11 April 2014. Cooler, wetter conditions have kept crops from rushing into new growth but the rain has brought back ponds and wet tramlines. Septoria is the main threat to winter wheat at the moment with many crops now at GS31-32 with final leaf three appearing. Some very forward crops have final leaf two emerging. Sclerotinia risk on hold with lower temperatures but control planned to coincide with petal fall. Disease levels in winter barley remain low.

• First seed weevils appearing
• T1 fungicides going on forward crops of wheat
• Sclerotinia - evaluate threat
• Yellow rust levels diminished
• Wild oats emerging
• Brown rust in southern wheat
• Net-blotch and Rhynchosporium at low levels

Winter Wheat

South. Despite slightly cooler and wetter conditions in the last week, crops continue to progress steadily with most crops now looking a healthy green colour. September and early October sown crops of Gallant, Solstice, Crusoe and Cordiale now have leaf 3 50-75% emerged on main shoots, with tip of leaf 2 just showing in some crops of Cordiale and Gallant now. Claire, Scout, Leeds and Diego are still around 10 days behind developmentally, with tip of leaf 3 just starting to show. Fields are damp with water laying in some tramlines after around 25mm of rain last weekend.
Brown rust: generally only low levels detectable at present.
Yellow rust: no active disease.
Mildew: no active pustules seen to date.
Septoria: most September/October sown crops are carrying very high levels of Septoria on older leaves, with symptoms present on tip leaf 5 in earlier sown crops, otherwise generally confined to oldest leaves.
Eyespot: stem based browning symptoms can be readily found in many crops, with symptoms becoming more visible now.
Weed control: some surviving patches of blackgrass in a few areas that will be sprayed-off with Roundup once it is clearly visible. Have got two fields that have a high enough surviving population overall to justify whole-cropping rather than risk seed return from combining.

Eastern Counties. The majority of crops are at GS 31-32 and there are some wheat’s after sugar beet or maize are GS 28-30. Fields are drying out with available moisture starting to decline.
Yellow rust: seems to be under control.
Brown rust: trace levels.
Mildew: trace levels.
Eyespot: low levels only at the moment.
Septoria: very obvious on lower leaves, keep spray timing tight and keep rates up of fungicide.
Weed control: Wild oats, Fools  Parsley and Groundsel all appearing. Curiously low levels of cleavers.

East Midlands. Forward crops have leaf 3 emerging and will get T1 in next few days. Average crops are at GS 31 with later crops at GS 30-31. Expect average crops to get T1 about 3rd week April as all crops slow down a bit adjusting to day length and cooler nights. Field conditions remain good although a few wet patches after 12 mm rain on Monday.
Yellow rust: levels remain low.
Brown rust: none seen.
Septoria: plenty on older overwintered leaves but leaves 4 and 5 are clean after T0. All T1 fungicides will include chlorothalonil.
Mildew: levels remain low.
Eyespot: levels are variable but on the whole few crops at threshold or penetrating. With dry weather forecast to continue this will help in keeping levels down. Where levels need treating Tracker is main T1 element.
Weed control: extent of blackgrass resistance now evident in crops.

West Midlands. Early sown Gallant has leaf 2 showing and is up to my knees, early sown Horatio is at a similar growth stage BUT not as tall. Early sown Grafton has leaf 3 1/2 out BUT not too tall, early sown JB Diego has leaf 3 1/2 way out. Plenty of crops at GS 31 with leaf 3 starting to poke through, with the late sown (3rd week November to early December) just about managing a couple of tillers. Gateways are like the Somme, with low lying fields with water lying in them. Some quite impressive ruts about. 20mm of rain measured from last Monday to Sunday with 25mm the week before. Could really do with some dry weather.
Yellow rust: no active disease found.
Brown rust: none seen.
Septoria: all crops crops carrying high levels. Recent rain will have spread it through the canopy.
Mildew: very little seen even on late sown Leeds.
Eyespot: stem browning become more obvious in some crops with the beginnings of eyespot lessions showing.
Slugs: lot of slugs still active and grazing upper leaves in crops following oilseed rape.
Weed control: more cleavers now showing. Flush of charlock over the last week or two. Autumn applied Atlantis ( late November ) following full rate Liberator+ Hurricane good control of blackgrass BUT more has germinated in January/February.

North East. Crops range between GS 30-32. The most forward crops with leaf three out are now being treated with a T1 fungicide.
Yellow rust: controlled by T0 fungicides.
Brown rust: none seen.
Mildew: none seen.
Septoria: present in many crops.
Eyespot: developing some crops.
Weed control: Polygonum weeds, charlock, wild oats other spring weeds starting to emerge.

