Country Selector
Priorities for cereals as spring fieldwork builds
As the annual spring plate-spinning begins for farmers, Sally Harris, Corteva Technical Manager, shares her perspective on crop management prioritisation.
Windows to get ahead on March’s jobs have well and truly opened in the last couple of weeks. But with the sunshine and longer days comes a juggling act.
Input costs, fuel prices, assessing the potential of the crop to justify the investment; it all requires thought and a decision to justify each and every pass.
Add into the mix that this spring is not like the past few. Favourable establishment last autumn and a relatively warm winter has led to forward winter crops, and the different type of challenges we know they can bring.
Is a T0 needed?
There are some common themes we have seen in conversations with our distribution network and farmers about fungicides.
- Pressure: yellow rust is evident in many crops and a large area has been drilled with varieties carrying weaker resistance. A well-judged T0 should be done to protect potential and set up the crop for later in the season.
- Resistance management: where a T0 is kicking off the fungicide programme, the alternation of modes of action throughout the season needs to be considered.
New independent disease modelling by ADAS shows that diversifying fungicide programmes by using alternate modes of action can as much as triple the lifespan of the SDHIs.
What about weeds?
Diseases are, of course, not the only visible issue in fields in March and April. The question is, does the investment in eradicating those grass weeds and broad-leaved weeds in cereal crops now pay off further down the line?
I’ve seen enough growing seasons to be confident saying that leaving tidy-up jobs on weeds too long just creates problems for farmers later on.
Our cereal herbicide portfolio is designed for early, targeted intervention, rather than waiting for that perfect day which may never arrive.
My advice? Tackle small, actively growing weeds now. Don’t let them get too unruly – you’re just pushing your problem down the track. Read more here.
How to keep nitrogen where you put it
It’s always important to keep nitrogen where it needs to be, but world events coupled with the changing season mean there’s even more reason to protect your investment as best you can.
- Fertiliser prices have risen sharply and remain highly volatile.
- Warmer soils convert ammonium to nitrate quicker, so the risk of losses increases, particularly after rain.
- Crops need accessible nitrogen in their root zone as they experience longer daylight hours and rising temperatures.
Instinct® helps keep more nitrogen in the soil for longer, supporting crop uptake and reducing the risk of early losses when conditions are unpredictable.
Supporting crop resilience
Early season decisions quietly set the ceiling for yield and margin. Cutting back too hard now can lock in limits you can’t remove later, even if conditions improve.
Similarly, stressed crops – which we are seeing in some field walks this week – need support.
Strong early root development gives crops more resilience to weather and workload pressure later on, as we know from our work with Ympact® and other biologicals in our portfolio.
Taking out the competition in oilseed rape
The AHDB Early Bird Survey predicts a sharp increase in the oilseed rape area for 2026 with perhaps up to 30% more in the ground. Like most cereals, the OSR we’re seeing is fairly forward and looking good.
There’s a decision to be made on weed control for these crops. Spring-germinating cleavers, mayweeds, thistles and poppies can quickly start competing for light and nutrients.
You may feel your crop is well placed to defeat them, but with solid market values being reported, and yield potential to protect, my view is that taking out broadleaved weeds now is the best approach, before the window of opportunity closes. Open canopies and warming soils mean now’s the time to act with Korvetto® – before rapid crop growth kicks in. For some forward crops, this window will have already passed.
I’ll continue to share updates as the season progresses, with further insights from our technical and field teams. For local, practical support, contact your area manager or our hotline team via the details on our website.
