Japanese Bromeby Dr. Bob BlackshawFarming Smarter began a 3-year project in fall 2016 studying Japanese brome control in barley with Western Applied Research Corporation in Scott, Saskatchedwan.Japanese brome (Brom
Japanese Bromeby Dr. Bob BlackshawFarming Smarter began a 3-year project in fall 2016 studying Japanese brome control in barley with Western Applied Research Corporation in Scott, Saskatchedwan.Japanese brome (Bromus japonicas) exists as a winter annual or summer annual grass weed in the Canadian prairies. Plants typically reach a height of 80 to 100 cm. Stems are bent at the base and nodes are swollen and brownish in colour. Leaf blades are flat, 0.25-0.5 cm wide, 15-20 cm long, and covered in soft hairs.[caption id="attachment_7582" align="alignleft" width="300"] Japanese brome seeds on stalks[/caption]It is easy to confuse Japanese brome with downy brome (Bromus tectorum), but there are some distinguishing characteristics. Downy brome has more open, drooping panicles with 20-30 mm long spikelets having 12-17 mm straight awns. Japanese brome spikelets are shorter (10-20 mm) and have shorter (8-10 mm) curved awns. Downy brome seed is a grey to reddish colour at maturity while Japanese brome seed is tan coloured. Indeed, the entire downy brome plant is purplish-reddish at maturity while Japanese brome is more of a pale tan colour.[caption id="attachment_7580" align="alignleft" width="300"] A patch of Japanese brome in a crop[/caption] Seed heads have long branches and pedicels, usually droop to one side when mature, and each branch has 1-5 spikelets. Japanese brome seed has little dormancy and usually doesn't persist in the soil beyond 2-3 years. Optimum germination occurs at soil temperatures of 5-20 C; resulting in peak emergence in September-October and April-May. [caption id="attachment_7581" align="alignleft" width="200"] Japanese brome growing in a field[/caption]Japanese brome 