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b'Many growers are switching between harvesting and planting this month to get their winter oilseed rape planted and on this week\\u2019s Tillage Edge, Ciaran Collins, a Tillage Specialist in Teagasc, joins Michael Hennessy to give an insight into the advantages of getting the crop planted in August rather than September. \\n\\nCiaran points to the increased growth, giving the plant more resilience against pests early in the season, bird attacks later in the season and how the crop will take up more nitrogen allowing for saving in the spring, as all beneficial factors.\\n\\nGrowers should select varieties carefully, he advises, as resistance to light leaf spot is very important in the Irish climate. The DAFM recommended list is a good place to start looking for information. There are other sources of information especially from the UK however, growers should look at these sources carefully as they don\\u2019t fully translate to growing conditions in Ireland.\\n\\nCiaran also points out the advantages and disadvantages of the different weed control options available to farmers. Pre-emerge has advantages in controlling chickweed and speedwell whereas post-emergence applications are necessary for grass weed control and for some broad leaf weeds like fumitory. \\n\\nFor more episodes and information from the Tillage Edge podcast go to:\\nhttps://www.teagasc.ie/crops/crops/the-tillage-edge-podcast/\\n\\nProduced on behalf of Teagasc by LastCastMedia.com'