Crop development

Updated 1 May 2026

Temperatures were generally mild in April, but there was marked regional variation in rainfall. Rainfall levels in the coming weeks will be important to how both winter and spring crops develop.

National crop condition scores show declines compared to late March for winter wheat and winter barley, and to a lesser extent, winter oats. Winter oilseed rape (OSR) crops are generally maintaining their condition.

Dry conditions are of concern across much of England.

The lack of rainfall is the main concern in Eastern England, with moisture stress exacerbated by an extended period of drying winds. These dry conditions are limiting both crop growth and nitrogen uptake.

Wales, Northern Ireland, and parts of the West Midlands received more rainfall during the spring so far; however, soils are now drying rapidly.

Scotland has not yet experienced the same dry weather impacts as England, largely due to higher winter rainfall.

Cooler nights and light frosts were widely reported, but with little direct crop damage. Moisture stress is having a greater overall impact than lower nighttime temperatures.

Disease pressure is variable, influenced by weather conditions and crop variety. Septoria remains the main concern in wheat. Wheat Dwarf Virus (WDV) is also becoming widespread across the East Midlands and the Eastern region.

Meanwhile, the dry weather helped drilling progress and spring crops are nearly all in the ground. However, spring crop establishment is highly variable and patchy due to dry seedbeds, with variability in development too.

The information in this report was captured up to Monday 27 April 2026 for AHDB by RSK ADAS Ltd.

The latest data on UK crop conditions was captured up to Monday 27 April 2026, and is shown in Table 1.

Table 1. UK crop condition ratings (April 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

Across the UK, 75% of winter wheat crops are in a good or excellent condition. This is down from the 82% rated good or excellent at the end of March, but still well above the 60% in April last year. It is also the highest score for April since 2023 (88%).

Winter barley

70% of the UK winter barley crop is rated as in a good or excellent condition, down from 85% a month ago. It is only slightly above the 68% with this rating a year ago. And, like wheat, crop conditions vary across the country.

Winter oats

Overall crop condition is good. 81% of the UK winter oat crop is rated as good-to-excellent, down from 88% in late-March but still notably above the 72% at this point a year ago.

Winter oilseed rape

Yield potential of winter oilseed rape crops is still good, with the proportion of crops rated good-to-excellent unchanged from last month at 84%. This is also notably above last year, when 59% of winter oilseed rape was in good-to-excellent condition.

Spring crops

Drilling is largely complete nationwide. Across the UK, just 1% of spring wheat, 3% of spring barley and 4% of spring oat crops are yet to be planted or emerge. 

The establishment of all crops has been slow and uneven due to dry soil conditions in many areas of the UK.

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

Future reports are planned for 29 May and 26 June 2026.

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