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Spring 2004
WAHRI NEWSWindrow burning for better radish control Recent research led by Michael Walsh has shown that burning windrows is an effective way to target wild radish seed. The temperatures achieved during the burning of windrows destroyed wild radish seed present on the soil surface. The use of windrow burning also has the potential to kill seed in the seedbank directly below the windrow in some circumstances. Burning standing stubble resulted in a much lower reduction in wild radish seed viability. more Knowing when annual ryegrass will germinate Seed dormancy is important in determining when ryegrass will emerge and how many years it will stay in the seedbank. New WAHRI research by Kathryn Steadman has taken us a step closer towards understanding how seasonal factors and long-term climate influences dormancy in ryegrass seed and how it can be released. Key findings from this work are presented in this review paper. more Sheep for the control of small-flowered mallow Research by Pippa Michael suggests that it is possible to use sheep as a form of biological control for the increasingly important weed, small-flowered mallow (Malva parviflora) - as long as the seed coat has not yet formed. If the seed coat has fully formed, sheep may act as a vector for the weed and spread it across the farms. The inbreeding nature of the weed means that only one viable germinating seed is needed to propagate a new population. more No-till Adoption and the weed management challenge A CRC Weeds-funded study involving grain grower from Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales has shown that although no-till adoption is expected to increase overall, weed management problems such as herbicide resistance are the main reason why some growers are returning to some tillage. Most growers expect higher risks of herbicide resistance and glyphosate resistance under no-till systems. more New national glyphosate group A new national working group has formed to promote the sustainable use of glyphosate in Australian agriculture. The national Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group includes research and industry representatives from the CRC for Australian Weed Management, Nufarm, Syngenta, Monsanto, Avcare, NSW Agriculture, Queensland DPI, University of Adelaide, Charles Sturt University, WA Department of Agriculture (WADA) and the WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative. It aims to generate new opportunities and consistent information to improve the management of glyphosate. more RIM workshop products now available Together with the updated RIM versions, WAHRI has packaged its guide for running a successful RIM workshop. “Running a RIM Workshop: Materials and Guide” has been developed to aid facilitators/advisors in delivering RIM to farmer audiences. The package includes a PowerPoint slide set, “Workshop” versions of the RIM model, a bound guide for conducting successful workshops and additional materials. For more information click here For further information on RIM workshops and how to conduct a RIM workshop in your area contact WAHRI. RIM workshops continue to be successfully delivered throughout Australia. Recent RIM workshops have been held in Wagga Wagga involving NSW Agriculture, Queensland DPI, CRC Australian Weed Management, Charles Sturt University and private consultants; as part of the Bill Roy/WAHRI field days in York and Dowerin; and to South African Nufarm area managers. RIM will also be part of a series of IWM workshops to be delivered in the eastern states as part of workshops being delivered by John Cameron and the CRC Weeds in early 2005 Targeting extension for improved herbicide resistance management A new paper based on WAHRI research has shown how key perceptions can be identified and targeted to improve weed management decisions by farmers. A RIM-based workshop was evaluated by measuring changes in perceptions and adoption in the following year. An increase in adoption of some key practices such as crop seeding rate and the double knockdown was shown. Early identification of farmer perceptions influencing particular farm management decisions provided the opportunity to effectively focus research and extension information. Click here for full paper RIM with wild radish The multi-species RIM model that includes wild radish and ryegrass is now available in a beta version. It is being made available on a limited basis to users of the ryegrass RIM model as part of a development phase. Evaluations are being collected by WAHRI and will be used in further refinement of the model. The multi-species model was developed by Marta Monjardino and has already been tested in some workshops and for economic analysis of weed management strategies. For more information click here Resistance testing time It’s now time to consider weed seed collection for herbicide resistance testing. A new seed testing service is available this year through Plant Science Consulting. In addition to testing from seed samples, plant tests will also be available next season. For more information click here. Local Farmer Group Network The Local Farmer Group Network is a GRDC-funded project aimed at supporting smaller locally-focused grower groups in WA. Paul Carmody will be managing the project and is based at the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at UWA. The broad aim of the project is to help improve the adoption of crop production technology for the smaller grower groups. The project aims to achieve this by improving groups direct linkages with researchers and industry providers. The Local Farmer Group Network complements WAHRI’s involvement with the Grower Group Alliance which is also based at UWA. more Herbicide resistance FAQ’s Difficult questions frequently arise when discussing resistant weed populations and issues surrounding herbicide performance. Some of the common questions are answered here, Agronomists, consultants and other industry personnel who have a direct link to managing difficult weed populations can gather valuable insight by reading this question and answer session. more New book on herbicide resistance Steve Powles and his colleague at Adelaide University, Chris Preston, are teaming up to write a book entitled “Evolution of herbicide resistance in plants”. This book will be published by CABI Press, UK in late 2005. Latest WAHRI Journal Articles D'Emden, F. H., Bell, G., and Llewellyn, R. S. 2004. Rural landholder attitudes towards the responsibilities and action for managing declared weeds in Western Australia. Plant Protection Quarterly (in press) Gallagher RS, Steadman KJ, Crawford AD (2004) Alleviation of dormancy in annual ryegrass seeds by hydration and after-ripening. Weed Science 52: (in press) Llewellyn, R. S., Pannell, D. J., Lindner, R. K., and Powles, S. B. (2004). Targeting key perceptions when planning and evaluating extension. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture (in press). Llewellyn. R.S., Lindner, R.K., Pannell, D.J. Powles, S.B. (2004) Grain grower perceptions and use of integrated weed management. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture. 44 (10) (in press) Monjardino, M., Pannell, D.J., Powles, S.B. (2004) The economic value of pasture phases in the integrated management of annual ryegrass and wild radish in a Western Australian farming system. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture. 44, (3), pp. News and Views |
