Farmers are now facing mounting concern over increasingly dry conditions that are beginning to hinder crop development, AHDB warns.
According to the Met Office, April delivered just 56% of the UK’s average rainfall, accompanied by temperatures significantly above seasonal norms.
While this warm, dry spell allowed for rapid progress in spring cereal drilling, it has left newly emerged crops — especially spring barley — showing early signs of stress.
Helen Plant, senior analyst for cereals at AHDB, highlighted the challenging conditions many are now facing.
She said: “While the dry conditions supported rapid spring sowing, the lack of follow-up rain is now putting pressure on crop development.
"We’ve seen variation across regions, with some areas benefitting from mid-April showers while others continue to struggle.
"This could affect yield potential if dry conditions continue in May.”
According to AHDB’s latest crop development report, winter cereal condition scores slipped in April.
The proportion of winter wheat rated in good or excellent condition dropped from 67% at the end of March to 60% by the end of April.
This still remains well above the 45% recorded at the same point in 2024.
Winter barley and oats also experienced slight declines, while winter oilseed rape showed modest improvement.
On the positive side, AHDB's analysis notes that disease pressure has been relatively low so far this season.
However, yellow rust is becoming more common in winter wheat, and there have been some reports of gout fly damage.
The prolonged dry spell has also complicated weed control in certain winter cereal crops.
Despite these emerging challenges, current indicators suggest that this year’s winter crops are performing better than last year’s.
Spring cereals, meanwhile, are showing early promise, but their long-term performance will depend heavily on rainfall and weather patterns in the coming weeks.
AHDB says it will continue to monitor crop conditions, with the next crop development update due on 30 May.
