Tillage Crops

Tillage Crops

• Location Of Tillage Crops
  Mainly in South and East of country for two reasons:-
  1.Climate in these regions is more suitable to tillage i.e. less rain which allows early spring cultivation and little difficulty harvesting crops.
  2.Soils more suitable to tillage i.e. more fertile and free-draining.
• Winter v Spring Sown Crops
  Winter variety seeds:
  –Frost resistant
  –Sown September to November
  –Harvested mid-July onwards
  –Longer growing season
  –Higher yield due to longer growing season
• Spring variety seeds:
  –Not frost resistant
  –Sown February to April
  –Harvested August onwards
  –Shorter growing season
  –Lower yield due to shorter growing season
• Advantages of Sowing Winter Variety Cereals
  Labour can be spread over the year, particularly in mixed farming systems where calving/lambing takes place in spring.
  Winter varieties have a higher yield than spring varieties due to their longer growing season.
• Advantages of Sowing Winter Variety Cereals
  Harvesting takes place earlier for winter varieties in good weather conditions. Losses of spring varieties may result when harvesting in poor autumn weather.
  Poor weather in spring may delay sowing of spring varieties. This can delay germination, establishment and harvest of the crop and result in a lower yield than a winter variety.
• Crop Rotation
  This is the growing of crops in a definite sequence.
  It helps to control certain pests and diseases that live in the soil or on crop residues. It can do this because some pests and diseases are specific to certain crops and growing a different crop the following year will starve the parasite and it will die.
  It helps to maintain soil structure and organic matter. This occurs where there is a period of grassland incorporated into the rotation which builds up structure and organic matter for the cereal crops that will follow.
• Weed, Disease and Pest Control
  These can be controlled as follows:-
  –Indirectly – here our aim is not kill the weed, disease or pest but something that we do helps to reduce the problem indirectly.
  –Biologically – use other living organisms to control ones that are causing a problem.
  –Directly – this is the use of chemicals to directly kill the problem.
• Indirect Control
  1.Crop rotation
  2.Growth encouragement
  3.Sowing resistant crop varieties
  4.Harvesting without delay
  5.Stubble cleaning
• Biological Control
  Involves introducing a predator, parasite or infectious agent.
  Red spider mite could be introduced to kill whitefly.
  Ladybird could be introduced to kill greenfly.
• Direct Control
  Herbicides kill plants.
  Fungicides kill fungi.
  Pesticides kill pests.
  Insecticides kill insects.
• Herbicides
  Can be selective and only kill certain plants or non-selective (total) that kill all plants.
  Selective herbicides are used where you want to kill weeds but not damage a crop.
  Herbicides have 3 modes of action:-
  –Contact – kills the part of the plant it lands on but not the root. Used on annual weeds.
  –Translocated – absorbed by plant and kills root. Used on annuals and perennials.
  –Residual – applied to soil and kill any germinating plants for a period of time. Kills annuals and perennials.
• Fungicides
  3 modes of action:-
  1.Eradicant fungicides kill fungal infections at point where they are applied.
  2.Protective fungicides protect plant from future attack of a fungus at the point where they are applied.
  3.Systemic fungicides are absorbed by the plant and travel to all parts of the plant. They kill existing fungal infections and protect from future attack.
• Pesticides
  Usually sprayed on crop.
  Pest is killed on contact with pesticide or by eating leaf sprayed with pesticide.
  Some pesticides applied as baits e.g. slug pellets or fumigants e.g. in a grain bin.
  Care must be taken when using pesticides as they can persist in the crop or on the soil and they are toxic. This may cause harm to consumer of crop and also damages wildlife.
• Seed Certification
  Most seed sown in Ireland is certified by the government’s DAFF.
  This seed is guaranteed the following:
  1.Minimum germination rate of 85%
  2.Minimum purity of 98%
  3.Free from wild oat seeds
  4.Treated with an insecticide/fungicide.
  It ensures (a) better yield, (b) better weed, disease and pest control and (c) easier to sell the seeds that are produced.