Should growers return to fallowing for weed control?

摘要

Is fallowing a realistic option where blackgrass is out of control? Is fallowing a workable solution on farms where black-grass or other grassweeds are getting out of hand? Is it even worthwhile considering where such weeds are currently reasonably controlled? It sounds an extreme option, but with fewer herbicides available and increasing resistance to those left, there is a growing awareness among growers of the need to maximise control by non-chemical methods, says Stephen Moss, a weed scientist atRothamsted Research. "An increasing number of growers are considering it, and some are even doing it."