Damage from pigeons has been widespread in oilseed rape, with crops being decimated in some of the worst attacks in years.

Some fields where the growing points are intact may recover, but in extreme cases they may need to be written off. 

Some winter wheats are requiring contact grassweed control, now the weather has improved, but farmers are being warned that the huge swings in day and night temperatures mean it’s easy to see negative crop effects.

Timing will therefore be key, and keep an eye on the forecast temperatures when planning applications.

See also: Techneat launches low-cost spinning bird scarer

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North

Conor Campbell, Hutchinsons (Northumberland)

Spring is upon us, and what a difference a year makes. This time is much more positive, with some excellent crop potential when driving around the area.

Some mild and windy weather is helping to dry the land out, which is letting us get some fertiliser onto these crops.

I would say over the past couple of weeks and the coming week, all crops will receive a dose of fertiliser.

When looking at the winter weather data, we’ve had a relatively mild and dry period. Cold snaps have been balanced out by warmer temperatures, and this is evident in the field.

We are all seeing yellow rust in wheat crops and while the temptation is to put this down to a lack of juvenile plant resistance, last year will tell you that the inoculum is in the plant and early protection is essential.

We haven’t had a harsh winter to reduce disease pressure, and so good disease management will be essential to maximise crop potential.

We have a lot of new chemistry available to us this year and those looking to push crops should consider incorporating these products into their programmes.

Weed control

The first job on the list will be weed control and, in particular, grassweeds. It is tempting to apply this now, but remember to check the forecast.

It’s important to note the difference between the daytime and nighttime temperatures (diurnal temperature).

We had a good frost here this morning, but we had a lovely 14/15C through the day yesterday.

That swing will cause crops to be stressed, and applying acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting chemistry could have negative crop effects. So my suggestion is, get some nitrogen on these crops and wait until the weather is right.

We need actively growing weeds to get the most out of the chemistry. Bur chervil is appearing more frequently in the area and causing a headache. Aim to catch this weed early when it is still small.

Oilseed rapes have woken up and some crops are above the wellies. Autumn fungicides have definitely helped with disease management and I will aim to top up the light leaf spot suppression.

Canopy management is a consideration on the bigger crops, as we really want to slow the main stem down and encourage branching.

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South

Alice Whitehead, Zantra (Essex/Kent)

March arrived and brought with it Fool’s Spring. We have been enjoying a run of warm, sunny weather in this corner, despite the nights being pretty chilly with frosts about. 

The dry weather has provided a much-needed window for drilling and spraying, although February did offer the odd opportunity for some nitrogen to be applied. 

Driving about, it is easy to spot fields yet to receive any compared with bright green neighbouring fields.

There are some winter wheat crops which require some contact grassweed control, so this will be done now while we have the weather on our side.

Remember that crops need to be free from stress and frost in the days either side of application, as well as grassweeds being actively growing, so available nitrogen and mild temperatures are important. 

Sunny conditions would be a bonus, as recently discovered in trial work by manufacturers.

Product choice is slightly wider this year too, with the new offering from Corteva giving meadowgrass control and potentially slightly better brome control.

Barley disease

Hybrid barley has come out of winter relatively well, and the first T0 plant growth regulator and fungicide applications have been issued.

Brown rust and mildew are easy to find, so azoxystrobin and cyflufenamid, respectively, has been utilised for these diseases.

Manganese will be added to the mix, as barley tends to show up deficiencies readily, especially where soil pH is high.

Oilseed rape growers are split in two camps – those who have had the worst pigeon attacks in years or those whose crop is barely touched.

There may be fields to write off still, however these crops received propyzamide pre-Christmas so spring cropping options will be limited. 

I am hoping some of these fields may turn a corner soon with warmer weather combined with nitrogen.

If doing spring weed clean-ups in surviving OSR crops with Korvetto (clopyralid + halauxifen), bear in mind it has to be applied before flower buds are visible.

