Barley grass control in a pasture-wheat-pasture rotation

Barley grass is becoming an increasingly problematic weed in Western Australia. A GRDC funded project sought to increase the adoption of integrated weed management tactics for barley grass, by working with grower groups to develop regionally appropriate rotations for optimal control.A survey indicated that in the central-eastern wheatbelt, barley grass is mainly an issue in pasture. While barley grass also grows in crops, it is rarely the most prominent cropping weed. The KDG group aimed to investigate grass selective herbicides and late-season control in pasture, and pre-emergent herbicides in-crop, to find the best combination of practices that would control barley grass while also removing other grass weed species in a three-year rotation.The trial aimed to investigate Group 1 herbicides and spray topping in 2019, pre-emergent herbicides and knockdowns in 2020 and Group 2 herbicides and spray topping in 2021.