The sunshine has finally arrived and there are hopes that fungicide programmes will hold off disease long enough in the top leaves, so that crops can convert this into grain yield.

For winter barley crops, persistent grassweeds means some of them will need a pre-harvest desiccation. Poor blackgrass control is also causing headaches in maize crops in the South West.

See also: Tips to tackle foliar sugar beet disease in high risk season

West

Stephen Harrison
AICC/Southwest Agronomy (Avon)

Inputs into crops are now complete bar pre-harvest treatments. All crops present a variety of pictures. 

Winter barley has worrying patches of soft bromes (Bromus species), and with limited chemical control options in this crop, cultural control is essential. Seed should be left undisturbed on the soil surface to break dormancy. 

A lot of winter barley in the South West is combined early for crimping, which removes a lot of weed seed before shedding.

Oilseed rape is changing colour rapidly, most markedly on poorly drained land where water damage over the winter and spring impaired root systems. Some of the worst patches where blackgrass has taken over have been sprayed off already.

Beans

Of all the crops, beans have relished the wet conditions, with some of the best-looking crops I have seen.

A comprehensive fungicide programme has been essential, with missed areas virtually defoliated.

There is a slight concern that the large canopies may lodge if we have more thunderstorms.

Winter wheat drilled before mid-October has held onto its flag leaf and most of leaf two.

Leaf three and lower are succumbing to septoria. By contrast, wheats drilled from mid-November are very clean.

It remains to be seen if this lack of disease makes up for the loss of yield inherent with later sowing.

Poor control of blackgrass in maize using contact sulfonyl urea herbicides is giving cause for concern. Products which once gave near 100% control are now struggling.

Changes in seed dormancy means we are seeing blackgrass emerging thickly in maize during May.

The lack of early crop competition is not helping. Where equipment is available, camera-steered hoeing has been carried out.

Crop planning for the autumn is well under way. After a difficult year nationally, we are securing new season seed early, or booking mobile cleaners to ensure timely availability of preferred varieties.

South

Justin Smith
Procam (East Sussex)

The sun is finally shining, and the winter barleys and oilseeds are changing rapidly.

Unfortunately, in places, persistent grassweeds will mean some of the winter barley will need attention with a pre-harvest desiccation.

However, I have yet again been impressed with the competitive nature of the hybrid barleys and will be advising these are considered where historic grassweed problems persist.

The winter oilseed rape has now received a pod sealant and awaits pre-harvest desiccation decisions.

Wheat continues to receive late foliar nitrogen applications for grain protein, and we are starting to get very close to that stage where we have done all we can, and it’s time to let nature do the rest.

So, as the sun ripens crops, my attention turns to new season cropping plans. As I sit around the farmhouse kitchen table, there always seems to be more questions than answers.

Do we keep with the same wheat variety? Should we look closer at the Sustainable Farming Incentive options? Can we risk oilseed rape again?

It’s always a great time to reflect and be critical of what could be done differently, but don’t forget to appreciate what you have done right.

We often get caught up in the “whirlwind” that is farming, and rarely have time to focus on the positives of “growing”.

So, before the moisture meter comes out and we all start enjoying the annual competition of whose combine is first out of the shed, try to take a second to enjoy why we do it all.

Harvest will soon be here, a new cropping year will start, and we will probably forget 2024 ever existed.

Therefore, my final advice to growers remains to go and sit in your best field and admire all your achievements.

They are hard fought and well earned. Well done to everyone, and happy harvest.

North

Mary Munro
AICC/Strutt and Parker (Perthshire)

It is a huge relief to know that all the outstanding spraying has been done at last, and growers are back on track with crop protection.

Without a doubt, there are some scruffy-looking wheats in the area, and septoria has had an impact on green leaf area far beyond what would normally be tolerable in the less resistant varieties, even at higher rates.

Most conversations begin with: “Under the circumstances…”, and it is fair to say that under the extremely testing conditions we have faced this season, crops are looking all right.

Of course, there are some bare patches that were waterlogged, and odd bits of weed or disease that have slipped through, but driving round the countryside, it is not as devastating a scene as it once threatened to be.

I think there is a lurking concern that stem-based disease could have an impact later in the season, and there appears to be an increasing population of aphids in cereals.

Aphids

The winter wheats are just about safe, but spring crops could be vulnerable to these pests feeding on the grains before soft dough. Numbers are being monitored.

The decision is easy if thresholds are not reached, but there is still a discussion to be had at higher levels, and it is important to consider the beneficial insects such as ladybirds that consume aphids.

Heads are just out on spring barley and crops are clean. My instinct is to get a T2 onto these rather than opting for a single fungicide.

At least this year, there should be no issue with late nitrogen uptake as there was last year following the very dry spring.

Spring beans have grown at a tremendous rate and are just beginning to produce flower buds.

Weed control appears to have been effective, and where necessary, the wild oat sprays were applied at good timings.

I am aiming for two fungicide applications, but we will progress a step at a time and go for tebuconazole at mid-flowering to start with.

Winter barley is beginning to turn colour and there are some big crops.

Fingers are firmly crossed that we can avoid heavy downpours, and that the crops stay upright.

East

Becky Finbow
Agrovista (Norfolk/Suffolk)

Crops were starting to look very yellow and stressed, with maize and beet suffering the most, but we finally had some sunshine.

It is amazing what some vitamin D can do for us and our crops. Attitudes become more positive, and crops start to green up once again. Let’s hope it stays like this.

Sugar beet herbicides have worked exceptionally well this year, whether that is on conventional varieties or Conviso. There are some lovely clean crops around.

In terms of growth, I don’t think we are far off other years. The traditional thought is that crops should be touching in the rows by the time the Norfolk Show takes place, which happens on 26 and 27 June this year.

I reckon about 50% of crops will have lived up to the saying.

Nutrition has played a vital role in the success of my spring crops this season.

Manganese deficiency has been present in many beet crops, particularly those on lighter land, as well as nitrogen (N) deficiency.

Where N Max has not been reached, the British Beet Research Organisation recommends applying a small dose of N to give plants a kick.

Maize worries

The same story can be seen in maize – the new leaf is coming out yellow.

A lot of this is due to the cold temperatures, particularly at night, which makes it harder for crops to harvest nutrients.

A foliar fertiliser including zinc, phosphate, magnesium and potash will get into the crop quickly and help its overall health.

There have been a few worries about rooting this year, as maize plants have not had to put down deep roots to find moisture.

What this means for crop stability remains to be seen. All we can do is provide the nutrients the crop needs to grow and pray the sun shines.

Cereal spraying is finally coming to a close with the last of the T3 sprays applied.

Disease pressure this year has been incredibly high and all eyes have been on timing and spray intervals.

The benefit of varietal resistance this year is very obvious and I think a few varieties might have had their time.

It will definitely be interesting to see which newcomers stand out at the numerous trials days across the county.