Wimmera awareness
Wimmera growers and advisers will have the opportunity to learn the ‘ABCS’ of herbicide resistance during a series of workshops in August.
Agriculture Victoria is coordinating Minyip, St Helen’s Plains and Noradjuha workshops on August 14 and 15.
The sessions aim to increase awareness and adoption of land-management practices that improve and protect the condition of Wimmera soil, biodiversity and vegetation.
Director of Plant Science Consulting and University of Adelaide herbicide resistance team research officer Dr Peter Boutsalis will present an update on ‘alphabet’ herbicide-resistance and tactics for growers.
Dr Boutsalis said paddock surveys of southern Australia showed ‘alphabet resistant’ ryegrass was becoming more prevalent in intensively cropped areas.
He said the last survey in the Wimmera-mallee was in 2015, and the next one is planned for 2020.
“The 2015 survey showed widespread resistance to a range of post-emergent herbicides in the Wimmera-mallee,” he said.
“In the Wimmera, only five percent of sampled paddocks contained annual ryegrass susceptible to all tested herbicides. However, 30 percent of surveyed Wimmera paddocks contained ryegrass with resistance to one mode of action and a further 50 percent contained ryegrass resistant to two modes of action.”
Dr Boutsalis said a range of new mode-of-action herbicides would soon be available, but needed to be carefully managed to ensure their longevity.
Agriculture Victoria’s Heather Drendel said growers should use a range of tools to minimise the risk of alphabet resistance developing in weeds on their property.
“Testing weed seeds for herbicide resistance is the first step for growers in understanding the extent of resistance on their farm,” she said.
A Minyip workshop will be at Minyup Hotel from 4pm to 5.30pm on August 14.
On August 15, a workshop will be at Taylor’s Lake Hall from 9am to 10.30am, and at Noradjuha Hall from midday to 1.30pm.
People can register for the workshops online at https:// abc-weed-resistance.eventbrite. com.au, or call Heather Drendel on 0427 868 705 for more information.