Always read product labels, consider your local conditions and consult a professional agronomist,if necessary.

IdentificationThere are five species of bromegrasses that grow as arable weedsin the UK, belonging to two differentgroups. As different controlmeasures apply to each group,identification is important. Speciesare easier to identify once seedheads are visible (usually June/July).

All species can reduce yield andquality. At high populations, allspecies, especially barren (sterile)and great brome, can slowharvesting.

See page 2 for information onidentification.

ControlIncidence may be reduced by:– good ploughing (completeinversion of the furrow)

– late sowing (November)

– break crops in the rotation

– spring cropping

– cleaning machinery between fields

– stale seedbeds

The significance of these factorsvaries with species.

See pages 3 and 4 for informationon control.

BiologyMost populations of all species haveweak and/or shortlived initialdormancy when seed is shed. Somewith stronger initial dormancy haveextended seedling emergence(Figure 1). Although very few seeds(less than 1%) may becomedormant, dormant seed surviving onor in soil can guarantee somesurvival from year to year.

Most seeds of all species willgerminate when moist, either in thesoil or on the surface in choppedstraw.

Latest information– There should be an 88–90%decline in the seedbank with asingle year’s fallow.

– An 18-month fallow, coveringtwo autumn periods, shouldresult in complete depletion ofthe seedbank if seed return isprevented.

Action– Map brome patches in June/July.

– Identify brome to group or species.

– Shallow cultivate barren and greatbrome seeds to bury them assoon as possible after harvest,unless chopped straw providesgood seed cover.

– Leave meadow, soft and ryebrome seeds to ripen for onemonth before cultivating.

– Brome emerges quickly in moistsoil and dormancy has little effecton emergence. Wait until bromehas emerged and spray off withglyphosate pre-drilling.

Figure 1. Aspects of weed development vary between the two species groups. Dormancy of the seed will be affectedby the weather and will affect the proportion of freshly shed and older seed that will emerge in any given season.

An infestation of barren brome inwheat.

Identification and controlof brome grasses

Information Sheet 31Spring 2014

Anisantha species – barren and great brome

Flowering

Seed shed

Emergence

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

Bromus species – meadow, soft and rye brome

*Soft brome only – flowers slightly earlier than meadow brome.

Flowering

Seed shed

Emergence

Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar

* *

*

Identification

Anisantha species The two Anisantha species have long awns and loose floppy panicles (flowering heads).

Barren or sterilebromeAnisantha sterilis

Very competitive – 3 plants/m2 causes2.4% yield loss inwinter wheat.

Awns 15–30 mm.

Head Seed cmLigule

Great bromeAnisantha diandrus

3 plants/m2 cancause up to 2%yield loss in winterwheat.

Awns 35–60 mm.

Bromus species The three Bromus species have short awns and tighter neater panicles (flowering heads).

Meadow bromeBromuscommutatus

3 plants/m2 cancause up to 2%yield loss inwinter wheat.

Soft bromeBromushordeaceus

3 plants/m2 cancause up to 2%yield loss inwinter wheat.

Rye bromeBromus secalinus

3 plants/m2 cancause up to 0.5%yield loss inwinter wheat athigh densities.

See www.hgca.com/awe for more images and information.

1

2

0

1

0

1

0

1

0

1

0

3

4

2

Head Seed cmLigule

Cultural controlPreventing seed spreadMost infestations begin in headlands and field margins.Cultivating close to the boundarydrags seed further into the field.Harvest and subsequentcultivations can move seed up to50 metres.

Brome can be introduced viacontaminated seed, feedingcontaminated hay in the field or byspreading contaminated manure.Adopt zero tolerance in seed –certified or home-saved.

Meadow, soft and rye brome ripenlater than barren and great bromeand any straw removed maycontain substantial quantities ofviable meadow, soft and ryebrome seed.

Using the whole rotationA non-cereal break crop enablesuse of a wider range of herbicides(Table 2).

A spring crop allows staleseedbed or fallow techniques andencourages germination.Seedlings can be killed using anon-selective herbicide pre-drilling.

Use of glyphosate is very effectivein fallow breaks.

Maximising seed loss pre-drillingSeeds buried by ploughing to 15 cm depth cannot emerge, soploughing provides effectivecontrol (Figure 2). However, highlevels of brome are difficult tobury as seeds clump together andcan be flicked up during ploughingonto freshly ploughed land.

Slow ploughing results in betterburial. Annual ploughing can beeffective but a small proportion ofseeds can survive at plough depthfrom one autumn to the next.

Early drilling – before germinationof brome – results in weeds in thecrop; delayed drilling significantlyimproves control.

Wait for a flush of weeds beforedrilling.

Increase seed rate to maximisecrop competition.

Managing field marginsBromes quickly colonise barepatches in hedge bottoms or fieldboundaries. Sow a perennial grassmixture in these areas to preventbromes establishing.

Mow bromes within 2–6 days offlowering to prevent viable seedforming (April onwards). Ideally,mow before panicles begin toemerge. Mowing is permittedunder cross compliance at anytime; cutting before 1 March andafter 31 July provides reasonablecontrol but avoids bird nesting.

Cultivating, or spraying off, a stripbetween crop and margin initiallyreduces populations but providesan area for new seeds togerminate.

Do not use uncultivated stripswhere brome is confined to fieldmargins. Avoid herbicide spray driftinto margins, as this creates barepatches.

