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All Crop Watch news

Agronomists from all areas of the UK report weekly on their crop management from establishment to harvest. Keep up-to-date with their progress and the latest crop developments as the growing season progresses and key decisions on disease, pest and weed control have to be made.

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Rain has stopped, but woes continue

Signs of drought are being seen in crops as the higher temperatures this week stress plants. One positive is that the lack of moisture is helping to suppress disease, leading…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Sugar beet weeds and mosaic virus in wheat

The weather has swung to the other extreme and some crops, such as peas, on light land are struggling for water. One worry for winter cereals is that those with…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: High blackgrass levels and T3 spray strategies

June is the month when any deficiencies in weed control become visible with blackgrass and other grassweeds waving above cereal crops. This year, there seems to be more of them…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Time for T2 sprays as settled spell arrives

Septoria is at alarming levels in many wheat crops and the weather has settled down in time for the all-important T2 spray. Hopefully, it means these fungicides will go on…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Sprayers dodging showers and maize horror

The wait for more settled conditions continues, with the scarcity of spray days forcing growers to reduce the number of passes through crops. One challenge to emerge this spring is…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Winter barley races away and late start to maize

April turned out to only be marginally better than March, prolonging the struggle to get spring crops drilled and keep on top of spraying.  But while field work progress has…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Blackgrass flowering in cold, wet spring

It’s proving to be a gloomy spring, and not just in terms of a lack of sunshine. Growers have spring crops with headlands that have rotted off in the March…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: T1 plans bolstered to tackle rising septoria risk

Hopes are growing for a spell of drier weather to help ease the septoria epidemic being seen in wheat crops. With T1s coming up, some fungicide programes are being bolstered…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Disease and lodging are priority in soggy spring

Easter saw a short respite in the wet weather with growers trying to catch up with drilling, fertiliser spreading and spraying. While it allowed some jobs to be done, it…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Fieldwork backlog after monsoon March

A more settled spell of weather brings hope of catching up on the massive backlog of fieldwork that has built up during monsoon March. There is fertiliser to apply, overdue…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Wet weather woes as field jobs pile up

Frustration is now setting in as the jobs list grows ever longer because of the unsettled March weather. There have been few spray days and disease pressure is building up.…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: T0 spray plans being made for wheat and gout fly

While winter barley is the priority for early plant growth regulator and fungicide applications, agronomists are already refining plans for the T0 sprays in wheat. For some, an elicitor product…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Cold spell puts brakes on weed control

A return of colder conditions with overnight frost is putting the brakes on field work. Potato growers will be hoping it will have passed by the time early planted crops…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Cereal disease and OSR fertiliser decisions

Plenty of disease is being reported in winter cereal crops, with septoria in early-drilled wheats in the South West and net blotch rife in northern winter barley crops. In oilseed…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Drowned Scottish crops and rising slug risk

Recent rain has drowned crops, including in Scotland where fields have turned into quagmires. The mild, wet weather could increase the risk of slugs, although some forward cereals crops can…

CROP WATCH

Crop Watch: Volunteer beans and barley yellow dwarf virus

The tropical autumn continues and with it the ongoing threat of barley yellow dwarf virus in cereals. Large clumps of volunteer beans are being seen in wheat crops with some…