Effective grass-weed control is essential for growing profitable cereal crops. The frequency of cereals in the rotation and the biological similarities between the crop and the weed, they are both grasses, mean that long-term control requires an integrated approach using cultural and chemical controls.
Integrated Weed Management (IWM) aims for sustainable control and management of weeds using methods designed to complement each other. It involves physical, chemical and biological methods of control without excessive reliance on any one technique. The purpose of IWM is to reduce weed pressure and keep weeds at low levels. The desired outcome is to put weeds off balance making it easier for a herbicide to do its job — which is to protect the yield potential of a crop.
Suppress weed growth and biomass accumulation to limit their ability to decrease yield
Minimise weed seed production to limit the return of seeds into the soil seed bank
Deplete weed seed reserves in the soil to minimise germination in subsequent years
Prevent or reduce the spread of weeds to keep problems away from non-problem areas
Not relying on a limited number of herbicides is an important part of IWM. There are a wide range of actives available to control weeds in winter wheat and barley crops. Actives belong to different HRAC Mode of Action Groups, for example aclonifen is in Group 32 and flufenacet in Group 15. Making use of this diversity can improve immediate levels of weed control and help prevent resistance, preserving efficacy for future seasons.
In 2023, Bayer surveyed over 200 farmers and agronomists to understand more about their knowledge and use of mode of action diversity. Read the results here.
Take a field-by-field approach to choose the best herbicide option. Factor in weed spectrum and numbers, resistance status, weather conditions and rotation when building your herbicide programme. Bayer offers a range of herbicides with varied modes of action helping you achieve good results in the field.
The long-standing benchmark for pre-em herbicides containing a combination of flufenacet and diflufenican. Still packs enough punch to deal with less serious weed problems by itself, combine it with Proclus, prosulfocarb or pendimethalin to get control in more difficult situations.
