Western Australia
July 7, 2014
How can you produce more crop with fewer weeds, sustainably?
Grain growers in Western Australia’s southern cropping regions can find out at workshops hosted by the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) and WeedSmart, with support from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
AHRI communications leader Peter Newman said the workshops would explore measures that could be incorporated into farming systems to give crops the upper hand against weeds.
“We will discuss how leading growers have used harvest weed seed control (HWSC) techniques to manage weeds and provide local simulations using the Ryegrass Integrated Management (RIM) model to target the seedbank,” he said.
“We’ll also investigate the glyphosate resistance threat and how weeds are evolving to bypass both herbicide and non-herbicide options.”
The workshops will be conducted in conjunction with Southern DIRT, the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group, the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association, the North Mallee Farm Improvement Group and the Department of Agriculture and Food.
Speakers include:
- Mr Newman who will use the RIM model to demonstrate the benefits of HWSC tools and the costs of adopting each tool
- AHRI researcher Michael Ashworth who will present his work on wild radish and how it is evolving to bypass weed control measures
- New South Wales farm manager Tom Murphy who will discuss his experience controlling herbicide resistance
- WA farmer and innovator Ray Harrington who will talk about his experiences and the progress of the Harrington Seed Destructor (Kojonup workshop only)
- WeedSmart leader and AHRI centre manager Lisa Mayer who will give an overview of the WeedSmart project and what it offers growers
Growers are encouraged to diarise the following dates:
- August 5, 8.30am to 12.30pm – Kojonup Sporting Complex
- August 6, 9am to 1pm – Jerramungup Resource Centre
- August 7, 1pm to 4.30pm – Esperance Downs Research Station
For more information about the workshops and to register, contact Lisa Mayer on 08 6488 7870 or lisa.mayer@uwa.edu.au, or Brogan Micallef on 08 6488 3189.
Information about sustainable integrated weed management (IWM) practices is available at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) website www.ahri.uwa.edu.au
For information on herbicide sustainability, visit the WeedSmart information hub at www.weedsmart.org.au
Useful information is also available at the Integrated Weed Management Hub, available at www.grdc.com.au/IWMhub
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