Research Programs

WAHRI is focussed on strategic and applied research to minimise the adverse impact on Australian cropping due to herbicide resistance and crop weeds.

Research activities extend beyond research on the biology and population ecology of major weed species through to cultural and chemical management strategies; and economic and sociological appraisal of farmer/industry responses to herbicide resistance.

WAHRI is responsible for a broad range of projects that are funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the Australian Research Council (ARC) and the Australian Weeds Research Centre (AWRC).

Current research projects include:

GRDC

The GRDC project encompasses a broad spectrum of projects which are generally classified under the following headings:

Evolutionary dynamics of herbicide resistance

Surveys

Fitness costs

Impact of cutting herbicide rates

Gene flow in Lolium rigidum and Roundup Ready Canola

Biochemical and molecular basis of herbicide resistance

Resistance management

ARC

Defining the evolutionary processes of resistance to pyroxasulfone

Broadacre weed seedbank management using a naturally occurring germination stimulant

Seed dormancy maintenance in Lolium rigidum and other weed species

Gene identification and genetic marker analysis of herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum

AWRC

Overcoming paraquat resistance

Overcoming and avoiding metabolism based herbicide resistance in Lolium rigidum

Pollen-mediated gene flow in weed species from adjacent farms into organic farms

Identifying the basis of dual glyphosate and paraquat resistance in Lolium rigidum selected at reduced rates of glyphosate