Rain improves French wheat but lifts disease in UK

The condition of the French wheat crop, the European Union's largest, has continued to improve thanks to rains which, in the neighbouring UK, are encouraging the spread of fungal disease.

The proportion of the French soft wheat crop rated in "good" or "excellent" condition rose to 70% as of Monday, up one point on the week, official farm bureau FranceAgriMer said.

The figure continued a recovery from an early April low caused by dryness eased by the onset of rains, and was significantly higher than the 24% a year before, when French crops were damaged by prolonged drought.

The revival was mirrored in other crops too, with the proportion of winter barley rated good or excellent rising two points to 65%, and of spring barley by one point to 83%
For durum wheat, which was particularly badly hurt by the dryness earlier in the year, the proportion rated in the top two grades gained three points to 60%.

'Disease pressure is high'

The data follow a report, across the Channel, for the HGCA crop bureau showing that UK crops have "good yield potential".

However, "disease pressure is high", in part as a result of rains in April and early May which, although easing dryness concerns, encouraged some diseases while keeping sprayers from the field.

"The wet weather has encouraged the development of septoria in wheat, with the highest disease pressure for a number of years," the report, prepared by Adas, said.

Septoria is a fungal disease, characterised by leaf spots, which decreases yield in infected crops.

In rapeseed, the fungal disease of sclerotina has spread after rain meant fungicide applications were "either delayed or missed entirely, which may affect yield potential".

Black grass problems

The briefing also highlighted the spread of black grass in wheat fields, after the UK's dry autumn limited the effectiveness of pre-emergence herbicides.

"It is very clear the overall level of control is poor in 2012," Adas said.

"Where seed return is likely to be high, farmers are sacrificing the crop," with some fields already resown with spring crops.

"But more farmers have opted to spray off recently, with others contemplating taking crops for whole crop silage," so reducing the levels of black grass seed making it to maturity.