Tickhill trials results published for 2015

Although the combining season has been distinctly catchy lately, the weather held up just long enough this week to mop up this year’s trial plots at Woolthwaite Farm, Tickhill. The crop of Claire, drilled on September 22nd, and following on from oil seed rape, has looked excellent all year and yields lived up to expectations.

This year’s Intelligent Crop Production conference at Doncaster gave the delegates the chance to see all the plots at ear emergence and also to take in this year’s novelty plot which was drilled with the EDX precision seed, a drill which has been used with excellent results for oil seed rape establishment. Set up on 50 cm row spacings the drill was set to 90 seeds/m2; roughly a quarter of the seed rate used on the rest of the plots, and drilled into a 15cm deep medium-deep min-till seedbed. The plant stand was always strong and as the crop came into ear the length of the heads was half as big again as the conventionally drilled plots. In the end the overall yield came in just shy of 13 t/ha against a field average of 13.5 t/ha, 4% less yield but with a third less seed corn used. We will be looking to do the same again this coming season, which will be in winter barley, but looking to cut the row spacing down to 25cm and maybe try a couple of different seed rates. However, a promising start in these days of spiralling seed corn costs.

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The new season starts all over again with the clean stubble now giving us the chance to lightly cultivate a stale seedbed before continuing any further; the straw having been chopped off the back of the combine to be incorporated. The rotation of cereal after cereal means that we need to get the best volunteer control that we can pre-drilling as well as getting on top of any grass weed potential issues.

With the launch of the Cirrus 6003-2C trailed grain and fertiliser cultivator drill and the AD-P C power harrow/drill combi to go alongside the existing Cayena-C , it means we are in a position to apply seedbed P on some plots this year as well in direct comparison to no fertiliser for 2015/16. To see the results for yourself then keep an eye out for the dates of next year’s 3C Crop Conferences.