Crop prospects grow brighter

While it might be early days to be making harvest estimates – and despite reports of disappointing yields in some of the earlier areas of England where harvest is already under way – a more favourable picture has been painted of the prospects for the Scottish harvest.

A report released this week by the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) said that, with a favourable growing season, Scottish combinable crops looked set to return to a more “normal” yield range after last year’s dip in production. Following a visit to a unit in Fife to see how crops were progressing on this side of the Border, the organisation said that despite some risk of lodging due to the current wet weather and the thunderstorms forecast, a return to brighter skies was likely to put yields in a good position to increase back to average levels after the drought affected harvests of 2018.

On wheat, the organisation said that while some varieties had been susceptible to yellow rust and septoria, overall crops were looking good. Early stages of grain fill had begun and if crops weren’t harmed by storms this week, they predicted average wheat yields in the range of 8.08.5t/ha. Similarly, good conditions for development of the barley crop saw estimates pitched at over 5.5t/ha for spring varieties and over 7.5t/ha for winter barleys.

Oats also looked good, although there were some areas of inconsistent growth causing height issues which could be subject to lodging. The report said that oat crops were looking “robust” in Scotland, having been clean from most disease issues and predicted average yields of just under 6t/ha.