09 May 2016. A turn around in the weather at the end of last week has helped crops move on. However, patchy heavy rain forecast for this week will increase the risk of spread of Septoria to the upper canopy as wheat crops move towards GS 37. Higher night time temperatures has also increased the risk of Sclerotinia in oilseed rape crops with reports indicating that petals are testing positive for the disease. Winter barley disease levels remain low as the crops move towards awn emergence.

Winter Wheat

• T1 applications well underway
• BYDV becoming very evident.
• Flag leaf starting to appear in forward wheat.
• Blackgrass flowering. 

Winter Oilseed Rape

• Yellow bud to early pod set.
• Sclerotinia risk increases.
• Light leaf spot still active.

Winter Barley

• Awn emergence in forward crops.

Winter Wheat

South. Crops now mostly range from GS31- 33.  September sown Trinity and Reflection are showing leaf 2 at 50%+ emerged, and  late September/early October sown Skyfall and Crusoe are generally  at leaf 2 about 10-20%  emerged. Arrival of warmer days in last few days, with no frost is helping accelerate crop growth again now. T1s applied to all but most backward crops now and these should all be completed by early this week – now looking as though T2 will arrive as normal somewhere between 15th-20th May..
Brown Rust: colder conditions in April together with both T0 and T1 triazoles have slowed any progression of rust to newest leaves.
Yellow Rust: T0 triazole applications appear to be holding disease progression and T1 applications should maintain foliar protection until T2.
Mildew: may well increase again on susceptible varieties now warmer weather has arrived and canopies thicken up.
Septoria: cool conditions of last 3-4 weeks have certainly helped in reducing visible inoculum levels on any newer growth and with latent period currently likely to be around 28 days should help efficacy of triazole element of T1 programmes
Eyespot: increasingly visible now with cool and damp soils favouring development,  particularly in earlier sown crops of Crusoe, along with second wheats and wheat after oats.
Aphids: BYDV symptoms surprisingly high levels also evident in some fields in sheltered coastal locations.
Slugs: some very high levels of leaf shredding now evident in some fields after oilseed rape again, with every emerged leaf being grazed. re-pelleting required on worst fields.
Weed control: blackgrass control looks to be below expectation probably due to very variable temperatures during March applications.

Eastern Counties. Earliest drilled crops now have final leaf 2 fully emerged (Gallant) and flag leaf emerging, most have final leaf 3 out with final leaf 2 on the way, latest drilled leaf 3 showing. Weather is finally warming up.
Brown Rust: trace levels only.
Yellow Rust: T0 keeping this disease in check so far.
Mildew: none seen.
Septoria: low levels on all varieties but some bad hot spots in thicker crops.
Eyespot: some lesions now showing in second or subsequent wheats. Not generally penetrating too far into the stem.
Aphids: None found but patches of BYDV now showing up in crops from winter infection.
Weed control: Blackgrass now heading, some flowering!

East Midlands. Later crops have tip of final leaf 3 just showing. Most crops have final leaf 3 out and some with leaf 2 tip. Only the latest crops have leaf 3 emerging. Some field which had wet patches have some part at leaf 3 fully out and later parts leaf 3 only 50% out. T1 are now going on aiming for no longer that 3 weeks after T0.
Brown rust: none seen.
Yellow Rust: A trace found on Lilli which is due for T1, so should be OK but otherwise T0 azoles have kept it at bay. Skyfall continues to impress with clean crops
Mildew: Remains very low..
Septoria: Leaf 3 and 4 are clear and look good but lower leaves (now dying off) have a good inoculum levels although T0s have held it back well.
Eyespot: generally at low levels and not penetrating outer leave sheaths.
Aphids: none seen.
Weed control: Brome control - good activity from Broadway Star but some brome has not died back as well as expected, but this may be a temperature thing at spraying with up and down temperatures in March.

West Midlands. Early sown Crusoe in the lead at the moment with final leaf 2 fully out and flag leaf making an appearance, early sown Reflection not far behind with Grafton running a close third at the moment but I expect it will overtake the other two in the next 7 days. Not looking to start T2 before next Friday 13th.May.
Yellow Rust: very much in the decline. Reflection has been worse variety, as on early sown crops final leaf four has gone (due to yellow rust) this despite T0 and T1 treatments with robust triazole.
Mildew: now virtually non existent.
Septoria: is under control at the moment. All T1 applications will be done by the end of this week as have no crops without leaf 3 at least half out and crops now growing quickly with this warmer weather.
Aphids: BYDV patches becoming more evident in many crops now.
Weed control: Broadway Star, Spitfire and Axial taking an age to work but hopefully due to mainly dry cold conditions death will be a slow painful one rather than a quick and painless one. 

North East. Crops range from late drilled now at GS 31 to September drilled up to GS 33.
Yellow Rust : Reflection at high levels, most grower will not grow again, trace levels on KWS Lili.
Brown Rust: none seen.
Mildew: low levels in variety Leeds.
Septoria: Most varieties really showing signs again, on younger leaves now. T1  applications 40% complete.
Weed control: blackgrass remaining populations well established, early drillings worst, up to 28 tillers, flag leaf emerging.

Winter Oilseed Rape

South. Finally crops have exploded into flower this week with the arrival of sunshine and warmer days, though there are still some backward crops/pigeon grazed fields that have yet to get beyond Yellow bud.
Light Leaf Spot: - conditions remain very favourable for renewed infection meaning that early flowering sprays will need to have good Light leaf spot activity.
Sclerotinia: with many crops now at early to mid-flowering and warm showery conditions  forecast for next week the risk of potential infection is increasing as petals begin dropping – spores have been detected on petals at monitoring sites . Most crops here in the South have been sprayed in the last 10 days and should be protected for around 14-21 days which in some cases will be the end of flowering.
Club root: severe symptoms found in only two fields so far.
Pollen beetle: beginning to be found more readily now, but only really a potential problem on the more backward and pigeon grazed crops.
Seed Weevil: non seen yet.

Eastern Counties. Many varied growth stages in fields. Some are now at mid flowering with varying levels of pods set, whilst some are still only just showing signs of flowering in parts of the field. Mainly linked to wet, pest damage and weed burden. A long period of warm sunny weather is desperately required. There is little optimism for good yields from the vast majority of the crops I look at.
Light Leaf Spot: Variable levels across different fields and varieties.
Aphids: none seen.
Seed Weevil: non seen yet.

East Midlands. Many crops getting towards mid flower with some crops at 15-20 pods on main stem, but pigeon damaged areas still remain backward with some patches still to flower
Light Leaf Spot: a few new spots found last week in Arazzo but with late Sclerotinia sprays going on now this should be sorted.
Sclerotinia: many crops will get one mid flowering spray to see them through.
Seed Weevil: none seen yet.

West Midlands. Flowering within some crops is still patchy despite the recent warm spell. However, many crops are at full flower to early pod set and Sclerotinia sprays are now either on or scheduled to go on this week.
Light Leaf Spot: crops now treated.
Pollen Beetle: low levels especially in backward areas of crops.
Seed Weevil: none seen.

North East. Crops now range from yellow bud to early petal fall.. Some crops are looking short where soils have been wet.
Light Leaf Spot: noticeable on all varieties, still causing issues, most full flower sprays will include Proline.
Pollen beetle : low levels.
Cabbage stem flea beetle larvae causing some damage in few rape crops.
Seed Weevil : none seen.

Winter Barley.

South. More forward crops now at around GS33-37 and more backward fields around GSS32 – all  crops have had  T1 fungicides applied and T2 applications will be imminent at Awns emerging
Eastern. GS 33 - 37 common. Furthest forwards have awns emerging. BYDV patches evident even where insecticides used. Crops remain short with little straw, very patchy across most fields. Warmer weather will help.
West Midlands. Crops are all at flag leaf emerging with some of the most forward crops now with the flag leaf fully out . All are very clean. BYDV quietly showing more and more, early sown crops even with Deter seed dressing is not a pretty sight (probably up to 15-20% damage).
East Midlands. Flag leaf just starting to emerge in earlier crops and leaf 2 in later crops. Disease levels remain low so far with clean new growth.
North East. Crops mainly at GS 33 - 37. Brown rust no longer an issue after T1, some leaf spotting, either stress of dead tissue following mildew control.

Spring Barley

South. 100% fields are drilled and range from 1 leaf sown to GS23.
Eastern. First drillings now tillering well. Later drillings emerged but slow on cold clay. Linked to seedbed conditions.
West Midlands. Majority of spring barley should all be in by the end of this week with the earliest crops at 2-3 true leaves. Some herbicide damage seen.
East Midlands. Crops at 3 leaves but some struggling where land capped after drilling requiring a few acres of patching up.Weed levels low so far and hopefully any herbicides will go on with T1 to save a pass.
North East.  All crops now in with earliest now at full emergence. Field conditions still wet.