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West

Jamie Armstrong, AICC/Wessex Agronomy (Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Hampshire)

Many winter crops have come through the winter better than expected, although some headlands remain a concern.

Challenging drilling conditions and short weather windows in November have left some areas patchy, particularly on heavier soils.

Early nitrogen applications began as early as mid-February on winter barley, oilseed rape, and second wheats.

Where no polysulphate has been applied, nitrogen and sulphur products will be going on within the next 7–14 days to support early-season growth.

Forward crops will benefit from a well-timed split application to manage canopy development and avoid excessive early biomass accumulation.

Much of the winter barley was sown late due to poor autumn weather.

Unlike wheat, later-drilled barley is more prone to lodging, increasing the need for a robust plant growth regulator PGR programme particularly in high-fertility fields or dense crops.

Where autumn pre-emergence herbicides were applied, programmes based around cinmethylin have proven highly effective, with very little blackgrass emerging behind this chemistry.

This is a promising result, especially for growers tackling resistant grassweed populations. 

Pigeon damage has been widespread in oilseed rape, with many crops showing heavy defoliation. However, growing points and buds remain intact, and stem extension is now well underway.

Provided crops receive adequate nutrition and moisture, they should recover reasonably well in the coming weeks.

Spring drilling progress

Spring drilling has progressed well, particularly on lighter land, where most spring barley, oats, and beans have already been sown. Many growers report the best drilling conditions in several years.

On heavier land, cultivations are underway, and drilling is expected to start within the next 5–10 days, weather permitting.

With soil temperatures rising steadily, seed-bed conditions should be ideal for rapid emergence.

Brown rust is already visible in susceptible wheat varieties, making a T0 fungicide application crucial, particularly after last season’s high disease pressure.

Reducing inoculum early on will be key to effective control and minimising disease build-up later in the season.

With another dry week in the forecast, conditions should remain favourable for fieldwork, allowing for further nitrogen applications, spring drilling progress and early weed control sprays to be applied.

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East

Dan Ives, Agrovista (Herts, Beds, Cambs and Essex)

As I sit writing my debut Crop Watch, the sun is shining. Hopefully this is a sign of a positive spring ahead.

Things have certainly picked up in the first week of March with a healthy amount of field jobs being ticked off.

Most growers have applied the first nitrogen dressing to cereals and OSR, or are in the process of finishing it.

Generally, wheat and barleys drilled in the main window have wintered well. Most crops are cleaner than usual thanks to frosts that have helped to prevent disease from cycling.

Overall, residual grassweed chemistry has worked extremely well across the board.

Most higher-pressure fields received a single pre-emergence application and nothing else, as top-ups couldn’t be applied due to rainfall, but that one spray has really proven its worth.

Programmes are now being finalised with inspections for grassweeds that may need a contact, such as bromes or wild oats, but overall the process is very area- or field- specific.

Cereals in the later-drilled slot will need some assistance to thicken and tiller due to persistent waterlogging that has caused stress and adversely affected rooting systems.

This will include manipulated nitrogen applications and, in some cases, rolling, as well as trace element applications alongside foliar phosphite.to aid rooting

Pigeon damage

Not long ago my oilseed rape crops were also on the healthy side. Whilst not the tallest, most had a good plant stand with even biomass until the pigeons took to decimating most fields.

It appears to be a widespread problem elsewhere too, but hopefully the worst is now over.

Plants are starting to take nitrogen up and should put some leaf area back on and extend their stems evenly. Some crops have also received a post-emergence herbicide to mop up overwintered broad-leaved weeds.

After several days of temperatures in double figures some growers have taken the opportunity to begin drilling spring cereals.

Whilst sooner than the norm, particularly on heavy land, we have still been able to achieve sufficient grassweed kill with glyphosate before drilling.

Although higher-than-average temps have been recorded it is important to note that night temperatures are still relatively low and frosts remain a threat.

Adequate seed-bed nutrition is important to make sure crops get away as quickly as possible.