Observe
Visit your crop often. Enjoy it. Look at its growth and assess any problems. Observe the weather. Section 2 (p 9) explains how you can observe and quickly describe the growth of the wheat crop as simple numbered stages known as Zadoks (Z) stages. The stages focus discussion in the book on how a healthy crop should be as it grows. A diagram pinpoints which components of grain yield are developing and being affected by your management practices at each stage.
Measure and record
Always write down any observations, measurements or assessments. Things that seem insignificant now may become important later. Do not trust your memory. Section 3 (p 11) describes how to assess the crop so that problems can be diagnosed. It explains how to make quick assessments but also describes more detailed methods for sampling and measuring the crop objectively if that should be required. Sample Field Sheets show how and what to record and some things to expect as the season progresses.
Assess
What does the measurement mean? Section 4 (p 22) is your first guide for narrowing down the options for what might have caused the things you have seen and recorded.
Act
Correct or minimise any problems identified. Don’t delay for too long. Tomorrow is sometimes too late. Section 5 (p 25) is the heart of this book. It gives detailed descriptions of symptoms associated with many problems affecting wheat, ranging from those associated with the environment, with management and with pests and diseases. Use this section to confirm or vary your original diagnosis before taking any of the actions proposed to solve the problem.
Reflect
If there was a problem, why did it occur? Can your farming system be improved next season to avoid any problems observed this year? Record these thoughts. This step takes you back to the beginning, to Section 1 and its outline of ways to think about optimising crop outputs. Section 6 (p 81) may also help as it contains further reading to help in understanding the development of the wheat plant. A summary of tillage systems is included (p 84) as it may be appropriate for you to consider a different approach for your farming system.
|
Section 5? |
You can go straight to Section 5 starting page 25 for detailed descriptions of symptoms and solutions for all problems or follow the route below. |
| |
|
|
Determine the |
Decide which of the 10 Zadoks main stages best describe your crop. To help you, use the table on page 6 and the drawings that start on page 9 in Section 2. |
| |
|
|
|
The short general checklist in Section 4 on page 12 explains how to make a first assessment of the crop. |
|
Make a first guess |
After that eyeball assessment, scan the checklists on pages 22-24. They help to identify possible problems of the crop at the current growth stage and tell you where to look for detailed confirmation in Section 5. |
|
|
Are similar symptoms elsewhere in the crop? Keep an eye open for other problems. |
| |
|
|
Confirm or reject |
Do the detailed descriptions of problems in Section 5 (page 25-81) match your symptoms? If not try other choices in the checklists of Section 4 or just browse through the detailed descriptions |
| |
|
|
|
Check the suggested solutions listed in Section 5 against your identified problem |
|
Is the problem |
If your eyeball assessment suggests that the problem may be reducing your crop yield now or may affect it in the near future, confirm your guess by measuring the extent of the damage. Details of how to measure objectively are in Section 3, starting page 11. Take the necessary action |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Record what you |
The Field Sheets on page 17 are a recommended way to make records but you will need to complement them with your own separate notes. |
