Project title: Across the Straits: A Unified Approach to Tackle Grassweed Herbicide Resistance ("Grassweeds")
Project partners: ADAS (Kent, UK); INAGRO (West-Vlaanderen, BE); AIKC Rusthoeve (Zeeland, NL) Universiteit Gent, Hogeschool Gent (Oost-Vlaanderen, BE); Chambre d’agriculture du Nord-Pas de Calais (Pas-de-Calais, FR)
Project duration: September 2024 – March 2026
Grant awarded: 33 500 € (West-Vlaanderen, Oost-Vlaanderen, Zeeland, Pas-de-Calais); £5,500 (Kent)
Status: Ongoing
Description: This project will help arable farmers avoid excessive and ineffective use of herbicides to control grassweeds, particularly Back-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides), a problem in Kent and the cereal-growing coastal areas of Belgium, France, & the Netherlands.
Herbicide resistance, the inherited ability of a weed to survive a rate of herbicide that would normally kill it, impacts crop yields, increases costs for farmers, and limits crop rotation options. Resistance testing is a key part of Integrated Weed Management to reduce reliance on chemical herbicides and prevent further resistance.
Taking advantage of testing capabilities only available at ADAS and University of Ghent, this project will pool resources to survey growers, carry out resistance testing, and produce guidelines for growers to optimise non-chemical control and manage resistance effectively. Outcomes expected are better knowledge and management of herbicide resistance, wider promotion and use of non-chemical weed control, the reduced use or avoidance of the use of chemical products, and the creation of a vibrant cross border cluster for future work on sustainable weed management.
News: The project successfully kicked off with a partner meeting in October 2024. A resistance survey for growers and agronomists has been developed and, after translation into all relevant languages, is being prepared for distribution across the participating Straits regions. This survey aims to assess the extent and patterns of herbicide resistance in all regions, providing valuable insights to guide resistance testing, management recommendations, and the promotion of best practices for non-chemical weed control as the project progresses. The goal is to collect and analyse all survey responses by March 2025. Additionally, partners are currently discussing the creation of an online platform to share resources and guidance more broadly, with the goal of launching it early in 2025.