Spring planting:

Most of the spring barley is planted in the south of the country while good progress has been made further north. Early-sown crops are emerging with good plant counts due to soil temperatures being above normal and also as a result of being sown in good conditions. Beet and maize plantings are progressing well and will benefit from the good seedbed conditions.

Winter wheat:

This week will see the first of the T1 fungicides going on to early-sown winter wheat. There are large variations in growth stages between crops this year, so it is important to dissect a range of plants in the field to make sure you are spraying a fully emerged leaf three. Waiting for a fully emerged leaf three is important as going too soon will leave a portion of leaf three uncovered, less coverage on leaf two and will make the correct timing of the flag leaf fungicide more difficult. The recent dry spell has been a blessing for septoria control as the high level of infection that has been visible in many crops this year has not been splashed on to the new growth.

While septoria is the key concern, watch out for mildew and yellow rust as both have been present this spring and will dictate product selection at T1. T1 sprays should include a high loading of triazole, a multisite contact like chlorothalonil and possibly an SDHI. Varieties with good septoria resistance might not need an SDHI at T1. Higher rates of a single triazole in individual treatments are preferable to mixtures where a different triazole is used in the subsequent spray. Where possible, the triazole (single) component of the SDHI mixture should be alternated between groupings at T1 and T2 (triazole groupings: epoxiconazole and prothioconazole v metconazole and tebuconazole).

T1 options include Chlorothalonil plus Adexar, Librax, Ascra Xpro, Aviator Xpro, Elatus Era or Treoris plus triazole etc. Use at a rate of 80% to 100%; rates can be adjusted depending on disease pressure. Decide on T2 at the same time as T1 to get combinations right. You can opt to have different approaches in different fields or on different varieties. Your mix must cover against septoria, eyespot and rusts.

Winter barley:

Most crops have been sprayed once, some for a while, but others only received their first fungicide recently. Like wheat, mildew has been present in many crops this year and net blotch will need attention in some crops. All treatments should include a triazole and either a strobilurin or an SDHI. Alternate the triazoles in barley. You may not need to use prothioconazole on six-rows that are more resistant to rhyncho and more prone to brown rust. Many winter barley crops have high shoot counts due to excellent establishment last autumn and the mild winter, so growth regulation will be important to prevent lodging. This can be included with the stem extension fungicide and product choice and rate will depend on lodging risk. Assess lodging risk based on shoot count, varietal characteristics and previous growth regulator applications. Options include Moddus, Medax Max, Cerone and Terpal.