Advice for farmers as the weather cools

While farms in western, central and southern Lithuania are already bustling with activity, with winter crops waking up and fertiliser applications taking place, the eastern half of the country is still waiting for the ground to warm up more, agricultural experts say. The situation in the country's fields at the end of winter is positive, they say. However, it is worth preparing for the upcoming weather changes and the coming frosts.

At the end of the first month of the calendar spring, we saw that winter oilseed rape had a successful winter. Of course, there was some crop thinning and damage due to root knots or dieback, but only in small areas. Overall, the situation in the country's fields is favourable.

The winter is usually slower to retreat in the Švenčionys district, around Utena and Ignalina, so farmers in those places also start their first spring work later. Meanwhile, in Samogitia, central Lithuania and Suvalkija, some farms have managed to fertilise their fields for the first time.

One of the essential characteristics of good soil is its moisture status. Data shows that the current state of soil is not the best, especially in terms of moisture. Perhaps the main reason for this is the lack of snow or rain last winter.

It was a very unusual winter, with a lack of snow and an early spring in January. In addition, parts of western Lithuania experienced very heavy rain and flooding. However, in general, soil moisture varies from one region to another: one part may have more moisture and another less. It also depends a lot on the cohesiveness and density of the soil: the denser the soil, the longer the moisture lasts.

Higher water tables can also support higher moisture content. However, where soils are lighter, moisture is not retained, washing away fertilisers and other materials already there.

The noticeably warm weather in March has encouraged some farmers to start fertilising their fields. However, the cooler weather may raise concerns about how winter wheat and winter oilseed rape will react to this change, once the agrotechnological work has been partly completed.

Most farmers are likely to have been fertilising and spraying their fields during the past week, while others will have to wait for warmer days. It will all depend on the weather conditions, as for example in Samogitia there was still a lot of rain at the beginning of the week, while in central Lithuania oats, beans and grasses have already been sown. So the situation is different in different parts of Lithuania, so the first work has to be done at different times.

Farmers are currently applying nitrogen and sulphur fertilisers to their crops. The timing of these fertiliser applications has a major impact on yields. It is recommended to apply nitrate-nitrogen fertiliser to weak or actively vegetating plants, followed by ammonium sulphate fertiliser.

For well established, vigorous winter wheat crops, it is recommended to fertilise with a first application of 100 active ingredient nitrogen with sulphur. Phosphorus uptake is likely to be poor after the end of the cold period. After the cold nights have passed, it is advisable to give the plants first aid by spraying their leaves with this element.

After fertilisation, the next step is to protect the crop from pests. According to experts, as the weather warms up, both the soil and the pests in it wake up. However, crop protection should only be undertaken after assessing whether a threshold of damage has been reached – the level of spread of pests, harmful organisms under certain environmental conditions, where the loss of yield exceeds the cost of protection.

If at least one stem borer is found on five winter oilseed rape plants, the damage threshold has been reached and plant protection must be applied. It is reported that this situation has now been reached and that fertiliser applications have been supplemented by sprays.

Contact insecticides are best applied when daytime temperatures are above 10–12 degrees. However, it does not pay to use this alone: insecticides and herbicides, micro- and macroelements and amino acids can be sprayed in one go to speed up the awakening of the plants. It is also worth using various biostimulants to reduce the stress on the plants caused by both herbicides or other protective measures and climatic conditions or protective measures.

Even with a wide range of agricultural inputs, natural conditions will determine the final results. One can dream of a product where a single spray would be sufficient to cover all crops for the entire growing season and nothing more would be needed. However, the rhythm of the farm is dictated by natural conditions and this must be taken into account.