Effective crop protection without soil rotation: min-till and no-till solutions

In this article, I would like to offer useful solutions for min-till and no-till cropping systems in the field of integrated pest management. However, I should mention that many people do not even choose the right methods for conventional tillage, which leads to serious losses of tens of thousands of tonnes per hectare.

By not ploughing, the environmental impact can be significantly reduced, as the fuel consumption per hectare is significantly reduced. Classical crop protection was developed for rotational, "intensive" cultivation. The term intensive is used in quotation marks because, although intensive in terms of budget and material inputs, it is equally unsustainable and harmful in terms of regenerative agriculture.

Costing and basic concepts

In this article I will present costs per hectare, calculated using contract labour rates. It is important to use labour rates when planning the budget, otherwise we do not take into account the depreciation costs of our own labour and machinery, which can distort the picture of profitability.

Before we get started, it is worth clarifying some basic concepts. We have collected these from the soil regeneration farmers website. It is important to note that soil builds up from the top down, and disturbance is not good for this natural process.

Use of cover crops in monoculture

The ideal farming practice from a soil building point of view is no-till. In Hungary, however, I currently recommend the min-till cultivation system. With this system, depending on the soil type, we can gradually switch to a no-till system in 1-5 years. Immediately switching to a system of sowing, spraying and harvesting only is extremely risky, so I would not recommend it under any circumstances.

Although monoculture is obviously not the ideal situation, it is currently the most efficient method of production, and our mechanisation is adapted to this. To improve the situation, I suggest sowing cover crops between the two main crops. In particular, I recommend autumn-spring and spring-spring sowing combinations, as the period between the main autumn-autumn sowing is short and risky.

Selecting and using cover crops: common mistakes

I often encounter mistakes when selecting and rotating cover crops. Here are some examples:

• Combination of olive oil and mustard:
  Although this combination is common and legally compliant, it is not an ideal choice as it breeds pests of oilseed rape. It is advisable to select plants from several plant families. This has not been done in this case. Avoid such "get away" solutions.
• Not freezing butterflies in front of sunflowers:
  This can be particularly problematic when sowing sunflowers bred to Imazamox. Since the herbicide active ingredient in butterflies is also Imazamox, using it will not be effective, it will not kill it.
• Use glyphosate before sowing:
  Although it can be used to terminate blanket plants, I do not recommend it, as the active ingredient is slow acting in the cold of March and April and can take up to three weeks to take effect. A better option may be 2,4-D active or shallow tillage.
• Failure of weed control:
  If weed control fails and you use IMI sunflower, there is not much you can do chemically. This is a serious design flaw for which the cover crop is not responsible. Tribenuron-methyl is an effective herbicide. So with seed selection, it is possible to integrate non-freezing butterflies into cover crop mixtures. 

These examples also show that the key is careful planning, several years in advance. Blanket plants are an important part of the system, which can only have their full impact if we are not just trying to comply with legal obligations. To sow just any mixture because of mandatory legislation is a flawed practice! Bad combinations and inappropriate timing can cause serious financial damage.

Conscious planning and effective chemical crop protection

Multi-year planning is key to minimise costs, and this also applies to crop protection. A more conscious approach to the purchase and use of pesticides is needed. In many cases, there are no major variables and yet we often find ourselves putting off buying herbicides. As a crop specialist, I find this particularly difficult to understand, as we currently grow very few crops that do not require herbicides.

Procrastination often leads to haste, resulting in delayed treatment and inappropriate product selection. This leads to a loss of efficiency and financial losses. The expected treatment time and phenological phases can also be well planned, as the sowing date is known. I try to select active ingredients that are relatively flexible to use, as not all factors can be controlled during cultivation.

However, for post-emergence, pre-emergence herbicides, the availability of precipitation is important for effective operation, which has not always been sufficient in the last few years. In such cases, soil temperature and moisture must be taken into account, and you can sow if the soil is moist enough, or wait for a period of higher rainfall.

Using and Applying Plant Protection Products: Tips and Gaps

I do not want to mention the names of products and manufacturers in this article, but I do want to mention amounts and active ingredients. You can find out which products I have written about if anyone takes the trouble. I also think it is important to mention that I am not a representative of any manufacturer or retailer.

In crop protection treatments, we use what is known as the "specialist dose". The question arises, why? Because we play it safe. Often the spraying technique is not optimal, and at lower doses the efficiency would be inadequate.

What errors can occur during application?

