Good growth:

The combination of recent rain/showers and warmth has driven on crop growth. Most spring crops have improved considerably and left behind most signs of recent stress. Early crops have the second last leaf emerging and late crops are at late tillering.

BYDV is evident but generally not too bad in spring crops. Yellow rust has been a serious problem in some winter wheat crops. Mildew has become a serious problem in some spring crops, especially barley, and needs to be controlled.

Winter crops:

Potential looks good and most crops are quite clean. May rain may well put pressure back on septoria as it continues to move in unsprayed patches. But the general pressure is lower than it might be for the time of year. Yellow rust has caught some wheat growers by surprise and shown its potential seriousness as a disease.

With flag leaves now fully emerged all winter wheat crops should have their T2 applied. This may mean a lesser interval than three weeks but growth stage is more important than interval. For crops to be sprayed at T2, you must continue to target septoria and yellow rust. You cannot assume that variety resistance will prevail in an epidemic.

Flag leaf treatments should include an SDHI, triazole and multisite. Any sensible combination of the three ingredients should suffice. These include products like Adexar, Ascra, Elatus Era, or Treoris plus a triazole. Include chlorothalonil in all sprays. Use a different triazole active at T2 versus T1. The triazole is important for yellow rust control.

Oat crops should also have received their final spray by fully eared out stage. Final sprays should include a strobilurin or SDHI plus a triazole. Options include Amistar plus Folicur, Elatus Era or Jenton plus Folicur for mildew.

Spring crops:

Barley crops vary from late tillering to GS32/33. All crops should now have received herbicide, possibly insecticide, and first fungicide. Pixxaro or Galaxy can provide a strong base for any herbicide programme. Pixxaro is not yet cleared for oats and should generally be used with an appropriate SU to fill the weed spectrum.

Spray late/patchy crops for aphids by the 4-5 leaf stage.

Apply fungicide on barley from late tillering to early stem extension. Mildew and rhyncho are evident. Where mildew is bad add a morpholine plus a straight mildewicide (Talius or Flexity) with Proline. Crops with only a little mildew might only get the Talius or Flexity with, say, Proline. Bontima alone is a very useful complete option for this situation, or Helix.

Wheat is at or past stem extension and needs growth regulator. This could be CCC (0.8 l/ha 75% conc.), Medax Max (0.3 kg/ha) or Moddus plus CCC (0.15+0.8 l/ha). If mildew and yellow rust are present consider Opus Team or Capalo/Tocata.

Early spring oats is at GS31//32 so growth regulation is required. This could be Ceraide or Medax Max. A mildewicide like Talius or Flexity should be considered on most varieties. Use Tocata if mildew or crown rust are present.