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Report: 24 April 2009 (for week beginning 20 April 2009)

Report compiled by Farming Online from reports received from members of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants

Sclerotinia: sprays scheduled for next week in most crops. The extreme variability in growth within fields may mean two sprays are required.

Winter wheat: Final leaf 3 emergence (T1) fungicides going on now.

Winter barley: Flag leaves emerging.

Highlights

Winter Oilseed Rape
  • More crops now at early flowering.
  • Pollen beetle in backward crops.
  • Sclerotinia risk builds.
Winter Wheat
  • Final leaf 2 emerging in early crops.
  • First main fungicide.
  • Mildew on late sown crops.
  • Eyespot increasing.
  • Yellow rust low levels in NE .
Winter Barley
  • Flag leaf out on forward crops.
  • Disease levels low.
Spring Beans
  • First crops at two leaf stage.
  • Bean weevil damage .
Cross compliance
  • Make sure that 2m headlands are maintained where necessary.
Soil temperature
  • 11 degrees C and slowly climbing.

Winter Oilseed Rape

image from FoL

Castille at early flowering.
Photo Farming Online.

South East: All crops now range from yellow bud to early flowering. Finally growing away from pigeon damage.

Sclerotinia: risk factors for sclerotinia are all increasing.

Pollen beetle: risk of damage reducing as crops come into flower.

South West: Crops now at early to mid flower and Sclerotinia sprays now going on. Crops generally short and the dry weather means there is a complete absence of yield damaging lodging at flowering. Turnip Yellows Virus can be detected in some crops if you look hard enough.

Sclerotinia: extreme variability of flowering times across and within fields means that spray timings are proving difficult.

Pollen beetle: on thin late crops be especially vigilant for pollen beetle as the temperature rises.

Eastern Counties: Pat Turnbull reports that advanced crops have moved rapidly into full flower and look well with plenty of branches and potential for pod set. The very backward crops are now moving through stem extension green bud stage and are receiving pollen beetle control in this warm, bright weather before they come into flower. Some spring oilseed rape beginning to establish, other fields are very dry at seed depth and we only expect patchy emergence before we get a rain.

Sclerotinia: mid flower fungicides now being applied to forward crops with high potential. We will review the situation regarding a second Sclerotinia spray in 3 weeks time. Other crops slower to come into flower will receive a fungicide mid-flower (as best as we can estimate across some very uneven fields). It may be possible to treat distinct areas of some fields at different timings.

Pollen beetle: levels at threshold on some backward crops.

East Midlands: Crops still all over the place with some forward crops starting to flower, middle crops at yellow bud and later crops at green to yellow bud (sometimes in same field).

Pollen beetle: numbers have fallen off in the past week or so as crops start to flower.

West Midlands: Finally even the crops sat on the deck for the last 6 months are growing (just) with the forward crops racing away to at least mid flowering and rapidly approaching full flower.

Sclerotinia: with forward crops now dropping petals which are sticking to the leaves and monitoring sites giving 20% germination of sclerotia we will be applying preventative sprays from the end of this week to those crops that are forward enough.

Pollen beetle: late crops causing concern as threshold reached (treating as spring oilseed rape threshold of 3-5 per plant).

North East: Early sown crops now at early petal fall and have a few pods showing on the main stem. Later crops vary from 'buds proud' to yellow bud. Forward crops look fine, but the small later crops in the poorer seedbeds are really stressed now by the dry conditions and are not going to develop anything like the target Green Area Index. The potential yield of these crops is being reduced everyday this weather continues.

Sclerotinia: crops at petal fall are at some risk now. Cooler night temperatures lower the risk as does the lack of rain, but there is a lot of 'sea fret' along the East coast which keep the crops damp for long periods and so create better conditions for infection. Fungicides planned for early petal fall, which for the most forward crops is over the next 7 days.

Pollen beetle: despite the higher temperatures only a few pollen beetle have been seen so far, except for a localised area where numbers rose very quickly on some backward rape crops.

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Winter Wheat

image from FoL

Final leaf 3 unfurling in
September sown Duxford.
Photo Farming Online.

South East: Peter Cowlrick reports that leaf 2 already emerging in some crops, its amazing how wheats have caught up and are now approaching normality or are even slightly further advanced than usual! Would not be surprised to see flag-leaves emerging by end first week May now. Final leaf 3 (T1) applications now being/been made to many wheat crops - varieties such as Claire, Alchemy, Viscount.

Brown rust: very isolated pustules can be found in earliest sown crops of Alchemy and Claire.

Yellow rust: none seen.

Mildew: beginning to find active pustules more readily now, later sown Robigus probably worst affected variety.

Septoria: lesions obvious on older leaves of all September/early October sown wheats - lesions can now be found on leaf 5 of early sown Solstice/Cordiale.

Eyespot: moderate stem based browning with some penetrating lesions can now be found in earlier sown second wheats and Solstice/Robigus also in Claire as a first wheat (particularly after oats).

South West: Stephen Harrison says wheat is now taking up nitrogen strongly and looks green and healthy. Leaf 3 is emerging on September sowings of most varieties except Claire sown at the end of the month, which now has leaf 4 fully out. Final leaf 3 (T1) spraying has started on the earliest crops. Heavy wet land is still showing the ill effects of last autumn with wheeling damage still very apparent especially in fields where heavy rain fell soon after drilling. Although dry weather has been sustained no crops are showing symptoms of drought stress. Soil around the roots remains moist.

