Wold record breaker

Wold record breaker
Earlier this year, Lincs grower Tim Lamyman brought
both the wheat and oilseed rape world crop yield records
back to the UK. CPM makes a pilgrimage to the Lincs
Wolds for enlightenment on exactly how it’s done.
Standing on the edge of the field, you’re
not sure whether you should sink to your
knees and bend down in reverence at
the soil, or wring your hands and look
skywards. This is the hallowed tilth that
pushed out a whopping 6.7t/ha oilseed
rape crop, while just across the way is
the field that yielded a staggering
16.5t/ha of wheat.
By Tom Allen-Stevens
At that moment, the September storm
clouds peel back and you can almost hear
the angelic chorus ring out as the rolling
Lincs Wolds are lit up in a Divine brilliance.
But the Almighty hand has likely played no
special role in the mighty yields achieved at
Worlaby Farms, near Louth. It’s been the
determination of Tim Lamyman to uncover
and unlock every yield-producing facet
of his system that’s brought not one, but
two world crop records back to the UK
this year.
He sinks his spade in to inspect the soil
and it’s actually remarkably hum-drum
–– there’s no special quality in this dirt to
suggest it would bear up twice the UK’s
average yields. “It’s a chalky Wold loam
“
It’s the
sunlight part of the
story that was one
of the key things
we got right this
year. ”
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–– incredibly sticky and unworkable when
it’s had this much rain on it,” he explains as
he brings a few spits to the surface.
Then the spade rings out as he hits the
chalk. “It’s only 300-350mm deep, though,
and the stone content ensures it dries out
quite readily,” he adds.
It’s been his aim since leaving college to
see how far he can push the yields from
the Wold soils that have been farmed by
hisfamily since 1947. There are four key
areas he’s focused on: how to capture and
retain water, ensuring the crop has the
right balance of nutrients, maintaining a
healthy green leaf, and making sure that
leaf captures as much sunlight as it can.
“It’s the sunlight part of the story that
was one of the key things we got right this
year. But there’s an aspect of that I’ve kept
from the Farmers Weekly,” he teases.
His quest to produce record-breaking
crops started with the soil, however. When
he returned to the farm in 1997, the land
was typically ploughed to a depth of
25-30cm and then drilled in mid to late
Oct. “It meant the soil dried out which
pushed the drilling window late. So we
had to bring things earlier.”
It took a while to find the right cultivation
equipment –– the Wold soils are naturally
friable, and Tim Lamyman found large,
curved tines, in combination with discs, an
effective way to achieve the tilth he sought.
“The main requirement is that the
seedbed has to be 100% level –– we’re
looking to drill into a table top. So the
biggest limitation from existing kit on the
market was the roller – we wanted a larger
one that wasn’t too heavy.”
Custom-built flat-lift
The result is the 3.5m Worlaby flat-lift,
custom built by local engineer Geoff
Strawson to Tim Lamyman’s design.
Ten large, winged tines stir the soil to a
10-15cm depth, followed by discs that are
independently mounted in pairs. An
Andrew Guest, power-harrow type 600mm
packer roller comes in behind. This is put
to the land two weeks before the crop
is sown.
Finding the right kit for final seedbed
preparation was an equally arduous quest,
and Tim Lamyman settled on a 6m Lemken
Terradisc. “I liked the design and the
crumbler roller works well on our land, but
we couldn’t pull it deep enough. So we’ve
put curved, winged tines on. The result is
an excellent, even and level seedbed for
the Väderstad Rapid 4m drill, and there’s
nothing better to establish a crop in dry
conditions, although you want to keep it
in the shed when it’s wet,” he says.
But altering the land work was a means
to an end –– his real interest was in
manipulating the crop. “We brought the
The clay loam soil is just 300-350mm deep with
a high stone content.
drilling date back earlier and sometime
went silly early –– in 2006 we drilled in Aug,
for example, which failed dramatically and a
crop of Equinox, famed for its standing ability,
dropped to the floor. So the optimum date
for us is 12-16 Sept.”
Seed rate itself is something he doesn’t
get hung up about –– he aims for a rate of
90-110kg/ha, building it by 20kg/ha per
fortnight after 18 Sept, and this hasn’t
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crop production magazine october 2015
23

