Norfolk farmers desperately need a "flaming June" of bright sunshine to rescue this summer's harvest after a soggy start to the year, said crop experts.
The impact of challenging weather was among the discussion topics as farming firm Frontier held its annual open day at Honingham Thorpe Farms, outside Norwich.
Farmers compared crop trials and explored ways to optimise farm production, resilience and sustainability through measures such as variety choice, biostimulants and data analysis.
They also discussed solutions to seasonal issues after an exceptionally wet winter and spring.
Delayed plantings and poor growing conditions have already affected this summer's potential yields.
Frontier agronomist Rob Norman said despite "one of the hardest springs we have had in a long time", there is still the possibility of an "OK" harvest - but only if the weather improves in the next month.
"The thing we are really concerned about at the moment is sunlight," he said. "We need something called a 'flaming June' - lots of sunlight, lots of heat.
"Fundamentally, each leaf is now a solar panel and if you can get more energy into the plant, the grain is going to swell. But if you get lots of dull dark days, you will end up with small grains, and quality could also be an issue.
"Also, if it keeps raining, disease pressure continues, and it is potentially looking like what could have been an alright year, considering the wet winter we have had, could now potentially end up as less than average because of the weather.
"Managing the weather is something we all struggle with as agriculturalists. It is something we cannot control, but we rely on it, and right now we need the sun and warmth otherwise it is going to be really quite poor."
The open day featured tours of trial plots comparing 40 varieties of feed and milling wheat, showing how each had fared with and without chemical treatments.
Mr Norman said this year had proven the importance of choosing the right variety to fit the drilling date when the seeds were to be sown - as it could affect their disease resistance characteristics, leaving them vulnerable to yield-damaging infections such as brown rust.
"Farmers actually want to try and drill earlier because they are worried about the weather coming in wet in October, which is happening more and more often," he said.
"But a lot of the varieties are not early drilling varieties, so you have to be very careful about which variety you select if you want to drill early, because you want something that is going to develop slowly.
"A general rule of thumb is if you bring a variety forward out of its drilling window by 10 days, it can bring its disease [resistance] score rating down by a half-point to a point.
"The plant is getting very leggy and building a lot of biomass, so the more biomass you have got the more culture you have for disease development.
"So it is another thing to be mindful of, if we are wanting to race out there, to pick the right variety for the right drilling slots, and don't get too tempted by some of these really 'dirty' high-yielding varieties."
One of the growers at the event was Nick Hood, who farms near Woodbastwick and is a director of the Yaregrain storage and grain handling facility at Cantley.
He said Norfolk had been fortunate compared to some parts of the UK, as many crops had survived the challenges of the wet weather quite well - but now they need sunshine.
"At the moment there is quite a lot of potential in these cereal crops," he said.
"They are good lush crops - the key is the sunshine hours, photosynthesis, all the usual stuff. That will hopefully deliver the yield, but it is not doing that at the moment. It is not a certainty, but there is hope and potential.
"There has been some late drillings, and sub-optimal weather conditions. But if we get a reasonable 6-8 weeks until harvest there is potential for a reasonable crop.
"There hasn't been enough good weather for it to be a fantastic crop. But you might see some very cautious optimism from farmers, including this one."
![A general rule of thumb is if you bring a variety forward out of its drilling window by 10 days, it can bring its disease [resistance] score rating down by a half-point to a point. The plant is getting very leggy and building a lot of biomass, so the more biomass you have got the more culture you have for disease development. So it is another thing to be mindful of, if we are wanting to race out there, to pick the right variety for the right drilling slots, and don't get too tempted by some of these really 'dirty' high-yielding varieties.](/resources/images/18166225/?type=mds-article-620)
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel