25 February 2016. Very little further development in crop growth over the last fortnight as mother nature woke up to the fact she had forgotten to do winter. The met-office is also forecasting a colder than average March. However, disease levels have not really declined with the exception of mildew.

Winter Wheat

• Rusts are evident in crops in all regions.
• Aphids in South and West
• Early crops at GS31 in East
• Slugs still active
• Blackgrass getting away.

Winter Oilseed Rape

• Light Leaf Spot is developing in all regions.
• Phoma re-appearing in some crops
• Flea beetle larvae in East and NE
• Buds visible in crops across all regions.
• Cut-off date for Galera applications 1st March.

Winter Wheat

South. Little change in crop growth and still range from GS21 to GS29.
Brown Rust: very evident in September sown Crusoe and Claire in particular.
Yellow Rust: some localised foci can be found in Reflection.
Mildew: frosty nights have knocked back the prevalence of mildew.
Septoria: very obvious on older leaves of all September and early October sown wheats.A cool, dry March would be helpful in reducing inoculums levels.
Eyespot: stem based browning can be readily found in  earliest sown wheats, along with second wheat and wheat after oats.
Aphids: quite a number of crops that are still awaiting weather delayed Pyrethroid sprays – primarily on heavier/wetter fields.
Gout Fly: generally a lower incidence than last year, but many September crops have up to 20%  “gouted” tillers. Early N applications to encourage tiller retention.
Weed control: blackgrass generally only low levels present in most fields following autumn residuals and the few where Atlantis follow-ups managed to get applied – some later sown and unsprayed fields will need over spraying once weather warms up (early March ?).

Eastern Counties. Crops range from GS 23 – 31! Earliest drilled Gallant is now at GS31 on main shoot. Little change in the last two weeks.
Brown Rust: trace levels in all varieties but more so on Santiago, Crusoe and Kielder.
Yellow Rust: traces on all susceptible varieties that didn’t have a rust active seed dressing.
Mildew: traces on all varieties. Recent frost has helped.
Slugs: still some grazing mainly after rape.
Weed control: blackgrass is evident in all usual hotspots.

East Midlands. Crops range between GS 25-29 and cold weather has meant little change in crops. Some are showing yellowing due to wet feet with later drillings after maize at GS 23-25. A few forward crops at late GS 29. Soils generally very wet with localised ponding and wet patches meaning no fieldwork possible.
Brown rust: none seen.
Yellow Rust: found in Gallant but cold weather and frosts holding it back, but many crops relatively clear so far.
Mildew: some on older leaves but frost holding it.
Septoria: Plenty there to get going when crops start to extend but no panic for T0.
Aphids: none seen.
Weed control: many fields with tillering blackgrass which means that control may not be all we could wish for and spraying still a week or so away when fields dry out and temperatures rise. Residuals have been taken out of mixes in favour of more spending on wider herbicide mixes for broad leaf weeds etc.

West Midlands. All crops of KWS Lili GS 30 on the main stem, also crops of Revelation and one crop of Crusoe sown week beginning of 14th September. All remaining crops are either well tillered or GS 21-22 ( wheat after maize and fodder beet ). Earliest sown crops of Revelation and KWS Lili have final leaf 4 emerging. Fields drying up well this week , especially the lighter land  
Brown Rust: traces on Crusoe and Leeds.
Yellow Rust: traces in all crops of Reflection and Revelation.
Mildew: traces on all varieties.
Septoria: early sown crops full of septoria on the bottom leaves.
Aphids: found wingless aphids on both Deter and non Deter dressed wheat.
Gout Fly: significant damage in some crops at worst 70 - 80 % of plants affected.
Slugs: still active in crops after oilseed rape.
Weed control: good selection of weeds emerging; groundsel, volunteer oilseed rape, poppy, wild oats and tame oats.

