Grass weed management is fast rising up the list of priorities for Irish tillage farmers. This is an issue that can significantly rob yields across all grain production enterprises.
Unlike issues such as the weather and international grain prices, the control of bromes, wild oats, Italian ryegrass and blackgrass is totally within the grasp of all growers.
Teagasc’s John Mahon has been involved in the Enable Conservation Tillage project for the past number of years.
Courtesy of this initiative, an overview was taken of the impact made by a range of grass weeds within Irish tillage systems.
Mahon said: “We looked at a number of weed types, including sterile bromes, canary grass, wild oats, blackgrass, Italian ryegrass and latterly in the project, rat’s tail fescue.
“We even had some samples of herbicide-resistant annual meadow grass presented to us. All of these weeds are problematic, but wild oats and sterile bromes are present on most farms.
“We have control options for these weeds, however, the likes of blackgrass and Italian ryegrass, problems can escalate very quickly.”
Mahon made these comments courtesy of his contribution to the most recent Tillage Edge podcast.
“For years, we have solely relied on chemical control, when it comes to dealing with grass weed problems in Ireland.
“But this situation is changing. Herbicide resistance has become an issue. And we are also losing a number of chemistries that were a mainstay of weed control policies up to this point,” he added.
Grass weed management
According to Mahon, the growing use of minimum disturbance crop establishment systems has allowed the challenge posed by pace of grass weeds to accelerate.
“There is also a need for farmers to better recognise these more problematic weeds at an earlier stage of growth,” he said.
Teagasc trials are confirming that counties Wexford, Kildare and Kilkenny are hot spots for wild oats, especially resistant forms of the weed.
Meanwhile, counties Meath, Kildare and Dublin are hot spots for blackgrass and Italian ryegrass, which are classified as invasive weed species within Irish tillage systems.
However, there are strong indications that the geographic footprint of these weeds is spreading throughout all tillage counties.