May 25, 2016
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries researchers are investigating herbicide resistance in weeds, and they’re looking for farmers to give them a hand.
Principal research scientist Dr Michael Widderick said he and his team planned to undertake field surveys to collect seeds from key species, and test their susceptibility to a range of common herbicides.
“We’re seeking expressions of interest from producers throughout Queensland with paddocks growing a grain crop, including sorghum, maize, wheat, chickpeas and more,” he said.
“If selected for the survey, a member of our team will visit the property and collect weed seeds for testing during the key harvesting periods.
“This will allow us to survey the extent of resistance across the State and better target our research towards important weed and resistance issues affecting Queensland producers”.
The team is also working to identify approaches that either improve herbicide efficacy or reduce reliance on them for weed control.
“Improved efficacy has been gained through applying the double knock tactic,” Dr Widderick said.
“This is the sequential application of two different weed control tactics where the second application is applied to control any survivors of the first.”
Aside from herbicides, the DAF weed science team is also investigating the efficacy of non-chemical tactics including harvest weed seed control and targeted tillage.
“The aim of our research is to better define the weed issues that Queensland farmers are facing, and identify new and effective tactics for improved control in conservation farming systems,” he said.
Farmers who would like to take part in the field surveys should contact Adam Jalaludin by email for more information.
