Blackgrass: a UK expert’s view to controlling the problem

Dr Sarah Cook, a weed expert in ADAS in the UK joined Michael Hennessy on this week’s Tillage Edge podcast to discuss blackgrass and best ways to control the weed by exploiting the weed’s weaknesses.

She highlighted some simple cultural control methods like ploughing, later sowing and competitive crops that will help with control.

Sarah said blackgrass can develop herbicide resistance quickly as it cross-pollinates and pointed to the fact the weed developed resistance to Atlantis (or Pacifica) within three years of its introduction in the UK.

She emphasised how important it is for farmers not to ignore the problem and deal with it when there are only a few plants in a field by hand rougeing as this will save your farm a lot of money in the long term.

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