- The relentless battle against black-grass continues, with growers gearing up for another season. Dr. Sarah Cook, ADAS Senior Research Consultant, and Daniel King, a farmer from Bourne, South Lincolnshire, share their observations and strategies for tackling this persistent weed
“As well as reports of high black-grass pressure and some growers struggling with poor control, resistance testing for black-grass has been on the rise this year,” says Sarah. She emphasises the importance of resistance testing, noting, “While we’ve been communicating the benefits of testing, and awareness is increasing, it’s more likely that this increase is due to the persistence of the challenge and the fact that resistance doesn’t decrease.”
One of the issues growers face is the unpredictable autumn weather in recent years, which has reduced the efficacy of stale seedbeds, and hindered the performance of residual herbicides.
“There seems to be a resurgence in ploughing, which if done correctly, can be a very effective tool for burying weed seeds to a depth where they can’t germinate,” notes Sarah. “Poor ploughing, however, can have the opposite effect, mixing viable seed through the soil profile, making it harder to deal with.”
In response to the increasing interest in soil health and the challenges faced by traditional break crops, Sarah observes that many growers are looking at how they might diversify crop rotations and are increasingly using cover crops. These techniques not only enhance soil health, according to Sarah, but also disrupt continuous autumn drilling, which can contribute to better black-grass control.
“As a business, we can’t keep bailing out the break crops with the main crops; it’s not sustainable,” explains Lincolnshire grower, Daniel King.
Daniel farms 740 ha in South Lincolnshire. Historically the farm had high black-grass pressure but judicious use of cultural and chemical controls has brought populations back under control.
“For me, grass weed control last year was good. Luximo has done a cracking job and while fields aren’t completely ‘clean,’ the pressure has been massively reduced.”
Daniel’s optimism for the season ahead is driven by favorable weather conditions, saying: “We’ve had a lot of rain this year, so by the time we come to drill, I hope we’ll have had a good flush of weeds.”
Both Sarah and Daniel agree that a combination of integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and effective use of herbicides are key to the long-term control of black-grass.
“It’s good to see growers using Luximo in programmes as part of stacks and sequences. Like other herbicides,” says Sarah. “It’s most effective when applied early to target young and vulnerable weeds. However, it’s important to remember that herbicides alone aren’t the ultimate solution; a comprehensive IPM approach remains critical.”
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