Crop development

Updated 29 May 2026

May stayed cooler than the long-term average across all regions until the third week. Rainfall was similarly subdued for the first half of the month, before a shift to much wetter conditions in week three, when every region saw above-average totals ranging from 30 mm to over 80 mm. Even with this late surge in rainfall, some areas, especially those with lighter soils, remain moisture limited.

Overall, crops are growing well, with late May rainfall aiding recovery after the earlier dry weather, although more will be needed to sustain crops through to harvest. Where sufficient rainfall occurred, crops have recovered, but some still lack biomass and tiller development.

Recent high temperatures (30°C+) have increased crop stress, with visible leaf rolling in wheat crops, indicating benefits from recent rainfall may be short-lived.

Oilseed rape (OSR) has generally fared better than winter cereal crops, and within the cereals, winter oats seem to be holding up better than wheat and barley. The weather negatively impacted early spring crop development. Crops in England are generally worse affected than those in the other nations of the UK.

Disease levels are generally low, but yellow rust remains a concern, particularly where spray timings were missed or applications didn’t achieve sufficient control. Septoria risk is declining due to dry weather.

Aphids are emerging as a key concern in several regions, with the potential to move into ears. Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) is present, but it is generally at low to moderate levels so far.

Fungicide programmes have generally been maintained based on crop risk rather than cost pressures, although the prolonged dry spell has reduced septoria pressure, enabling reductions in some T2 applications. Where growers are reducing inputs, this is being driven more by crop potential than by fuel or input costs.

Meanwhile, some growers are avoiding insecticides due to environmental scheme requirements.

Moisture availability is expected to be the main limiting factor across most of the UK. Rainfall in the next 2-3 weeks will be critical in determining crop yields.

The information in this report was captured up to Monday 25 May 2026 for AHDB by RSK ADAS Ltd.

The latest data on UK crop conditions was captured up to Monday 25 May 2026, and is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. UK crop condition ratings (May 2026)

Source: AHDB, data captured by RSK ADAS Ltd.

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

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 UK 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

Highlights by crop

Winter wheat

64% of winter wheat crops across the UK are in a good or excellent condition. This is down from the 75% rated good or excellent at the end of April and 82% at the end of March, showing the impact of the dry weather this spring. The latest rating is still well above both this time last year (36%) and May 2024 (55%).

Winter barley

Across the UK, 62% of the winter barley crop is rated as in good or excellent condition, down from 70% a month ago and 85% at the end of March. It is still above the 48% of winter barley with this rating a year ago. But it is now in line with the 62% reported in late May 2024.

Winter oats

71% of the UK winter oat crop is rated as good-to-excellent, down from 81% in late April but still well above the 52% at this point a year ago.

Winter oilseed rape

Nationwide, 78% of winter oilseed rape crops are in good or excellent condition. This is down slightly from the 84% reported last month but is still notably above last year, when 52% of winter oilseed rape was in good-to-excellent condition.

Spring wheat

Just 35% of spring wheat crops are in good or excellent condition nationwide, notably below the 50% at this time last year.

Spring barley

Across the UK, 57% of spring barley crops are in good or excellent condition. This is slightly above last May (54%) and May 2024 (55%), but it is well below the 73% in late May 2023. In Scotland, spring barley is performing well due to good establishment.

Spring oats

55% of spring oats nationwide are in good or excellent condition as of late May. This is above the 42% of spring oats in good to excellent condition reported a year ago, but below the 73% at this stage in 2024.

This interactive tool helps show the condition and growth stages of different crops across the UK. The top chart is split into regions and uses colours to show different crop conditions. You can use the bottom chart to see the growth stages of cereals or oilseeds.

How to use the dashboard

• 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

The final report on the 2026 crops is planned for 26 June 2026.

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