AminoA Biostimulants and Triton Seed Drills: Complimentary Crop Production

First wheats can often yield 12.5 t ha or even more and are the most profitable crop in the rotation, but if blackgrass is present in significant levels, then it can make second and third wheats unviable.

Controlling blackgrass is the key to growing profitable second and successive wheats. The best method of control is to create multiple false seed beds and then destroy the emerged seedlings with glyphosate. But because of the action of auxins in the emerging seedlings only about 40% of Blackgrass seed will germinate after the first cultivation.

It is therefore necessary to repeat this technique three times to gain control over Blackgrass. The advantage is that this can lead to massive reduction in grassweed herbicide costs perhaps down to as little as £20 ha from £120 ha and also to high yielding crops. Late drilling up to the end of January averages 10t/ha in HGCA trials. The problem is that reliable crop establishment in the winter period when field conditions are poor.

At AminoA we recommend the Triton Seed Drill which has been developed to drill in virtually any condition. It is also non-inversion which is vital as the last semi-germinated blackgrass seedlings must be left on the surface to be controlled. The Triton is capable of drilling any land in any weather, shutting the seed slot without any roller, packer or press and the Triton is self-cleaning.

However, whilst the emerging wheat seedlings are usually safe from slugs in December, as slug activity is low, after they have converted the energy in the seed to producing first leaves, then there is usually little solar energy available to stimulate growth. Therefore, an application of AminoA FLO as soon as conditions allow travel, will stimulate growth and promote early tillering.

Recommendations:

All crops of OSR and Winter Cereals will benefit from a treatment of AminoA FLO ( or AminoA PLUS/PRO) in the Autumn period before growth stops. Apply 1 litre ha AminoA FLO in tank mixes in all crops as a standard treatment and up to 2.5 litres ha in any backward or stressed crops and then repeat as soon as conditions allow travel in the spring. AminoA FLO contains every essential amino-acid in the L form and is immediately available to the plant to perform cell division.

Our customers are some of the largest and most successful farmers in Europe - what do they think?

''We have now applied AminoA (FLO) to our late drilled rape and growth has jumped in 48 hours even though we are at the end of October. We believe AminoA ( FLO) is a worthwhile field application as it is environmentally friendly and crop safe. AminoA ( FLO) contains many plant nutrients and the fast response L-amino-acids bring a new angle, which will give crops a boost going into the winter, and set the plants up for strong growth early in the spring.''

Simon Chaplin, Abingdon Farms. Cropping 1620ha in the UK.

In replicated field trials in OSR we have demonstrated yield improvements of between 280kg - 1.1 tonnes/ha (5 ha plots yielding 5.7t/ha),  making AminoA FLO ( or AminoA PLUS) a fantastic ROI. In winter wheat we have demonstrated yield increases from 6 - 18% and protein lifts in milling wheat.

AminoA FLO is not just a fire brigade product; it should be part of your growing programme. We are often called by growers and agronomists to provide product to fix a problem crop that is struggling because of weather or other stresses. We are always happy to oblige and have saved many crops that would otherwise have been written off, but the best growers have now realised that if you want to push yields then the best strategy is to include our products in every tank mix.

Why?
All winter cereals and OSR will soon be going in to the winter period which will result in crop stress. They are also at critical growth stages for determining yield. Trials on biostimulant products applied to Winter Wheat have demonstrated that early applications at 1-2 leaves and again at the start of tillering increase final yield by stimulating more tillers, increasing grain sites per ear and improve grain size.

We know that farmers have a busy workload and will not make an extra pass through the crop, to apply our products, so we have formulated AminoA FLO as a liquid to add to tank mixes. We recommend that all crops of winter cereals and OSR are treated in the autumn with a dose of 1 litre/ha and this is repeated in the first pass in the spring. (In crops in visible stress increase the dose to 2.5 litres/ ha).