The recent mild weather has encouraged exceptional growth rates in winter barley, wheat and oat crops throughout the country.
So much so that Co. Down contractor, Andrew Gibson, has highlighted the potential to graze sheep on those crops with exceptionably heavy covers.
“It’s an option, provided ground conditions remain good and the sheep are allowed to graze the covers only,” he told Agriland.
Looking ahead, Gibson points to the benefits of getting early nitrogen on to cereal crops, particularly barley, in order to ensure maximum growth rates into the spring period.
“Ground conditions can fluctuate widely over the coming weeks. A dry spell can be followed by weeks of very changeable weather,” he continued.
“So the opportunity of getting even three-quarters of a bag of urea per acre on to a growing crop as early as possible in the spring is worth looking at. It’s an approach that will ensure that crops are moving forward at a time when they have tremendous growth potential.
“Leaving the application of fertiliser to later in the spring means this opportunity is lost.”
Weather and growth
Meanwhile, Met Éireann is forecasting a very mild start to the week but with very cold conditions kicking-in as next weekend approaches.
At that stage it will become very cold, largely dry and bright for the following few days with widespread frost developing during the nights.
These will be stubborn to clear some areas during the days. There will be well scattered wintry showers too, mainly in northern and some western parts. Some fog and freezing fog will develop by night too, slow to clear by day.
The return to colder weather will relieve the slug pressure on many crops. It will also ensure that winter cereals fully switch from their vegetative to reproductive growth phases.
Globally, 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record. The first six months saw record-breaking temperatures, extending a streak started in 2023 to 13 months.
The world’s hottest day in history was recorded on July 22, while a day earlier, more than five billion people were exposed to high temperatures made at least two times more likely due to climate change.
However, the scientists note that surpassing global warming of 1.5°C for a one-year period, as expected for 2024, does not mean the Paris Agreement’s aim of limiting it to that level has failed.
This would require several years with temperatures above 1.5°.
