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Chilean needle grass becomes evident this month.

AgPest — Tue, 12 Dec 2017 20:30:54 +0000

Chilean needle grass will become evident in pastures in November-December. Keep an eye out for the reddish purple colour of the seed heads when they first emerge. Each seed has a 7 cm long awn (bristle-like tail). This grass is most likely to be found in pastures on north/west-facing drought-prone slopes but may be present in contaminated stock feed / hay. If you suspect that you have it, please contact your local council biosecurity people for identification and management advice immediately.

Be alert for Chilean needle grass

AgPest — Tue, 14 Nov 2017 19:00:29 +0000

Chilean needle grass will become evident in pastures during November and December as its distinctive purple-coloured spikelets, with their developing long-awned needle-sharp seeds, emerge from elongating flower stems. Details of this invasive grass can be found here on AgPest. This grass is most likely to be found in pastures on north/west-facing drought-prone slopes. If you suspect that you have it, please contact your local council biosecurity people for identification and management advice.

Chilean needle grass becoming evident

AgPest — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 19:30:51 +0000

Poa annua

AgPest — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 22:30:58 +0000

Poa annua Annual poa

Ratstail

AgPest — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 01:00:35 +0000

Barnyard grass

AgPest — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 03:26:10 +0000

Kikuyu Grass

AgPest — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 04:18:27 +0000

Yellow bristle grass

AgPest — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:53:29 +0000

Champion P, James T, Popay I, Ford K 2012. An illustrated guide to common grasses, sedges and rushes of New Zealand. New Zealand Plant Protection Society, Christchurch, New Zealand. 208 p.
James TK 2007. Yellow bristle grass: The Ute Guide. (accessed 4 August 2014).
James TK, Tozer KN, Rahman A 2009. Yellow bristle grass: a recent weed incursion in Waikato dairy pastures. Proceedings of the New Zealand Grassland Association 71: 39-42. (accessed 4 August 2014).
Young S 2013. New Zealand Novachem agrichemical manual. Agrimedia Ltd., Christchurch, New Zealand. 767 p.

Vulpia hair grass, silvergrass

AgPest — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:37:13 +0000

Slender, stiff, short-lived grasses commonly growing in relatively dry places
Leaf blade flat or rolled, often very narrow, only 2 – 3 mm wide. Short membranous ligules less than 0.5 mm long
Lower surface of the leaf has no hairs and upper surface has very short hairs less than 0.5 mm long
Flowering stem, usually erect, bearing a one-sided flower head with spikelets 6 -12 mm long excluding the awns
Differences between V. bromoides and V. myuros in their glume length enable the two species to be separated. The glume is an outer husk protruding from the base of the spikelet
Lower glume of V. bromoides is 50 – 75% of the length of the upper glume
Lower glume of V. myuros is 15 – 40% of the length of the upper glume
In addition, V. bromoides seed heads protrude fully from the leaf sheath when mature while V. myuros mature seed heads are enclosed by the uppermost leaf sheath or only protrude a little from the sheath.

Summer grass

AgPest — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:45:10 +0000

Grazing

Avoid overgrazing which opens up pastures to summer grass invasion. The seed bank in the soils of many North Island dairy pastures is dominated by summer grass
Avoid moving stock from infested paddocks to clean paddocks as this increases the risk of seeds being transferred in dung.

Pasture renewal

To prevent summer grass emerging from the seed bank and infesting new pastures, it is best to prevent summer grass seed production for two years before pasture renewal
During this period it must not be allowed to set seed and replenish the seed bank. Crops such as maize, chicory, turnips or lucerne and other legumes should be used as summer grass can be easily controlled in these.

Spraying

Roadside spraying should be timed for just before Christmas when first seed heads generally emerge
Glyphosate can be used to control small isolated patches of summer grass
Residual herbicides have the potential to prevent the germination of summer active grasses.

ALWAYS READ PRODUCT LABELS BEFORE APPLYING

Active ingredient	When to apply	Residual effect	Grass damage	Clover damage
ethofumesate	When the plants are small, preferably before tillering. Spot spray only except for ethofumesate	Yes	Not to ryegrass	Severe
clethodim		Moderate	Severe	No
dalapon		Moderate	Moderate	No
fluazifop-p-butyl		Moderate	Severe	No
glufosinate-ammonium		No	Severe	Severe
haloxyfop / haloxyfop-P		Moderate	Severe	No
quizalofop-P-ethyl		Moderate	Severe	No
simazine, amitrole and dalapon		Severe	Severe	Severe

Consult your farm consultant, industry rep. or the New Zealand Agrichemical Manual for more information about chemical control.

Similar summer-growing grasses

Digitaria ciliaris, also known as summer grass, is very similar to D. sanguinalis and is found in waste and open places in the North Island but rarely in the South Island. Its leaf sheaths have hairy margins, the hairs around the collar are shorter, its ligule is irregular and the seed head has shorter branches.

Digitaria ischamum, smooth summer grass, is found on sandy or dry ground in pastures and along roadsides from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty southwards in the North Island and in Marlborough and Otago. It has hairless leaves and leaf sheaths and does not root at the nodes.

Digitaria violascens, also has hairless leaves and leaf sheaths but does not have collar hairs. It is found in waste and open places in Northland and also in the cities of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga.