UK: Pre-winter barley growth in North Yorkshire and Scotland has exceeded that of the south this year, with green area and biomass twice the size of their southern counterparts. Mild weather and mid-September sowing meant that crops at Aberdeen, Edinburgh and High Mowthorpe in North Yorkshire reached a green area of index of 1.85 by mid-December, according to data from the HGCA Winter Barley Reference Crop project.

In previous years, this level has not been reached before the second half of April. “Over the past two years barley crops in the south have shown strong pre-winter growth, whilst those in north England and Scotland have been more backward. This year we are seeing the opposite,” said ADAS’s Jonathan Blake, who is leading the project. “Germination and early plant growth in the south were far from ideal this season, whereas further north soil moisture was more favourable, improving growing conditions.”
Further south at sites in Nottingham, Kings Lynn and Herefordshire, crops have struggled with the dry conditions that have hindered emergence.

“At ADAS Rosemaund in Herefordshire, even though the crop was sown on the 19th September, establishment was not complete until early November,” said Mr Blake. “Interestingly, although establishment was protracted, 79% of seeds sown still emerged, only 2% less than that achieved in 2001 and 8% less than in 2002.”

Despite good subsequent growth, the Rosemaund site only reached a green area index of 0.7 by mid-December, compared to 0.8 at Aberdeen and 1.9 at Edinburgh.

13 January, 2004