OILSEED RAPE – should I stay or should I grow?
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The dilemma and considerations that growers currently face
It is once again a season of (at least) two halves. After an early cereal harvest, many growers drilled winter oilseed rape early, and where moisture was present, those crops have established well.
However, many growers held off drilling due to a lack of moisture. Therefore, some crops have only recently been planted. 
The recent wet weather may have encouraged a second flush of OSR that was perhaps planted slightly deeper to germinate. The crop therefore will contain a range of growth stages.
Belkar® can be applied at 0.5L/ha from 15th September once 90% of the crop has 6 true leaves (GS16) or at 0.25L/ha if the crop is smaller than this. Growers must remember that the application rate should be governed by the growth stage of 90% of the crop. 
Belkar controls a wide spectrum of broad-leaved weeds, including mayweed, fumitory, cleavers and shepherd’s purse. It has a wide range of tank mix options available including graminicides to control volunteer cereals, fungicides, insecticides and crop nutrition products including boron. See Belkar tank mix.
Slugs
While the recent moisture and high soil temperatures should ensure crops emerge quickly and establish well, these conditions also encourage slugs to appear and the recent rains have resulted in some slug grazing. Growers are encouraged to monitor the situation with traps and apply slug pellets once the threshold of 1 slug per trap has been reached. For further information see How to monitor slug populations in field crops | AHDB.
Should I stay or should I grow?
Oilseed rape remains a viable break crop option with the price currently around €460/T.
With growers achieving good yields and new varieties available this season with higher oil content than average, United Oilseeds say OSR could be the top gross-margin crop on many arable farms.
Grass weed control
OSR also allows control of difficult grass weeds within the rotation. Kerb® Flo and Astrokerb® contain propyzamide which has no known resistance to grass weeds and remains a critical tool in the toolbox for grass weed control.
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*Use 1.7L/ha of Astrokerb or Kerb where there are high blackgrass populations. Follow-up with Korvetto in the spring for additional weed control and spring flushes including mayweeds, cleavers, thistles, poppies. Add in a graminicide for earlier control of volunteer cereals.
For more information on weed control programmes in oilseed rape, take a look at our Topic Sheet: OSR herbicides in a programme topic sheet.
Propyzamide stewardship is important and for the latest guidance see our dedicated information hub: Stewardship | Propyzamide | Oilseed Rape Herbicides | Corteva Agriscience™.
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Useful information
For more info call our Technical hotline: +448006898899 or email: ukhotline@corteva.com
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