Alopecurus myosuroides
Encyclopedia
Alopecurus myosuroides is an annual
grass, found on cultivated and waste land. It is also known as Slender Meadow Foxtail, Black-Grass, Twitch Grass, Black Twitch.
It flowers from May to August.
of cereal
crops as it produces a large amount of seed which is shed before the crop is cut. It has developed resistance
to a range of herbicides used to control it. It can occur at very high densities competing with the crop and seriously reducing the yield of crops such as wheat
and barley
if not controlled.
The seeds have a short period of dormancy and viability, and the numbers may be reduced by surface cultivation after harvest.
Annual plant
An annual plant is a plant that usually germinates, flowers, and dies in a year or season. True annuals will only live longer than a year if they are prevented from setting seed...
grass, found on cultivated and waste land. It is also known as Slender Meadow Foxtail, Black-Grass, Twitch Grass, Black Twitch.
Description
It can grow up to 80cm high, often growing in tufts. The leaves are hairless. Leaf sheath is smooth, green to purplish in colour. The leaf blade is pointed, 3 to 16 cm long, green, rough in texture. The spikelets are cylindrical, yellow-green, pale green or purple in colour.It flowers from May to August.
Weed Status
In the UK, where it is known to farmers as black-grass, it is a major weedWeed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
of cereal
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
crops as it produces a large amount of seed which is shed before the crop is cut. It has developed resistance
Pesticide resistance
Pesticide resistance is the adaptation of pest population targeted by a pesticide resulting in decreased susceptibility to that chemical. In other words, pests develop a resistance to a chemical through natural selection: the most resistant organisms are the ones to survive and pass on their...
to a range of herbicides used to control it. It can occur at very high densities competing with the crop and seriously reducing the yield of crops such as wheat
Wheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and barley
Barley
Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...
if not controlled.
The seeds have a short period of dormancy and viability, and the numbers may be reduced by surface cultivation after harvest.