WEED PROFILE: sweet summer grass

摘要

Sweet summer grass is a major weed because little is known about it in terms of its ecology and biology, except that yields of summer crops are often severely depressed (30-60 per cent) by dense patches of the weed. Senesced plant material forms a carpet that can impede emerging winter crops. Sweet summer grass can be competitive when it forms dense mats/carpets across areas of cultivation The impact on crop yield is greatest when it emerges before or with the crop. Studies in Central Queensland showed sweet summer grass that emerged two to three weeks after the crop reduced sorghum yields by 10-20 per cent.