Winter barley is already being threshed, and soon the combine harvesters were driven into the wheat fields as well. Farmers who want to farm as sustainably as possible and have less expenses must also remember about catch crops that improve the quality of the soil.
Due to climate change
Already a few decades ago, the signs of climate change have drastically changed weather conditions and, accordingly, farming habits. Depending on the type of plant, their minimum photosynthesis needs are satisfied in the warm season if the air temperature reaches 7-9 degrees Celsius.
Compared to the years 1980-1990, by 2019 this warm period has increased by as much as 35-45 days per year. The start of the warm spring was earlier by 10-20 days, and the duration of the warm autumn was even up to 25 days. This created suitable conditions for growing so-called intercropped and intercropped plants.
You need to make the right choice
As Vilmantas Petrauskas, product manager of the company "Dotnuva Seeds" belonging to the Linas Agro group, explained, after harvesting, the intermediate crops sown can be of several types.
Single ones are needed in cases where, for example, after harvesting winter rapeseed or cereals, it is intended to sow winter crops or to cover them. In such cases, catch crops have about 6-8 weeks left. In other cases, when sidereal plants are used and left over the winter, there are as many as 60-70 days between harvest and the end of the plant's active growing season.
"If intermediate crops will be sown during the winter until mid-August, then it is best to use mixtures of sidereal plants, in which bee phaceliums, sunflowers, annual clovers, sowing vetches, and edible (root) radishes predominate. When sowing leguminous plants (beans, peas) after them in the spring, use less nitrogen-accumulating plants (vecchia, clover), if bell crops - more. White mustard, fodder radishes are used for sowing in the later period (they can also be left during the winter, watching that the plants do not ripen seeds. Then the plants must be chopped in the fall as well).
When sowing crops for 6 or 8 weeks to obtain higher yields of green mass and roots, the choice of plants is greatly reduced. For such a short period, it is best to use fast-growing plants such as white mustard and fodder radish. Since these plants are related to winter canola, their use should be avoided if root tuber disease has been observed in fields.
However, if no diseases are observed, more fodder radish should be used. As found, they have much less influence on the spread of this disease. Intercrops improve the structure of the soil, improve the movement of water and nutrients in the soil, help to accumulate nutrients and transfer them to the spring-summer period, which are necessary for cultural plants. Crops used during the winter are also useful to prevent soil erosion. They must accumulate enough root mass, the latter - nutrients, legumes accumulate nitrogen. Then, in the spring, cultivated plants can use these nutrients, and farmers can save on the cost of fertilizers," said V.Petrauskas.
Crops stored over the winter accumulate and transfer nitrogen to the soil for spring sowing. They also ensure air movement in the soil, which improves the uptake of substances by cultivated plants.
Offers ready mixes
When choosing plants for inter-sowing, it is necessary to find out how they correspond to the characteristics of the soil, how they can improve them by growing quickly and covering the soil surface. Also, such plants cannot have diseases and pests in common with other types of crop rotation. Farmers have long been fond of mustard and radish planting mixtures, because these plants produce a large amount of green mass in a relatively short time.
However, depending on the sowing period of intermediate crops, the mixtures can be enriched with other plants - vetches, beans, lupins, peas, etc.
Ready-made mixtures of sidereal plants are also offered to farmers. "Dotnuva GRENN NFIX" (these plants fix nitrogen in the soil), "Dotnuva GREEN RAPS" (suitable rapeseed rotation) or "Dotnuva GREEN BIO MASS" (characterized by the highest amount of green mass) are recommended for early sowing (around August 15).
The mixtures "Dotnuva GREEN 1" for medium or lighter soils and "Dotnuva GREEN 2" (for heavier soils) are intended for late sowing. As V. Petrauskas said, the greatest benefit is obtained when using sidereal plant mixtures when their crops are left until spring. However, if the autumn happens to be warm and long, then the plants may have to be chopped so that they do not take ripening seeds.
The demand for seeds is constantly increasing
Both in the markets of our region and throughout Europe, the demand for certified seeds and their mixtures has been increasing in recent years. Therefore, this summer "Linas Agro Group" founded a new company "Dotnuva Seeds", which strengthens the position of the seed producer. "Currently, the seed factory in Dotnuva produces about 27,000 tons per year. tons of seeds, that is about 90 percent. of all our capacities, so in order to ensure a smooth supply of certified seeds to our customers, we must increase our production capacity.
Already this year, we will start building a new seed preparation factory in Iecava (Latvia), which will not only meet the demand for certified seeds in the Latvian and Estonian markets, but will also allow us to reach Latvian farmers faster and ensure more efficient logistics of goods to Estonia", - Dotnuva shared the expected development plans Jonas Bakšys, CEO of Seeds.
Estimated investments in the new factory amount to 7.4 million. euros. Its capacity will be 20 thousand. tons of seeds per year, but it will be possible to increase them to 30 thousand. tons. The seeds of bell and legume crops will be prepared here.
According to the company's general director, the fact that farmers are beginning to understand the returns generated by these seeds contributes to the growing demand for certified seeds in the Baltic countries. In order for customers to choose from the best seed varieties every year, the company cooperates with as many as 30 breeders from different European countries. "The more varieties are studied, the more likely it is to discover a better, more productive one," the CEO of Dotnuva Seeds is convinced.
