Oilseed rape crops are mostly at the 6-8 leaf stage and, due to the dry September, have mostly rooted well.  At the moment phoma levels are well below threshold so there is no rush for fungicide control.  This means that getting a two week gap either side of  Centurion Max applications shouldn’t be a problem.

The big debate once we need to control phoma will be whether or not to use a fungicide with a pgr effect or not.  Many of the crops round here are large enough to benefit from one so if the weather hasn’t turned cold they are likely to be used.

Cereal crops have emerged well  and the most forward ones are now tillering.  The only places where wheat has yet to be drilled is after maize on some of the heavier land spring crops may be the best option now as some land is very wet underfoot.

Aphid numbers in the suction traps are higher than average so as Deter dressing runs out of steam insecticide applications will be needed.  If the weather becomes ‘normal’ then this should be the only application required, but if we get a repeat of last year then multiple applications will be needed.  There are some crops that didn’t have Deter that have now had two insecticide applications already, until we get prolonged frost these will need more applications.

Weed control from the pre-ems looks to have worked fairly well at the moment.  These were helped in the areas that had showers at the end of August or early September to generate a grassweed flush that was taken out with Glyphosate.  Because of the dry conditions then on the second stale seedbed wasn’t brilliant, but getting some blackgrass to germinate was better than none.