Key to growing spring barley crop is quality, something John Weir, based near Fife, knows only too well. For Mr Weir, achieving the necessary quality, given the weather, can make it quite a challenging crop. He says:
“The weather constantly shifts from wet to dry, dry to wet and so on, which can make it difficult to meet the specifications required for barley. That can lead to rejections, and having to sell the crop on for feed.”
Essential to achieving the required quality is protecting the initial stages of the crop, especially against seed and soil borne diseases, a concern for Mr Weir. He adds:
“We treat all our spring barley with Raxil Star [fluopyram, prothioconazole and tebuconazole]. It’s the superior treatment of Fusarium that is particularly attractive to us. If we’ve had a wet harvest, then we need to have an effective control in place to protect the crop for the following year. We farm save Concerto and we find that Raxil Star matches the seed well.”
*This article contains sponsored content and does not necessarily represent the views of The Scottish Farmer.
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