Crop Health

Pests are beginning to appear on strawberries.  Aphids have already been seen on strawberries outdoors and in polytunnels. Crops should be checked for pests and any treatments applied before flowering. …

Egg-laying by cabbage root fly is now underway and will be exacerbated by the warm sunny weather, so any uncovered crops will be at risk. With the removal of chlorpyrifos…

Spring sown crops should be checked for pea and bean weevil damage. The damage is very distinctive – notches eaten out of the sides of leaves.  If the growing points…

Researchers from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) have joined scientists across Europe to study factors affecting the yield of beans in a new project called LegumeGap. They will look at the…

Potential virus-vector aphids are already flying into crops in England, and the warm sunny weather in Scotland will likely lead to flights into Scottish crops imminently. Detailed guidance on the…

With most crops now at early flowering the risk from pollen beetle is over, as they can access the pollen they crave. The pest to be concerned about now is…

Sclerotinia risk is low as spores have yet to be detected, plus humidity and temperature criteria risks are still low – they have only exceeded the 21 hour threshold in…

Monitor Winter Barley growth rates to ensure disease control is timely. SRUC‘s Crop Clinic ‘Adopt a Crop’ monitoring data for early May is shown in the table below.  The data…

Annual meadow-grass is not particularly competitive in spring barley, but it can be a serious nuisance at harvest, particularly in a wet harvest. Also, it can produce as many as…

Look for aphids on emerging shoots as they could be walking onto the crop from volunteers and grasses and some aphids have already been flying around this spring. An aphicide…