Brown rust: none seen.

Yellow rust: none seen.

Mildew: now easily found in early drilled Humber. Infection seems worse than in Claire drilled at similar timing.

Septoria: new leaves clean although overwintered leaves still heavily infected.

Eyespot: very low levels of stem browning.

East Midlands: Martin Eudall reports forward crops at GS 32 with final leaf 3 (T1) fungicide applications going on this week. Generally crops at leaf 3 just showing with late crops after maize at GS 31 with leaf 4 out. Crops are shorter this year.

Mildew: levels remain low with some found on older lower leaves of Solstice and Alchemy but nothing on upper leaves.

Brown rust: none seen.

Yellow rust: None seen.

Septoria: usual infections on older leaves but upper leaves clean - forward at risk crops had T0 which has kept upper leaves clean.

Eyespot: most crops clear but Einstein continues to show low levels of eyespot. Much of eyespot on outer leaf sheaths but some penetrating and a wet May could cause an explosion.

Cleavers: various levels of sizes and becoming more vigorous.

West Midlands: Bryce Rham reports that early sown Humber now has leaf 2 poking through, with early sown Duxford with leaf 3 three quarters emerged. Diego is taking off rapidly from its autumn slumbers with clients noting it too. Dry weather is leading to some crops of wheat losing tillers.

Mildew: variable levels on Humber, Oakley and Solstice.

Brown rust: none seen.

Yellow rust: none seen.

Septoria: moving on to newer growth due to winds and very damp mornings.

Eyespot: low levels visible on forward Duxford and Humber.

Eastern Counties: Brendan Butterworth reports that early drilled now at GS 31 whilst later drilled crops are starting to extend. Topsoil dry and cracking. Fields travelling well.

Mildew: now at treatable levels on late wheats after roots. Manganese deficiency present on a lot of fields.

Brown rust: none seen.

Yellow rust: none seen.

Septoria: levels beginning to build on crops of Consort, Gladiator and Viscount.

Eyespot: treatable levels in many early drilled crops will get fungicide at leaf 3 emergence (T1).

North East: Phillip Tuplin reports many first wheats, and second wheat Cordiale at GS 32. Most of rest just GS 31, apart from a few later sown crops. We have had 3 mm of rain this month and a lot of sunshine. Most wheat crops look OK so far, but the later sown crops, fortunately there are not many, on heavy land are suffering severely now. This land is like concrete and severely cracked, and such crops are at a standstill.

Mildew: none seen.

Septoria: the younger leaves are very clean, so disease levels appear very low now. Final leaf 3 (T1) application planned for next 7 days.

Brown rust: none seen.

Yellow rust: seen plants where yellow rust spores were developing, but have now been controlled in crops of Robigus.

Eyespot: the threat of severe damage has receded somewhat in the dry conditions, but a good level of control should be achieved from the planned final leaf 3 (T1) treatments.

Blackgrass: overall control levels are looking very good, but there are a few green shoots appearing where very dense patches have been sprayed.

Cranesbill: is becoming a major weed on many farms.

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Winter Barley

South East: Earliest sown crops now at GS 32-33 with flag-leaf emerging/emerged (Boost/Cassata), and later sown crops around GS 30-31 with leaf 3 emerging.

Mildew: fresh pustules now present on lower leaves of Sequel/Cassata.

Net blotch: increasing levels noted in crops of Sequel that follow barley - beginning to appear on new leaves.

Rhynchosporium: becoming more noticeable now as canopies begin to thicken.

Brown rust: low levels can now be found in earlier (end Sept/early October) sown crops.

South West: Earliest winter barley crops now pushing out a flag leaf. No awns yet visible. Disease levels remain very low in the crop even where final leaf 3 (T1) sprays were unavoidably delayed.

Mildew: low levels only.

Rhynchosporium: low levels currently being found.

Brown rust: low levels can now be found in earlier (end Sept/early October) sown crops.

Eastern Counties: crops now at GS 32. Final leaf 3 (T1) fungicide now applied.

Mildew: low levels only.

Net blotch: developing on Carat, Cassata and Pearl but mainly old leaves.

Rhynchosporium: traces on susceptible varieties - Carat and Haka.

Brown rust: trace levels.

East Midlands: Forward crops at GS 32+ with later crops approaching GS 32.

Mildew: levels generally low mainly in Saffron and final leaf 3 (T1) fungicides now applied. Upper leaves remain clean.

Net blotch: none seen.

Rhynchosporium: none seen.

Brown rust: none seen.

West Midlands: Flag leaf coming out on early sown crops of Retriever.

Mildew: visible on high fertility soils variety Saffron.

Net blotch: trace levels only.

Rhynchosporium: trace levels only.

Brown rust: none seen.

North East: Flag leaf emerging to fully emerged in many crops of Carat. Saffron, Retriever and the 6-rows look about 7 days later. Even the good looking crops are showing significant drought stress now, and flag leaves are emerging from some very small plants.

Mildew: most crops have only a very low level.

Net blotch: crops clean now.

Rhynchosporium: crops clean now.

Brown rust: none seen.

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Spring Beans

: In the South crops now at 1-2 leaf pair stage, with any late-emerging plants filling-in gaps on cloddier seedbeds. Bean weevil becoming widespread in most emerging/emerged crops, especially those on stonier/cloddier seedbeds.

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Crop Report compiled by Farming Online from reports received from members of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants.

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