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Diligent slug pellet use a must

Poor seedbed condition, high slug pressure and protracted crop emergence, is leaving seedlings vulnerable to pest attack for longer.

Poor seedbed condition, high slug pressure and protracted crop emergence, is leaving seedlings vulnerable to pest attack for longer. Diligent use of slug pellets over the extended drilling period is a must, according to Agrovista agronomist and technical manager for the North, Chris Martin.  
“Wet, cloddy, unconsolidated seed beds provide free passage for slugs to move about and breed, with lots of trash providing a ready source of food,” says Chris.
He explains that the wet summer ensured that slugs were already at a high base level and since then, the late harvest and hampered cultivations have meant the usual cultural slug controls haven’t happened. “There has been very little rolling or removal of trash. The problem is all the more significant given how slow crops have been to get going.”
Noting that by mid-October he would expect all but the second wheats to be well away and beyond the 4-leaf stage, by which time they can withstand slug attack. “As it is, crops range from just being drilled through to the most forward crops reaching only the two-leaf stage. It’s the worst slug season for at least a decade.”
Chris notes that while seed dressings have been widely employed and have been effective at reducing grain hollowing, he identifies the danger point as the period between shoots emerging and the seedlings breaking through the soil.
He says that the situation has raised growers’ reliance on slug pellets to protect crops. “But for most, a single metaldehyde dose is the maximum to stay within the restriction criteria to protect watercourses, and it’s vitally important to stick within those limits.
“The majority are now on their second or third slug pellet application, so we’ve moved on to ferric phosphate based Derrex that’s more insoluble than metaldehyde and has a strong environmental profile. At the 7kg rate you can make four treatments, and it keeps its integrity well in the wet conditions, with the flexibility to treat the whole crop, including the field boundaries.
“It’s been the first time using ferric phosphate for the majority, but I’ve got no qualms about it – it’s working,” he maintains, commenting that the mode of action means that the usual tell-tale slime trails and dead slugs on the surface won’t be in evidence. “But crops are clearly recovering, and if you dig around, the dead slugs can be found beneath the surface.”