North East. Crops range from GS 13 to GS 26.
Yellow Rust : traces in variety Reflection, KWS Lili and Kielder.
Brown Rust: none seen.
Mildew: low levels in variety Leeds.
Septoria: more evident on early sown crops
Aphids: easily found in forward cereals, in sheltered areas.
Slugs: still active.
Gout fly: severe damage in localised areas.
Weed control: blackgrass control: remaining populations well established, early drillings worst, up to 15 tillers.

Winter Oilseed Rape 

South. Crops remain advanced for the time of year with a higher proportion of leaf retention than would normally be expected.GAI’s of 1-2 are quite common. Forward crops have buds showing.
Light Leaf Spot: field symptoms now quite widespread in many crops. Unsprayed crops are having Proline applied ASAP, otherwise plan to apply Prochloraz +/- Tebuconazole as a pre-stem extension holding spray to crops now onwards where infected plants can be found in the field.
Phoma: renewed leaf spotting can be found in fields that had high infection levels last Autumn, even where had second fungicide applied by early December.
Club root: severe symptoms found in only two fields so far.
Flea beetle: can find moderate levels of larvae in petioles of crops particularly in the North of our our region (Hampshire and West).
Aphids: can find low levels in unsprayed crops of Amelie (TuYV resistant).
Weed control: residual herbicide applications made prior to January look to be providing high levels of control of blackgrass – later applications are only just showing signs of activity.

Eastern Counties. Crops range from 5 true leaves to early stem extension and buds above the canopy. Most crops have a mix of growth stages in field, not dependant on variety. Little change as yet
Flea beetle: some crops that were attacked in the autumn have larvae in the leaf stems. Most crops are big enough to compensate.
Light Leaf Spot: first symptoms seen on V316.
Phoma: some new symptoms starting to show.
Aphids: none seen.
Pigeons: have been a real pain in the last two weeks, big flocks grazing.
Weed control: variable control from residual herbicides as conditions generally too warm and weeds too well established by application time.

East Midlands. Some Charger with flower buds above canopy but colder weather holding crops back although flower buds now evident in many crops.
Light Leaf Spot: easily found now in Charger with other crops cleaner but frost damage is clouding the symptoms. LLS sprays to go on as soon as able.
Phoma: Autumn sprayed crops remain clean, but again reports of high levels where no autumn fungicide applied.
Flea beetle: none reported.
Aphids: none seen.
Weed control: some very big charlock at high populations as autumn control was prevented by weather. Also with the forward crops and flower buds showing concern over timing of herbicides.

West Midlands. Green buds visible on 75% + of crops and some definitely starting to extend.
Light Leaf Spot: present at low levels treatment will now be Proline or Folicur when we can travel, a lot of rape fields still too wet, probably looking at the end of next week/week comm  8th
Phoma: trace levels single autumn spray seems to have done a pretty good job.
Aphids: very low levels - no action to take.
Flea beetle : none seen.
Weed control: Too many fields with charlock/runch but will probably only be able to treat half of the necessary fields as if not done this week it will be too late for all crops.

North East. All crops range from 6 to early green bud stage GS1.6 - 3.2.
Flea beetle: larvae present in most plants, in large numbers in south of the region.
Aphids: none seen.
Light Leaf Spot: low levels in all crops.
Phoma: trace levels.
Weed control: some very large cleavers after warm winter, some December germinated small cleavers.

Winter Barley.

South. Crops range from GS 22 to GS29. Mildew at low levels can still be found in Cassia and Glacier where crops are thick, though activity much reduced by frosts. Net-blotch present in most crops of Glacier & Volume, and levels have increased in last few weeks. Rhynchosporium present at low levels.
Eastern. GS 30 common. Very little change in the last two weeks.. Trace levels of mildew in all crops.
West Midlands. Little growth and still no crops yet at GS 30 majority are GS 23-27. Mildew present in all crops. Traces of Brown Rust on Cassia earlier this week. Net-blotch at low levels.
East Midlands. No change in crops. Most crops at around GS 25 with some forward ones at GS 25-29. Mildew on some older leaves but frosts holding it back.
North East. Crops range from GS 23 to 26. Mildew very evident in all crops with Saffron badly affected. Net-blotch developing.