Over the last number of years, we have been reporting on grass weeds in tillage. We have heard how cases are increasing and how plants are developing resistance to different herbicides.
The threat of grass weeds, their identification and control are always being written and talked about. Being honest, this can all get a little boring and maybe in some cases we have stopped taking notice.
However, having visited some farms in England last week with Italian ryegrass and blackgrass problems, grass weeds became far from boring. The reality of how bad these weeds can become was clear. Fields were being taken over.
As someone who writes about grass weed control all the time and knows the seriousness of these weeds on farms, I was shocked at what I saw in front of me.
Yes, we all hear the herbicides won’t control it and we hear fields become unviable with grass weed infestations, but do we really pay attention or believe it?
Last week I saw how bad these infestations can become and how the control is costly and limited. Italian ryegrass had taken over winter wheat. Where no action was taken it looked like a crop of silage knocked down by rain.
Italian ryegrass had taken over this winter wheat crop.
We saw both blackgrass and Italian ryegrass trials, examining herbicide control methods. Where a herbicide had been applied the weed was still thriving, where four herbicides had been applied it was flying, plants were sticking their many heads proudly above the crop. After spending £180/ha (€211/ha) on control there were still grasses visible all across the crop canopy.
It was clear that even using the newest herbicides available that these weeds cannot be fully controlled.
There is a perception that once some of the herbicides that are available in England get registered here the grass weed problem will go away, that the answer is in a can. It’s not.
The number of plants established was significantly reduced by ploughing and by delayed drilling, either into October for a winter crop or where populations are high into a spring crop. This is a key tool in reducing numbers in fields.
We have heard all of this advice before, along with using break crops for alternative herbicide options. After this, the plants that are still uncontrolled and left in the fields need to be rogued. With one plant of blackgrass having 6,000 seeds, leaving it to go to seed is not an option. The problem will be back next year if it is not picked and the problem will be out of control in the second or third year.
The advice on grass weed prevention and control needs to be listened to and implemented.
The winter wheat crop could not be seen among the Italian ryegrass in this untreated plot which looked like a crop of silage.
Last week was probably the ideal time to see these crops at their worst. The grasses were flowering.
In a short time, the crops which have populations that are too high will be whole cropped for silage before they go to seed.
At €185/t for spring barley or €195/t of winter wheat no Irish farmer can afford to allow these weeds to infest their farm.
That tonne of wheat won’t even cover the costs of the herbicides.
Interesting fact
This year’s Cereals event was held on Andrew Ward’s farm in Lincolnshire. Ward produces farm updates on his YouTube channel, WardysWaffle. He has moved to using one pre-emergence herbicide and then rogueing the blackgrass out of the crops. He employs a large team of people to rogue blackgrass from his crops. Using his worst field as an example, in 2024 he paid £17.22/hr/person. The field took 67 hours of labour to rogue. On this 13ha field it cost £1,153 in total £83.75/ha or £35.50/ac. The field had also received a pre-emergence herbicide costing £45/ha, or £18.20/ac. He explained that his other fields will be cheaper as they have lower levels of the weed. He commented that you could spend up to £250/ha if you are relying on herbicides only to control the weed. That spend may only result in 30-40% control depending on the volume of plants and herbicide resistance issues.
Over the last number of years, we have been reporting on grass weeds in tillage. We have heard how cases are increasing and how plants are developing resistance to different herbicides.
The threat of grass weeds, their identification and control are always being written and talked about. Being honest, this can all get a little boring and maybe in some cases we have stopped taking notice.
However, having visited some farms in England last week with Italian ryegrass and blackgrass problems, grass weeds became far from boring. The reality of how bad these weeds can become was clear. Fields were being taken over.
As someone who writes about grass weed control all the time and knows the seriousness of these weeds on farms, I was shocked at what I saw in front of me.
Yes, we all hear the herbicides won’t control it and we hear fields become unviable with grass weed infestations, but do we really pay attention or believe it?
Last week I saw how bad these infestations can become and how the control is costly and limited. Italian ryegrass had taken over winter wheat. Where no action was taken it looked like a crop of silage knocked down by rain.
Italian ryegrass had taken over this winter wheat crop.
We saw both blackgrass and Italian ryegrass trials, examining herbicide control methods. Where a herbicide had been applied the weed was still thriving, where four herbicides had been applied it was flying, plants were sticking their many heads proudly above the crop. After spending £180/ha (€211/ha) on control there were still grasses visible all across the crop canopy.
It was clear that even using the newest herbicides available that these weeds cannot be fully controlled.
There is a perception that once some of the herbicides that are available in England get registered here the grass weed problem will go away, that the answer is in a can. It’s not.
The number of plants established was significantly reduced by ploughing and by delayed drilling, either into October for a winter crop or where populations are high into a spring crop. This is a key tool in reducing numbers in fields.
We have heard all of this advice before, along with using break crops for alternative herbicide options. After this, the plants that are still uncontrolled and left in the fields need to be rogued. With one plant of blackgrass having 6,000 seeds, leaving it to go to seed is not an option. The problem will be back next year if it is not picked and the problem will be out of control in the second or third year.
The advice on grass weed prevention and control needs to be listened to and implemented.
The winter wheat crop could not be seen among the Italian ryegrass in this untreated plot which looked like a crop of silage.
Last week was probably the ideal time to see these crops at their worst. The grasses were flowering.
In a short time, the crops which have populations that are too high will be whole cropped for silage before they go to seed.
At €185/t for spring barley or €195/t of winter wheat no Irish farmer can afford to allow these weeds to infest their farm.
That tonne of wheat won’t even cover the costs of the herbicides.
Interesting fact
This year’s Cereals event was held on Andrew Ward’s farm in Lincolnshire. Ward produces farm updates on his YouTube channel, WardysWaffle. He has moved to using one pre-emergence herbicide and then rogueing the blackgrass out of the crops. He employs a large team of people to rogue blackgrass from his crops. Using his worst field as an example, in 2024 he paid £17.22/hr/person. The field took 67 hours of labour to rogue. On this 13ha field it cost £1,153 in total £83.75/ha or £35.50/ac. The field had also received a pre-emergence herbicide costing £45/ha, or £18.20/ac. He explained that his other fields will be cheaper as they have lower levels of the weed. He commented that you could spend up to £250/ha if you are relying on herbicides only to control the weed. That spend may only result in 30-40% control depending on the volume of plants and herbicide resistance issues.
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