| Arable
Red Tractor standards updated to reflect enhanced metaldehyde stewardship
Ahead of metaldehyde slug pellet treatments, growers should familiarise themselves with the new Red Tractor Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet and Fresh Produce standards which have been updated to reflect the 2017 enhanced metaldehyde stewardship campaign.
S imon McMunn, spokesman for the Metaldehyde Stewardship Group( MSG), explains why the enhanced stewardship campaign has been implemented.“ Metaldehyde products are undergoing reregistration and the regulatory risk assessment, which forms part of this process, has revealed a requirement for increased protection of birds and small mammals,” says Simon.
“ This why the enhanced stewardship has been introduced. However, it’ s important to note that water stewardship remains vital and is very much at the forefront of the campaign,” he adds.
“ Further to this, stewardship is now a CRDagreed condition of metaldehyde product availability and regulators will be monitoring the campaign success closely.
“ This means it’ s more important than ever for the industry to pull together and follow stewardship advice, to help preserve the future of the active ingredient, which remains a key tool in slug control.”
In line with the enhanced stewardship campaign, Red Tractor has introduced a new standard, which will come into force on 1 October 2017.
“ In order to reduce the risk to water, birds and small mammals, we have strengthened the Combinable Crops and Sugar Beet and Fresh Produce standards to encourage responsible metaldehyde use,” says Laurence Matthews, Red Tractor combinable crops chair.
“ For our members, this means demonstrating appropriate use to avoid run-off and being aware of permitted dose and application rates, as well keeping application records,” he adds.
Aside from the changes to Red Tractor standards, Simon highlights that there is a new metaldehyde stewardship guideline for 2017.
“ The new guideline states that no pellets should be allowed to within a minimum of 10 metres of any field boundary or watercourse,” says Simon.
“ The buffer was previously six metres and it only applied to watercourses. However, increasing it to 10 metres of all field boundaries will help protect birds and small mammals, and provide additional protection to water,” he adds.“ In addition the new guidelines, we’ re also promoting the role of Integrated Pest
Management( IPM) in slug control with the view of helping to minimise slug infestation and reduce the need for treatment.
“ Factors such as soil and stubble management, planting methods, weather, trapping and monitoring should all be considered as part of slug control programmes. And, if treatment is necessary, it’ s imperative to refer to the full set of MSG guidelines.”
The MSG has launched a practical guide on IPM and slug control and you can request copies by emailing info @ getpelletwise. co. uk.
Two BASIS points have been allocated to the guide and to claim points, members of the professional register have to read the guide and complete a short series of questions online: www. surveymonkey. co. uk / r / MSG-BASIS
More information on the enhanced MSG stewardship can be found at www. getpelletwise. co. uk
White mustard’ s potential for flea beetle control to be investigated in BASF-sponsored trials
Simon McMunn, MSG spokesman
The potential for white mustard to reduce the level of cabbage stem flea beetle grazing in oilseed rape when grown as a companion crop is to be investigated in a series of BASF-sponsored trials.
T he aim is to help alleviate problems caused by the ban on neonicotinoid insecticide seed treatments over the past three seasons.
These include numerous instances of severe crop damage or complete crop loss due to adult feeding and subsequent larval damage.
Small plot experiments in recent seasons have suggested white mustard grown amongst or next to OSR plants may reduce grazing damage by adult beetles, says Clare Tucker, Business Development Manager for BASF.
NIAB TAG has been a pioneer in such work, carrying out two years of successive trials looking at different options that might be effective as companion crops, from which it concluded that white mustard had the most potential.
NIAB TAG will be extending its work on the concept this season, both independently and in collaboration with BASF. In parallel, BASF is also setting up its own grower trials to test the concept further.
Several seed rates will be assessed in both trials, to help identify optimum white mustard populations that offer the best degree of protection while causing least competitive impact to the oilseed rape crop, says Mrs Tucker.
“ It’ s important to do detailed research on this
www. farmingmonthly. co. uk since it’ s a fine balance between being an effective deterrent to the beetle whilst not damaging yield potential – white mustard is a vigorous plant.”
Both sets of BASF-sponsored trials will use Clearfield oilseed rape varieties that will enable the white mustard to be controlled effectively with Clearfield herbicides without risk of crop damage, once the OSR is established and beyond the high-risk period of adult grazing, she adds.
“ It’ s not enough for a companion crop to reduce pest pressure at the critical time. Growers also have to be able to remove it from the crop, otherwise it can compete and affect yields.
“ Clearfield gives good control of white mustard, so it’ s a good option.”
Simon Kightley, NIAB TAG’ s oilseed rape specialist, says experiments carried out in 2015 and 2016 indicated some scope for reducing grazing damage by the adult beetles, with white mustard showing the most promise.
At one site near Cambridge, this technique provided the only protection for OSR plants in 2016, when all other OSR trials and OSR mixtures in companion crop experiments were wiped out by the pest, he adds.
“ I am really excited about this discovery,” says Mr Kightley.“ In a field of 24ha the only surviving plants last year were within a small number of
plots with the white mustard mix. I just can’ t wait to get going with the new planting season to validate the concept.”
The BASF-sponsored NIAB TAG work will be carried out at three regional sites, says Jane Kitchen, BASF’ s OSR Campaign Manager.
Plant counts and feeding damage assessments will be taken from emergence through the following two months. Larval counts will be taken in early spring, and plots will be taken to yield.
BASF’ s grower trials, supported by the company’ s Agronomy Managers, will test the approach on farm and gain feedback on its practical application, says Ms Kitchen.
“ All agronomic inputs on the crops will remain unchanged, and the timing of the Clearfield herbicide application is likely to be around mid- October.
“ We think this technique has potential to alleviate early feeding pressure and help crops get through the critical early emergence and growing phase when plants are at their most vulnerable.
“ If this approach really works it will go a long way towards restoring grower confidence, by ensuring successful establishment in areas where flea beetle is starting to be a worry and perhaps even in the worst-hit areas.”
August 2017 | Farming Monthly | 15