Wild radish fact sheet

Wild radish (Raphanus raphanistrum) is one of the most widespread and competitive broadleaf weeds of Australian cereal-growing regions. Increasing resistance to multiple herbicide modes of action is forcing growers to adopt diverse and integrated weed-control strategies to deal with this weed.

Wild radish is a widespread broadleaf weed in Australia and is found in almost all grain-growing regions. In addition to its widespread abundance, wild radish is:

• extremely competitive, causing substantial crop yield losses;
• highly persistent, due to strong seed dormancy;
• able to produce large numbers of seeds;
• able to adapt to herbicide and non-herbicide-based weed-control tactics;
• prone to evolving resistance to a broad range of herbicide modes of action;
• easily spread on machinery and in contaminated grain and fodder;
• a contaminant of grain samples, especially wheat and canola, which potentially affects quality and viability of seed;
• difficult to control in pulses due to fewer herbicide options and poorer crop competition;
• able to interfere with harvest where immature green plants are present at high densities at crop maturity.