Unfortunately, more of everything. Let's look at the common mistakes:

• First, poor coverage due to inadequate nozzle and pressure. Choosing the ideal droplet size can significantly improve coverage, even at the same or lower water volume.
• Getting the droplets to their target is also important, as drops that are too small, although they provide good coverage, can easily drift away. In my experience, the ideal range is about 200 microns. The nozzles have a plus-minus range that needs to be adjusted. There are also mechanical solutions, already used in drones.
• Water quality also has a significant impact on the effectiveness of treatment. If the pH and hardness of the water are not right, this can reduce efficiency. In general, the ideal pH for herbicides is around 5. But for the active ingredient glyphosate, for example, the ideal pH range is 4-5. In Hungary, it was difficult to find detailed information on the ideal pH range for different products, so I collected data from progressive farmers, English literature and my own experience. If you do not know the pH and hardness of your own water, check it as soon as possible. Until we know exactly, we can use a rule of thumb: adding 1 kg of citric acid to 1000 litres of water will reduce the pH to about 5, which is much better than a neutral or slightly alkaline starting point. I will link here just one example with the name of a manufacturer. I have written before that I try not to advertise, but I will make an exception because I want to illustrate how much more information is available to farmers abroad: https://cropscience.bayer.co.uk/roundup-hub/best-practice-information-water-quality/

There are also many finer details of the application technology, which I will be happy to write about in another article. For now, I just wanted to point out that manufacturers have useful information that is often not passed on to users.

I have asked for efficacy and phytotoxicity results, but I have not received a reply. However, these tests have to be carried out on a crop-by-crop basis for the authorisation of plant protection products, so the information is available.

In other parts of the world, pesticide manufacturers have a lot of min-till and no-till results, but unfortunately this information does not reach us.

Planned plant protection

In the second half of this article, I would like to show you what crop protection solutions are worth using, broken down by crop. Before going into details about the recommended products and their costs for each crop, it is important to note that the prices I have used are based on the https://www.agroyal.hu/arlistak are from the website.

I think it is very positive that the price list is freely available, so you don't have to search for the prices of the products. The products on the website are competitively priced and the search interface is also very usable.

Weed control is of primary importance in crop protection, especially from the point of view of soil engineering, as this intervention causes the least adverse effects. The use of insecticides and fungicides, on the other hand, can mean a greater environmental burden.

Fungicide and insecticide treatments can be either planned or ad hoc (i.e. used only in case of infestation). In the initial phase of the transition, I recommend planned interventions adapted to the phenological phases. However, as the soil ecology recovers and strengthens, we can gradually move to ad hoc treatments, i.e. only intervening when really necessary.

Crop-specific crop protection strategies

Let's look at the recommended technologies and their budgets by culture.

Plant protection of Kalászos

Min-till and no-till crop protection technologies for maize do not differ much from conventional methods. With the right choice of active ingredients and products, efficient and cost-saving solutions can be applied. With the right settings and species selection, even at the lower end of the recommended dose range, we can be effective, resulting in further savings.

However, if a lower dose is used, it is no longer allowed and becomes a "black" technology. Although you can still get good results, it can only be the result of a step change, which I cannot recommend as it is not licensed.

Weed control

In the case of windthrips infestation, autumn herbicides with the active substance sulfosulfuron are required, at a cost of about 7 600 HUF/ha. In other cases I recommend early spring weeding, methsulfuron-methyl, thifensulfuron-methyl, fluroxypyr and piraflufen-ethyl at a cost of 7 300 Ft/ha.

The active substance tribenuron-methyl is widely used in weed control in cereal crops and In Agroyal search engine can be found that this could cost up to 2 300 HUF per hectare. This is an effective solution and we can save money with it, but I prefer the above combination because of the small price difference and the much better efficacy, as I would like to use this active substance in sunflowers later.

For barley and triticale, in some years, well-established stands will outgrow weeds, so weed control can be avoided, but perennial biennial weed control can still pay off, as you can achieve effective results at low cost.

Fungicide treatment

As a fungicide treatment, I recommend a fluxapyroxad treatment, so that the early spring treatment can be omittedat a cost of 47 500 HUF/tonne. It is worth sowing seeds by germination rather than the usual kg/ha.

Fungicide treatment should be timed after the flag leaf has emerged, at the beginning of the mowing period. Of course, this will depend on the weather and the extent of the infestation, but as a rough guide we can now calculate.

More expensive products cost over 20 000 HUF/ha, while cheaper products containing the active ingredient tebuconazole can reduce the cost to below 10 000 HUF/ha. But I prefer to recommend this active ingredient for protection of cress, as it has no greening effect on the plant. I recommend a fungicide with the high active ingredient azoxystrobin at 14 000 HUF/ha and a combination of bromuconazole + tebuconazole for mowing protection at 11 000 HUF/ha.

For triticale and barley, fungicide treatment is not strictly necessary, but is recommended for wheat because of the risk of fusarium infection.

Insecticide treatment

An insecticide for crop bleaching should be applied at the time of the first fungicide treatment, namely lambda-cyhalothrin, at a cost of 2 700 HUF/ha, in a tank mixture or as a separate application. Not every year necessary, depends on whether the level of damage exceeds the threshold.

Plant protection of maize

The strategy for maize crop protection is based on effective weed control and correct timing.

