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Keeping on top of weeds will be particularly important this spring after difficulties with autumn control and a wet, mild winter. But a new herbicide is at hand to help.

Developments in plant transformation and insights gained from the pharmaceutical sector are helping to give a deeper insight into herbicide resistance in black-grass and how it might be combatted.

Sodden soils have severely hampered early weed control opportunities this season, and a wet and mild winter, which is typically followed by higher spring grass-weed populations, could make the challenge even greater.

An ag-tech start-up looking for crowdfunding for ‘weed zapping’ robots reached its target of £700,000 within just two days of launching the campaign.