Recipe for a record-breaking crop
Oilseed rape
Wheat
Variety Picto Reflection
Seed rate 3kg/ha 110-120kg/ha
Drilling date 21 Aug 14 Sept
Nitrogen fertiliser Mid Feb – 45kgN/ha Mid Feb – 70 kgN/ha
Mid Mar – 45kgN/ha
Mid Mar – 70kgN/ha
Mid Apr – 130kgN/ha
Mid Apr – 70kgN/ha
Mid May – 120kgN/ha
Sulphur First two N dressings applied as DoubleTop First N dressing applied as DoubleTop adding 80kg/ha
adding 100kg/ha SO 3 total
SO 3 total
Fungicides 4x tebuconazole, applied Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr T0 – Cherokee plus Amistar Opti
Symetra applied mid-flowering
T1 – Keystone plus Bravo
T2 – Keystone plus Bravo
T3 – tebuconazole plus Proline plus Amistar Opti
Nutrition supplements 6x NHK Delta, applied each time the sprayer 9x NHK Delta, applied each time the sprayer passed through
passed through the crop
the crop
In addition:
In addition:
3x 1-4-All, applied at 2 true leaves, Oct, Nov
4x Tip Top applied through the spring from Mar to flowering
Tip Top applied late stem extension
2x CalFlux, applied mid and late flowering
Harvest date 5 Aug 22 Aug
Yield 6.7t/ha @ 9% moisture 16.5t/ha @ 15% moisture
Symetra (azoxystrobin+isopyrazam); Cherokee (chlorothalonil+ cyproconazole+ propiconazole); Amistar Opti (azoxystrobin+ chlorothalonil); Keystone (epoxiconazole+ isopyrazam); Bravo
(chlorothalonil); Proline (prothioconazole)
Tim Lamyman aims for an oilseed rape crop that’s dead level with plenty of
pods latticed through a deep canopy.
Picture courtesy Will Selby Project
altered since 1997. But he
does put careful thought into
variety choice.
“In the past, I’ve focused on
standing ability, and I still look
for a variety that stands bolt
upright when it’s in ear –– that’s
essential. But since being
involved with the ADAS Yield
Enhancement Network (YEN),
I’ve focused a little more on
light interception.”
Work undertaken by Dr Roger
Sylvester-Bradley at ADAS was
the trigger –– in an attempt
to capture more sunlight with
▲
the crop, he’s been trialling
wider rows with silver tape on
the ground to reflect the light
back into the canopy.
“But I reckon the light should
never hit the ground in the first
place –– the secret is to intercept
it with the leaf, but at the right
angle. You never see a flat solar
panel, for example.They’re
always angled towards the
sun,” reasons Tim Lamyman.
This put a whole new thinking
of what constitutes the ideal
canopy. “KWS Kielder has a
beautiful flag leaf, but it lies too
24 crop production magazine october 2015

The aim with the wheat was an erect stem with a flag leaf sitting naturally
at 45° – that delivered a head count of 930 ears/m 2 .
Picture courtesy Will Selby Project
flat. You need an erect stem
that puts out a flag leaf which
naturally sits at 45°. So I was
looking for a Grafton that had
more yield, and it was at the
2014 Cereals event I came
across Reflection.”
Right growth
With the right growth pattern
above ground, the aim beneath
the surface is a root structure
that captures as much of the
available water and nutrients as
possible, he says. “The trouble
with feeding a crop nitrate is
that it puts on auxin growth ––
mainly in the stem. What I wanted
was cytokinin growth that builds
a fibrous root system.
“Growth regulators like
Moddus (trinexapac-ethyl) and
chlormequat do a fairish job,
but don’t quite bring the right
result –– put a spade in your
crop in March to inspect the
roots and you’ll find they’re a
browny white in colour. But what
I’m applying now gives you a
profusion of bright white roots.”
It’s the nutrient supplements
Tim Lamyman applies that
he claims bring about this
difference. “I wanted to get to
the stage where the crop was
wanting for nothing, and that led
me into the nutrition side. There
are a lot of products out there
that claim they do something,
but don’t actually deliver. I then
came across NHCa Delta, and
its effect on our potato crop was
phenomenal. So we’ve since
developed a programme
tailored to the wheat crop.”
NHK Delta is the product he’s
settled on for the wheat, and
this is applied as a foliar feed
every time the sprayer passes
through the crop –– nine
applications in total. Although
this sounds excessive, the cost
is only £80/ha in total, he says.
“In recent years, we’ve
looked to step up the K,
however. This land is naturally
short of the nutrient ––it’s locked
up and tissue analysis from
March through to mid flowering
shows we’re having difficulties
getting it into the plant.”
He came across a new
product, Tip Top, which has a
20% K content, and this was
also applied in the spring
this year. “There’s also 20%
each of N and P, and seven
other micronutrients which
help eliminate any potential
shortages before they’ve
occurred. Even on this
programme, the wheat crop this
year tested a little low on K, but
last year it was critically low.”
As well as producing
stronger, more fibrous roots,
this dosing has secured the
essential stem strength, to the
extent that no PGRs are
required, he says. But such
supplements must be used
with care. “Some formulations
have negative effects –– use a
chelated mixture for example
and the plant can wilt, especially
if it comes under stress.
Reflection in particular is
susceptible to tipping, although
this doesn’t appear to affect its
ability to yield.”
The nutrient programme is
another key aspect of keeping
the leaf green, he believes.
“You can’t control disease in a
really thick crop with fungicide
chemistry alone –– the plant’s
natural defences have to play
their role. The NHK Delta and
▲