Weed control

I do not recommend weed control, since excellent early post-emergent and post-emergent preparations are available, from which there is plenty to choose. I recommend a combination of mesotrione + clomazone at a cost of 11 600 Ft/ha. Its application is very flexible, as it can be used after sowing, before emergence and when maize is 1-3 leaves old. Young weeds are particularly susceptible to this combination, and it has an excellent holding effect with 10-20 mm of rainfall. Timing can also be adjusted according to weed emergence or rainfall.

The perennial bivalves, such as the field acat, but this combination is not effective enough against. For heavy infestations, I recommend the use of dicamba at a price of 10 000 HUF/ha, but this can only be used from 3 leaves on the main plant. As the initial development of maize is slow, especially in cool weather, it is highly susceptible to weed pressure at this stage. It is therefore not advisable to wait until the 3 leaf stage to control dicotyledonous weeds, because although it may be successful in some years, it is too risky.

You can control annual weeds when they are 3-7 leaves old with the active substances nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron and foramsulfuron. Rimsulfuron can be economically supplied as a bundled offer in combination with nicosulfuron. I do not recommend the use of foramsulfuron because of its high price of 30 000 HUF/ha, which is enough money to achieve complete control and its efficacy is no better than the other two active substances. For nicosulfuron, I recommend the slightly more expensive OD formulation at 9 400 Ft/ha instead of the SC formulation at 8 000 Ft/ha.

It is important to note that the formulation of pesticides is as important as the choice of active substances; I will explain this in more detail in another article. However, here I recommend the oil dispersion for nicosulfuron.

Nicosulfuron and dicamba can be combined well with other herbicides, so you can decide to apply the control in one pass after the maize has reached the 3 leaf stage, cleaning everything at once. There are a number of good package deals available from several manufacturers at a price of 25 000-30 000 HUF/ha.

After harvesting maize, if weather and technology permit, it is worth planting a cover crop, which may vary depending on the vintage and the number of FAOs.

Plant protection of sunflowers

When planning a plant protection strategy for sunflower, the variety you choose is an important factor. Weed control and other crop protection measures can be tailored accordingly. Timely application of appropriate fungicide and insecticide treatments, as well as the need for desiccation, are also key to optimising yields.

Weed control

Here we need to decide at the outset what kind of sunflower to sow: high or low oleic, imazamox, tribenuron-methyl or conventional herbicide.

I do not recommend imazamox because it is not effective against butterfly blight if they do not freeze out before sowing. In addition, the high cost per hectare, 25 000 HUF/ha, is also a disadvantage compared to other technologies.

Instead, we prefer to tribenuron-methyl I recommend it, as it is more flexible to use, better tolerated by cultivated plants and more affordable. Although tribenuron-methyl can be used at a cost of up to 2 500 Ft/ha, it is important to note that it is not approved for sunflower, similar to drone crop protection in Hungary.

I recommend conventional herbicide sunflower in a min-till system with basal weeding and 1-2 planned row spacing. However, the effectiveness of basic weed control depends to a large extent on the amount of rainfall that falls, which does not always arrive on time. Therefore, I recommend the low-cost formulation with the active ingredient flumioxazin at a cost of 10 000 HUF/ha. Although its efficacy against ragweed is slightly inferior to that of fluorochloridone, it costs 25 000 Ft/ha. If there are many seed-borne monocots in the area, the active ingredient s-metolachlor can be added at a cost of 10 000 HUF/ha.

Fungicide and insecticide treatment

Fungicide control should be carried out systematically, once at the beginning of flowering. Although many people skip this one occasion, I do not recommend it, as it is too risky, especially until you have achieved a good soil life and know the variety well.

I do not recommend using early fungicide at the 6-10 leaf stage as a planned application, but rather as a "fire-fighting" measure if necessary. The same applies to insecticide treatment. At the beginning of flowering, we use the active ingredient azoxystrobin at a price of 14 000 HUF/ha.

Desiccation

Desiccation may be necessary before harvesting. Although a case-by-case authorisation for Diquat dibromide was in principle available this year, in practice it was not always granted, which makes planning difficult. The efficacy of glyphosate and piraflufen-ethyl is not very convincing.

As a general rule, I recommend that desiccation is only used when weed control has failed or for sunflowers that are difficult to dry.

3 main crop production

A crop rotation based on the three main crops might look like this: cover crop after maize, then maize, then sunflower the following year, then again maize and we have come round the 3 main crops in Hungary.

It's difficult to sow maize in time when it's well established, but this is not a problem with sunflowers. This is a simplified example of our three most common crops.

The transition from min-till to no-till can be achieved in 3-6 years, depending on soil conditions and equipment. It is important that maize is the last crop to be sown using no-till, as it is very sensitive to nitrogen deficiency, which will certainly occur in an immature soil.

Concluding thoughts

I will write about further reducing pesticide use in a forthcoming article. For now I wanted to focus on the preferred technologies, active substances and their cost implications.

For help we have created a points system, which shows where our current farming system is in terms of soil renewal. These points will help us plan where we are now and where we want to go.

I hope that my writing will help readers to achieve more efficient farming and save tens of thousands of forints per hectare.