Why Grow WintaLin?
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It is an alternative to Winter beans or oats. Beans and oats are no longer cheap to grow and do not have the margin potential of WintaLin. Very significant increases in herbicide cost, as well as less reliability in controlling weeds such as rape volunteers, charlock and grass weeds make the crops more risky
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It is an alternative to Spring break crops that are generally less profitable and are likely to be less consistent. Autumn sown Wintalin enters the Spring with an established root structure, able to draw on soil reserves to depth, and so is much less drought prone than Spring linseed or other Spring crops.
WintaLin & Winter Rape
Growing WintaLin solves all the problems associated with excessive over cropping of Winter Oilseed Rape, without compromising profitability or, most importantly, compromising the establishment of the following Wheat crop.
Problems of Over Cropping Winter Oilseed Rape
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Build-up of Rape as a weed
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Build up of Runch, Charlock and Cranesbill problems.
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Declining Rape yields
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Slug problems in subsequent Wheat crops
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Increased crop protection costs
Alternating Winter Oilseed Rape with WintaLin reduces all the these problems:
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Excellent control of volunteer Rape, Runch, Charlock and Cranesbill problems.
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Extends the Rape rotation
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No slug problems in following crops
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Reduced fertiliser costs
Rape is widely grown because it is harvested early, allowing early establishment of following Wheat crops with optimum timeliness and soil conditions. WintaLin also provides these benefits, but without the slug risk associated with rape. The chronic slug problems in Winter 2008/2009 led to over use of slug pellets, resulting in unacceptable levels of Methaldehyde in water courses. To protect the availability of slug pellets to farmers, alternative cropping like WintaLin, which does not require slug pelleting, is essential.
