Wet weather will have washed away nutrients
The UK has experienced one of the wettest and mildest winters on record, with particularly high rainfall levels in the west of England and Wales.
As the spring approaches growers are looking to assess the impact of this extreme weather on autumn-sown crops and fallow land ready for spring sowing.
Although the mild temperatures have caused plants to be more advanced than expected in February, growers will be questioning how to manage crops during this crucial phase of development.
The high levels of rainfall will have led to leaching, reducing the amount of essential nutrients available to the crop. It is likely that the soil nitrogen supply will have decreased in areas that have been particularly affected by high levels of rainfall.
A lack of available nitrogen in the soil can hinder plant growth during a peak development stage, leading to an overall reduction in yield. This means that it is important for growers to be flexible when considering the quantity of spring nitrogen applications. This will help to counter the amount of nitrogen that is lost through leaching, rather than being taken up by the crop.
Leaching through the soil profile will also reduce the amount of Phosphate (P) and Potash (K). Both nutrients are essential to crop development, therefore growers may need to consider replenishing both P and K this spring. This is especially true after the 2015 growing season left a considerable amount of land deficient in these nutrients, as some growers chose not apply P and K in order to reduce input costs.
This, in addition to the high yields from last harvest, meant that lower levels of these nutrients were left in the soil.
The wet winter will also have caused rooting issues as crops did not need to forage for water supplies in the soil. This can stunt root growth and therefore reduce nutrient uptake in the early stages of establishment. Although some crops may have struggled to root, phosphate fertilisers will stimulate root development during the spring.
With a number of factors to consider it is important that growers assess the impact on their crops.
Over the next few weeks, I would advise growers to undertake soil tests to establish the soil's nutrition requirements and to contact one of Wynnstay's arable specialists to determine the most cost-effective fertiliser solutions to maximise productivity.
Dave Mitchell is group fertiliser manager, Wynnstay Group PLC
