Crop development

This has been one of the best recent years for spring drilling; drilling of spring wheat, barley, and oats was completed during March and April. Challenges have been noted with spring oilseed rape drilling, and areas not yet planted are likely to be switched to other crops.

Overall disease pressure for all crops remains low. However, the dry conditions are beginning to affect crop development.

Some spring barley and spring oat crops also needed to be re-drilled in some areas. Meanwhile, winter oilseed rape has been replaced with spring linseed in some areas of severe pigeon damage.

From March to early April, conditions were dry, with UK average rainfall below the long-term average. Eastern England had just 6mm of rain in March, making it extremely dry.

By mid-April, rainfall returned although there were substantial regional differences with the South West experiencing higher levels, while the West Midlands saw comparatively little.

Prior to the mid-April rainfall crop growth had stalled. However, since the rain, crops that received rain have begun to develop. Some winter barley is now well ahead of its usual growth stage.

In the West Midlands, where following 10–20 mm of rainfall, nitrogen is now being taken up and crops are showing signs of recovery.

In the far north of North East England, conditions remain very dry with no recent rainfall and crops are showing signs of stress. In the East Midlands, barley has been irrigated where water resources are available. Parts of Scotland also received less than 10mm in April.

Meanwhile Northern Ireland has had a favourable spring so far, with approximately 60mm of rainfall recorded in the past 10 days.

It’s also worth noting that the withdrawal of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) in England to new applicants has led to an increase in the retention of very poor crops. These crops would otherwise have been taken out of production and the land entered into the scheme.

The information in this report was captured up to Monday 28 April 2025 for AHDB by RSK ADAS Ltd.

Crop condition definitions

Crop condition was assessed using the USDA approach. This classifies crops into one of five categories, from very poor through to excellent (see details below). The values are given as the percentage of the GB crop area for that crop that falls in each of the categories – regional condition scores are available on the crop reporting dashboard at the bottom of this page.

• Very Poor - Extreme degree of loss to yield potential, complete or near crop failure.
• Poor - Heavy degree of loss to yield potential, which can be caused by excess soil moisture, drought, disease, etc.
• Fair - Less than normal crop condition. Yield loss is a possibility, but the extent is unknown.
• Good - Yield prospects are normal. Moisture levels are adequate and disease, insect damage, and weed pressures are minor.
• Excellent - Yield prospects are above normal. Crops are experiencing little or no stress. Disease, insect damage, and weed pressures are insignificant.

Data on GB crop conditions captured up to Monday 28 April 2025.

Source: AHDB, data captured by RSK ADAS Ltd

Note: Figures may not sum to 100% due to rounding

Wheat

Winter wheat crops are picking up in regions that had rainfall. Overall pest and disease pressure is low with the exception of yellow rust where T0 fungicides were not applied. Growth stages typically range between GS31 and GS32.

At the end of April, 60% of the GB winter wheat crop is in excellent or good condition. This is down from 67% at the end of March but still well above the 45% reported a year ago (end-April 2024). But the proportion in excellent or good condition is still below the 88% recorded in April 2023 and 83% in April 2022.

Spring wheat drilling was completed in April, but dry weather has resulted in slow early development. Most growth stages currently range between GS20 and GS29.

Winter barley

Winter barley is developing rapidly, with flag leaves emerging when plants are still only around two feet tall. Growth stages typically range from GS33 to GS37.

An estimated 68% of winter barley crops are in good to excellent condition at the end of April, down slightly from 70% last month and notably below April 2023’s 90%. However, the rating is still well above the 56% a year ago.

Spring barley

While an estimated 1% of crops are still to emerge, 74% of crops were in good or excellent condition at the end of April. Comparisons to previous years are not meaningful due to the larger areas that were yet to be planted or emerge. Dry conditions are beginning to impact crop development. 

Oats

At the end of April, 72% of winter oats were in good to excellent condition, down only one percentage point from the end of March. It is also still well above last year’s 53%. While the proportion in good or excellent condition is below April 2022’s 85% or March 2023’s 81%, it’s by a smaller margin than other winter cereals. Growth stages are typically between GS31 and GS32.

Spring oats are growing well. Most crops (73%) are tillering, though there a few crops at GS30 and GS31.

Oilseed rape

Most winter oilseed rape crops have now reached the yellow bud stage and are starting to flower, with the most advanced already at mid-flowering. Crop condition is variable, but in general crops look very good in the absence of feeding damage. Overall, 59% of winter oilseed rape is in a good to excellent condition at the end of April, up slightly from 57% at end-March. This is also notably above the 47% seen at this point last year, but below the levels seen in April 2022 (70%) and April 2023 (66%).

For spring oilseed rape, most of the crop has only recently emerged, and there remains a notable proportion of crops still to be planted or emerge. There are reports of farmers substituting spring oilseed rape with spring linseed, and remaining unplanted areas are likely to be replaced with alternative spring crops.

• Use the drop down menu at the top of the first chart to view the crop conditions of a particular crop in each region.
  
  
• Use the drop down menus at the top of the second chart to view the percentage of a crop at each growth stage. The drop down menus can also be used to show the information for a particular region.

Next report scheduled for 30 May 2025.

A report is also planned for 27 June 2025 (subject to change).

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