Soft and barren brome can survivein field boundary swards withperennial grasses; mow to preventseeding.

Ploughing the outer few metres ofthe field at the first signs ofinfestation could help minimiserisk of spread.

Chemical and cultural controlshould be integrated to provide aneffective weed control strategy.

Immediately after harvest

One month after harvest

250 -

200 -

150 -

100 -

50 -

0 -

Brome panicles/m

2

Cultivate 10 cm

Figure 2. Effect of cultivation depth and delaying cultivation on barrenbrome (Anisantha sterilis) panicle (flowering head) number.

Plough 20 cm

Anisantha speciesExposure to light inducesdormancy (seed survives for upto two years).– Plough for good control.

– Shallow cultivate to bury seedsas soon as possible afterharvest and encouragegermination – unless choppedstraw provides good seedcover.

– Spray off with glyphosate pre-drilling.

– Delay drilling to significantlyimprove control.

– Wait for a weed flush, in dryperiods, before drilling.

Bromus speciesAt harvest, seeds are usuallyunderripe. Seed burialimmediately after harvestenforces dormancy in someseeds and so increases seedsurvival.– Leave seeds to ripen on soilsurface for one month beforecultivating.

– Shallow cultivate, after a month,to place seeds in moisture; thenspray off emerged weeds withglyphosate.

Information Sheet 31Spring 2014

HGCA publications are free to levy payersTo join the mailing list, contact: subscriptions@hgca.ahdb.org.uk

© Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board 2014. All rights reserved.

While the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, operating through its HGCA division,seeks to ensure that the information contained within this document is accurate at the time ofprinting, no warranty is given in respect thereof and, to the maximum extent permitted by law, theAgriculture and Horticulture Development Board accepts no liability for loss, damage or injuryhowsoever caused (including that caused by negligence) or suffered directly or indirectly in relationto information and opinions contained in or omitted from this document.

Reference herein to trade names and proprietary products without stating that they are protecteddoes not imply that they may be regarded as unprotected and thus free for general use. Noendorsement of named products is intended, nor is any criticism implied of other alternative butunnamed products.

HGCA is the cereals and oilseeds division of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

Chemical controlA limited range of herbicides is available to control bromes in cereals (Table 1).

Further informationSarah Cook ADAS Boxworthsarah.cook@adas.co.uk

Paul Gosling, HGCApaul.gosling@hgca.ahdb.org.uk

G61: Managing weeds in arablerotations – a guide (HGCA, 2014)

G47: Encyclopaedia of ArableWeeds HGCA/BASF (2009)www.hgca.com/awe

This Information Sheet collatesdata from a number of Defra andHGCA-funded R&D projects overseveral years

HGCA PublicationsT 0845 245 0009E hgca@cambertown.comwww.hgca.com

Pre-emergence

Active substance

prosulfocarb

diflufenican + flufenacet

pendimethalin + picolinafen

flufenacet + pendimethalin

triallate

Example product

Defy

Liberator

PicoPro

Crystal

Avadex

Crops – On-label

ww, wb

ww, wb

ww, wb

ww, wb

ww, wb, dw, wr, tr

Crops – EAMU

wr, tr, sb, dw, sw

wr, tr, dw

sb, sw

sb

Post-emergence (winter wheat only)

Active substance

florasulam + pyroxsulam

flupyrsulfuron-methyl + pyroxsulam

pendimethalin + pyroxsulam

iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium +mesosulfuron-methyl

propoxycarbazone-sodium

sulfosulfuron

Example product

Broadway Star*

Unite*

Broadway Sunrise*

Pacifica

Attribut

Monitor

Application window

GS11–32

GS11–31

GS11–30

1 February–GS39

1 February–GS33

1 February–GS39

Brome GS

To GS24

To GS24

To GS24

To GS33

Pre-GS31

To GS32

Active ingredient Combining peas

carbetamide

clethodim

clomazone + metazachlor

cycloxydim

dimethenamid-p +metazachlor + quinmerac

fluazifop-P-butyl

metazachlor

metazachlor + quinmerac

propaquizafop

propyzamide

prosulfocarb

quizalofop-P-ethyl

quizalofop-P-tefuryl

tepraloxydim

triallate

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Linseed

EAMU

�

�

EAMU

EAMU

�

EAMU

�

�

�

EAMU

Springbeans

�

�

�

EAMU

�

�

�

�

Springrape

�

�

�

�

�

�

EAMU

Winter beans

�

�

�

�

�

EAMU

�

�

�

�

Winter rape

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

EAMU

Table 1. Herbicide use in cereals

Table 2. Combinable break crops allow wider range of herbicides

ww = winter wheat, wb = winter barley, dw = durum wheat, wr = winter rye, tr = triticale,sb = spring barley. *Barren brome/great brome in autumn; others in autumn and spring.

A wider range of herbicides is available for use in non-cereal break crops(Table 2).

– A minimum two-spray programme,including pre- and post-emergence,should be used. All post-emergence chemicals are ALSinhibitors. They can only be appliedonce in any programme; onlypyroxsulam can be autumn-applied.

– Apply glyphosate at up to the softdough stage of brome to ensureno fertile seed is set.

– There is no treatment for control ofsoft brome in spring barley.

– Brome control in cereals can bevariable; it is often affected bygrowth and weather conditions.

For up-to-date information on Extensions of Authorisation for minor use inthe UK, see: https://secure.pesticides.gov.uk/offlabels/search.asp