop rejection
- Evident within the growing crop before and after harvest
- Heavily infected crops should be discarded but lighter infection can be partially cleaned-out by your mobile
- Aim for no more than 2 ergot pieces per kilogram which is the minimum C2 certified-seed standard
Don’t disregard weedy seed crops!
- Our FSS cleaning machinery can separate out most weed species including back-grass. The only problem weeds are those with similar seed size e.g. cleavers, brome, wild oats
Get a bolder seed sample
- Farm saved seed has the advantage of improving the boldness of the grain sample via cleaning
- The harder you process it, the better the sample
- No wastage as screenings are returned to the heap
Importance of seed health
- Seedling blight is the main consideration for wheat seed. Use prothioconazole-based sprays at T3
- Bunt (wheat) and loose smut (barley) should not be a major issue provided that seed crop was treated with a base-fungicide
- The use of a fungicide seed treatment will provide good control of all of these diseases
Consider nutrient seed treatments
- Prolonged rain fall means soils are depleted of nutrients
- 7 years of trials have demonstrated the benefits of nutritional seed treatments on early growth and yield e.g. manganese (iMan), Zinc & Copper
- These more than cover their cost across all soil types
A likely busy season ahead… get in touch early!
Please get in touch with your Agrii agronomist, Crop Input Specialist or your local Fam-saved Seed coordinator or for more information. Alternatively, contact Mark Taylor, National Farm Saved Seed Business Manager on 07836 527251 or e-mail mark.s.taylor@agrii.co.uk
