Why tailoring blackgrass plans to dormancy works

摘要

Trials being earned out at a blackgrass research site in Cambridgeshire show that farmers can gain extra control of blackgrass with their integrated approach by taking seed dormancy results into account.That's because blackgrass seed dormancy can vary widely between years and the resulting differences in emergence mean growers may need to tailor their cultural and herbicide strategy according to the season.Dormancy is a natural adaptation that helps ensure seeds germinate when conditions are suitable, explains Tom Holloway, a Syngenta weed scientist based at Jealott's Hill International Research Station in Berkshire.It is largely determined by the conditions when the blackgrass plant is flowering, with hot, dry conditions resulting in low dormancy and cool conditions leading to high dormancy (see "What is dormancy?"). This tends to be in mid-June.