In the future, it’s inevitable that growers will be required to do the same amount of weed control but with reduced access to cost-effective herbicides, believes Gowan’s Dr Will Smith.
This leaves a deficit in the control required for sustainable cropping, with solutions to bridge the gap being sought after, he continues. “Many of the technologies described as the future are highly precise application-wise, which opens the opportunity to better correlate the scale of the weed problem to that of the agent employed – often described as site specific weed management (SSWM).
“To be delivered most effectively, this’ll require an expansion of the available technologies while maintaining access to the breadth of herbicide actives we currently have, albeit with possible restriction on their use,” explains Will.
“Weeds don’t appear uniformly across a field, neither in position nor in density, which leaves space for the optimisation of control techniques. But this requires a flexible approach – using the right tool for the scenario.
“Hopefully the improvement in technology – sensors, algorithms to analyse data, and the diversity in control agents – will enable true SSWM to be delivered in a seamless manner.”
New species
As with the broader agricultural industry, climate change will likely have a significant impact on weed management in the UK, he suggests. “The appearance of species that aren’t currently typical weeds will prove problematic because we might not have sufficient data to understand their management.
“We’re already seeing this with barnyard grass which is being introduced through contaminated seed, but which may now have opportunity to build a seedbank and become a genuine weed. Similarly, the crop species that we grow will likely adjust – we’re already seeing lentils, chickpeas, sunflowers and soya being grown in the UK,” highlights Will.
“Currently, weed management in these crops is poorly understood even if we can learn from other countries. So although their introduction is required, where they are being introduced, it has to be supported by comprehensive agronomic research into aspects such as seed rates, cultivation methods and herbicide programmes.”
Genomics
An area for further investigation is weed genomics, which Will believes could play a vital role in R&D. “The ongoing development of reference genomes for many weed species enables the study of weed evolution through domestication, phylogeny and herbicide resistance.
“With this new information it may be possible to identify novel targets for which herbicides could be developed. However, ensuring fundamental weed science remains up-to-date with crop production systems is always going to be important and there has to be growth in this area too.”
Career ambitions
But what about the future from a more personal level? Will notes that at the heart of his ambition is ensuring growers and agronomists continue to receive evidenced and accurate weed management advice. “I’d like to be in a position where I’m central to the development and communication of this research, so driving the industry forward.
“At its core, weed science is all about plants – understanding how they function and adapt to the conditions they inhabit, and subsequently designing efficient control strategies. This reaches all the way from fundamental biology such as germination patterns and understanding metabolic systems of plants, to engineering of seed mills, inter-row hoes or electronic engineering.
“This breadth of opportunity is exciting and always gives you the opportunity to learn something new,” he concludes.
This article stems from CPM’s Arable Farming 2050 feature, which was written to celebrate the magazine’s 25th anniversary.
