South East. All wheats have been sown, with earliest sown Claire,Scout and Solstice now at GS 21– later sown crops now generally  emerging around 10-14 days after sowing.
Slugs: areas where there is obvious leaf shredding having 5kg/ha 3% Metaldehyde pellets or 4-5 kg/ha of Decoy Wettex if metaldehyde has already been applied – in general  pellet use has been exceedingly low this autumn.
Weed control: Blackgrass plants now emerging/emerged in all usual suspect fields ranging from 1-3 leaves – where pre-emergence flufenacet based treatments been used, most smaller plants showing signs of control, but are already some obvious escapees. Blackgrass is still emerging in cobblier & less consolidated seedbeds, so will wait a further 10 days or so before considering spraying these.

South West. Drilling virtually complete except behind grain maize and late grazed grass where cattle left out to save on straw stocks. Seed beds still very good.
Gout fly: eggs have been seen on around 10% of plants on early sowings.
Slugs: damage still minimal and high levels of predatory Carabid beetles in evidence. Pelleting levels as low as I can recall.
Mildew: early sown Claire now carrying high levels of mildew. No treatment planned as yet.
Weed control: : where blackgrass has come through late applied pre ems. Atlantis applications imminent. Very low populations will receive a residual top up based on CTU PDM or flurtamone DFF PDM where varieties preclude CTU.

Eastern Counties. Drilling complete in most instances except behind beet. The early sown crops now at early tillering but still a lot to emerge.
Slugs : grazing reduced following recent frosty weather.
Weed control: some blackgrass emerging where no pre-emergence has been applied.

East Midlands. Forward crops at GS 12-13 some at GS 11 and later crops still to emerge. Only crops to drill are those after maize. After recent rain soils sticky rather than wet – fieldwork difficult on heavy soils after some good conditions last week which saw drilling finished apart from maize fields.
Slugs : some renewed activity with leaf shredding in some areas.
Weed control: most blackgrass generally at 1 leaf with some approaching 2 leaves. Aim to spray forward crops when blackgrass at 2-3 leaves probably in about 7-10 days time.

West Midlands. Approximately 95% wheat now in most forward wheat is at GS 22. Majority of farms now drilled up except where following maize.
Slugs: some activity this week in cloddy areas.
Frit fly: some frit damage on light land wheat after oats that warranted spraying. Also localised frit damage on some second wheat, not spraying as yet.
Weed control: all post emergence sprayed crops showing a degree of scorch, light land the worst.

North east. Most crops in range GS 11 – 21, but latest drilled are just emerging. Time from drilling to emerging has extended to about 21 days now. Generally, crops are emerging very evenly. Another 9mm rainfall in last 7 days has softened some seedbeds and allowed seedlings to come through now. Fields are a bit muddy in tramlines but will travel OK on a dry day. The rain prevented timely application of some pre-emergence herbicides which were applied as soon as conditions permitted. Most crops have shown no ill effects but a few are quite badly scorched by the Defy/DFF mix and now have a distinctly brown tinge to them 2 weeks after spraying. This effect should not get any worse and the crops gradually retain their normal colour.
Slugs: significant activity seen in a few crops after rape. Pellets being applied, and  priority being given to emerging crops.
Weed control: all pre-emergence herbicides have been applied now.  Atlantis partnered with Stomp or Defy is planned for next 7 – 10 days where Blackgrass at 2 – 3 leaves.

Winter Oilseed Rape

South East. Crops range from 3-leaf to 6-8 true leaves – bulk of crops are now around 6 true leaves.
Slugs: very little activity seen so far.
Turnip Sawfly : no larvae seen as yet.
Phoma: almost all crops (80%+) have now reached Phoma infection thresholds for spraying (ie. >10% Leaf spotting). Vision appears particularly heavily infected - 50% + plants infected with multi-spotting on some leaves , with lower levels on more resistant varieties such as ES Alienor & Ovation (10-20%). Most crops have now been sprayed at beginning of the week. Any unsprayed crops now need spraying urgently, as with return of milder weather mycelia growth from leaf spots will be back to 5mm/day @ temperatures of 15’C & plants with 2-3 inch sized leaves will only take around 10-14 days to result in Phoma stem infections if untreated . Unlike last 2 years will now be a 2-spray Autumn on more susceptible varieties
Weed control: blackgrass control looks hopeful so far. Hoping that the residual efficacy of metazachlor will help control later emerging blackgrass.

