Growers have been urged to watch out for willowherb and take steps to tackle the weed in cereal crops this spring.
Mathew Hutchings, senior commercial technical manager at FMC, says failure to address this issue early in the spring could result in costly yield losses at harvest. “Willowherb has become more prevalent in recent years, most likely due to the shift towards minimal tillage or no-till methods. These practices help soil structure, but they also provide an environment where certain weeds, including willowherb, can thrive.”
Mr Hutchings says the absence of deep soil cultivations allows perennial weeds like willowherb to spread and establish roots deep in the soil. “Changes to crop rotation patterns may have also caused the spike in willowherb being identified by agronomists,” he says.
He also feels the lack of options for control in some crops, especially those that are less competitive, has allowed willowherb to spread and become more prevalent.
Managing willowherb
Mr Hutchings says the waxy coating on willowherb leaves acts as a natural barrier that can prevent some herbicides such as glyphosate from being absorbed effectively by the plant.
He consider the most effective way of tackling willowherb, and other broadleaf weeds this spring, will be to use sulfonylurea herbicides (SU) with the active ingredients metsulfuron and tribenuron. “Using an SU such as Ally Max SX will tackle the weed by quickly slowing down the rate of growth, before they become competitive.
“SUs have been a key component of the arable toolbox for 40 years and to this day they continue to prove themselves on-farm. The enhanced spectrum of weed control they offer for spring cereal crops is invaluable and they should continue to be used even when new weed challenges appear.”
