Getting the jump on brome grass

IF you asked a cropper what their biggest issue was five to 10 years ago, they most likely would have pointed the finger at ryegrass.

However, the hot topic now at the forefront of many graingrowers' minds is how to tackle brome grass.

With brome grass a problem in many cropping areas, Mallee Sustainable Farming and the Vic Department of Environment and Primary Industries have teamed up to try and help farmers overcome the weed.

Vic DEPI's senior technical officer Mick Brady and technical officer Chris Davies are working in conjunction with MSF agronomist Michael Moodie to look at how the weed can best be managed.

"Work started this year as part of the GRDC-funded project Profitable Stubble Retention Systems in the Mallee," Mr Moodie said.

"We've been able to link in to another project that has been funded by the Mallee Catchment Management Authority that is aimed at demonstrating integrated weed management systems and how they can help tackle brome grass."

Mr Moodie said that as well as tackling a current problem, the projects were also aimed at avoiding future issues.

"At the moment, brome grass can only really be completely controlled with Clearfield varieties, which involves the use of a group B chemical," he said.

"Clearfield can be applied over wheat, canola, barley and lentils and it does offer good control.

"But, the problem with that is if chemicals are overused, it will lead to resistance issues pretty quickly."

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Getting the jump on brome grass