Crop updates: late March 2025
Winter cereal crops are growing well.
Our regular round up of the issues affecting crops around Scotland, summarises how crops are developing and what weather and other issues are affecting them. The update provides information on the progress with key field work activities as well as news on the pest, weed and disease problems being noted in crops. The health issues being seen in crops are a key part of the topical update and lets growers and agronomists adjust management practices accordingly.
28 March 2025
General Comments
Pigeons seem to be moving away from oilseed rape crops at long last and giving the badly affected crops a chance to develop leaf cover. Less affected crops are growing away strongly, and light leaf spot sprays are due. There are only low levels of rhynchosporium and net blotch present in winter barley crops. Trace levels of septoria are noted in wheat, with yellow rust around coastal areas of Fife, Lothians and Borders but it seems that T0 sprays have done a good job of managing this.
Regional Comments
CAITHNESS
Extended settled weather during most of the period has seen seed drills on the go with quite a bit of spring crop in the ground in excellent conditions. Some decent temperatures have meant winter crops are looking extremely good in the area. Grass growth is slowly picking up as a lot of sheep farmers start lambing.
MORAY
The weather over the past fortnight has again been fairly settled allowing more spring barley, and some oats, to be established. More ground preparation has been taking place along with lime applications as suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand. Winter oilseed rape has jumped into stem extension with green buds visible above the leaves on most crops. Both winter barley and winter wheat crops are tillering well but not quite as GS 30. Some Septoria is appearing on winter wheat and there is quite a bit of rhyncosporium in barley crops.
ABERDEENSHIRE
Sowing of spring crops has started but each field’s state of readiness is variable, with mucking and ploughing still getting done or the last bits of neep crops getting eaten down. The heavy rain recently has tempered the pace a bit as the land has needed time to recover and dry out sufficiently, but a few more dry days will see drills going again. Winter barley and winter wheat have trace levels of rhynchosporium and septoria, but the mostly dry weather has kept these diseases at minimal levels so far. Winter barley crops are approaching T1 and are receiving their second doses of nitrogen fertiliser helping them to keep growing. A bit more heat and they’ll probably take a leap. Oilseed rape crops are also growing away with buds visible from above (or are emerging from the leaves) reaching the traditional “welly boot stage” for a spring fungicide spray.
BANFF & BUCHAN
Spring has most definitely sprung with last week seeing the seed drills out in the earlier and lighter areas. The soil remains quite cold however and heavy rain over the weekend has slowed things up again with crops sown at the start of the month stubbornly reluctant to peep through the ground. Winter barleys are now coming away although a number of fields are yellowing and others are quite pale with second doses of N and manganese being applied. Oilseed rape crops are now starting to stretch although winter wheat crops have still to really wake up after their winter slumber. Disease-wise, most crops remain fairly clean and weed control looks to have been decent in winter crops although it is still early days. With soils being quite moist, pre-emergence herbicides in spring barley crops should have a good chance of success with their popularity in use seemingly increasing locally. Although arable sector prospects are as bearish as they have been for a number of years, cattle farmers are enjoying record prices for finished cattle with store prices also buoyant.
ANGUS
Winter oilseed rape is growing rapidly with crops approaching green bud and light leaf spot sprays are being applied. Winter barley and winter wheat are mostly at the end of tillering with forward crops at growth stage 30. The first sown fields of spring barley are now peeping through the ground with a large area sown last week into good seedbed conditions. There is still plenty of spring barley still to be sown.
PERTHSHIRE
Spring barley drilling is well underway into good seedbeds. Winter crops are growing away with oilseed rape into stem extension and winter cereals still tillering. Some nutrition and herbicides are being applied to winter cereals as required.
