Rapid cereal growth, prompted by the recent warm weather, means growers will have to monitor crops closely to avoid missing key sprays, FWi’s team of agronomists have advised.

Brian Ross said winter barley crops in Suffolk had gone from “prostrate to ears emerging in about five minutes”. As a result, many growers had missed late growth regulator applications and he hoped that adequate early treatments would be sufficient.

Crops in north Yorkshire had grown 150mm over the past week and AICC agronomist Patrick Stephenson said late growth regulators suddenly looked likely on the best crops. Late PGRs had been included with the T2 spray on most winter barleys, he said.

“Spring barley crops have emerged quickly and look well, although I heard my first Cuckoo before much of it was drilled and I hope this was not an omen!”

Spring barley had also “really taken off” in the Oxfordshire region, Nick Brown said, with some crops putting on a huge number of tillers. “Most have recently been treated with a prothioconazole/ strobilurin mix. Crop growth will need monitoring carefully in the next week so that decisions on the need for growth regulation can be made.”

Oilseed rape was progressing rapidly through flowering and as a result, some crops would not require a second sclerotinia spray. “Uneven crops are a different story and will almost certainly need a follow up application in high-risk areas.”

Most oilseed rape was about half- to three-quarters of the way through flowering in Shropshire, Bryce Rham said. Sclerotinia sprays were completed in the last 3-4 days, he said.

All September-sown wheat had flag leaf emerging, with Einstein, closely followed by Humber, leading the way, he noted.

To read any of the reports in full, click on the links above, or select one of the following regions:
North (Patrick Stephenson)
East (Brian Ross)
South (Nick Brown)
West (Bryce Rham)