Maize 2022

Maize 2022

Maize 2022

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Index Introduction: P3 Agronomy: P3 Drilling: P4 Soil: P5 Environmental considerations: P6 Growing conditions: P7 Varieties: P8-12

Animal Nutrition: P14-15 Options after Maize: P16

Soil nutrient requirements: P17 Fertiliser requirements: P18-22

Reason Yukon Pinnacle Equity Emblem

Farmunox

Lovely Picker Remington Tommen Ballade

Augustus Autens

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Maize 2022 Please find enclosed the maize varieties that we will be running with for the 2022 season, along with some information on growing maize, and considerations to be taken into account before selecting a variety. We feel that we have a variety to suit each and every customers’ site and growing conditions, as well as end uses. 2021 season review Cold dry spring, followed by cold and wet before the warmer more typical spring temperatures. Drilling was occurring right up until the end of May. For most places soil temperatures didn’t reach the optimum 8 degrees until the end of April. Later weeds flushed through as the warmer weather with moisture in the ground. Maize Agronomy Herbicides Pre-emergence Broad leaved weeds and grass weeds – PDM (Anthem) Increased range of broadleaved weeds including Charlock & Black Bindweed. – PDM + Dimethenamid -p (Wing P) Post-emergence (before buttress roots develop) Broad leaved weeds – mesotrione (Temsa) or pyridate (Diva) Thistles – clopyralid (Dow Shield) Docks and volunteer potatoes – fluroxypyr (Hurler) Grass weeds – nicosulfuron (Fornet) Fungicides Eyespot – Azoxystrobin (Tazer)

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Drilling Tips & Considerations In addition to variety selection, being successful in growing maize is also dependent on following good agronomy and management practices. Optimal soil conditions at drilling are required to ensure good germination and plant establishment. Modern maize hybrids have a high degree of cold tolerance but should not be drilled before soils have reached an even temperature of 8°C for light soils, 10°C for heavy soils for 3-4 days, usually around mid-April to May. Altitude Avoid high altitude sites which are often colder. As a rule, growers should consider 600 feet above sea level to be very marginal and have a shorter growing season. However, individual fields above 600 feet with lighter, drier soil types that will warm up quickly in spring can be considered. Aspect Ideally any fields selected for maize production should face south and be sheltered from wind. Avoid fields which are very exposed, or have heavy, poorly drained soils, and any locations which are known to suffer from frost. An established crop at 2-6 leaf stage can be set back 2-3 weeks by a late May frost. Avoid steep sloping fields to reduce the risk of nitrate leaching and soil erosion. Soil Analysis As maize is a valuable crop with a high demand for nutrients it is important to know the soil pH and available nutrient levels in order to apply the necessary lime and fertiliser to ensure good crops. Maize needs a pH of 5.8-7.0, but the optimal pH is 6.8. The field should be limed if the pH is 6.0 or lower.

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Soil Depth To support its bulk and height, a maize plant requires a very extensive root system. Ideally, crops should be grown where there is a good depth of topsoil. Where the soil is shallower root development may be impaired and produce stunted crops, with resultant lower yields. Crop maturity can also be delayed. The same effects can occur where soil is compacted. Seed should be sown on to a firm base at 3-6cm depth. Use deeper sowing for lighter, drier soils and shallower sowing for heavy sols. Despite this, drilling into moisture is more important than depth. Soil Analysis As maize is a valuable crop with a high demand for nutrients it is important to know the soil pH and available nutrient levels in order to apply the necessary lime and fertiliser to ensure good crops. Maize needs a pH of 5.8-7.0, but the optimal pH is 6.8. The field should be limed if the pH is 6.0 or lower. Weed Control Maize can suffer considerably from weed competition during the early growth stages. Ideally, a clean, weed-free site should be chosen. A weed control programme applying either pre-emergence and/or post emergence herbicides can be followed. Fitting in with the rotation Maize can be continually grown on the same ground if the soil pH and nutrient levels are maintained. Early maturing varieties that are harvested in September can have a wheat or grass crop as a follow on. Maize can also serve as a break crop for cereals.

