How spring cropping can help with black-grass management

Although spring cropping isn’t necessarily the most profitable or favoured way to grow crops, allowing a one or two-year break in winter cropping can significantly reduce black-grass weed burden.

Winter crops will normally yield higher, but spring crops will spread workload and help reduce weed numbers significantly, offering long-term gains.

Spring cropping offers the option of controlling black-grass plants prior to crop establishment through stale seedbeds and targeted control of bad patches if required. Spring-sown crops typically see 80% more control of black-grass than in fields that are autumn drilled, due to the fact the vast majority of black-grass plants germinate between August and October.

In cases where spring crops cannot be grown, delayed drilling is recommended. Crops drilled in mid-October rather than September can offer 30% better control of black-grass, and many emerging plants can be destroyed prior to drilling.

While spring crops typically yield lower than winter-sown crops, black-grass is the most threatening weed to crop yield, and in the worst cases, up to 50% of the crop can be lost.

Looked at across the rotation, spring cropping helps reduce weed numbers and supports yield in future seasons, so the yield drop from a spring crop may be less of a concern.

Watch our video below to find out which spring crops are best for black-grass control

If you have any questions, please contact your local CTM or Tweet @Bayer4CropsUK.