Flag leaves emerging in forward crops (photo courtesy Farming Online)

South East: September and early October sown Gallant, Cordiale and Solstice have caught up somewhat and are now around GS 37-39 on main shoots. Other varieties sown before the end of October now range between GS32-33 with leaf 2 1/3-2/3 emerged on main shoots, with tip of flag-leaf also just showing in some crops now. Otherwise, later autumn sown crops are still around GS31-32 with the tip of leaf 2 starting to emerge. Crops sown in January/February are around GS30-31 with leaf 3 emerging on main shoots. T1 spraying now completed on all crops that have leaf 3 2/3+ emerged.

Mildew: None seen

Yellow Rust: None seen

Brown Rust: None seen.

Septoria tritici: September sown Cordiale and Scout are showing high levels of infection on leaf 5 and below, with some infection now visible on the tip of Leaf 4, otherwise most wheats are still only showing very low levels of infection on the lower leaves.

Eyespot: None seen

Weed control: Blackgrass control showing mixed results

Eastern Counties: Flag leaf emerging on forward crops and leaf 2 out or emerging on October sown crops. T2 to start next week.

Mildew: Trace levels

Yellow Rust: None seen

Brown Rust: None seen

Septoria tritici: Trace levels on lower leaves

Eyespot: Occasionally found

Weed control: Blackgrass control has been completed and results vary with difficult blackgrass in some cases surviving.

East Midlands: Most crops have leaf 2 emerged with some crops at flag leaf just emerging. Better crops now look well although a bit short. Field conditions good but one or two wetter areas after recent rain indicating soils still very wet below in some places.

Mildew: Very low levels mainly at stem base

Yellow Rust: Reports of yellow rust in Warkwickshire and on Solstice in Leicestershire

Brown Rust: None seen

Septoria tritici: On bottom leaves but top 4-5 leaves so far clear

Weed control: A lot of fat hen coming through

Eyespot: Very low levels

West Midlands: Generally crops have responded well to the rain of last week, particularly the lighter land crops which have really taken off since the warm weekend. Mid-September sown crops are now anywhere from Flag 10% out to fully out (irrespective of variety) warm weekend helped the job, these crops will do 4 tonnes given some decent weather. October sown crops are just starting to poke a flag leaf out otherwise leaf 2 is half out.

Mildew: Just starting to develop in some crops of Oakley and Solstice

Yellow Rust: No fresh sightings

Brown Rust: None seen

Septoria tritici: Very evident on the forward crops, whatever variety, none on new leaves

Fusarium/Eyespot: Only at low levels

Opomyza: Tiller death from yellow cereal fly larvae are more obvious this year than for some time

Weed control: Herbicides applied three to four weeks ago now showing good control of broad leaved and grass weeds. Late sown crops now have a flush of weeds emerging

North East: Most Winter wheat GS 31-33. Odd Forward crops at GS 37 with Flag leaf just visible. Some fields have unusually large gap in growth stages within field owing to a rough start caused by wet and cold conditions. Canopy development is slow, so weeds have had more chance to germinate with wet and warmer weather. Generally crops are looking short for this time of year and are probably 2?3 weeks behind.

Mildew: None seen

Yellow Rust: None seen

Brown Rust: None seen

Septoria tritici: Active on lower leaves of some varieties but not moving up the crop

Wheat Bulb Fly: Low levels in some crops

Weed control: Warmer weather bringing out early spring weeds

Seed weevil (photo courtesy Farming Online)

South East: Around 80% of crops are now at early to full flower, with remaining 20% of crops that were heavily pigeon grazed still between Green bud and early flower within the same field.

Sclerotinia: Conditions could be ideal for apothecia emergence and spore release if the weather becomes warmer over the next few weeks. Later flowering crops could be at a particularly high risk.

Pollen Beetle: Panic over now that most crops are flowering

Seed Weevil: Adults can be still be readily found on any warmer afternoons in upper flowers ? looks to be a particularly problematic year for weevil due to late and variable flowering and also warmer ambient temperatures encouraging weevil migration.

Eastern Counties: Fields all now flowering, some pigeon damaged areas are very short indeed

Sclerotinia: All crops have now been treated with one Sclerotinia spray.

Pollen Beetle: Numbers have risen slightly to maybe 1 or 2 per plant in places but no treatment recommended at present

Seed Weevil: Very little seed weevil activity seen over the last week

Weed control: Thin poorly competitive crops are going to allow some weed problems to show through later. On light land some poppies will come through in thin crops.

East Midlands: All crops flowering with forward crops at 15-20 pod stage. Main problem is spread of flowering across the field which will make harvest difficult ? in some case may mean a split harvest in the same field.

Sclerotinia: Adopting a wait and see policy at the moment

Pollen Beetle: Numbers remain low

Seed Weevil: Numbers remain on the whole low with just a few plants with 2-3 weevil but many plants with none. Cooler and windier weather will slow them down a bit but need to be vigilant and assess frequently. One operator reports seeing none on tractor after a Sclerotinia spray which is usually a good indicator (the 'front-of-tractor' test).

Weed control: Reports of cleavers starting to recover after herbicides in thin areas where no crop competition, same with mayweed

West Midlands: Flowers showing in most crops now but the pigeon damaged areas have only managed to produce a single stem with no obvious side branches. In hindsight it is beginning to look like we should have pulled up more crops than we did. Harvest will be the final arbitrator on that.

Sclerotinia: Petal fall starting and petals sticking to crop

Pollen Beetle: Still hard to find

Seed Weevil: A few about in the warmer weather last weekend - too cold now though

Pigeons: Still present in some fields

North East: Crops still range from yellow bud to mid-flowering. Crops are shorter this year especially in backward plantings.

Pollen Beetle: Odd beetle seen in crops at green bud, but levels much lower than previous years

Seed Weevil: None seen

Pigeons: Becoming less of a problem

South East: Many crops remaining at GS37-39 and first awns just tipping. All crops appear very short, even Volume, so are unlikely to need much if any in the way of late PGRs. T2 spraying likely to be underway next week when awns showing on 80% of shoots.

Eastern Counties: There are some very variable crops about, those under a bit of stress are showing signs of booting and some of the more backward ones are about 6 inches tall at GS39.

East Midlands: Awns emerging and T2 on so now gates shut. Crops remain clear of all diseases and look generally well but a bit short.

West Midlands: Awns emerging on most crops. Crops much shorter than usual so not much straw come harvest. Disease levels remain low.

North East: Crops at GS 33-49. Most crops in Booting but odd forward crops have first spikelet of ear visible. Many crops looking shorter than usual.