Written by Charlotte Cunningham
Cereal growers are being urged to spray off patches infested with blackgrass now, before more plants set viable seed, according to the latest advice from Syngenta. Charlotte Cunningham reports. The stress of hot dry weather has brought forward blackgrass seed maturity, with viability set to accelerate over the next few weeks. Viability testing of blackgrass seed heads from the Syngenta Barton Black-grass Innovation Centre, near Cambs, has shown up to 23% of seed is already viable in some heads, with an overall average of 7%. Some heads, however, have yet to show any viable seeds. Patches of heavy black-grass infestation mapped for burning out with glyphosate need to be targeted quickly, according to ADAS grassweed specialist, Dr Sarah Cook. “Continued hot dry weather means we expect to see the results from viability testing accelerating. With the range of viability we’ve seen, growers can still have a beneficial effect, but don’t leave it too late.” She believes that viability testing of the Barton blackgrass population gives a good indication of the situation across the eastern counties. The early timing of blackgrass seed viability this season is also expected to have an impact on subsequent seed dormancy, warns Syngenta technical manager, Georgina…
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