Kerry people are being asked to ensure that any wild flower mix they are planting doesn’t contain black grass.
The invasive weed, which can spread rapidly and is highly resistant to herbicides, can be difficult to control and can have a huge impact on the yield of tillage crops for farmers.
Although it hasn’t yet been detected in Kerry, incidents of black grass have been increasing every year and with the majority of cases coming from the UK.
Advertisement
Crops specialist with Teagasc, Ciaran Collins told Agritime the national advisory service recently experienced an outbreak in their Oak Park facility through the use of wild flower mix:
