The unsettled weather continues and warm, wet conditions mean there is no let up in disease pressure.

There are already warnings that farmers may be forced to spend extra at the T3 timing to target septoria as well as rusts and fusarium.

Spring barley is also under pressure with signs of rhynchosporium appearing in some crops in Scotland and even brown rust being seen north of the border.

See also: How a Lincs farm dries grain cheaply without fossil fuels

West

Stephen Harrison
AICC/Southwest Agronomy (Avon)

I complained about the rain all winter and early spring, but I am now welcoming it. A year ago we were looking at moisture-stressed crops with much-reduced yield potential. 

The canopy expansion of very late drilled crops has been astonishing, and currently wheat leaves are showing no signs of rolling. All crop types have a healthy green upper canopy, well supplied with chlorophyll. 

Septoria is present up to leaf four in winter wheat. Leaves one to three are clean; keeping them this way will present a real challenge to flag leaf fungicides. 

If wet weather continues, we may have to invest more in a T3 spray as it will need to tackle septoria as well as rusts and ear diseases.

Winter barley spray programmes are now complete. Now I can relax and enjoy watching the crop ripple in the breeze, although I still worry about the impact of late thunderstorms.

Pulses

Pulse crops are benefiting from the water. Winter beans are approaching pod set and a second fungicide is imminent.

We may well see more peas and beans in the future now that legume fallow (NUM 3 under SFI) is to become a static, rather than rotational, option for new applications. 

Combining peas have flown out of the ground and not stopped.

We are starting to find pea aphids, which are a real concern not only from feeding damage but also transmission of pea enation virus, problematic if you have applied for whole-farm zero insecticide use.

The impact of timing of pre-emergence grassweed herbicides in winter cereals is becoming obvious. It is clear that the best control has been achieved from applications within 48 hours of drilling. 

The challenge now is to pluck up courage to glyphosate off patches of blackgrass at a time when wheat is over £200/t.

Remember that blackgrass area only moves if you physically move the seed and there are no machines more adept at this than combines and balers.

June is just around the corner. Let’s hope for plenty of sunshine and a few showers to maximise this year’s potential.

North

Mary Munro
AICC/Strutt & Parker (Perthshire)

My column is temporarily renamed WeatherWatch!

We had a very welcome dry spell for a month, to the point that a little moisture would have been ideal.

Rain over the last week has overdone it and last week we were back to pools of water lying in fields, road closures due to flooding, and no chance of spraying.

The backlog included wheat T2s, plant growth regulators for spring oats and wheat, herbicides and manganese for spring cereals, and now it looks as though a fungicide will need to go onto spring barley with the herbicide.

The rain certainly brought a flush of weeds, which I was waiting for, but this carefully laid plan has gone somewhat awry.

The crops themselves are looking well, and the wheat T1 treatments went on just in time (if somewhat later than ideal) and everything is growing fast.

Brown rust

This was a great relief as the wheats looked very sorry for themselves at one point.

Unusually for this part of the world, brown rust appeared in Skyscraper and looked more of a problem than the septoria which plagues this variety.

Clearly getting T2 on is a priority, but we are in the lap of the gods weather-wise. Making a mess in order to get T2 on is more acceptable than at T0, but with luck and good weather-watching can be avoided.

The upward movement of prices is providing some cheer.

The spring barleys are nearing the end of tillering, and there are signs of rhynchosporium appearing in some crops. This will need to be nailed.

Many spring crops are clean till flag leaf, and a single fungicide is ample. This year is different, and the very changeable weather is giving the whole spectrum of diseases an opportunity to develop.

Over the years we have lost a lot of the products that were excellent eradicants, so there are fewer fall-backs if disease gets a hold.

I feel we could see more mildew than usual once things dry up a little, as it loves humid conditions, and that will complete the set!

South

Alice Whitehead
Zantra (Essex/Kent)

Since my last column, we have had more rain during May. This is unusual for the South East where we would normally expect it to turn hot and dry. 

Last week, some areas received 40mm in one day, with further showers adding to the total.

This reassured me that I made the right decision in persuading wheat growers to invest in higher rates than usual for septoria protection at the T2 timing. 

There is a slight lull on farm at the moment, with most nitrogen applications done and we wait for flowering to begin in wheat and T3 fungicide applications to commence.

Probably the most important job at the moment is spot spraying ryegrass with glyphosate to limit the amount of seed return.

Field brassicas are looking impressive, especially where they were covered with fleece to bring crops forward.

Due to limited contact herbicide approvals, the steerage hoe is being utilised where weed has emerged post planting and escaped the residual chemistry. 

As June arrives, we can use Lentagran (pyridate) for this month only, which will help target fat hen in particular.

I have been finding winged aphids in brassicas for the last couple of weeks, so more mature crops have received an application of Movento (spirotetramat) to protect against aphids. 

This is very much a long-term protectant insecticide rather than a knockdown, so it is important to use it in a timely fashion to get the best results.

Other products in the tank mix include caterpillar and disease protection, taking into account the safe harvest interval.

As we head into June, I am hoping that the number of sunlight hours and light intensity will increase.

May has been very average and although crops look pleasing to the eye, it is sunlight hours during grain fill that are important for yield and, therefore, margin. 

We can do as much as we can investing in fungicides to keep leaves clean and green, but ultimately we are limited if the weather doesn’t play ball. 

East

Becky Finbow

As I write in the fourth week of May, wheat T2s are being applied across Norfolk and Suffolk, with several different active ingredients to choose from – what a lovely position to be in!

Septoria-prone varieties have had Corteva’s Univoq (fenpicoxamid + prothioconazole), arguably the best option as its active ingredient is independent of other chemistry.

Where growers prefer not to use it, Bayer’s new Vimoy (isoflucypram) has come in handy. For those experimental farmers out there, Syngenta’s Miravis Plus (pydiflumetofen) is also being trialled on farm.

I look forward to hearing the results.

Sugar beet rows look a picture, enjoying the mixture of sunshine and showers at the moment.

Cruiser-treated seed gives farmers a 10-week safety period from aphid infection; however for those without, green wingless aphids are being found in large numbers.

Where threshold is being met an application of Insyst (acetamiprid) is needed and, if aphids remain apparent, a follow-up treatment of flonicamid. Herbicides are working well on the continuous flush of weeds on light land.

Where Conviso beet is featured, most of the crops and fat hen are reaching the four true leaf stage needed to trigger the herbicide application.  

Maize

Maize drilled in April was taking up to two weeks to emerge in colder soils, but finally with this warmth seedlings are now coming through in just six days.

No other grain crop utilises sunlight as efficiently as maize, so controlling weeds with post-emergence herbicide is vital to maximise the crop’s nutrient supply, light and space.

Post-emergence herbicides will be planned and applied in the next couple of weeks, with mesotrione and nicosulfuron mixes being the backbone of the programme.

Land is also being prepared for the new Sustainable Farming Incentive options, whether that be pollen and nectar mixes, legume fallows or wild bird mixes.

It is important to create a stale seed-bed before drilling as this is the only way you can get on top of unwanted weeds.

Ensuring there is enough moisture in the ground for the small seeds to get away quickly will also help. Now’s the time to fit in some conservation alongside the day job!