SIMON Francis , commercial technical manager at FMC , says they have had numerous enquiries about controlling volunteer oats in autumn cereals this year .

“ As we know , many growers had to opt for spring crops last year due to the weather in the previous autumn and part of this acreage was put down to oats . This coupled with a difficult harvest has meant there are a high amount of oat volunteers in crops this autumn .”

Simon explains that volunteer oats are extremely competitive in winter cereals and should be controlled early , evidence suggests that just five plants / m ² can cause a 5 % yield decline , making it vital to control the weed to maximise crop output .

“ Even if you only have a few plants in your crops at the moment , don ’ t leave control until the spring , because by the time it comes to it , you ’ ll have already incurred a yield penalty ,” he says .

“ One of the main problems with volunteer oats is they are more difficult to manage than wild oats and there ’ s a limited armoury of products available that effectively control them .

“ In response to queries from growers and agronomists , we ’ ve been recommending the use of Foxtrot . Experience with Foxtrot

Photo credit : Blackthorn Arable Ltd

has demonstrated more consistent and improved control of volunteer oats than other available products ,” he says .

Simon advises that growers apply herbicides as soon as they think the majority of the seed has germinated , to reduce the yield penalty and ensure maximum control .

“ Foxtrot is a contact acting herbicide and is more effective on actively growing plants , it should be applied from the two-leaf stage of the barley crop , GS 12 , although application to wheat can be made earlier if necessary . Getting this timing right will be essential to ensure you don ’ t have problems later down the line with further regrowth .

“ Apply at 0.8L product / ha in a minimum water volume of 200L / ha if target weeds are small , if weeds are larger or the population is dense apply up to 1.0L product / ha in 300L / ha of water .

“ As growers will be looking to save time when controlling weeds this autumn , we would support tank mixing with one other product , either a residual herbicide or a crop nutrition product , for example , at this timing . Use of a methylated seed oil adjuvant or similar is supported in winter wheat but not in winter barley , which is something to be aware of when tank mixing .