South East. Crops now racing ahead to GS39-45, with ears now emerging quite widely, particularly on lighter soils where crops getting moisture stressed. With soil moisture deficits running at around 75-100 mm, 3 days of temperatures between 25-28’C over the weekend have caused severe crop stress (leaf rolling and senescence) in many fields with gravel/sand seams – yields have now undoubtedly been compromised quite widely – all quite frustrating and disheartening at this stage for affected farms and agronomists. Around 4-6mm of rain on Thursday and a forecast of up to another 10 mm at weekend will hopefully rescue prospects for majority of crops. With continuing very low disease pressure, T2 fungicides  being applied from now onwards at around GS39, around 21-28 days after previous fungicides. Crops with ears emerging are having robust T2/T3 combined spray in around 7-10 days time. Crops remain very short, with not many at knee height even though flag-leaf emerging/emerged.
Brown rust: none seen.
Yellow rust: none seen - except in untreated variety plots where now very evident in Oakley, Robigus, Viscount, Gallant and Solstice.
Mildew: still no active pustules found.
Septoria: confined to lower leaves only – top 3-4 leaves currently very clean. Combination of dry and cool conditions are likely to result in very low Septoria pressure in most crops here in the South.
Eyespot : what symptoms there were no dried up.
Weed control : Blackgrass - spring applied Atlantis weed control effects can now be assessed – some very good (95-98%) control evident where populations have proven easy to control in the past, and not so good where is a degree of resistance in population (ranging from as poor as 40-50% up to 80%).

South West. Hot weather has pushed on crops and many are now booting, with ears splitting the boot or just emerging on early drillings.  Key issue is now moisture stress with any light or poorly structured heavier soils suffering badly.  Stony patches on brash soils look very thin and rainfall is needed imminently to prevent major yield reduction. Early varieties such as Grafton and Gallant seem to be faring the best at the moment. Despite all the doom and gloom on light soils wheats on heavy well structured soils still look very good.  Canopies are dark green and largely disease free.
Fields on varying soil types look a mosaic of shades of green as water shortage starts to bite.
Yellow rust: none seen.
Mildew: no significant levels.
Septoria: still confined to lower leaves.
Eyespot: lesions in early drillings are rarely penetrating beyond the leaf sheath.
Weed control : Blackgrass is booting in missed areas.

Eastern Counties.The extremely hot weather over the weekend has taken its toll of wheat crops particularly those on light soils.  Crops in these positions have rushed through the growth stages and now have ears bursting out of the ‘boot’.  This is in contrast to crops on well structured clays that are only at full flag leaf emergence.  T2 flag leaf sprays should be finished, over the next few days.
Brown rust: trace levels only.
Yellow rust: no active disease seen.
Mildew: disease present on late drilled crops but not active.
Septoria: at low levels in most crops, in particular on early drilled and forward crops.
Weed control : wild oats now at GS 1.2 - 2.4 where not controlled in the autumn.  Some spring wild oats germinating.

East Midlands. Most crops at flag to ear emergence – crops under stress putting ear out very soon after flag. Some patches in crops now showing drought stress i.e. flag leaf curling, poor tiller growth etc. Crops have no height and hardly knee high. If we do not get significant rain then I feel yields will be down 1-2 tn/ha at present and even with rain yields may be down. Noticeable in many crops that tillers are struggling.
Brown rust: none seen.
Yellow rust: none seen.
Mildew: levels very low – only odd stressed crop on light land showing some but vast majority clear.
Septoria: upper leaves remain clear and T2 sprays now going on to clean top leaves.
Eyespot: can be found at low levels but dry weather is drying it out, especially as crops short and open and not “sweating” at the base.
Weed control : in spite of some blackgrass regrowth biomass levels have remained low with any regrowth throwing up only small tillers – no doubt dry weather has helped keep tiller size down.

West Midlands. Majority of wheat crops now have the flag leaf fully out with some at early ear emergence. Crops remain incredibly short with only those on fertile soils looking anything like normal.
Yellow rust: none seen.
Mildew: traces on Humber and JB Diego.
Septoria: top four leaves remain clean.
Eyespot: levels much reduced.
Weed control: late germinating wild oats in some crops and some cleavers recovering.

North east: all crops GS 39 (flag leaf fully emerged) and in a few forward areas leaf sheaths just splitting. Very dry now with no rain at all in last 7 days but still no obvious signs of drought stress. A low rate of Terpal being applied with T2 fungicide to some crops of 1st wheat Duxford and Oakley, but no crops of Viscount being treated. Most crops are short and very stiff after earlier application of CCC + Moddus.
40-50 kg N to increase protein levels being applied to milling varieties this week but concerned that lack of rain could mean has little effect.
Yellow rust: no infection seen.
Mildew: none seen.
Septoria: final leaves 2 and 3  are clean, but there is infection on older leaves which could be easily splashed up onto them. Flag leaf fully emerged now so applying T2 as conditions permit. This is either 1.35 L Firefly or 0.25L Rubric + 1.25 L Envoy.
Eyespot: still only being found at low levels, and no serious infections seen.
Weed control : generally control of blackgrass has been surprisingly good with a few exceptions which are under discussion now as to why. There is undoubtedly a level of resistance in some of these fields but the conditions on the day the Atlantis was applied are also of significance.

Winter Barley.

Note on Malting Quality this year.
Malcolm Harrison reports on a study in the late 70's looking at malting barley quality in detail over 3 years, working with Munton and Fison Maltsters at Bridlington, but also looking at their historical data over 20 years and there was a clear, significant inverse correlation between May rainfall (including late April rainfall for winter barley) and grain nitrogen/protein. This will be reduced if we get substantial rainfall now, but only by a bit.

North East. Awns mostly emerged in forward crops of Carat. Most 6-rows a bit later. T2 application planned for next 7 days or as soon as awns mostly emerged.

Eastern counties. Crops range at awn emergence.

West Midlands. Ear emergence in most crops and some starting to flower.

East Midlands. Crops now flowering so no further action to be taken. Some crops have little straw length and on light soils are struggling to support tillers.

South West. Winter Barley flowering and all operations complete on this crop. Canopies have remained clean although yield prospects not great after the dry spring.

South East. Growth stages now mostly range from GS52-55, with ears nearly fully emerged on crops of Boost.  T2 fungicides all applied end last week/beginning of this. Drought stress showing on any gravelly areas.

Spring Beans: earliest crop at first flower buds but crops are short. Pea and bean weevil still being problematic in some crops requiring 3rd pyrethroid to contain activity.

Sugar Beet.

Earliest beet has 10 leaves and is 15 to 20 cm across maximum. Plants seem to be producing very small leaves under current dry conditions. Latest beet has only recently emerged and is at expanded cotyledon stage. We are still waiting for some late drilled fields with poor seedbeds to completely emerge – it is now getting very late and with no more rain in the near future some of these fields will struggle. I am keeping the weeds out by FAR spraying and hope we might have some beet. Establishment is very variable across many of these later fields.

Weed control is nearing completion on early drilled fields but we still have along way to go before beet cove the ground. We will need to keep watching for any late emerging competitive weeds e.g. v oilseed rape V potatoes are slow to appear and were set back by the frosts in the Fens. We are now applying some Shield planned in 3 or 4 small doses.

We are starting to hoe to control weed beet and we aim to hoe these fields twice. For effective control weed beet need to be relatively small- so the message is to start as soon as possible.