A wet week: Rainfall volumes were variable to high in the last week of October, with 90mm to 100mm plus recorded along parts of the south and east of the country.

This will make further planting or other field work difficult but there may still be opportunities.

The south of the country had a very wet month of October, with coastal areas from south Cork up to south Wexford having received close to 80% more rainfall than their monthly average. Rochestown Met station measured 187mm for the month, Cork Airport had 197.6mm, Sherkin Island had 205.8 while Johnstown Castle had 193.5mm.

Other parts of the country were high also but most inland areas were either slightly above or below their local average levels.

The Dublin stations measured 75-79mm, Gurteen had 81.1mm, Mullingar had 97.7mm and Dunsany had 101.7mm.

Soil temperatures nosedived again over the weekend, with most tillage areas between 7°C and 9°C on Tuesday last, but generally below 8°C.

Harvesting: From here on it is a matter of getting harvesting of potatoes, maize and beet completed but much of this is thankfully done too and in good conditions. There is still quite a bit of beet to be harvested and some maize.

Ground conditions are nearly always somewhat better under crops that are alive at harvest as living plants continue to pump water out of the ground and the roots are very much alive to help keep the soil open.

Planting: Wheat and oats are the main options now but oats might suffer crow problems if it is the only field sown in an area. Wheat should fare somewhat better but no crop will withstand extreme conditions and there are always additional establishment challenges once we get into November.

Slugs, crows and rabbits are the more likely problems and they should be factored into seeding rates. As growth slows, slower establishment adds to these pressures.

Factor in establishment levels of around 80% now that land is wetter and temperatures are lower. Assuming 80% establishment and 50g TGW seed, a target of 250 plants established would require 157kg/ha (10st/ac) of wheat. If establishment was 75% you would need another 10kg/ha of seed to get the same plant count.

It is important to factor this into your seeding rate now but high seed rates also reduce establishment percentage.

Aphids: All early sown crops (mid- to late-September) should be sprayed with aphicide by now given the perceived BYDV risk. Early October-emerged crops might be sprayed now too if you can travel and if you can see aphids in your crops.

The drop in air temperatures may remove the need for a second aphicide or even a first one on crops that are still emerging. However, it is important to reassess the risk if the weather turns mild again.

Aphids can survive up to -8ºC so while a drop in temperature will slow multiplication, it is unlikely to reduce numbers where a threat is present.