Curved, winged tines ensure the cultivator is
pulled to the right depth.
Tip Top ensure the crop is never under
stress, so its natural defence is better.”
The farm’s normal N applications were
stepped up for this year’s wheat with
record-breaking potential. The usual four
monthly splits of 55kgN/ha were raised to
70kgN/ha, with 120kgN/ha applied as the
final dose in May to make a total of
330kgN/ha applied.
“We achieve 100% N utilisation, while the
national average is just 60-70%. The head
count in June revealed 930 ears/m 2 –– we
haven’t managed any more than 690 ears/m 2
with Kielder, so were pretty confident we
were heading for a monster crop,” he says.
To make it official, a record-breaking
attempt must be adjudicated by two
completely independent assessors.
Machinery consultant Bill Basford was there
for both combining sessions, joined by
David Pullen as the OSR was cut while
agronomist Richard Harvey presided over
the wheat harvest.
▲
“There’s a lot of paperwork involved and
work to do to ensure every trailer is
weighed properly. This has all been
managed by equipment specialist Chris
Rothery, which leaves me free to focus
on getting the combining done,” notes
Tim Lamyman.
The OSR crop itself received similar
land work to the wheat, albeit a month
earlier. “There was also a rare pass with
a power harrow to get a really fine tilth
–– seed-to-soil contact is essential.”
Branch out
Picto was drilled slightly below the
standard seed rate to encourage it to
branch out. “I don’t see any difference
between hybrids and conventional varieties
provided they’re drilled before 25 Aug. I
liked what I saw when I came across Picto
at Cereals in 2014 which is why I chose it.”
The essential requirement is again having
a plant that stands bolt upright right to the
end, he says. “There must be no leaning ––
that’s how you lose light interception during
pod fill. Less plants/m 2 means the plant
branches more, resulting in more pods/m 2 .
Close to harvest, I like the top of the crop
to look dead level. It’s only when you look
closer you should see plenty of pods
latticed through a deep canopy.”
A similar programme of NHK Delta was
applied throughout the growing season,
starting at two true leaves. “We’re putting
it on in the pre-emergence spray too, this
year, having seen some good results in
spring barley.”
In the autumn, this was supplemented
with 1-4-All, to give the seedling plenty of
micronutrients. From stem extension, this
was switched to Tip Top, mainly to feed
the plant its higher requirement of K. Then
during flowering, two applications of
CalFlux were made.
“When an OSR plant is stressed, it loses
pods –– it pulls the calcium out resulting in
pod abortion. The CalFlux supplies an
additional source of calcium, so the plant
thinks it’s pulling it out of the pods, but it’s
actually the CalFlux. I’ve found it also
Reflection stands bolt upright, but it’s the nutrient
supplements that give it fibrous roots, stem
strength and a green leaf, allowing less reliance
on fungicides and PGRs.
26 crop production magazine october 2015

Looking for a seedbed that’s 100% even, a 6m Lemken Terradisc achieves
a table-top finish.
thickens the pod, acting a bit
like PodStik, and I reckon that’s
worth 0.5t/ha.”
Light leaf spot was the
main target disease with the
fungicide programme. “It seems
to be the most relevant disease
around here and Picto’s
strength against LLS was
another reason for choosing it.
We put on four applications of
tebuconazole, but there was
still some LLS in the crop at
flowering.”
The OSR world yield record
was one Tim Lamyman broke
last summer with 6.14t/ha
achieved with Charger. This was
beaten by New Zealand grower
Chris Dennison with a yield of
6.31t/ha earlier this year. The
wheat world record was
achieved by New Zealand’s
Mike Solari with a 15.64t/ha
crop in 2010. But having
brought it back to the UK, the
mantle of world wheat record
holder has now passed from Tim
Lamyman to Northumberland
grower Rod Smith with a
16.52t/ha crop of Dickens
harvested on 1 Sept.
So what does the future hold?
Tim Lamyman smiles. “Currently
I’m not planning on making
another attempt at the wheat
record –– I reckon we’ve gone
about as far as we can there
for the moment. But with OSR,
who knows? We’re trying
hybrids this year, and maybe
there are ways to extend the
pod-filling period just a few
more days. We’ll see what New
Zealand gets up to this winter,
but watch this space.” ■
Farm facts
Worlaby Farms, Louth, Lincs
● Area farmed: 890ha arable
● Staff: Two full time, two part
time
● Soils: Chalky Wold loam
● Rotation: Winter wheat/w
barley/w oilseed rape/w
wheat/3x spring barley/s beans
● Varieties (2016 harvest):
Wheat – Reflection (35-40%),
KWS Siskin, KWS Trinity,
KWS Lili; Barley – KWS Orwell,
KWS Tower, Propino (spring);
OSR – Precision, DK Exalte;
Beans – Boxer
● Combine: Claas Lexion 750
with 7.6m h header
● Mainline tractors: Massey
Fergusson 8670, 8650;
Challenger 45, 55
● Drill: 4m Väderstad Rapid
● Cultivation: 3.5m custommade
flat-lift; 6m Lemken
Terradisc; 5m Lely power
harrow; Lely rolls
● Sprayer: Househam
AR2500 with 3000-litre
tank and 24m boom
● Spreader: Kuhn Axis 50
variable rate with
3500-litre hopper
● Handlers: Manitou 741, 731
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