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Environmental Considerations Harvesting maize in wet conditions can lead to surface compaction. Maize stubble left uncultivated over the winter months can result in surface water runoff and nitrate leaching into waterways. There is also a particularly high risk of soil erosion where fields are sloping and have sandy soil. If your fields are of a higher risk then consider growing an early maturing variety aiming for an early harvest in better weather, a light cultivation after harvest will encourage rainfall ingression and reduce run off or establishing a cover crop to stabilise the soil surface may be a good option. Glossary Maturity class This reflects on how long it takes the plant to achieve 30-35% dry matter. An earlier variety will have a shorter growing season and a higher maturity class number. Alternatively, an FAO number can be used, indicating the number of heat units required to reach maturity. The lower the number, the less heat units required. CWD Cell wall digestibility gives a value to the rest of the plant that isn’t starch – the leaves and stem (making up 45-55% of the plant). Usually expressed as a percentage, converted into a 1-10 number, each unit corresponds to a 1% increase in cell wall digestibility. This 1% increase can increase dry matter intake by 0.17kg/day. ME Varieties with high ME will be more digestible. This will pass through the rumen quicker increasing consumption and production levels. Lover ME levels take longer to process and are slower through the rumen. This is particularly important for rations with a high maize content. Starch This provides the link to cob maturity in the plant. Varieties that are ‘early’ will have more chance of reaching cob maturity, and more starch, than later varieties. High starch varieties are important in rations with low maize percentage. Maize provides a good source of starch with less risk of acidosis than cereal starch as it has slower fermentation rates. Agronomic factor: Total sum of factors – including early vigour; standing power; leaf senescence and eyespot. All values based on an average for both favourable and less favourable sites.

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Name: Augustus Breeder: KWS Augustus delivers high starch content silage, ideal for all TMR systems, where short season maturity is essential. Rapid early vigour. Full cob sheath coverage with excellent starch and ME content

Maturity Class: FAO: 160 Agronomic factors: 29.92 Recommended Use: Forage CWD: 59.09

Starch %

DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM)

37.26

16.69

11.88

50,000 Kernel packs

Name: Reason Breeder: Limagrain Quick out of the ground and early to harvest. Reason combines superb cell wall digestibility with high dry matter yield to deliver top quality maize with assured feeding performance. Comes with the LGAN accreditation.

Maturity class: 10 / FAO: 160 Agronomic factors: 27.78 Recommended Use: Forage CWD: 59.16 Starch %

DM Yield (t/ha)

ME (MJ/kg DM)

34.03

17.45

11.75

50,000 Kernel packs

Name: Picker Bred by: Grainseed Picker is suitable for difficult sites or late sowings. Very good vigour in the spring producing a tall erect plant. Improved quality in a very early variety due to even plant dry down and good cob maturity Maturity class: 10 Recommended Use: Forage

DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM)

Starch %

35.1

16.9

11.4

45,000 Kernel packs

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Name: Lovely Bred by: Grainseed Excellent early vigour for quick establishment, with excellent resistance to lodging. Good cob to bulk ratio to fill your clamp with a top quality feed. Maturity class: 9 Agronomic factors: 26.41 cwd: 57.93 Recommended Use: Forage Starch % DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM) 34.87 17.43 11.59 45,000 kernel packs Bred by: Limagrain Yukon stands well and has excellent potential for grain or crimped maize production. Proven performance and a truly reliable variety Maturity class: 9 / FAO: 170 Agronomic factors: 28 Recommended Use: Forage or grain CWD: 57.9 Starch yield % DM Yield (%) ME (MJ/kg DM) 104 99 - 50,000 kernel packs Name: Pinnacle Bred by: Limagrain Name: Yukon Combines a very high starch content with improved digestible fibre, to produce superb quality silage. Pinnacle is one of the best varieties available for eyespot tolerance. Excellent early vigour for rapid early season growth, combined with early maturing making it suitable for all maize growing sites. LGAN accredited

Maturity class: 9 FAO: 180 Agronomic factors: 32.05 Recommended Use: Forage or AD CWD: 58.98 Starch %

DM Yield (t/ha)

ME (MJ/kg DM)

35.37

17.85

11.75

50,000 kernel packs

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Name: Remington

Bred by: Grainseed

Bulky plant with erect wide leaves helps maximise photosynthesis combined with good vigour for rapid establishment. Fast natural maturity from mature cob. Good disease resistance Maturity class: 9 Agronomic factors: 27.2 Recommended Use: Forage CWD: 57.7 Starch % DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM) 31.5 16.7 11.4 45,000 kernel packs Name: Autens Bred by: KWS Autens offers stable yield performance & high kernel content, for proven starch yield in favourable areas. Fast dry down with good standing power and full sheath coverage. FAO: 170 Recommended Use: Forage, grain and AD CWD: 58.54 Agronomic factors: 31.65 Starch % DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM) 34.28 17.92 11.69 50,000 kernel packs Name: Equity Bred by: Limagrain Equity is a new LG maize variety that benefits from reliable performance with energy that won’t disappoint. It is an early variety, that is highly digestible for improved feed intakes. Maturity class: 8 FAO 180 Recommended Use: Forage or AD

