There has been a small area drilled with spring barley so far, Teagasc has reported in its spring crops update.

However, it says that soils are quite wet and there is no point in risking poor establishment, rooting and so forth, just to meet a calendar date. So it advises to wait until soils are right.

It recommends increasing the seed rate as you drill into April and consider other crops like rape, beet or maize as feed cereal margins are predicted to be lower than 2015.

When it comes to fertiliser application for spring cereals, Teagasc advises these five key points:

On a separate note, it advises that March-sown crops will not need an aphicide, except in areas with a history of BYDV or near the coast.

April/May-sown crops should receive an aphicide at the 3-4 leaf stage for optimum effect, according to Teagasc.

It recommends using full label rates to get best control but monitor after spraying to assess for resistant aphids and monitor crops for slugs and leatherjackets.