Arable farmers have been put on red alert following reports of black-grass infected seed being found in the Lothians.
NFU Scotland and AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds has urged all growers to be on the look out for the weed, which is wreaking havoc in some parts of England as it is often resistant to normal herbicides.
Black-grass is naturally present in Scotland on a small-scale, but there are fears the warmer winters and trend towards more autumn cropping and reduced tillage could encourage populations to spread.
Farmers are advised to watch out for new or spreading black-grass populations, and remove them by hand rouging or spraying off.
All machinery coming onto the farm should have been properly cleaned, especially if it has come from England.
Farmers should only source straw and seed from “reputable sources” and if they suspect herbicide resistance with a black-grass patch, get the seed tested to enable correct management decisions to be made.
Perthshire farmer Ian Sands, who chairs NFU Scotland’s combinable crops committee, said: “We ask members to be vigilant and to also report any sightings of the weed to the relevant bodies. By asking merchants to supply seed specifically from Scotland, the risk of black-grass being discovered within the batch can be kept to a minimum.”
AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds manager for Scotland, Gavin Dick, said black-grass was a credible threat to Scots farms and an infestation on a farm could be devastating.
