Our crop nutrition expert, Chris Bond, gives an overview of what needs to be considered for building crop resilience throughout the autumn, into the colder winter months.
Strengthening crops
Chris explains that the key to enduring autumn conditions lies in strengthening crops both above and below the ground.
“Developing a robust canopy in the autumn before winter ensures continuous photosynthesis, providing crops with the energy they need to transition smoothly into spring’s crucial growth stages”.
“Focusing on root development underground will empower cereals and oilseeds to tap into vital resources, ensuring steady development amidst challenging winter conditions” he says.
The importance of foliar nutrition
Foliar applications of nutrients are a reliable method to ensure crops receive essential nutrients, especially when many nutrients present in the soil can get locked up in cold conditions or risk of leaching in heavy rain.
With a foliar application, nutrients are applied directly to the plant tissue and can be readily absorbed by the plant, effectively by-passing any risk of lock up.
Oilseed rape
It is well known that a successful crop of oilseed rape is down to getting the crop off and growing away as quickly as possible before flea beetle become a threat. This is fundamental to achieving profitable yields at harvest.
Applications of 30 kilos of nitrogen can be applied in the autumn, to get crops moving but the requirement for molybdenum to promote nitrogen use efficiency, should not be forgotten.
“Apply molybdenum alongside other micros such as boron as it is important for healthy root growth” says Chris.
Boron is important for cell strength and cold weather tolerance, as well as being vital for flower development which is already starting in the autumn.
FMC’s Bo-La® contains both boron and molybdenum, formulated together for efficient foliar application.
Cereals
Manganese is crucial for chlorophyll production, making it essential for photosynthesis. “This is important to capitalise on during the warmer autumn months before a cold, unpredictable winter sets in says Chris.”
Manganese also aids enzyme activation required for building strong cell walls through lignin formation. For crops on light and chalky soils, which are high risk for manganese deficiency, timely applications are pivotal.
Tissue Testing Results
Zinc is essential for resilience below the ground, bolstering plant hormones, for growth and especially root development. A robust root system is a foundation for cold stress resilience.
FMC’s tissue testing results have shown that 80% of samples taken over this year have shown levels of Zinc are below the optimum. “This is a bit of a concern stresses Chris as Zinc is often overlooked but is a really important nutrient that is essential for a number of processes including protein synthesis”.
Magnesium also plays a pivotal role in various plant processes, especially photosynthesis. Its presence in the chlorophyll molecule and its involvement in releasing ATP makes it a key player in ensuring crops retain energy through autumn and winter.
Another critical nutrient highlights Chris is Copper. This nutrient strengthens cell walls and safeguards cereal crops against potential frost and freezing damage.
FMC’s Cereal Plus™ which contains magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc is an effective solution to deliver these key nutrients quickly and efficiently into the crop, boosting tissue levels before winter dormancy.
To conclude
Foliar applications of nutrients are a reliable method to ensure crops receive essential nutrients, especially when many nutrients present in the soil can get locked up in cold conditions or risk of leaching in heavy rain.
With a foliar application, nutrients are applied directly to the plant tissue and can be readily absorbed by the plant, effectively by-passing any risk of lock up. Applications can start in the autumn once there is enough target crop to hit with the sprayer, typically from the 3 leaf stage in cereals or 4 leaf stage of OSR.