Cereals
Progress in the region is largely varied due to the vast differences in rainfall from the North West of the country, right down to the South West.
Greener varieties of winter wheat such as Crusoe were holding strong towards the end of last week in the North West; however, in Herefordshire, barley crops were starting to turn a few weeks ago with combining starting much earlier on farm than in previous years. Yields are reported to be varied.
Spring weeds, in particular groundsel have posed a problem this year. Patchy, unpredictable weather at the beginning of the year has meant that spring weeds have germinated later in the season. Applications of Sulfonylurea herbicides (SU’s) have been applied later than agronomists would have traditionally planned, pushing applications close to growth stage cut-offs.
Wild oats
Wild oats have made a significant appearance this year, with some growers commenting that they have never had issues controlling them previously . Lack of control could possibly be due to crops racing through their growth stages and graminicide applications being applied later than usual.
Potatoes
The vast majority of potatoes across the country were planted into very dry conditions making the formation of good seedbeds more challenging especially on light, sandy soils.
Irrigation has been key in the region in the last few weeks and is something that growers haven’t typically had to do in previous seasons.
Potato blight always has to be top of mind. Warmer weather that we have experienced coupled with lush canopies, provide the perfect conditions for the disease to manifest.
Fight Against Blight
FMC are sponsors of Fight Against Blight (FAB). A nationwide network of scouts including growers, agronomists and industry representatives submit field samples which are sent to the James Hutton Institute for pathogen analysis. Results are then reported back to the scouts within a few days which allows appropriate blight management strategies to be implemented.
If you want to become a scout, or report an outbreak, you can register your details here Fight Against Blight | The James Hutton Institute