Herbicide bill tops $20m

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 7

Herbicide bill tops $20m

Farmers and others are spending at least S2<fm a .veai - on heibicidcs. according to the annual report of tie Soil and Field Resean l Organisation of the Ministry of Agricultuii and Fisheries. The i eport says that faced with increasing labour costs, unwillingness to hand-weed, larger farming units and more complex weed problems, farmers have used and misused an ever-increasing quantity of herbicides. Limited research and lack of teaching of weed science have forced the farmer to go it alone or he guided by proprietary measures, it states. •‘Every agricultural practice leads to its own set of problems. High rates of fertiliser application and high grazing pressure have encouraged some weed species. Among these are weeds which reduce animal productivity, species resistant to grazing pressure, and rhizomatous weeds which survive over-grazing

stress. ‘"the ene'g) crisis and the increasing cost ot agricultural production ha' energy inputs. Hetbicidcs can reduce fuel fertilis t and labour requirements and a number of high energy-denundmg tech Cliques, particularly cultiva tion. 'hould be re as sessed.” According to the repott barley grass control takes up half of lite Weed Science Sections research effort. “The several barley grass species stand dry conditions better than ryegrass and clovers. They also withstand higher concern trations of phosphorus and nitrogen, and possibly potassium, and establish more quickly than ryegrass with autumn rain." The report says barley grass is so wtdespi'cad that at a conservative < stimate I several million lambs suffer from its effects. 1 “However adequate, if costly, herbicides are avail1 able. Ethol uniesate offers the best control, particu- , larly in dry conditions, s though it is very damaging ’ to clover."