AS SCOTLAND emerges from its coldest winter in nearly 50 years, growers will have to be on their guard with weed control programmes this spring, when temperatures begin to rise.

Variable success with autumn weed control, in addition to rapid plant growth as temperatures improve, could lead to a large weed burden facing growers.

That’s according to Agrovista’s Fife-based agronomist, Neil Drummond, who says that despite large areas of cropping receiving adequate pre-emergence herbicide applications in the autumn, when the weather broke, some crops remained untreated.

“Once the bad weather came in then that was it,” says Mr Drummond. “There were one or two days after that when the fields were just passable, but there were some very heavy showers about and farmers were taking a risk by going out to spray.”

With the demise of IPU, he advises growers to try to get on and spray as early as possible last autumn for the best opportunity to take out the key threat of annual meadow grass.

Mr Drummond reckons that as much as 30% of the later-drilled wheat acreage (following potatoes) will have been missed in terms of an autumn herbicide application. The main concern now, he says, is the control of broadleaved weeds when the temperatures improve.