Teagasc is confirming that volunteer cereals are now coming through recently planted winter oilseed rape crops.

Appropriate weed control measures should, therefore, be taken.

A number of herbicide options are available to meet this requirement. Application rates should reflect the presence of other weed species, including the likes of sterile brome.

Growers should alternate products to avoid the development of resistance in certain grass weeds, according to Teagasc.

Slugs have also started to graze rape crops, so growers should keep an eye out for any damage.

Where issues are observed, a full rate application of approved slug pellets should be used.

Meanwhile, Teagasc tillage specialist, Shay Phelan has commented on the trends within the list of 2025/26 recommended cereal varieties.

Where winter oats are concerned, the list is the same as last year, with Husky, Enya and Isabel the three recommended varieties.

Phelan said: “All have pretty similar disease characteristics although Husky is a little bit more susceptible to crown rust that the other two, while the yield of Isabel is 5% behind the other two.

“Isabel, however has better straw characteristics, even though it is the tallest with Enya being the shortest."

The winter barley recommended list features three new, fully-recommended varieties: Integral, Orcade, and SY Canyon.

But there are no provisionally recommended varieties.

Phelan said: “Cassia is the oldest variety on the list, having first been listed in 2011, but will be only 1% of the seed this year.

“On the list, its yield is 94% but the one-year data for 2025 is closer to 90%. It really only is being grown for the toasting market as it has the best quality grain on the list.

Where winter wheat is concerned, there has been a lot of interest in the newer varieties this year as some of them have shown relatively good septoria scores in trials.

However, the big story from 2025 was the amount of yellow rust that showed up in crops this year.

There are 11 varieties on the list this year with four that are fully recommended: Fitzroy, Graham, KWS Dawsun, and Spearhead.

Seven varieties are provisionally recommended: Champion, Kubik, KWS Equipe, KWS Scope, LG Rebillion, NOS Bullseye, and RGT Hexton.

Graham, Champion, and Fitzroy will account for approximately 70% of the seed available.

Champion and Kubik score 107 for yield, while Dawsum is the lowest at 99.

However, Champion only scores a 5 for resistance to lodging alongside both Equipe and Spearhead, whereas Bullseye is the highest at 8.

Equipe and Rebellion are the earliest ripening varieties, while Fitzroy followed by Hexton are the slowest.