Some parts of the UK have seen some welcome rain in the past few days and conditions in the coming weeks will be critical to salvage as much yield potential as possible.

See also: Norfolk grower’s verdict on new high-protein milling wheat Vibe

East

Ryan Baker, Frontier, Suffolk/Norfolk

It’s difficult to start an article and not talk about the weather. Since the end of February we have had at most 20mm of rain, although at the time of writing, rain has appeared on the forecast.

Sugar beet are struggling and spring crops are motoring through their growth stages. Winter cereals are also beginning to struggle.

The fungicide spend at the T2 timing needs to be appropriate for the season, but choice should be based around individual attitude to risk and crop potential.

Currently, there is very little active septoria on the yield driving top leaves, but yellow rust foci are now appearing on susceptible varieties such as Zyatt. Therefore, rust is the driving factor at the moment.

The possibility of rain on the horizon should also be factored in as septoria can soon splash up the canopy on more at-risk varieties.

Somehow, on the whole, spring barleys look well. Their reaction to the dry seems to have been to race through their growth stages rather than show typical drought symptoms.

Decisions on growth regulation with high-nitrogen barleys is challenging. Conditions are dry, but the majority have received 175kg/ha of nitrogen.

Early established spring oats are also moving quickly and competing with any emerging blackgrass.

Sugar beet

Sugar beet crops still vary wildly in growth stages. Weed control has been satisfying in crops that have emerged evenly whereas growers with uneven crops are grateful if they have held onto their tractor hoes.

Although sugar beet usually offers a good opportunity for blackgrass control, dry conditions can negatively impact control.

Warmer weather has increased aphid numbers with crops now at spray threshold further inland. However, the east wind has kept crops below threshold on the coast.

Earlier drilled vining peas are now at cream bud and receiving azoxystrobin, along with pirimicarb if aphids can be found.

Later crops are being drilled into dust in the hope the forecast rain will arrive to maintain harvest scheduling.

Weed control will likely need revisiting in a few weeks’ time.

Maize is emerging well from depth where it has found moisture. This year, we are going to be more reliant on post-emergence than pre-emergence weed control.

The crop is looking remarkably well and as a warm season, the C4 crop will, hopefully, thrive once established in these conditions.

North

Mary Munro, Munro Agricultural Consultancy, East Lothian

Most of Scotland has had some welcome rain and crops are jumping in response. I was pleased how well they were coping with the prolonged dry spell, due to good roots finding soil moisture at depth.

T2 sprays on wheat have been applied. Opting for a low-to-moderate rate of good chemistry seemed almost profligate, but now it has rained I feel happy with that strategy.

There was no disease to speak of at the time other than a few specks of yellow rust in the weakest varieties, so Elatus Era (benzovindiflupyr + prothioconazole) had a few outings and remains a useful product for spring wheat, which is more prone to yellow rust than winter crops.

Insect populations are higher than normal, but thankfully no signs of the Hessian fly that played havoc with spring wheat last year.

The winter barleys are flowering and should require no further treatment, but aphids could do damage in the heads.

Oilseed rape is similarly expected to be past any prophylactic sprays, but crops still require monitoring for pests.

The spring crops in East Lothian are generally looking much better than further south. Beans are starting to flower and there is a fair bit of weevil damage round the leaf-edges.

Oats and barley are thriving, but were needing rain. The weather has suited mildew which has been more prevalent than usual.

It is always our main target in oats and so there is no real change in strategy with them – a single fungicide at flag leaf is usually sufficient.

Spring barley

Some spring barleys have not tillered very well and there is a risk that late uptake of nitrogen could mess with the malting quality. Time will tell.

Some of the more drought-stressed barleys are very short, and the flag leaf is likely to be a miserable little thing not contributing much to grain fill. This is why looking after the awns is important.

A single fungicide when the awns are peeping is fine for a low-pressure year like this, but again, now that we have had some moisture, I will be looking to protect against rhynchosporium and ramularia with Siltra (bixafen + prothioconazole) or Revystar (fluxapyroxad + mefentrifluconazole).

