FREE MANUAL TARGETS PEST WEEDS
Published Thursday, 01 November, 2007 at 11:35 AM
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries
The Honourable Tim Mulherin
A new manual explaining how to control weeds that cost the pastoral industry $60 million a year will be available free to all land managers.
The Best Practice Manual for the management of weedy Sporobolus grasses with emphasis on giant rat’s tail and giant Parramatta grass, will provide extensive grazing land managers with up to date, well planned control guidelines.
GRT is a particularly difficult pest to control as it cannot be killed by fire, slashing or grazing.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin will launch the 38-page full colour manual at the AgForce Nebo Branch meeting on Saturday, November 3.
Mr Mulherin said improved land management practices were needed to control current infestations and prevent the spread of the weed into clean areas.
“These extremely aggressive, invasive and unpalatable weedy grasses that now infest an estimated 450,000 hectares of grazing land in eastern Queensland and New South Wales thrive in the more than 700mm annual rainfall belt.
“Infestations of GRT and the related American rat’s tail, Parramatta grass and giant Parramatta grass are collectively costing the pastoral industry some $60 million annually in lost production and in control and containment costs,” Mr Mulherin said.
“This manual takes a strategic approach to weed management by weighing up the situation and taking a best bet strategy based on the latest research and a focus on achieving cost-efficient, effective weed control.”
Meat and Livestock Australia funded the four-year project supported by DPI&F and NSW DPI to publish the best practice guidelines which will be available free to all land managers.
DPI&F grazing systems senior scientist Dr Steven Bray, Rockhampton, who co-authored the revised WSG manual with NSW DPI pastures research officer David Officer, Grafton, said dense infestations can halve both stocking rates and annual beef production per hectare.
Queensland’s WSG infestations covering 200,000ha ranged from scattered to dense outbreaks from the NSW border to Rockhampton, inland to Moura with significant outbreaks around Mackay, Townsville, Ingham and Mareeba.
“These grasses can adapt to a wide range of soil types and climatic conditions and can establish in areas where the rainfall is as low as 500mm a year,” Dr Bray said.
“That puts 60 per cent or more than 108M ha of Queensland’s grazing country at risk and some 30 per cent or 223M ha nationally.”
Dr Bray said droughts, over grazing and fire that lead to prolonged period of exposed soil provided an ideal environment for these introduced weed seeds to germinate.
DPI&F Biosecurity Queensland land protection has categorised WSG as a declared Class 2 pest which means that landholders have a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to keep their land free of this pest which could have adverse economic, environmental or social impacts.
Dr Bray said GRT, the most prolific of the WSG in Queensland, originated from Africa and was widely distributed as a contaminant in pasture seed between the 1960s and 1980s.
A prolific seeder, GRT commonly grows to 1.7m tall with rat’s tail spike seed heads that can be 25 – 80cm long producing a huge seed bank of 10,000 seeds/sq m that remains viable for many years.
Once established, the GRT perennial tussocks with tough, unpalatable leaf blades can live more than a decade.
GRT is tough to kill and resistant to competition from surrounding pasture.
“Left unmanaged, a GRT invasion can become dense in less than 10 years. Control strategies are expensive often requiring multiple chemical spray treatments with the selective herbicide flupropanate,” Dr Bray said.
“Herbicide treatments alone will not control WSG and the best practice manual outlines a three-step planning process that enables landholders to (a) accurately identify areas of infestation (b) prevent the spread of weed seed into clean country and (c) identify cost-effective long term management strategies.”
“Preventing the spread of WSG seed into clean land is the single most effective action to stop the infestation cycle and that requires detailed, long term planning,” Dr Bray said.
Dr Bray said the Sporobolus seed coat becomes sticky when wet allowing it to be transported by animals, vehicles and machinery. Grazing animals also ingest the WSG seed and excrete viable seed in their dung.
Dr Bray said this valuable “how-to” guide was available free through the DPI&F Business Information Centre by calling 13 25 23.
Landholders who want to discuss WSG management issues should contact their Local Government weeds officer or a regional DPI&F Biosecurity Queensland land protection officer.
Caption:
1.DPI&F grazing systems senior scientist Dr Steven Bray in a dense stand of giant rat’s tail grass in Central Queensland believes the 38-page free Weedy Sporobolus Grass best practice manual will be a valuable asset for all extensive grazing land managers.
2. DPI&F grazing systems senior scientist Dr Steven Bray with a copy of the free 38-page Weedy Sporolobus Grass best practice manual officially launched by the Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries on November 3.
