Farmers are being urged to use the extended post-harvest window to assess soil condition and nutrient status before making routine fertiliser applications or undertaking cultivations.

Will Oliver, Warwickshire arable farmer and BASIS-qualified agronomist, says extreme dry conditions mean soils could be in a very different position to a typical year.

“Instead of focusing on what you’ve done historically, or what others are doing, let your soil dictate what action you take,” he says.

“Rather than assuming hard ground needs remedial cultivation, go into each field with a spade, dig a hole and assess the structure.”

If the soil around the spade wobbles, he says this indicates the structure remains sound.

“If soils were in good condition before, there’s no reason to assume they won’t recover once moisture returns,” he says.

“Cracks and channels created by dry conditions can also aid water infiltration when the rain comes.”

After walking his own fields, Mr Oliver sees little justification for subsoiling.

“Deep cultivation in very dry soils will increase metal wear and machinery damage for little agronomic pay off.

“Where intervention is needed, light discing may be the better option.”

For autumn-drilled crops like OSR, Sam Leadbeater, UK and Ireland sales manager for OCI, advises the same evidence-led approach to soil nutrition.

“Good nutrition at establishment is key for OSR, particularly ensuring phosphate, potash and sulphur availability.

“Use tissue tests or soil analysis where appropriate to identify any specific limitations rather than applying nutrients routinely. 

He says there could be more residual nitrogen left in the soil than growers might expect.

“With little rainfall, there’s been less leaching or run-off, while crops also matured much earlier, cutting nitrogen uptake short.”

However, this will not be the case everywhere, particularly where growers reduced applications earlier in the season.

“That’s why soil testing will be particularly important this year.

“With increasingly variable autumn conditions, getting nutrition right early can make a real difference to crop resilience and its ability to withstand pressures from disease and challenging weather.

Where nitrogen applications are necessary, Mr Leadbeater suggests supplying sulphur alongside nitrogen to support nitrogen use efficiency.

“Nitrogen uptake alone doesn’t support crop growth. To use nitrogen, plants have to convert it into proteins and other growth compounds.

“Sulphur supports this process by aiding the formation of amino acids and enzymes needed for this protein synthesis.

“This year, soil condition and nutrient demand will vary field to field. Use the extra time to test, assess and base decisions on what each field actually needs,” he concludes.