The more-than significant challenge of grass weeds on Irish tillage farms – many of which are resistant to multiple herbicides – has been confirmed by Teagasc’s ongoing Enable Conservation Tillage (ECT) project.
But, the good news is that management changes can make a real and positive difference when it comes to dealing with these problems.
Grass weeds – the main ones
Canary Grass, Sterile Brome and Resistant Wild Oats are the three main grass weeds that have come to the fore on the Co. Wexford farm of Simon Neville.
His operation was featured on this morning’s (Tuesday, June 8) Teagasc ECT webinar, which also featured a commentary by tillage specialist, Jimmy Staples.
Significantly, the specific work carried out under the auspices of ECT on the Neville farm has confirmed that Canary Grass will germinate from August through until the following spring months.
“Up to this point, it was thought that Canary Grass was a spring germinating weed only,” Jimmy explained.
Diversify
He said that heavy infestations of Sterile Brome had made winter barley an almost impossible crop to grow, adding:
“There are also pockets of herbicide-resistant wild oats on the farm.”
According to Staples, the only answer to grass weed infestations of this nature is to significantly diversify the rotations followed on affected farms.
He added: “Getting a better balance between spring and winter crops is now crucially important when it comes to dealing with grass weed problems.
“This approach allows farmers to use a wider range of herbicides. But it also allows farmers to make better use of their time while also making tillage farming operations less dependent on a single-crop option.”
Jimmy cited the specific benefits of including winter oilseed rape and spring beans within a tillage rotation.
Prior to joining the ECT programme, spring barley was, by far, the most important crop grown on the Neville farm.
Recent years have seen a switch to a more balanced mix of spring and winter crops with winter oilseed rape delivering the highest returns in 2020.
The ECT programme was established by Teagasc in 2018. It is being used to capture farmer knowledge locally using 10 focus farms. These are strategically located across Ireland’s main tillage areas.
The focus farms are being used as communication platforms to convey advice and the latest thinking on how Irish tillage farmers can best develop a sustainable future for their businesses.
Addressing the challenge posed by resistant grass weeds was one of the priorities set for the ECT programme.
Early intervention
“Resistant grass weeds are becoming a significant challenge of Irish tillage farms,” Jimmy said.
“Growers who believe that they have a problem in this regard, should seek advice as quickly as possible.
“Early intervention is critically important, when it comes to tackling these issues,” Jimmy concluded.