Winter oilseed rape has had a hard time of it this winter, growers all over Ukraine are reporting poor looking crops. While it is tempting to consider redrilling and many farms are doing just that, any income from a second crop has to cover the establishment costs of the failed crop.
However even a low yielding oilseed rape crop can still be cost effective if managed accordingly.
Oilseed rape has the ability to “bounce back” from adversity and even very low plant populations can still produce economic yields if managed correctly. The pictures from last year show the same variety in the same field but at high and low populations.
At this time the advice would be to wait and see how the crops respond to sunshine and nitrogen before a final decision is made on redrilling all but the poorest looking areas.
Winter wheat, there is a lot of Septoria about this year and it’s already spreading on to new leaves.
The timing of the T1 fungicide will be critical to ensure maximum response.
Spring cereal drilling under way as evidenced by the drills out and about.
Sunflower, Soya, Maize cultivations are now underway in preparation for the start of the drilling although not seen any drilling taking place yet, probably best to wait for soil temperatures to rise a little more.