Wheat Growers Lose Over £5 Million Through Poor Take-All Control

May 2004 - UK cereal growers are losing over £5 million of profits this season by failing to treat second wheat crops at particular risk from take-all, according to the latest market research from the Masstock Group. What is more, these losses could be doubled when untreated 'at risk' wheats after set aside and winter barleys are taken into account.

Despite the impressive growth in take-all seed dressing usage across the UK over the last three seasons, independent research undertaken for the company over the past winter reveals that only around half the 375,000 ha of UK second wheat currently at risk from take-all has been treated.

"Wheat at £75/tonne and an average 0.7t/ha yield recovery from Latitude treatment recorded by NIAB where take-all is a problem means a projected average margin over treatment costs of some £30/ha for this harvest, " pointed out David Neale of Masstock.

"Across the 187,000 ha of untreated 'at risk' UK second wheats alone that's a lost profit of £5.6 million. Add in the substantial area of untreated wheat after set-aside and winter barley that also suffers from take-all and the net cost from failing to use the tools available could easily rise to £10 million."

David Neale stresses that lost opportunities like these are simply not sustainable in the increasingly competitive, de-coupled world ahead, insisting that future differences between farming profit and loss will depend on timely action to prevent all avoidable yield losses.

"With current MTR challenges on margins and rotations and the possibility of an increase in second wheat plantings this autumn, growers needs to do everything possible to minimise the take-all threat, " he advised.

"Manage them well and second wheats will continue to make a positive contribution to farm profitability. Fail to do so and you would probably be better off forgetting them and facing the extra rotational challenge involved.

"The fact that specialist seed dressing has proved cost-effective in a wide variety of take-all situations over the past three very different years - even with wheat at just £55/t - means there can be little, if any, reason not to put it to good use for all 'at risk' crops in the future."