Rain throughout spring and early summer has created a management headache for Canterbury white clover seed growers. FAR Herbage Seed Research Manager, Richard Chynoweth, says the rainfall has resulted in clover seed crops with extra leaf and dense vegetative bases.
“This is a problem for farmers, as crops which retain a green and damp base are at risk of suffering high yield losses; firstly through seeds sprouting before the crop is dry enough to harvest, and secondly, through harvest losses caused by damp seeds, sticking to vegetative matter and being lost out the back of the header when harvest does occur. The hot weather of the last few days is starting to help, and desiccants will dry out the clover canopy, but many growers are still concerned about how best to deal with leafy dense crop bases.
“There is no one size fits all solution, as different cultivars, soils, rainfall figures and growers’ management techniques to date, will all produce slightly different crops and different issues. With this in mind, FAR and SIRC are holding a field discussion at Rakaia next week (9.30 – 10.30am, Friday 8 February) to consider all these different scenarios and the harvest options that are available.”