Starch yield %

DM Yield %

ME (MJ/kg DM)

100

99

11.6

50,000 kernel packs

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Name: Tommen

Bred by: Grainseed

Tommen offers improved yield for early maturing maize whilst maintaining excellent feed quality. Excellent early vigour for successful establishment. Maturity class: 9

Agronomic factors: 27.47 Recommended Use: Forage CWD: 58.29 Starch %

DM Yield (t/ha)

ME (MJ/kg DM)

33.1

17.57

11.58

45,000 kernel packs

Name: Ballade

Bred by: Grainseed

Suitable for a wide range of sites, with very consistent on farm performance. Providing a good balanced silage which is ideal when a high forage intake is required.

Maturity class: 8 Site type: All sites Recommended Use: Forage

Starch %

DM Yield (t/ha)

ME (MJ/kg DM)

31.8

18.2

11.4

45,000 kernel packs

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Name: Emblem Bred by: Limagrain Early cob maturity ensures a high starch content delivering energy dense feed. Highly digestible promoting feed intake and feed performance. Maturity class: 7 / FAO: 190 Agronomic factors: 28.7 Recommended Use: Forage and AD CWD: 58 Starch % DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM) 32.6 17.7 11.4 50,000 kernel packs Bred by: DSV Farmunox has excellent quality with good fusarium and outstanding eyespot resistance. It is suited to both favourable and less favourable sites Maturity Class: 6 FAO: 210 Recommended Use: Forage or AD Starch % DM Yield (t/ha) ME (MJ/kg DM) 32.49 18.71 11.65 50,000 kernel packs Name: Farmunox

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Nutrition Working example A 45t/ha maize crop at 30% DM will yield 13.5t DM/ha. Losing only 1% of this DM equates to 135kg DM. In a diet containing 25kg/cow/day of fresh maize silage, 135kg DM would feed 18 cows. At 30litres/cow and 28ppl, this is the equivalent to losing £151.20/day. Over a 180-day winter this equates to a potential loss of £27,216. DM losses will increase the further it deviates from the 30-33% recommended range. Achieving silage stability and maximising nutritional value is thus of paramount importance and can be achieved with the aid of Pioneer 11C33. Harvesting for Maize Silage To achieve the best nutritional results maize should be harvested at the optimum dry matter (DM) content of 30- 33%. To determine whether the crop is at the correct stage for harvesting, a visual assessment of the ‘Milk Line’ can be made. The ‘Milk Line’ distinguishes between the hard, yellow starch part of the grain and the soft, white, (milky) starch part. As the grain matures, the milk line

descends towards the centre of the cob and the proportion of hard, yellow starch increases. To achieve 30-33% DM maize silage, it is recommended to harvest when the milk line is halfway down the grain.

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If the crop is harvested when the milk line is only ¼ of the way down, estimated silage DM will be 28-30%. Below 30% DM; Lactobacillus bacteria must generate higher levels of lactic acid to stabilise the silage, to achieve this they must consume more sugars which results in a nutritionally poorer and more acidic silage Furthermore; Clostridia bacteria prefer these wetter environments and instead

of lactic they produce butyric acid; this is a weaker acid which prevents silage stabilisation enhancing the risk of silage deterioration and DM losses. Harvesting with a milk line ¾ of the way down will produce a DM silage of over 35%. Clamp consolidation is burdened when maize is harvested above 33% DM which will facilitate oxygen contamination causing silage deterioration and

DM losses. Furthermore, the higher proportion of hard, yellow starch will reduce its digestibility and may pass directly through the animal.