FIFE
Spring cereals are being sown into great seed beds, a welcome break for rain over the weekend has led to a warm first couple of days this week. The barley sown recently is now chitting with very early sown spring barley at one true leaf, down on the south coast of Fife. Winter barley is looking a little drought stressed on lighter land but only has low levels of disease. Winter wheats that required rust control have had it and the rust is controlled. Wheats sown into vining pea land are at GS30 and the later sown fields will reach GS30 in about 7 to 10 days. Away from the yellow rust belt on the Fife coast, only low levels of septoria can be found. Second applications of nitrogen are planned for the end of the week. Winter oilseed rape crops are looking well, moving rapidly through stem elongation and green buds visible above leaves, last fertiliser applications are being planned. Pigeons are now distracted away from rape and are browsing spring barley fields. A weekend of rain would benefit both winter and spring crops.
STIRLINGSHIRE
Winter cereals across the region are looking strong and remain largely disease free. As soil temperatures rise, some weed emergence is now becoming apparent. Early sown wheat and barley are well tillered, and later-sown fields have caught up nicely in terms of development.
Oilseed rape has pushed on vigorously, despite earlier pigeon pressure, which now appears to be easing in most areas. Winter beans sown this backend are establishing well, showing strong early growth. Meanwhile, most winter oats have bounced back effectively from earlier frost damage. The recent spell of dry, sunny weather has opened up a valuable window for fieldwork. Many growers have managed to plough and apply fertiliser even on heavier soils, and the first of the spring crops are now in the ground. Overall, things are looking very positive across the region but with March not quite over, we’ll remain cautiously optimistic!
LOTHIANS
Dry conditions continue to prevail through the back end of March. The more backward winter wheats that were only a week ago looking cold-stressed have started to pick up with the recent warmer weather and many farmers have rolled crops to stimulate growth. That having been said, there are many more forward crops that are well tillered with stems extending and approaching GS30 on main stems. Disease pressure is low although the 1st cycle of yellow rust can be found along the coast necessitating a T0 treatment. Oilseed rape crops are variable in the extreme, those untouched by pigeons are rapidly moving through the growth stages with the most forward starting to flower. Contrastingly, fields continually grazed have been taken back down almost to ground level and still working to rebuild leaf area. Spring drilling of cereals has been uninterrupted and well over 50% now established across the region. On those soils prone to capping, seedbeds are being left unrolled as an insurance should April turn wet.
BORDERS
The dry conditions have allowed great progress to be made across a range of spring field operations. Some growers have now completed spring drilling and are looking to return to fertiliser applications or foliar sprays for light leaf spot in rape or a tidy up weed control and growth regulator in cereals. The cool temperatures have held back growth stage progress and winter barley, oats and wheat remain at late tillering. Winter rye is at GS 30 and will soon be at GS31, oilseed rape continues to extend, and the first flowers are now starting to appear in some crops. With the mainly dry conditions disease levels remain low, however active yellow rust has been noted in some wheat on older leaves.
LANARKSHIRE
Recent weeks have seen dry sunny spells throughout Lanarkshire, the nights are still cold, often below freezing. Fertiliser is being spread on winter crops across the district as the soil begins the warm. Many farmers have been busy spreading dung and slurry, and cultivations are underway for spring crops going in the ground. Grass growth is still slow with many eager for a boost ahead of lambing.
AYRSHIRE
The average temperature has been significantly higher over the past fortnight with very little incidence of morning frost. The high over the two weeks was recorded at 17°C, the low was -4 °C, and the average was 6°C. Winter barley has finished tillering and entered stem extension with the number of tillers ranging from 3 to 7 tillers per plant. The winter barley observed is at the GS30 growth stage with stem elongation occurring but the first node not currently detectable. The colour throughout the crop is a deeper green, though not uniformly as there are still some slightly lighter areas visible in the field. The beginning of some disease is visible in the green leaves of the crop, but the incidence is low, around 2% of leaf area on leaves where present, and it is not present in every plant. The spring barley has yet to be established on the observation farm, but the plough is in today, so drilling is likely to be underway imminently.
Posted by SAC Consulting on 04/04/2025
