Flag leaves emerging (photo from Farming Online).

South East: Crops now mostly in range GS32–39. The arrival of warmer days and nights last week has really accelerated crop growth again. T1s all completed end April/early May with T2 applications just getting underway and most crops looking ready for spraying in the next 10 days. Last rain was 25-30 mm between Monday 9th May and Wednesday 11th.

Brown Rust: colder conditions in April together with both T0 and T1 triazoles have slowed any progression of rust to newest leaves.

Yellow Rust: T0 triazole applications appear to be holding disease progression and T1 applications closely followed by T2 sprays should maintain foliar protection.

Mildew: cold conditions in April, has prevented any resurgence to date.

Septoria: with short canopies and Septoria appearing on leaf 4, along with ample rain splash events earlier last week, it will be imperative that T2 applications are well timed.

Eyespot: increasingly visible now with cool and damp soils favouring development, particularly in earlier sown crops of Crusoe, along with second wheats and wheat after oats.

Aphids: BYDV symptoms surprisingly high levels also evident in some fields in sheltered coastal locations.

Slugs: no new damage.

Weed Control: blackgrass control looks to be below expectations.

Eastern Counties: Earliest drilled have flag leaf nearly fully emerged on main shoots (Gallant), most have leaf 2 out with flag leaf on the way, latest drilled leaf 2 showing. Warmer weather helped speed up growth this week.

Brown Rust: trace levels only on Crusoe.

Yellow Rust: trace levels on Solstice and Reflection.

Mildew: none seen.

Septoria: low levels on all varieties but some bad hot spots in thicker crops.

Eyespot: some lesions now showing in second or subsequent wheats. Not generally penetrating too far into the stem.

Aphids: None found but patches of BYDV now showing.

Weed Control: blackgrass now heading, some flowering.

East Midlands: Many crops have final leaf 2 out and a few forward crops with flag tip showing. Later crops after maize have final leaf 2 emerging.

Brown Rust: none seen.

Yellow Rust: a trace found on KWS Lilli.

Mildew: remains very low.

Septoria: leaf 3 and 4 are clear and look good but lower leaves (now dying off).

Eyespot: generally at low levels and not penetrating outer leaf sheaths.

Aphids: none seen.

Weed Control: brome has not died back as well as expected.

West Midlands: Majority of wheat crops now have flag leaf emerging (still seeing vast disparities within the same field, i.e. flag leaf tips visible to flag leaf 50% out).

Yellow Rust: Reflection is a horrible mess with very few crops having their leaf 4 left.

Mildew: now virtually non existent.

Septoria: is under control at the moment. All T2 applications scheduled to start this week.

Aphids: BYDV patches keep appearing and growing ever larger.

North East: Late drilled at GS32, September drilled up to flag 50% out on early varieties. Warm, dry week with 1mm rain and an average temperature 10.1 degrees.

Brown Rust: none seen.

Yellow Rust: pressure high on susceptible varieties and still present on KWS Lili and Reflection.

Mildew: low levels in variety Leeds.

Septoria: T1 complete, Septoria levels high if T0 was not applied, very high levels on old leaves.

Weed Control: remaining populations of blackgrass have heads emerging.

Seed Weevil near threshold levels in South (photo from Farming Online).

South East: Almost all crops are now in full flower with up to 20-30 pods set, though there are still some backward crops/pigeon grazed fields that are only just getting to early flowering.

Light Leaf Spot: effectively dried up by recent fungicide applications.

Sclerotinia: most crops here in the South have been sprayed in the last 14-21 days at early flower.

Club Root: severe symptoms found in only two fields so far.

Pollen Beetle: still a potential problem on the more backward and pigeon grazed crops.

Seed Weevil: plenty of adults seen this week as warmer weather encourages migration and many crops are approaching thresholds for spraying (1 weevil/plant).

Eastern Counties: Many varied growth stages in fields. Some are now at approximately late flowers with varying levels of pods set, some are still only just showing signs of flowering in parts of the field. Mainly linked to wet, pest damage and weed burden. Warm sunny weather helped this week.

Light Leaf Spot: under control.

Sclerotinia: first flowering sprays have gone on but varied growth stages making timings a guess. Some growers are applying a second spray where flowering is protracted.

Aphids: none seen.

Seed Weevil: none seen yet.

East Midlands: Many crops at mid flower with a few just past mid flower. All crops look well.

Light Leaf Spot: a few new spots found last week in Arazzo.

Sclerotinia: many crops have had a late Sclerotinia spray as a one hit policy with the low risk up to now.

Seed Weevil: No weevils seen yet in crops.

West Midlands: Flowering within some crops is still patchy despite the recent warm spell. However, many crops are at full flower to early pod set and Sclerotinia sprays are now either on or scheduled to go on this week.

Light Leaf Spot: crops now treated.

Pollen Beetle: low levels especially in backward areas of crops.

Seed Weevil: none seen.

North East: Crops now range from yellow bud to early petal fall.

Light Leaf Spot: noticeable on all varieties.

Pollen Beetle: low levels.

Cabbage Stem Flea Beetle larvae: causing some damage in few rape crops.

Seed Weevil: none seen.

Weed Control: cleavers control has not worked well due to cold conditions at time of application.

South East: Most crops have now raced along to awns/ears emerging and T2 fungicide applications will be imminent.

Eastern Counties: Awns emerging common. Furthest forwards have 50%+ ears emerged. BYDV patches evident even where insecticides used. Crops remain short with little straw, very patchy across most fields. Warmer weather helped move barleys on last week.

West Midlands: Awns emerging. Final fungicide applications now going on.

East Midlands: Awns emerging in most crops. Disease levels remain low.

North East: Ear emergence in hybrids. Rhynchosporium and Net-blotch developing in crops of Saffron and Glacier.