Key Points

• At the individual plant level, wheat and wild oats are near equal competitors and left uncontrolled, wild oats can cause wheat yield losses as high as 80%.
• Integrated Weed Management—including correct use of herbicides and other effective agronomic and non-chemical tactics—is crucial for managing wild oats.
• In New South Wales (NSW) or Queensland (Qld), rotate to summer crops and use winter fallow in paddocks with large wild oat populations.
• Group A herbicide resistance has been present in Australian populations since the mid-1980s. In the past 2 years Group A resistance has exploded in area and frequency in the Northern Region.
• Use mixes of pre- and post-emergent herbicides and change the Modes of Action each year.
• Avoid using Group A herbicides without first testing for resistance. Wild oats can also be resistant to Group B and Group Z herbicides.