Risk Assessments Latitude Use On Winter Barley

2002 was a bad take-all year in wheat, but some growers are starting to question poorer than expected yields of barley in a second or third cereal position. Take-all does affect barley, though generally to a lesser extent than wheat. However, use of Latitude® in winter barley has brought some excellent results where take-all has been present, with improved standing, crop appearance and reduction in late season brackling. Yield increases of over a tonne/ha have been recorded in trials. Morley Research Centre has carried out trials over the past two years and their results are illustrated in the figures below. The crops were either second or third cereals planted into good seedbed conditions. Take-all levels were assessed during mid to late June and were moderate in 2001 and low in 2002. Raxil S + Latitude® helped to maintain green leaf area in 2000-01 and gave the highest yields in both trials.

Morley Winter Barley Results 2001-02

Morley Winter Barley Results 2000-01

"We know winter barley can be seriously affected by take-all. The two large-scale split field trials we’ve run with Latitude® have shown average yield benefits of over 1t/ha, lifting yields from a disappointing 6t/ha (2.5t/acre) to nearer 7.5t/ha (3t/acre), so it’s obvious the disease has been an important factor in some cases." (David Neale, Seed and Crops Manager, Masstock).

All this suggests that where take-all is a threat, winter barley growers should consider Latitude® together with good agronomy to maximise yield and quality.