Check soil N before sowing barley

摘要

If land destined for spring barley was originally intended for wheat or oilseed rape, different nitrogen and disease management approaches are essential, specialists advise. "If spring barley is going to be a first cereal, such as after peas, you mustunderstand what the residual nitrogen is," says Simon Phillips of New Farm Crops. "You should always assess the fertility of your land. "If it's a fertile site, don't apply any nitrogen in the seed-bed. Use it all at GS11-15." However, under conditionsof low fertility, for example where the crop is a third or fourth cereal, growers may need to increase N dressings or bring them forward. "The important thing is to check, especially after all the rain we've had," says Mr Phillips.