South East. Peter Cowlrick reports that drilling completed apart from few fields. Growth stages range from emergence to GS 22/23, with bulk of crops now at around GS 21-22. Earlier crops sown into dry seedbeds  still variable with dual growth stages in many fields, ranging from GS 13-22+.
Slugs: activity has increased again in last week on stonier/heavier areas of fields, with shredding damage being largely caused by juvenile slugs.
Weed Control: Blackgrass beginning to show signs of control, but will need follow up treatments of Atlantis in November.

South West. Stephen Harrison reports that sustained wetting of dry seed beds has resulted in fuller stands on heavy soils with cloddy seed beds however slug activity has increased.  Elsewhere mid September drillings on kinder soils are well tillered.
Brown rust: no increase.
Mildew: slightly cooler weather has slowed progression.
Aphids: a few winged aphids seen.
Slugs:  are  active (not just after rape) and are feeding on the emerging shoot below ground  level.  Continued mild weather is  required for these areas to produce a satisfactory plant stand.
Weed Control: blackgrass generally being held by pre ems although a few dense patches on difficult sites where seed beds were dry are giving cause for concern and will be targeted with Atlantis at earliest opportunity.  We anticipate the majority of contact  materials will be applied in early to mid November.
Bromes: very high emergence of Sterile Bromes in non plough situations will be targeted with Atlantis or Broadway Star depending whether or not blackgrass is present.

East Midlands. Martin Eudall reports that forward crops at GS 22-23 and later crops at GS 13.
Mildew: some mildew found on Solstice but not at any worrying  levels.
Aphids: numbers generally low.
Slugs: damage now almost non existent and many spray stores have many bags of unused pellets.
Weed control: blackgrass romping away now with many fields with blackgrass at 2-3 leaves where nothing two weeks ago. Atlantis planned but last two weeks of November appear to be best timing on most fields. Big flushes of broad leaf weeds in some crops but as only at cotyledon DFF should handle them OK – problem is if weather continues to cause holdups. In some cases vigorous growth of volunteer beans and volunteer rape has necessitated taking them out first before Atlantis due to the shading effect.

West Midlands. Bryce Rham reports that crops range from emerging through to GS 26. Some early drilled fields are anywhere from 2-3 leaves up to GS 26 in the same field. Ground conditions now at a point where we need several dry days before spraying can continue.
Mildew: almost all varieties have low level of mildew.
Aphids: no new arrivals.
Slugs: getting problems on wheat after oats, and some  problems with min tilled wheat again where drilled early and slow to get away.
Weed Control: most crops sprayed but some later ones still to treat. Recent rains have brought field work to a halt.

Eastern Counties. Brendan Butterworth reports that wheat drilled in the last 3 weeks has come up quickly and is now at GS 1.3. Fields after sugar beet and Potatoes are very wet with some water laying on the soil surface. Majority of fields travelling well.
Mildew: Claire and Viscount have a lot of mildew.
Slugs: high levels of leaf stripping on cloddy and unconsolidated seedbed especially after oilseed rape. Some late drilled wheat seed has been hollowed out.
Aphids: heavy rain, colder night temperatures plus high winds ave decreased numbers.
Weed control: blackgrass levels variable from nil to 3 tillered on forward drilled crops. 2-3 leaf blackgrass appearing in crops recently drilled now being treated with contact herbicide where seedbeds are fine and consolidated. Growth of black-grass slowing due to a decrease in temperature.

North East. Phillip Tuplin reports that mild conditions and more than enough moisture is supporting rapid growth and some crops are very thick now and will go into winter very proud. Many first wheats are now at GS 24 -25, and the second wheats GS 13-21.
Mildew: none seen.
Slugs: conditions are ideal for slugs but only a few areas of grazing been seen.
Weed control: pre-emergence applications of Liberator/DFF or Defy/DFF have given extremely variable results. Atlantis applications planned for fields where dense areas of blackgrass come through. Weather conditions have only permitted very few applications as will only apply if have fine, dry and bright conditions.

Winter Barley.

South east: crops now at early tillering..

South west: now at early tillering early residual treatments seem to have been gentle on the crop with little or no scorch apparent. Mildew and low levels of Brown rust beginning to appear on early sown crops.
Aphids: high captures in trapping systems means vigilance is necessary.  Crops not treated with  insecticide seed dressing may require treatment before the herbicide timing.

Eastern region: majority of crops now at early tillering and have picked up since the rain. Min-tilled crops into barley stubbles have high levels of net-blotch.

East midlands: crops at early tillering and look very well.

West midlands: crops growing very rapidly considering the time of year.

North east: mild wet conditions are encouraging rapid growth, but most barleys tend to produce yellow patching at this time of year and not grow too much. Most at GS 21-24.