The excellent price of oilseed rape and its potential profitability means that every pod is worth preserving and growers are being urged to consider the use of an effective anti-pod shatter product this harvest to make sure that the crop holds on to as much seed as possible. Interagro have a highly effective pod-sticker, Iskay, and have made a new animation to show visually how the product works.

“It makes good sense to explore ways to minimise seed loss at harvest, so that final yields and profits are maximised. Every seed shed as a result of pod shatter means seed losses and yield losses. In adverse conditions prior to harvest, potential seed losses due to pod shatter can be as high as 25%, which represents a great deal of money these days. Taking an average crop of 3.5 t/ha at £360/tonne, a 25% loss is worth well over £300/ha. Having looked after the crop from establishment to harvest, it is worth finishing the job properly and actively minimising losses at harvest by using a pod sticker such as Iskay, especially with rape at such a high price,” says Alan East, Technical Manager for Interagro.

Alan says that most winter rape looks very good this year, with good levels of pod set.  “Crops are developing fast and it won’t be long before they are ready for harvest. With rape seed continuing at a high price and the prospect of a decent yield, a profitable harvest can be expected, providing yields are protected up to harvest time.”

“Trials work with our distributor partners Agrii has shown that the use of Iskay can result in yield increases of over 0.52 t/ha, worth over £187/hectare with rape at £360/tonne, plus additional increases of 0.3% oil content which will increase the overall price benefit. The cost of Iskay is less than 0.03% of this benefit – so why wouldn’t you preserve pod integrity and seed at harvest?”

Trials also show the longevity of Iskay, the effects of which can last for up to 6 weeks. When Iskay was applied with 4 l/ha of Roundup on the 8th July, it gave an extra yield of 0.15 t/ha over and above the untreated when the crop harvested on the 25th July, an extra 0.18 t/ha when harvested on the 3rd August and an extra 0.27 t/ha when harvested on the 19th August.

Alan explains that Iskay is a specialist blend of polymers, emusifiers and surfactants, designed specifically to minimise seed losses in oilseed rape due to pod shatter during harvest, improving both yield and reducing the number of volunteers after harvest. “Iskay is a specialist pod sticker that works by forming a lattice or mesh over the fragile pods, which means that the upper and lower pods are secured together, preventing the pod from opening up and minimising seed loss during harvest. You can see how it works on the new animation on our web site.”

“Its use has no adverse effects on the crop and it allows the pod to mature naturally, enabling the crop to achieve its maximum yield. It doesn’t affect the speed of desiccation and has no adverse effects on seed quality or seed maturity, so that growers can manage their harvest more efficiently,” he says.

“Its use also has a valuable knock-on effect of reducing rape volunteers in subsequent crops. Oilseed rape volunteers are becoming more difficult and expensive to control and they can also encourage higher slug populations which will need tackling.”

Iskay has been used successfully in Hungary, Poland and other European countries in podded crops including oilseed rape, peas, beans, linseed and flax. It is being trialled in grass-seed.

Iskay is recommended at a dose rate of between 0.5 to 1 litres/ha in 150-400 litres of water as a medium quality spray. The higher dose rates and higher water volumes should be used in dense crops. Iskay is applied from when pods are green and bendy (BBCH 80) up to fully ripe when nearly all pods are ripe and seeds black and hard (BBCH 89). It can be used alone or in tank mix with desiccants such as glyphosate or diquat. It is packed in a 5 litre pack and is available throughout the UK from Agrii.