Late season PGR advice for wheat and barley

Some crops, particularly those sown early, will have already progressed beyond the safe window for a plant growth regulator (PGR) to be applied. For example, any crops of winter barley which have their awns out will already be too advanced. On the other hand, most spring barley crops are still in the safe window for a PGR to be applied. Wheat crops, especially those comprising high-risk varieties which are susceptible to lodging will also be prime candidates to receive a PGR treatment.

Using a combination of PGR active ingredients, starting at GS30-31 onwards typically gives the best results, but that will have been tricky to achieve in many parts of the UK due to the difficulties associated with the prolonged wet conditions.

Where a PGR hasn’t yet been applied, PADAWAN (ethephon at 480g/l) is ideally suited for use in high-risk situations and for those varieties which have a weaker stem strength: by inhibiting auxin activity, PADAWAN shortens the straw length which reduces the leverage effect of the grain ear later in the season and preserves the crop’s quality.

PADAWAN can be used as a follow-up treatment to other PGRs (e.g. chlormequat chloride and trinexepac-ethyl) or, where the application of these actives earlier in the season wasn’t possible due to the water-logged ground conditions, as a standalone treatment or as a partner product.

For more information about which PGR to use, and when, please get in touch with your local ADAMA agronomy manager.

PADAWAN crop information