News

Glyphosate resistance was confirmed in the UK in a single population of Italian rye grass in February this year. Glyphosate resistance is a significant problem worldwide – glyphosate resistance was first documented in 1996 and has been reported in 31 countries and sixty reported species, primarily in agricultural environments, where glyphosate is used to control weeds to improve yields.

Herbicide resistance can be compared to antibiotic resistance, in the sense that problematic weed infestations that would normally be controlled using glyphosate now require alternative interventions. Fortunately there are other methods of control available, including physical controls that plants have no realistic prospect of establishing resistance to. However, glyphosate resistance is a drag on yields and financial viability of modern farming methods.

The Law Society TA6 form is used in most domestic conveyancing transactions in England and Wales and recent versions up to and including the latest version (5^th Edition, 2024), the form has made reference to Japanese knotweed. The question “Is the property affected by Japanese knotweed?” has the possible answers ‘Yes’, ‘No’ and ‘Not known’.

The explanatory notes for the form state that “If you choose ‘No’ as an answer, you must be certain that, even if you cannot see any growth above ground, no rhizome (root) is present in the ground of the property or within three metres of the property boundary…  If you are not sure, indicate this as ‘Not known’.”

This question has been circulating, and festering over the last few years.

If you expect this article to “explore” the question and come to a caveated, mealy-mouthed conclusion about how “any plant can be a problem” and how “you should consult a specialist for any plant-related problem”, then let’s put that to bed right away.

So, insurance backed guarantees are brilliant, right?

You get protection if the company providing your Japanese knotweed remediation programme goes bust, on top of the contractor’s written guarantee – which now often stretches to a full ten years.

So why am I bitching about them *again*?

Up and down the UK, leaves are currently turning yellow on many plants and trees, and it is particularly striking the on the Japanese knotweed stands. In the autumn, as part of the natural process of senescence, which is the aging and eventual shedding of leaves, this process is primarily triggered by changes in the environment, especially the decreasing amount of daylight and cooler temperatures that occur in Autumn months. The relationship between the position of the sun and the yellowing of leaves is mainly due to the “photoperiod”, or the length of daylight.