Beating barley grass despite resistance and dormancy challenges
April 28, 2023
Once upon a time, barley grass germinated on the opening winter rains, and if you had a problem in a break crop or pasture, a splash of Fop herbicide would be the answer to your problems.
Now, we are faced with more dormant barley grass with staggered germinations, and we’re starting to see resistance to herbicides that once worked.
Resistance is rare, but on the rise. We can beat it with 3-4 years of seed set control, using break crops and agronomic systems that include early and late season weed control, along with careful herbicide choice, but it requires more consideration than it did in the past.
Catherine Borger (DPIRD), Ben Whisson (ConsultAg) and Peter Newman (WeedSmart) discussed these new challenges, and some research and observations about how we will manage barley grass into the future.
Topics covered include:
- The problem with barley grass
- Resistance testing
- Management – some examples
- MIG – Break crops
- KDG – Pasture manipulation
- FACEY/WANTFA – Crop competition
- LIFT – Delayed seeding
- SEPWA – Soil constraints
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