Laura Crook
Laura is a weed ecologist at Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, UK. She works on herbicide resistance in Black-grass (Alopecurus myosuroides) and is also programme co-ordinator for the new Smart Crop Protection project at the institute. She has a passion for plants of all kinds and is particularly interested in promoting research and ideas through science communication. You can find her on Twitter under the handle @crook_laura.
Plant Records: Big Problem. Big Experiments. Big Data.
Laura Crook opens our Plant Records series for this year with black-grass, a problem for cereal farmers.
Black-grass: the farmer’s nemesis
Visit an arable farm in England, particularly in its central and Southern parts, and ask the farmer what their number one problem is on their farm. They will most likely tell you it is black-grass.