North Arable Alliance (Yorkshire) Fantastic progress has been made during the past month as spring drillings have been completed. Even land that was destined for fallow only six weeks ago has dried up and allowed a crop to be sown. Some of the later sown crops were drilled into dry and cloddy seed-beds, as strong winds made it difficult to conserve enough moisture. Fieldwork has gone well, with spray and fertiliser applications on schedule, and slurry stores have been emptied. Ironically, rain has become the limiting factor at the other end of the spectrum. Prior to March it was excess rainfall affecting crop growth, now lack of rain is limiting crop potential. Winter wheat crops have improved during the past month. Unfortunately, the dry, cold March has not been conducive for tiller development in the backward or thin crops. However, considering how poor some wheat crops looked prior to Christmas, it is good to see signs of improvement. Septoria tritici development has been limited in the past month due to the weather being so dry. Mildew is hard to find with crops being a lot thinner and more open. Yellow rust is the key disease. It has been present in coastal areas for some weeks and is now appearing further inland. The rust is present in the usual suspect varieties, but is also appearing at alarming levels in some varieties thought to be more resistant. The ever-changing dynamics of yellow rust due to the new races that keep appearing provide a fascinating challenge. T0 fungicides are currently being applied, along with a plant-growth regulator, although the rates of growth regulator are lower than in previous years. Winter barley  Winter barley crops have just received their T1 fungicide. Net blotch has been the main disease issue, along with some brown rust. Broad-leaved weeds have also been controlled at the same time before the crop provides sufficient competition against further weed flushes. Spring barley crops are emerging well in most cases and for those destined for malting markets the final dose of nitrogen fertiliser will soon be applied. Manganese will also soon be required for crops on lighter soil types. Winter oilseed rape has struggled in the past month, due to the effects of cabbage stem flea beetle larvae, persistent pigeon grazing and waterlogging. Most crops are now recovering, although it is a little disturbing to see some fields flowering when the crop is only knee high. It will not be long before consideration is due for sclerotinia control. If conditions remain exceptionally dry, the sclerotinia threat will be reduced, which may make it worth risking not treating the poorer crops this year. Spring beans have emerged well, despite some of the February-sown crops being waterlogged soon after drilling and then the soil surface baking out during March. Once again, beans are proving to be a robust crop that can still emerge in the most adverse conditions. Pea and bean weevil numbers have been low so far, but will need to be monitored. Pre-emergence herbicides have been applied, but unfortunately for the later sowings there has not been the subsequent rainfall to achieve the best herbicide efficacy. West Matford Arable (Devon) At the last time of writing we were under the influence of wet weather and waterlogged soils. We are now suffering from four weeks with no rain and soils that are baking out quickly. The workload on farm is nearly completely caught up and we are looking at possibly the earliest start to maize planting I can remember. All winter crops are now caught up in terms of workload. However, the dry conditions mean that many crops have effectively still to receive much of their first top dressing as the second ones are about to be applied. Winter OSR crops are not branching as profusely as usual and are looking thin as they come in to full flower. These crops desperately need rain and quickly if they are to go on to yield at a reasonable level Winter barley crops are variable depending on how early, or otherwise, they received their first top dressing. Those that received them while there was rain to wash it in are looking fine, whereas those that did not are looking short of nitrogen. On the plus side the winter barley is a long way behind in terms of crop development compared to normal, so if we get rain soon the impact of the dry spell may not be too serious. Wheat needs rain Winter wheat crops are all over the place, from barely emerged to looking and behaving completely as one would expect for winter wheat at this time of year. These crops will again want to see some rain in order for them to gain full utilisation of applied nitrogen. With crops now under moisture and by association lack of nitrogen stress, the big dilemma is how much or even whether a growth regulator should be used at T1. To over-apply under these conditions could further stress crops, but to not apply at all and then have rain and rapid growth could potentially lead to crops that would be prone to lodging. In short, nearly every decision that needs making at the moment presents a bit of a dilemma and knowing whether the right decision was made will, in all likelihood, only become evident with the benefit of hindsight. The 2019/20 cropping season got off to a dreadful start and continues to be very tricky for the winter crops. Let us hope that the season proves to be a lot more straightforward for the spring crops, which at the time of writing are just beginning to emerge. East Farmacy (Bedfordshire/Hertfordshire) In winter wheat with early spring growth being slow, the need for a plant growth regulator at T0 has been low on most crops, so the T0 fungicide has been kept in the can on most varieties. Varieties with a low rating for yellow rust, or those showing signs of the disease, have been treated with tebuconazole plus or minus azoxystrobin. Untreated crops will be monitored between now and T1 timing, and treated if needed with the same chemistry should the disease appear. The slow early season growth has been, in part, down to ground conditions going from too wet to travel, to too dry on top to take in nitrogen fertiliser in only a few days. Broad-leaved weed emergence in cereals has been relatively low on the whole, however, with the ground starting to crack we could see weeds emerging from depth after the usual contact herbicide addition to the T1 fungicide, potentially pushing herbicide applications back. With this possibility, keep in mind latest application timing for individual herbicide products. Spring drilling With most spring drilling completed in a relatively short time period in the area, the window for crop emergence will be much longer, dependant on soil type and cultivation method. I have fields of spring barley right next to each other that were drilled on the same day, one at two leaves, the other with dry seed sitting in dust. The only difference being an extra pass with the cultivator, which removed precious moisture. With little rain forecast, emergence of the latter could be delayed significantly. This dry period, with differing moisture levels between soil types within fields, will vary emergence of sugar beet. The knock-on variation of crop growth stages will make identifying the correct timing for herbicide applications difficult, and even more so where weed control programmes are without desmedipham. This weather is starting to bring back ugly memories of the spring of 2011.