The long, hot summer makes it easy to forget just how harsh winter can be for autumn-sown cereal crops.

More than £3m has been awarded to encourage planting of the perennial bioenergy crop miscanthus – and help the UK meet net zero targets.

Larger seeds result in crops with significantly higher vigour, better emergence, taller plants and stronger roots, says a study.

Patience is a virtue when drilling rape, says Liam Wilkinson, arable development officer for Limagrain UK

Oilseed rape seeds need to take up 40% of their own weight in moisture before germination begins. There is then a second moisture requirement to allow the seed to produce an embryonic root.

Growers who held off planting oilseed rape last month can still expect decent yields – even if they delay drilling until mid-September, say agronomists.