Mixing 30kg of NEMATHORIN into the top 20cm of the soil profile equates to a mix with around 3000 tonnes of soil per hectare, or one part per 100,000. Clearly accurate metering and even incorporation is important to achieve the high levels of PCN control and reductions in soil pest damage.

Essential aspects to consider are:

• Accurate metering from the applicator
• Incorporation to the correct depth
• Soilconditions during incorporation
• The method of incorporation used

Soil conditions

“In spring there is always the temptation to get on earlier and start planting, when it may prove difficult to achieve a good seedbed. But achieving good nematicide distribution in a cloddy or wet, sticky seedbed is impossible,” he says.

Cambridge University Farms trials have also shown that waiting a couple of days for soils to dry out in the spring can significantly reduce the costs and effort in creating a seedbed, as well as improved establishment and faster growth for crops sown in better conditions.

Operator training

The Syngenta Stewardship Application Workshops have been specifically set up to give applicator operators the practical knowledge and tips to achieve consistent and accurate incorporation Legally, someone working in the field must be qualified to PA4 certification, capable of calibrating and adjusting the applicator and able to supervise the application process.

Graham Basil of cartridge manufacturer and application advisors, Apcal, advocates that, at the end of each day, nematicide applicator operators should reconcile the area they have worked and the number of containers of nematicide used; a very quick calculation will give an instant check on the application rate and pick up any deviation from the required rate.

“In an ideal world operators would calibrate machines every day, but in practice once they are set up the daily check-back will ensure that machines are still operating at a high level of accuracy.”

Mr Basil highlights it is important to do the calculation on a daily basis, or as soon as a small block of land of known size is completed. “If metering mechanisms are beginning to wear, then any drift in application rate can be quickly magnified. Operators need to be alert to any increase in application rate, and recalibrate machines accordingly.” The longer you leave it before you check, the more likely you are to under correct.

“If metering mechanisms show signs of rapid wear and the rates are changing over the course of a couple of days work, then it will be time to change the rotors or cartridges.”

Effective application and incorporation will give the longest possible window of control from nematicide applications, reports Jon Ogborn of Syngenta. This remains crucial with the increasing problem of the more aggressive PCN species G. pallida.

PCN is estimated to infest more than 60% of the UK ware crop growing soils, with pallida present in over 90% of populations. “G. pallida hatches over a longer period of time, compared to G. rostochiensis. Late hatching nematodes, emerging when poorly incorporated or less active nematicides have run out of steam, can cause severe damage to the growing crop,” he warns.

A series of Syngenta Stewardship Application Workshops will give operators practical on-farm training in the servicing, set-up and operation of NEMATHORIN and AMISTAR applicators for the coming season.

Led by independent industry experts, including Graham Basil of Apcal, the training will be held on growers’ farms at the locations shown in the table.

For further information call 0800 652 4216 or visit the web site www.syngenta-crop.co.uk.