South West. Many crops with 8 or more leaves and still motoring on. Crops which suffered from capping and slumping are now recovering strongly.
Slugs: very low levels.  Only sporadic damage seen.
Phoma: much in evidence although levels very variable from farm to farm or even field to field. Astrid and Alienor least affected although they are approaching threshold.
Weed control : Charlock only suppressed by initial 0.5 l ha Fox thus more needed later. Surviving blackgrass scheduled for Kerb plus graminicide when soils are consistently at 8 deg C at 10 cms. This results in a frightening total herbicide bill in excess of £100 ha but what else can we do to stem the blackgrass menace?

Eastern Counties. Plants have grown well over the last week, it seems as if many of the crops which showed poor early vigour have now responded to the nitrogen applications.  Continued wet weather has meant that any soil structural problems have shown up in impeding crop growth. Some soils slumped in the surface layers, on ploughed fields the top 20-25cm were well structured but on some fields the rape plants have now reached the bottom of the ploughed layer and are slowing up and showing some signs of stress ( early leaf loss, purpling).
Flea Beetle: damage has been quite severe on early drilled crops and those which lack vigour are of particular concern.
Slugs: just beginning to see small amounts of slug activity.
Leaf miner: damage everywhere but most obvious on backward crops.
Phoma: almost every plant infected in some fields which are adjacent to last year’s rape fields. Have now sprayed all fields for the first time. New leaves are free from phoma, some of the oldest leaves have 10+ phoma spots but these old leaves are now senescing. Aim to apply Proline again in about 4 weeks.
Slugs: all crops now well established and past the threat from slugs.
Weed control : poppies have come through even split applications of Novall but not in great numbers and most poppies are still small. Will use Fox later.

East Midlands. Crops are quite varied with some crops at 6-8 leaves but vast majority at 3-4 leaves, some at 4-5 leaves.
Slugs: levels of damage remain low usually confined to the odd patch but not anything on any major consequence.
Phoma: started to come in this last week, but told clients to spray end of last week in good weather. In my view folly to use wait and see approach when rape at £320 for next harvest – wet weather now may allow few spray days and phoma to take hold. Even a 2 spray approach justified at current rape prices.
Weed control: one or to growers are starting Kerb applications, but we generally feel we should wait for soil temperatures to fall further.

West Midlands. Crops range from cotyledon to 6 true leaf. Concerns over late sown crops ability to survive the winter.
Slugs: still no major issues but some late crops where at cotyledon on heavy land grazing evident.
Phoma: starting to appear, still no crops at threshold level.
Leaf miner: obvious in many crops.
Weed control: all crops have now had broad leaf weed herbicide some with graminicide in the tank mix where volunteers very aggressive.

North East. Most crops in the range 5 – 8 leaves. A few are very big now with total ground cover. The crops that have been ‘sub-soiled’  in , have also established well but are a little smaller than the conventionally established crops.
Slugs: all non-inversion seedbeds are very high risk , but most crops drilled at low seed numbers so only a few slugs needed to do serious damage.
Leaf miner: common in many crops.
Light leaf spot: a few lesions seen.
Phoma: level of infection is extremely variable, ranging from very low level to 30 % plant infection. There has been a very rapid rise in the level over the last 7 – 10 days. Virtually all crops have been treated with Plover now, and the rest will be done as soon as conditions permit. If the weather stays mild will monitor again in about 4 weeks to check for re-infection.
Weed control: all crops will be checked over next 14 days for levels of Blackgrass which need further treatment. This will be Kerb or Crawler. Both need soil temperatures of about 8C, and they are currently still 12C so no applications will be made yet.

Winter Barley.

North East. Most crops in the range GS 13 – 21, but still a few to emerge yet. Most fields traveling Ok as long as surface is reasonably dry. Crops generally have good colour apart from areas along some headlands where there is some compaction and more reaction to the pre-emergence herbicide. This will be a transient effect. Most crops are disease free.

Eastern counties. Crops range from yet to emerge through to early tillering. Traces of Net-blotch present in early drilled crops particularly Casatta, Pearl and second barley crops.

West Midlands. All winter barley now in, approximately 40% sprayed to date. Most forward crops at early tillering.

East Midlands. Odd crop at 1 leaf but some still to be drilled.

South West. Crops at 1 to 2 leaves with earlier sowings tillering. High levels of Rhynchosporium in forward Cassia.

South East.  All crops sown – growth stages range from just emerging to GS13.