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Options after Maize Optimization of ground for production of extra forage, whilst retaining nutrients, boosting soil organic matter and reducing soil erosion over winter. • Follow maize with a winter cereal • Forage rye • Very hardy, capable with withstanding sever frost • Ideal for grazing or conservation • IRG • Quick to establish • High yields for grazing or conservation • Westerwolds • Similar characteristics to IRG • Good at reducing nitrogen leaching over winter • Cover crop • Choices can be limited by cooler soil temperatures • Winter hardy species should be chosen • Stubble turnips/forage rape • Latest sowing up to mid-September • Possibility of under sowing… Under sowing: • Under sow at 4-5 leaf stage • Depends on time of drilling: early sown crops will need a less competitive species i.e. Fescues. Later sown crops will need a species that will establish rapidly i.e. IRG • Sow at a rate of 15-19kg /ha • Drill rather than broadcast to increase success of establishment • Financial and non-financial benefits, including nutrient savings and extra forage

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Soil Nutrient Requirements To produce a good crop, maize plants need to grow very rapidly once they have germinated. They will do this providing the soil moisture and structure are good; the temperature is warm, and nutrition is adequate. Maize can easily produce 50 t/ha of fresh weight in a period of four months. To support this rapid growth, it has a large demand for nutrients and any shortage will restrict early growth and final yield. Although established crops have a well-developed root system, root growth is slow in the early days of the crop, especially if the weather is cold. Poor root growth means decreased uptake of nutrients and this can be a vicious circle as poor uptake of N and P can restrict root growth. For this reason, it is advised that a starter fertiliser is placed close to the seed, even when the bulk of the soil is adequately supplied with nutrients. If you are looking at fields that traditionally suffer from run-off or are prone to erosion, then consider a slightly earlier maize variety (modern genetics often mean that you won’t lose yield and often gain some quality) and look to place a cover crop in to help scavenge nutrients and stabilise surface soils. This in turn can be used as a green manure, used for grazing or potentially harvested before the following crop. Maize is a very convenient crop on which to apply manure in the spring when there are limited opportunities for spreading on grassland. Be careful that applications do not exceed 250 kg/ha of total nitrogen to conform to the Code of Good Agricultural Practice and NVZ requirements.

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Fertiliser requirement for Forage Mazie

As maize is a valuable crop with a high demand for nutrients it is important to know the soil pH and available nutrient levels in order to apply the necessary lime and fertiliser to ensure good crops. When the maize field has been chosen a soil sample should be taken for analysis unless the field has been tested within the last 3-5 years. Bartholomew’s provide a complete soil analysis package which allows a tailored approach to nutrient management. Option one: No organic manures

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Option two: 24t/ha of organic manure

Crop Nutrition It is essential to take crop nutrition seriously when it comes to forage maize in order to optimise the yield. To do this, it is important to know your soils. • Based on soil analysis (which Bartholomews can provide), we are able to offer nutrient advice and produce a nutrient plan for you. • Bartholomew’s can supply a full range of fertiliser products, from straights to blends, mixed to your requirements. Bartholomew’s have formulated products specifically for maize and offer a comprehensive range for 2021.

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Starter Fertiliser To be applied where possible, down the spout and placed near the seed in order to get the maize off to the best start. • Phosphate pluS 12.5N - 32P - 4K + 2MgO + 5CaO + 14.5SO3 • DAP 18N - 46P • TSP 46P Main Fertiliser To be applied in the seedbed and worked in just prior to drilling. Alternatively, it can be applied after drilling depending on practicalities and preference. • 9.5N - 7P - 26K + 2MgO + 5.5CaO + 16SO3 • 12N - 0P - 21K + 2MgO + 4.5CaO + 18SO3 • 5N - 10P - 28K + 2MgO + 6CaO + 17SO3 Final Fertiliser To be applied, if needed, as a top dressing after weed control (no later than 3 leaf stage) • Urea Limus 46% • Nitram (34.5%) • 27N - 9SO3 Please remember to observe all the relevant Cross Compliance guidelines that are now applicable. There are several different things to consider when planning nutrient applications to Maize. It’s also very good practise to do One or Two Tissue analysis of the growing crop to make sure all the nutrient are in the correct balance & obvious deficiency are addressed to give you the best possible quality & yield.

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Remember: This is only a guide and requirements and nutrient values may differ depending on specific situations. *NPK requirements derived from RB209. MgO & SO3 requirements adapted from industry recommendations in RB209 (Fertiliser Manual) & PDA booklet (Potash Development Association).

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Speak to one of our qualified advisors today Tel: 01243 755620 Email: [email protected] Visit our website at www.bartholomews.co.uk Follow us @bartsagri

BerwickStLeonard Warminster 01243755665 [email protected]

ChichesterFoodPark Merston 01243784171 [email protected]

GoldenCross Nr.Hailsham 01825872697 [email protected]

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