Herbicide use

Written By James Clarke - ADAS Research Director

I had the pleasure of preparing and presenting a review of weed management for the BRITISH CROP PRODUCTION COUNCIL 60th Annual Review of weed management on 2 November 2023.

Origins of BCPC and weed meetings

Weed scientists and agronomists, from ADAS, organised an ad hoc meeting in November 1952 to "explore attitudes, review current work on weed control and identify outstanding problems and proposals for dealing with them". This led a year later to a second meeting in Harrogate where the constitution of the British Weed Control Council (BWCC) was agreed. The first biennial British Weed Control Conference was held in 1956, with 1,745 delegates and 132 papers published in 3 volumes. The first Annual Review of Herbicide Usage was in 1964, changing to Annual Review of Weed Control in 1969.

The British Insecticide & Fungicide Council (BIFC) started in 1962. In 1965 (controversially to some the time!), BWCC & BIFC agreed to merge to form British Crop Protection Council, now British Crop Production Council (BCPC).

Weed control over 60 years

There have been significant challenges and many constants. The UK weed science evidence base built up through the second half on 20th Century provided excellent information to build on. Summarised in the Weed Control Handbook: Principles it is still as relevant now as it was then. Much valuable information was also collated into the Arable Weed Encyclopaedia, such as on seed biology and seedbank persistance.

The availability and reliance on herbicides peaked in the 1990s. Since then, decreasing product availability and increasing resistance, has resulted in continued integration with the cultural measures herbicides 'edged out'. It is clear that with major management options of crop rotation, cultivation and herbicides (rate, timing, application efficacy) if any one is reduced or less effective ALL the others need to be even better optimised, along with other beneficial practices (which include further non-chemical opportunities, such as within crop cultivation, cutting, crop & varietal competitiveness).

The future of weed management will demand increased need for prediction, decision support (of need and impact) and weed identification. Targeted and improved application technology will further help, along with further formulation improvements. We build on robust information, however, it will also need to be supported by generation and exchange of new & existing knowledge.

 

 

 

My full presentation can be found at https://www.bcpc.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/2-BCPC-Weeds-60-years-Nov-2023-FINAL-for-web-James-Clarke.pdf. I am very grateful to those who provided information and responded to the survey (see below if you still wish to participate). All the presentations can be found at https://www.bcpc.org/events/bcpc-weeds-review-2023.

The survey aims to collect reflections on weed management over the past 60 years and look into the future and can be found here.The survey aims to collect reflections on weed management over the past 60 years and look into the future and can be found here.

Related Organisations

Connected Content

ADAS

ADAS provides ideas, specialist knowledge and solutions to secure our food and enhance the environment. We understand food production and the challenges and opportunities faced by organisations operating in the natural environment

NCSPulse PEP
Weeds

A weed can have many definitions, one being, any plant growing in a place it is not wanted. This topic focuses mainly on weeds affecting agriculture. Generally weeds are classified into two groups: grass-weeds (e.g Black-grass, Italian ryegrass, Bromes) and broad-leaved weeds (e.g Mayweed, Chickweed, Poppy, Cleavers). 

Herbicide Resistance

Herbicide resistance is the inherited ability of a weed to survive a rate of herbicide which would be lethal to a member of the normal population. It can develop over time based on repeated selection pressure imposed on the weed. This selection pressure changes the population from susceptible to resistant. Herbicide resistance is becoming an increasing problem in UK agriculture, in both grass weeds and broad-leaf weeds. See also the general topic on herbicides.

Herbicides

Herbicides are substances (usually chemical) used to control weeds in a variety of situations including agriculture, horticulture and managed landscapes. Herbicides are classified according to their mode of action (MOA) - this is the precise biochemical mechanism in which the herbicide targets and kills the weed. The 'active ingredient' of the herbicide is the specific herbicidal compound that has the phytotoxic effect and this is formulated with a variety of other ingredients (including other active substances, surfactants, buffers, adjuvants e.t.c) to make a final product which is given a trade name by the herbicide manufacturer. With any herbicide product you will find an associated product label which explains how to use the product safely and legally. This page provides an overview of herbicides including how they are classified and used. Please link any pages or projects relating to herbicide use to this topic page.  Some widely used herbicides (e.g glyphosate) also have their own topic page. Other related topics on FarmPEP include herbicide resistance,  bioherbicides, broad leaved weeds and grass weeds.  

Integrated Weed Management (IWM)

IWM involves using numerous weed control methods to try and manage a weed problem sustainably. Whilst herbicides can still be used as part of an IWM approach, a major aim is to reduce reliance on them by also incorporating methods including, cultural, mechanical, biological, thermal and genetic control. A combination of such approaches can allow for optimal control of a specific weed problem. Related topics on FarmPEP include herbicides and herbicide resistance. You can also view the topic pages on grass weeds and broad-leaved weeds which provide examples of suitable control methods.