Effective ways to control the malicious weed wild oat
The wild oat weed is one of the most widespread and malignant crops affecting wheat and spring crops. The difficult-to-eradicate weed plant is highly resilient and adaptable to any environmental conditions. Outwardly wild oats are very similar to their cultural "brother" oats, which greatly complicates weed control. For its complete destruction, a set of effective measures is required, including adherence to the rules of agricultural technology, the use of herbicides and competent prevention.
Weed wild oat - features and description
External features of wild oats:
- The root system is well developed, fibrous. Weed roots can penetrate deep into the soil to a depth of 1.3-1.6 m.
- The stems of the weed are thin and bare, they are much taller than that of cultivated oats and can reach 1-1.2 m in height.
- Leaves are wide, linear type, up to 25-30 cm long, with serrated crumb.
- The seeds are connected at the base of the "horseshoe", after ripening they acquire a rich dark, almost black shade.
- The oats have a knee-like bend and, as they mature, acquire the shape of a spiral, twisting around their axis.
The main breeding method for wild oat weed is seed. Its inflorescences are an oblong panicle, inside of which is a caryopsis with flower scales. A single plant can produce up to 800 seeds, which explains its extremely fast spread in crops.
Wild oat seeds fall to the ground gradually, over 3-4 weeks. This greatly complicates the fight against the weed, because to get rid of it with just one mowing will not work - a certain part of the seeds will already be in the ground.
Harm of wild oats
A noxious weed in a wheat field seriously damages the crops. Especially serious damage is inflicted if the number of weed plantations exceeds 13-15 per square meter of the field.
Harmfulness of wild oats:
- Wild oats deplete the soil, impairing its fertile qualities and reducing the productivity of cultivated plants. This plant absorbs 1.5-2 times more moisture than spring bread, which leads not only to clogging, but also depletion of the soil.
- In addition, it often becomes a reserve for various diseases of cereals and spring crops. Wild oats attract nematodes, thrips, fly flies and other insect pests that damage the fields.
- Ingestion of wild oat seeds in food grains reduces its quality and market value. Flour from such grains has a dark color and an unpleasant taste.
After the number of weeds reaches 40-50 per 1 sq. m. crop yield is reduced by 25-30%.
The quality of barley, wheat and other crops is declining, and the use of such grain as compound feed can lead to cattle diseases.
Weed control measures
Before taking measures to combat common wild oats, you need to determine the reason for its appearance on the field, otherwise it is impossible to get rid of the weed.
The main reasons for the spread of wild oats:
- long-term cultivation of the same crop;
- non-compliance crop rotation rules;
- non-observance of anti-axial links (millet - sugar beet - winter wheat);
- sowing winter crops after planting with a late harvest;
- shortage of pure steam;
- the presence of a large number of weed seeds in the soil;
- errors in processing and plowing the soil;
- insufficient trierting when preparing seed.
To control the weed, effective and proven agronomic and chemical methods are used that help not only get rid of wild oats, but also prevent its reappearance.
Application of herbicides
The use of herbicides is considered the most effective way to control wild oats, because it allows you to get rid of weeds, even with extensive infestation of crops.
Effective herbicides:
- Eraser Extra - treatment with the drug is carried out at the initial stages of the development of the weed plant.
- Avantix Extra is an effective herbicide against wild oats, used to treat crops at the initial stages of weed development.
- Clodinafop-propargyl is a post-emergence herbicidal agent that destroys not only wild oats, but also bristle grass and chicken millet.
- Pinoxaden - effectively fights weeds at the initial stage of its growing season.
- Doping is used for spraying plantings in early spring.
If the field is heavily infested with wild oats, it is necessary to use potent chemical preparations based on glyphosate. The consumption rate of such herbicides is up to 1.3-1.5 liters per hectare.
Agrotechnical methods
The easiest and most affordable agrotechnical way to control wild oats is to mow it. But it is necessary to mow the weed only before the formation of panicles; after the seeds fall, its mowing becomes useless. This method is only suitable for a small amount of weeds and is very labor intensive in large agricultural fields.
Effective agrotechnical methods of combating wild oats:
- Observance of the correct five-field crop rotation and cultivation of plants, the plantings of which do not contribute to the reproduction of the malicious weed.
- Strict adherence to the rules for storing and preparing fertilizers, especially organic fertilizing for crops.
- Seed preparation using wild oat graders with different cell diameters.
- Thorough cleaning of machines and all equipment used for processing crops.
- Using the provocation method to kill weed seedlings before sowing. The essence of the method consists in closing the moisture and introducing mineral fertilizing - as a result, wild oats appear first and are uprooted by presowing cultivation.
Wild oat is a malignant weed that appears in the fields of grain and spring crops. It reduces their productivity, contributes to soil depletion, the development of diseases and the appearance of insect pests. To destroy wild oats, an integrated approach must be used, combining agrotechnical measures with effective herbicide preparations.