A good week: There was a lot of planting done in the past week, leaving very little to be completed now. But there were still some tilled fields in parts of the country that remained to be sown early this week.

The rise in temperature has driven significant crop growth and development. In some instances crops have extended rapidly and this could leave stems soft and prone to lodging. The more forward winter barley crops now have flag leaves emerging and many winter wheat crops have their third-last leaf emerging or emerged.

Check leaf emergence in all crops to help guide fungicide timing, especially the T1 on winter wheat. With a break in the weather forecasted, it is important to have crops covered with fungicide.

Early sown spring crops are now well into tillering and recently sown crops are emerging very quickly. Top dress ahead of the rain to get the N washed in.

Winter crops: It is T1 time for most wheat crops. Some are already sprayed but many crops will be sprayed in the coming days. Rust remains a threat, especially in coastal regions and north Leinster. Recent easterly winds may spread the rust problem further afield.

T1 sprays should include a high loading of triazole(s), an SDHI and a multi-site contact like Bravo or Phoenix. Many SDHI mixtures contain triazole but more is needed to help cope with the sensitivity declines of recent years. Triazole loading should be well over a single full rate to provide a level of curativity and protection for the SDHI.

Options include Venture Extra (1.2 l/ha), plus Strand or Rubric or Inca or FarmCo Epoxi (0.5 l/ha) or Opus Max, plus Bravo (1.0-1.5 l/ha); Aviator (1.2 l/ha) or Adexar plus Epoxi (0.4 l/ha) plus Bravo; Seguris (1.0 l/ha) plus Epoxi (0.5 l/ha) plus Bravo; Treoris (2.0 l/ha) plus Gleam (2.5 l/ha).

Recent ADAS research has shown many benefits of using a strong SDHI (specifically Adexar) early in the season to reduce subsequent pressure within the crop.

Some winter barley crops are only getting their first spray now while others are coming to their second fungicide timing. All treatments will include a triazole plus either a strobilurin or an SDHI.

If you already applied a Proline-based spray consider alternative chemistry like Bontima or Ceriax to take some of the pressure off prothioconazole.

Many oat crops will be getting their first fungicide now and products like Tocata provide broad-spectrum disease control to tackle mildew and rust. Ceraide or Moddus plus CCC should also be applied for growth regulation.

As petals begin to fall from flowering rape it is time to have sclerotinia fungicides applied. Products like Filan, Amistar, Proline, and Prosaro can be used but only use an active once if two sprays are needed. Rates need to be high.