Photos available on request 32393000
Media:
Minister’s office 32396530
DPI&F 4936 0320
The Best Practice Manual for the management of weedy Sporobolus grasses with emphasis on giant rat’s tail and giant Parramatta grass, will provide extensive grazing land managers with up to date, well planned control guidelines.
GRT is a particularly difficult pest to control as it cannot be killed by fire, slashing or grazing.
Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries Tim Mulherin will launch the 38-page full colour manual at the AgForce Nebo Branch meeting on Saturday, November 3.
Mr Mulherin said improved land management practices were needed to control current infestations and prevent the spread of the weed into clean areas.
“These extremely aggressive, invasive and unpalatable weedy grasses that now infest an estimated 450,000 hectares of grazing land in eastern Queensland and New South Wales thrive in the more than 700mm annual rainfall belt.
“Infestations of GRT and the related American rat’s tail, Parramatta grass and giant Parramatta grass are collectively costing the pastoral industry some $60 million annually in lost production and in control and containment costs,” Mr Mulherin said.
“This manual takes a strategic approach to weed management by weighing up the situation and taking a best bet strategy based on the latest research and a focus on achieving cost-efficient, effective weed control.”
Meat and Livestock Australia funded the four-year project supported by DPI&F and NSW DPI to publish the best practice guidelines which will be available free to all land managers.
DPI&F grazing systems senior scientist Dr Steven Bray, Rockhampton, who co-authored the revised WSG manual with NSW DPI pastures research officer David Officer, Grafton, said dense infestations can halve both stocking rates and annual beef production per hectare.
Queensland’s WSG infestations covering 200,000ha ranged from scattered to dense outbreaks from the NSW border to Rockhampton, inland to Moura with significant outbreaks around Mackay, Townsville, Ingham and Mareeba.
“These grasses can adapt to a wide range of soil types and climatic conditions and can establish in areas where the rainfall is as low as 500mm a year,” Dr Bray said.
“That puts 60 per cent or more than 108M ha of Queensland’s grazing country at risk and some 30 per cent or 223M ha nationally.”
Dr Bray said droughts, over grazing and fire that lead to prolonged period of exposed soil provided an ideal environment for these introduced weed seeds to germinate.
DPI&F Biosecurity Queensland land protection has categorised WSG as a declared Class 2 pest which means that landholders have a legal obligation to take reasonable steps to keep their land free of this pest which could have adverse economic, environmental or social impacts.
Dr Bray said GRT, the most prolific of the WSG in Queensland, originated from Africa and was widely distributed as a contaminant in pasture seed between the 1960s and 1980s.
A prolific seeder, GRT commonly grows to 1.7m tall with rat’s tail spike seed heads that can be 25 – 80cm long producing a huge seed bank of 10,000 seeds/sq m that remains viable for many years.
Once established, the GRT perennial tussocks with tough, unpalatable leaf blades can live more than a decade.
GRT is tough to kill and resistant to competition from surrounding pasture.
“Left unmanaged, a GRT invasion can become dense in less than 10 years. Control strategies are expensive often requiring multiple chemical spray treatments with the selective herbicide flupropanate,” Dr Bray said.
“Herbicide treatments alone will not control WSG and the best practice manual outlines a three-step planning process that enables landholders to (a) accurately identify areas of infestation (b) prevent the spread of weed seed into clean country and (c) identify cost-effective long term management strategies.”
“Preventing the spread of WSG seed into clean land is the single most effective action to stop the infestation cycle and that requires detailed, long term planning,” Dr Bray said.
Dr Bray said the Sporobolus seed coat becomes sticky when wet allowing it to be transported by animals, vehicles and machinery. Grazing animals also ingest the WSG seed and excrete viable seed in their dung.
Dr Bray said this valuable “how-to” guide was available free through the DPI&F Business Information Centre by calling 13 25 23.
Landholders who want to discuss WSG management issues should contact their Local Government weeds officer or a regional DPI&F Biosecurity Queensland land protection officer.
Caption:
1.DPI&F grazing systems senior scientist Dr Steven Bray in a dense stand of giant rat’s tail grass in Central Queensland believes the 38-page free Weedy Sporobolus Grass best practice manual will be a valuable asset for all extensive grazing land managers.
2. DPI&F grazing systems senior scientist Dr Steven Bray with a copy of the free 38-page Weedy Sporolobus Grass best practice manual officially launched by the Minister for Primary Industries and Fisheries on November 3.
Photos available on request 32393000
Media:
Minister’s office 32396530
DPI&F 4936 0320