Winter Oilseed Rape 

South. All crops now range from  Early flowering  (Quartz/Ovation/Vision) to flowering  (Alienor/Trinity). Final N applications now mostly been completed before crops got too tall.
Pollen beetle: low levels only.
Seed weevil: adults being reported now in Kent, but only very low levels – main migration likely to occur after Easter, particularly if weather turns cooler as forecast next week.
Phoma: only very low levels of renewed leaf spotting are evident in crops that were sprayed in November.
Light leaf spot: worst affected crops have had canopies badly affected by infection – triazole fungicides are definitely not as effective as they were against Light leaf spot and varietal resistance will become an important consideration in varietal choice for subsequent years.
Sclerotinia:  with soil temperatures remaining around 9-10’C, conditions are potentially conducive to the germination of sclerotia. Folicur/Proline + MBC  applications now underway to most crops at early flowering stages and will be repeated again at mid-flower to form basis for robust control.

Eastern Counties. Crops now mostly have come into flower, showing up some poor areas especially on our light land. We have got more instances of beet (or could be brassica) cyst nematode affecting root growth on sandy soils in a tight beet/rape rotation.
Light leaf spot: more light leaf spot seen recently, stem infection noted as well.
Pollen beetle: crops quickly came into flower in warm weather. Only treated one very backward crop for pollen beetle.
Sclerotinia: aim to consider first sclerotinia spray about 3 weeks after previous fungicide at early flower before petals start to fall. Based on prothioconazole + Amistar or Filan. Prothioconazole should help with any LLS around.

East Midlands. Most crops now in flower with a few varieties at early pod set. All final N now on – some fields have been trimmed back20-30 kg where N levels in crop look high.
Light leaf spot: levels remain low.
Pollen beetle: have not been a problem with no crops requiring treatment.
Seed weevil: just the odd seed weevil seen so far.

West Midlands. Virtually all crops are flowering with the most forward (mainly Cubic and Marathon) all ready dropping petals (which are sticking). Cubic probably at 30% flowers
Pollen beetle: rare.
Club root: two cases now both on Troy.
Light leaf spot: trace levels in some crops.
Sclerotinia: sclerotia germination low at monitoring sites at the moment and with temps below 8deg C at night this week unlikely to get petal infection at the moment, so even though I have got crops with petal fall taking place, will probably hold off until week commencing 14th April (if we go too early I can see us having to go twice).


North East. Crops range from early flowering to mid flowering with most at early flowering. Average temperature for the week  7.3 degrees. 9.7 mm rain for week Field conditions generally good, wet leaf with mists about on east coast.
Pollen beetle: none at thresholds and threat diminishing now crops flowering.
Light Leaf Spot: most serious problem in rape at the moment.
Phoma: traces levels.

Winter Barley.

South. Crops now generally at GS30-31, with the odd fertile field of Cassata/Cassia now at GS32. T1 applications of Siltra now underway. Rhynchosporium moderate levels in thicker and more fertile crops of Cassata, Cassia and Glacier on lower leaves.
Eastern. Some crops are very thick and range in growth stage from GS 31-32. Low levels of Net-blotch and Rhynchosporium.
West Midlands. GS 30- 31. Rhynchosporium and Net-blotch present at low levels. Brown rust on Volume. T1 applications going on this week. All Volume + forward/lush crops are getting Canopy in with the T1 fungicide.
East Midlands. Crops at GS30-31 and will get T1 this week, with growth regulator.
North East.  Crops range from GS 30 - 32. T1 fungicides now on forward crops. Low levels of mildew, Net-blotch and Rhynchosporium. Brown rust in Cassia.

Sugar Beet

Drilling completed. Earliest drilled now fully emerged, vigorous seedlings with long cotyledons , first true leaves 1 to 2cm. Where seed was drilled evenly into moisture emergence has been excellent ( lighter soils with fine seedbeds), seedbeds have now been well wetted following recent gentle rainfall over 3 days ( 10mm) and emergence on the more cloddy areas should soon even up. However the quality of seedbeds on some areas of heavy soil was poor with large clods and emergence here is expected to be protracted and irregular.

A little slug activity, some mouse damage in cloddy areas and bird grazing has started! Fortunately growth rate of young seedlings is rapid.

There has been a large flush of weeds emerging with beet, FAR spraying started last week, conventional applications this week. In many cases weed populations are high , so farmers are reluctant to wait any longer before making the first post-em application. Weeds emerging are black bindweed, volunteer oilseed rape, knotgrass, ivy leaved speedwell, pansies, poppies, charlock, red shank and even fathen and cleavers are appearing.