Barley can be strategically used in crop rotations to help manage herbicide-resistant weeds through various mechanisms.
Manfred Venter, head of agriculture at AB InBev South Africa, says that barley germinates faster and establishes a dense canopy quicker than wheat, allowing it to outcompete weeds for sunlight, nutrients and water.
Its early vigour and shading effect also suppress weed emergence and reduce the overall weed seed bank, thereby reducing the reliance on post-emergence herbicides.
Barley also has a different herbicide tolerance to wheat, allowing the use of alternative herbicides that may not be safe for wheat, and enabling the rotation of different herbicide modes of action to delay resistance build-up.
Some herbicides that can be used in barley are also not labelled for wheat due to different metabolism and selectivity mechanisms…
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Farmer's Weekly (Digital) - 1 Issue, 28 March 2025