"Delayed drilling with stale seed beds"

Angus Stuart 

Farmer

"Our most effective ICM method of reducing grass weeds in cereals over the years has been delayed sowing.

The other key factor we`ve found is to ensure herbicides are applied only when the soil is moist."

Robert Davidson

Brickhouse Farm

"Spring barley! Plough

Avoid early drilled minimal cult cereals without break crops.

Guaranteed resistant blackgrass within four years especially if single sites herbicides are in the mix just to aid selection"

Lindsay Currie

"Thinking back to last autumn there is a huge temptation to drill early this year. 

In general, drilling such fields in September or early October will lead to uncontrollable black-grass and a failed crop.

Can wholecrop wheat help to reduce black-grass?  It does provide a source of forage and some financial return from the land; the ensiling process and heating up in manure reducing the viability of any seed.

Some fields (this one in the photo) were NOT sown to wheat and the black-grass was allowed to grow.  It was mown in May and the resultant crop removed for forage.  Next it will receive a non selective herbicide and after that?

The point to remember?  Where you have a field where blackgrass herbicides will cost you in excess of £100.00 per ha your average percent control can be under 30% (according to NIAB / TAG trials from the 19/20 crop!)

Think carefully about all aspects of Integrated Crop Management if you want to win the battle against black-grass."

Philip Laughton

Revive Agronomy

"Well timed pre AND peri emergence residual herbicide applications at robust rates to fine, firm seedbeds.

That’s my no1 agenda item but the list goes on with other important components like later drill date and appropriate rates of glyphosate to give a properly clean start."

Ken Giles

Procam Agronomist

"I was going to say delayed drilling, but after last autumn, that may not be a popular option this year! I think the next best thing is to try and drill with low disturbance, so less black-grass is stimulated to emerge at the same time as the crop. If you need to cultivate ground in front of the drill, aim to do this either well in advance of drilling (as in a stale seedbed) or just in front of the drill. Above all, make sure that it goes in well!"

Ben Burrows 

Crop Management Partners 

"Above is two photo’s of the same field. This field was where the black-grass trial was going to happen! The first is of the field in autumn 2019 after OSR going in to WW we had cultivated and left a stale seedbed and then the rains came. The second photo is today, we left the field over winter with the black-grass acting as a cover crop then applied two doses on roundup before direct drilling on the 9^th April.

This to me confirms that  spring cropping has to be a major factor in dealing with black-grass."

Alan Clifton-Holt

A A Clifton Ltd

"Late drilling controls black-grass"

Rob Maltby 

C W, D M & R C Maltby

"Late drilling"

Philip Meadley

Farmer

"2 years Spring cropping"

Wendy McKay 

Agricultural Trials Services

"The most important ICM control for black-grass control I do is Spring cropping"

Rob Evans

Roger Evans Ltd

"Delayed drilling!"

Pete Shippey

S.Shippey & Sons

"Delayed drilling allowing multiple flushes of grass weeds too emerge prior to drilling which can be controlled before the crop is planted"

Will Hammond

Chemiculture

"Stale seed beds, spring cropping and patch spraying of problematic areas"

Rob Ramsay 

Farmer

"Rotation including spring crops"

Peter Burchnall 

Farm Owner