According to the regional agronomist of the agricultural company Egidijus Bačinskas, in southwestern Lithuania, the most important thing now is to take care of the protection of the flag leaves of winter wheat. In addition, some crops may need additional nutrients.
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“During this and next week, farmers in the region will take care of the flag leaves by protecting them with fungicides, and weaker crops will get more energy by additional feeding: both universal and specialized products will be useful for this. At the same time, winter rapeseed, which is now pleasing with its flowering, will need to have its pods protected from concealed weevils with systemic insecticides,” says E. Bačinskas.
Adding to this, Linas Agro’s head of agrotechnology development Dr. Gabrielė Pšibišauskienė states that winter rapeseed is flowering very briefly this year: some crops have already started the second flowering stage. According to her, this may mean that these crops are quite weak and need additional protection.
“Rapeseed petals have fallen both on the ground and on the plant leaves, creating favorable conditions for the spread of diseases. Therefore, it is recommended to control diseases in the crops with fungicides. Systemic insecticides will also be needed to control concealed weevils and blossom weevils – to protect bees, they can be used no earlier than 9 p.m. There are various products, for example, fungicides – mixtures of boscalid or azoxystrobin with prothioconazole, systemic insecticides – with the active substance acetamiprid, etc. If possible, rapeseed should be fed with nitrogen and potassium,” advises G. Pšibišauskienė.
Challenges caused by the wind
In both Suvalkija and northern and other parts of Lithuania, the last winter crop protection works remain to be done. However, their pace is slowed down by poor weather conditions, especially strong wind.
“Although the main work is already nearing completion – only a week or two left – it will not be possible to finish quickly due to gusty winds. If normally spraying work would take a few days, now the duration is extended. In some places, more than 50% of winter rapeseed fields are already protected, but we will still have to wait to fully protect all crops,” confirms E. Bačinskas.
He adds that besides calmer wind, farmers are also eagerly awaiting more abundant rainfall. “In some places, it hasn’t rained for a whole month, so even a small rain brought a lot of joy. However, the soil still needs more moisture.”
Rain helped northern regions
As confirmed by Linas Agro regional agronomist Viktoras Mikaliūnas, in the northern part of Lithuania – around Joniškis, Pasvalys, and other districts – farmers are performing the same tasks as throughout the country. He highlights recent rainfall, which noticeably changed the situation in the fields.
“We could jokingly say that we live in a Bermuda Triangle that the rain constantly bypasses. However, when we finally got it, both the color of the fields changed and the mood of the farmers improved. The rain seemed to put all the dots on the ‘i’. So now they additionally protected the crops from diseases and strengthened some with growth regulators,” says V. Mikaliūnas.
However, among the cultivated crops, he singles out peas. According to the agronomist, compared to other crops, peas are having a harder time growing this year.
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“Peas sown later did not get enough rain and moisture, so they germinated unevenly. However, where they were sown earlier, they germinated better. The same goes for corn: although sown last, it is germinating well and quickly. So soon work with them awaits,” says V. Mikaliūnas.
Žemaitija divided into two parts
However, the most tense situation at the moment is observed in Žemaitija. According to Linas Agro regional agronomist Remigijus Laucius, who works here, the region is almost divided into two parts.
“If we look at the fields from Plungė towards Klaipėda, the view there will differ significantly from what we see from Plungė towards Telšiai. While one side received only a few millimeters of precipitation, the other received several tens. Of course, the previous winter, with heavy snow and little soil frost, also had a big impact. Winter crops under a very large amount of snow froze, so some farmers sowed spring crops. However, even they are not evenly germinated everywhere,” confirms R. Laucius.
He points out that although the region has no shortage of weather-related troubles, the situation can differ drastically between farms. “There are definitely places where both winter and spring crops are not thriving. But there are also fields where the plants look really good. Much depended on the sowing time: those who started sowing earlier can feel more at ease. However, the growth rate of crops was slowed by low soil temperature.”
Special attention to flag leaves
The agronomist of the eastern Lithuania region – Ukmergė, Širvintos, and others – Arnoldas Reimeris states that farmers here try to protect winter rapeseed from sclerotinia rot.
“Besides all that, soon winter wheat growing in this region will produce flag leaves. Strong products will definitely be needed for their protection: as is known, the flag leaf determines about 40% of the future yield. Add the middle third leaf, which influences the yield by 25%. To achieve a really good, quality yield, it is necessary to keep these leaves healthy and green as long as possible,” says A. Reimeris.
As G. Pšibišauskienė emphasizes, there are many fungicides for protecting the flag leaf, so it only remains to choose the most suitable and economically beneficial one. According to her, one can choose original fungicides for septoria and stripe rust control, as well as universal products composed of prothioconazole and azoxystrobin active substances.
“One should not forget about nutrients, for example, a mixture of microelements filled with boron, zinc, nitrogen, and sulfur. Boron is one of the cheapest agrotechnological means that improve wheat pollination, applied at a rate of 30 units per hectare. Of course, it is impossible to change the number of segments in grain ears, but pollination can be improved not only by using boron but also specialized biostimulants. This technological work is one of the most important because some winter wheat crops are thinned. Therefore, to achieve a quality yield, wheat will need to be fertilized both through the soil and through the leaves,” says Linas Agro’s head of agrotechnology development.
About AB Linas Agro
AB Linas Agro is one of the largest agribusiness companies, managing 9 companies in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and ensuring the entire chain of activities – from seed sales to grain purchasing. The company belongs to AB Akola group.
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