Vetch
Common vetch, otherwise known as grain vetches, are also grown as a high protein forage, grain legume or as a green manure crop. In rotation with cereals and oilseeds, vetches provide both additional nutrition, alternate herbicide options and a disease break.
Description
Vetches are annual herbaceous plants with creeping, scrambling or climbing stems which contain tendrils. The leaves of vetches are alternatively arranged and contain 3-10 pairs of small, narrow leaflets which can be 8-30 mm long. Common vetches have small, pink to purple, red or white pea flowers which develop into a slightly flattened, narrow seed pod, 3-7 cm long.
Control
Newer vetch varieties contain a higher proportion of soft seed which can be more easily controlled in the subsequent crop compared to hard seeded varieties which germinate over a number of years. Vetch can be controlled in cereal and canola crops but is more difficult to control in other pulses. Uncontrolled vetches can cause admixture problems in pulse crops, in particular field peas and lentils, as it is difficult to grade vetch seeds from those crop seeds and vetch is not acceptable to international food markets. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce the seedbank of vetch in the years prior to growing other pulse crops.
Like other pulses, vetches are vulnerable to Group B and Group I herbicides. Therefore, care should be taken if these herbicides are used to remove vetches and then pulses are planned to be sown in a short rotation. This can be particularly problematic if there has been insufficient rainfall to reduce herbicide residues.
When used in combination with Lontrel®, Precept® is registered for the control of 2-6 leaf volunteer vetch in wheat, barley, oats, cereal rye and triticale. Eclipse® is registered for the control of up to 4 branch volunteer vetch in wheat, barley, oats, rye and triticale.
Roundup Ready® with Plantshield® and Roundup Ready PL and are also registered for the control of up to 8 leaf vetch in Roundup Ready and Truflex® canola crops.
Hussar® is also registered for the suppression of 2-4 leaf tares (wild vetch) in wheat. Velocity® is registered for the suppression of 2-6 leaf volunteer vetch in wheat, barley, cereal rye and triticale where it is most likely to suppress the growth of the vetch rather than reduce plant numbers.
References
Brisbane City Council (Viewed October 2019), ‘Common vetch’, Brisbane City Council Weed Identification Tool, https://weeds.brisbane.qld.gov.au › weeds › common-vetch
GRDC (2017), ‘GrowNote: Western vetch’, https://grdc.com.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/293105/GRDC-GrowNotes-Vetch-Western.pdf
Herbiguide (2014), ‘Common Vetch’, http://www.herbiguide.com.au/Descriptions/hg_Common_Vetch.htm