The initial plan of using Miravis (pydiflumetofen) had been shelved in the dry weather, and I am not convinced the yield potential of these crops justifies a big spend.

As ever, we have to deal with what’s ahead of us, not what has been before – especially if it was last year’s problem.

West

Dominic Edmond, Matford Arable, Devon/Cornwall

As the mad month of May (in the agronomy world) comes to an end, the crops in Devon and Cornwall, overall, look reasonable. We were lucky, unlike other parts of the country, to get rain in April.

Winter barley crops had their T2 applications earlier in the month. They are generally clean, with only some rynchosporium lurking about.

I have been pleased with the job that Verydor (fluxapyroxad and mefentrifluconazole) did at T1.

The dilemma of how hard it is to go with growth regulators in the dry conditions is evident, with some crops a little leggy, but overall, it was just about judged right.

Winter wheat looks as clean septoria wise as I have seen in a number of years, the later drilled crops particularly so.

Using Poquet (fenpicoxamid) and Yanila (mefentrifluconazole + prothioconazole) at T1 seems to have done a good job and, along with low spring rainfall, has contributed to helping disease control.

Hopefully, some rain will appear, as at the moment my wheat crops are short enough and straw yield is an important crop on the mixed farms in the South West.

Maize

Maize drilling has been straightforward. As soon as Easter passed, it started in earnest, and by the middle of May the crop was in the ground.

I persisted with pre-emergence herbicides in dry conditions, as in my experience the pre-emergence can justify itself, and the odd spray miss has already illuminated that.

Maize is now flying with some crops at the six-leaf stage.

Most will get a post-emergence herbicide, chasing problem weeds and ensuring a clean stubble post-harvest to enable a quick turnaround into cereals or grass.

Fodder beet is also growing rapidly, which is helpful, as the sooner it can meet across the rows the sooner weed pressure diminishes.

With weeds waxing up in the dry, it is taking some meaty herbicide programmes to knock them over.

Spring barley, depending on when it was drilled and how much rain it has received, is variable. Rain is needed to turn most crops into something meaningful.

T1s have been applied, with weather conditions determining whether a T2 is justifiable. The weather in June will be a critical factor for this crop.

South

Justin Smith, Procam, East Sussex

The “Lions” rugby team has landed in Australia, and we seem to be continuing to deal with the extremely dry conditions that their country prides itself on.

Unfortunately, crop irrigation around East Sussex is neither common place nor economically viable – certainly not on a 7.5t/ha feed-wheat crop at current prices.

On a more positive note, the crops that received a robust but not hugely costly fungicide programme, continue to be very clean and free from disease and, despite the drought, look well.

Crop nutrition has played a vital role again this year. When compared to other inputs, nutrients usually offer benefits at a relatively low investment.

I am convinced their merits have kept many of my poorly rooted winter crops from becoming complete disasters.

Drought

We commonly apply magnesium and manganese to help promote plant health and maximise the crop’s photosynthesising capabilities.

However, when drought conditions present themselves, other nutrients such as potash and sulphur can really help drive green leaf retention, deliver nitrogen use efficiency benefits and promote stress reduction.

A crop that seems to be thriving despite the conditions is spring oats – in some instances, I have already applied three growth regulators.

I hope the bushel weights are as good as last year at harvest, but I fear they may not perform quite as well as hoped.

Much of my spring barley is coming into flag leaf at roughly 38cm (15in) high, so has not needed much regulation.

We fortunately received two rainfall events around mid-April which has meant many of my forage maize crops are starting to fly. I just wish the weed emergence was as prolific.

This will need careful consideration over the coming weeks before herbicide cutoff restrictions take effect at buttress root formation – typically at the 8-10 leaf stage.

Wherever you are in the country I hope the important grain fill weeks ahead are kind and the “Lions” don’t wilt in the Australian heat!