Yellow rust at trace levels (photo from Farming Online).

South East: A return to wetter conditions again over the last week has seen only a few more odd fields ploughed and drilled on lighter land. Fields are wet now and will require several weeks of dry weather to enable any field activity, which judging by the weather charts looks very unlikely in the next few weeks here in the South. Earliest sown (10th-15th Sept) wheats now at GS 22+, with many fields now typically around GS 13-21.

Slugs: ongoing wet and mild weather has maintained surface feeding activity.

Brown Rust: trace levels in Claire.

Blackgrass: emerging quite widely now, with most advanced plants being around GS 13-21. For most part however, residuals appear to be providing reasonable levels of control to date, with best results being from those applied at pre-emergence once soils had been wetted rather than applied to dry seedbeds.

Eastern Counties: Crops range from recently sown through to early/mid tillering. Crops continue to look well.

Slugs: continue to be a problem in some fields and need monitoring in this mild wet weather.

Aphids: mild temperatures keeps this pest in the limelight.

Yellow Rust: trace levels on susceptible varieties.

Weed control: pre-emerence herbicides working reasonable well on blackgrass. Now need a dry spell to catch up on post-emergence sprays.

East Midlands: Cooler and wetter soils have slowed development with little change over the last week. Some 40mm rain in last week has effectively stopped all work.

Aphids: numbers remain low.

Slugs: continue to cause problems with some crops that looked safe now being attacked by juveniles after fresh hatch.

Weed control: continues to emerge but in many cases at 1-2 leaves or 1 leaf emerging. Herbicides destined to go on as soon as weather permits. Later drilled fields after pre-ems where crops at GS 11 generally clear so far.

West Midlands: Crops just keep growing with early sown now with three to four tillers on them. Later sown crops are all at three leaf stage. Wet now with water standing in some fields.

Mildew: trace levels on early sown Grafton and Leeds.

Frit Fly: damage common in crops following winter oats particularly in south of region.

Slugs: some grazing still occurring. Nowhere damaging yet.

Weed control: good flush of broad leaf weeds where no pre-emergents applied.

North East: Cooling down from a warm spell. Average temperature for the week was 11.2ºC. Crops range from just emerging through to two tillers.

Aphids: none seen yet.

Slugs: still active in a few places.

Weed control: post emergent herbicide for the control of blackgrass is the focus now. Pre –emergence working well on resistant black grass. Good seed beds have helped the efficacy.

Phoma levels increasing (photo from Farming Online).

South East: Crops range from 5-6 true leaves up to 7-8+ leaves. Crops continue to grow relatively unchecked in response to continuing warm days and nights.

Phoma: has increased in any crops yet to receive a fungicide. Having thought that many crops would escape with a single fungicide this autumn, the recent change to very unsettled and wet conditions will now require a 2-spray approach to combat both Phoma and Light leaf spot on all varieties with poorer disease resistance ratings.

Light Leaf Spot: none seen to date.

Aphids: Myzus persicae nymphs were being found in most crops around two weeks ago – all susceptible varieties (ie. NOT Amelie) have now been sprayed in conjunction with Phoma sprays.

Slugs: crops have grown away from further damage.

Weed control: significant flush of blackgrass in many fields where there is a history of the weed. Too wet to travel.

Eastern Counties: Good ground cover by sturdy plants with thick stems. Many crops now loosing lower leaves and ‘opening up’. Plants at 8 to 10 leaf stage.

Phoma: has developed rapidly in crops where spraying had been delayed.

Light Leaf Spot: none seen so far.

Aphids: all crops now sprayed.

Weed control: Expect to start treatment in mid November.

East Midlands: Crops still have a large ground cover with good weed suppression.

Phoma: levels have increased slightly but slowly and no crops have reached 10% yet but sprays destined to go when weather lets up.

Aphids: levels remain very low with just the odd one.

Slugs: some damage to smaller backward plants causing plant loss and grazing on leaves of bigger plants but not a problem with these.

West Midlands: Crops continue to grow in these mild temperatures and many have complete ground cover.

Phoma: levels increasing in current wet conditions.

Aphids: more common on farms with potatoes in the rotation. More evident further East. Parasitised aphids are quite common.

Weed control: cleavers emerging.

North East: Crops establishing well across all fields. Growth ranges from 4 to 8 leaves.

Phoma: starting to be seen more easily now.

Slugs: low levels of activity only.

Pigeons: beginning to flock.

Weed control: post emergents working well with good percentage kills on blackgrass.

Crops mainly disease free (photo from Farming Online).

South East: Crops range from GS 11 to 22 now. Disease levels remain low.

Eastern Counties: Most crops are in and a lot emerging. Most forward crops at GS 22.

West Midlands: Most forward crops at 2 tiller stage. Net-blotch and mildew just starting to appear in some crops. Manganese deficiency showing in a lot of crops.

East Midlands: Crops look well but manganese deficiency is showing and await weather to settle down for manganese applications. Crops remain free of disease.

North East: Most crops at GS 13 forward crops GS 22. Crops remain free of disease.