That was the message to farmers from Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) agronomist Richard Chynoweth at the FAR crop expo in Canterbury.
“It’s time to accept it.
“It is quite astounding and becoming more noticeable now with the move away from intensive cultivation and into no tillage.
“Don’t sell the mouldboard plough just yet.
“Herbicide resistance is an issue we must wake up to,” he said.
In recent years a number of weeds, particularly wild oats and Italian ryegrass, had become hard to kill throughout Canterbury.
Growers and industry personnel had a responsibility to protect the chemistry available for weeds.
“This means we must rotate chemical groups and not just use the cheapest products or the same one as we used last year as generally resistance builds up due to the repeated use of products with the same mode of action,” Chynoweth said.
Rotating chemical groups was essential to keep resistance at bay.
“As farmers you need to understand active ingredients and chemical families and know which products contain active ingredients with similar modes of action and understand where resistance is likely to develop,” he said.
FAR maize specialist Mike Parker from Waikato urged farmers to keep good records of paddock history, not just recording trade names but also ingredients.
“Read the label and read it fully and read your agrichemical data manual,” Parker said.
Any weed escapes should be dealt with quickly.
Up to12 applications might be possible for some chemicals before signs of resistance appeared but for others it was much fewer.
“The rule of thumb is to change the chemical every two years,” Parker said.
FAR’s Crops 2014 event attracted more than 500 people from New Zealand and Australia as the annual event continued to gather momentum.
“This is gratifying as it indicates that our research is held in high regard on both sides of the Tasman. It also provides us with a chance to further develop research relationships with our Australian counterparts,” FAR chief executive Nick Pyke said.
“Australian and NZ growers share many common issues such as the development of chemical resistance and nutrient management.”
It was a full-day event where NZ and international experts outlined the latest research findings on a range of crop and farm management issues.
“The aim is to provide every grower with new information to take away and apply to their own farming operation,” Pyke said.
Wheat, barley, clover, ryegrass, brown top, maize and potato production all came under the spotlight with speakers covering a range of issues including maximising yield, controlling pests and making the best use of irrigation.
Other topics included nutrient management and farm environment plans, new spray technology and a unique option for stabilising irrigators in high winds.
The day included two international guests, Patrick Stephenson, an agronomist who also works for the UK’s National Institute of Agricultural Botany The Arable Group (NIAB TAG) and John Kirkegaard from Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
Stephenson joined FAR’s Nick Poole to talk about issues around genetics, plant nutrition and pest and disease management, which researchers believed were preventing wheat growers the world over from increasing crop yields.
Kirkegaard discussed the role of break crops in cropping systems, emphasising the importance of good management of break crops such as canola.
The expo was held at the FAR Chertsey arable site, a 13.5ha mix of irrigated and non-irrigated land beside SH1 just north of Chertsey. This site is now in its 12th season and has provided a showcase for high profile research projects, funded by grower levies and grants, on a number of crops.
