Drilling cereal crops into parched soil this autumn is likely to be a tricky proposition. Cover crops have gone from niche to more mainstream on UK farms in the last ten years, driven by a greater emphasis on soil health and the Sustainable Farming Initiative. But autumn establishment will present a special challenge for low disturbance arable systems as the new season gets under way – with lack of moisture an added burden for growers on top of reduced soil movement.
Simon Weaving, sales director for Weaving Machinery, has worked with farmers across the globe as they adjust to low disturbance systems, as well as transitioning his own farm surrounding the Weaving factory. Here is what he has learned:
Residues drive drill choice
“Both our Sabre Tine and GD disc drill will work sowing into cover crops,” says Simon. “The Sabre Tine will manage cover crops around a foot tall, or two feet tall where well rooted, without a problem. However, like any tine drill, heavy residues can cause wrapping around the tines. This is where a disc drill like the GD is advantageous. If you only have a tine drill, and have particularly dense residues, a light disc cultivation can help chop and redistribute material before drilling, without fully inverting the soil. the Weaving ShortDisc can be used for just this purpose. If you would rather leave the cover crop standing, a front linkage mounted cutting disc toolbar, like our DualDisc, will be a useful investment if your Sabre Tine is frequently drilling into cover crops.”
Minimising slug damage
Slug risk is invariably higher with a large amount of cover crop residue on the surface paired with wetter autumn conditions. A higher seed rate can help compensate for potential losses, but effective slot closure is the most important factor
“The unique design of the GD system, with its angled cutting disc and following press wheel help achieve consistent slot closure, whereas the Sabre doesn’t have a press wheel, so rolling becomes vital,” says Simon.
First hand experience
The Weaving family farm at Chadbury is 18 months into a “reset” process after many years under a contract farming agreement growing vegetables. The soil was heavily compacted and lacked good drainage as well as nutrients and organic matter.
The first step was to establish a cover crop containing tillage radish, vetch, phacelia and rye. The mix was selected to provide a combination of deep tap roots and shallower fibrous root growth. This has helped to open channels through the soil profile, improve soil structure and capture nutrients. It was drilled in September and grazed by sheep the following April.
The ground was then shallow cultivated with the new Weaving Raptor to incorporate the remaining organic matter into the top four inches of soil. A brown mustard cover crop was then drilled at 10 kg/ha at the end of May to add further organic matter, improve soil structure, suppress weeds and capture residual nutrients.
“Both cover crops established well following shallow preparatory cultivation, drilling with the Sabre Tine and subsequent rolling. Drilling slightly deeper also helped the plants access moisture during the dry spring.”
Simon chose the Sabre Tine to drill the cover crops because he says that he was aiming to create as much tilth as possible with the tine coulter whilst the soils are at this stage in their transition. Looking towards the autumn, the plan will be to establish a Crusoe winter wheat crop with 50% of the field drilled with the GD Disc Drill and 50% with the Sabre Drill to get a side-by-side comparison, says Simon.
“The aim is not to prove that one system is universally better than the other. It is to understand which approach best suits the soil conditions, residue levels and stage of transition in each part of the field. Successful establishment comes from matching the drill and cultivation strategy to the conditions in front of you.”