R&D Edition: Controlling herbicide resistant ryegrass in onions with pre-emergents

Vegalogue is a regular podcast from vegetable, potato and onion industry peak body AUSVEG, where we examine the pressing issues and latest developments in our sector.

Annual ryegrass is one of the most costly weeds for the Australian ag industry. It’s a major problem in grain crops, and it causes significant issues in horticulture as well.

For many years, farmers have relied on herbicides to control ryegrass, but in Australia the weed has now evolved resistance to multiple chemistries, particularly post-emergents.

The prevalence of herbicide resistance in ryegrass populations varies around the country; across southern Australia the Grains Research and Development Corporation cites a range of 1-93 percent for post emergent herbicide resistance, but only 0-32 percent for pre-emergents.

That lower resistance to pre-emergent herbicides prompted Tim Groom of Tasmanian onion grower Wynyon to explore which pre-emergents might work well for an onion crop, in concert with an integrated weed management approach.

Learn more about the project discussed in this episode: Accelerating the adoption of best management practices for the Australian onion industry

Thanks for listening to Vegalogue! You can find out more about AUSVEG and the Australian vegetable industry at ausveg.com.au. Subscribe to our newsletter, or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, or Tik Tok.