PLANT PROTECTION 1 – Pests, Diseases and Weeds

PLANT PROTECTION 1 – Pests, Diseases and Weeds
EFFECTIVE
WEED
MANAGEMENT
A coordinated approach to weed management is necessary. In Australia, effective weed
management is hampered by:
Extensive nature of Australia’s agriculture, bushland, etc.
Some of the ‘worst’ weeds may be so well adapted to the niches they exploit,
that measures taken to control them may have only limited effectiveness.
Multiplicity of landholders, both private and public together with the many
additional organizations that have indirect influence over land. People who influence
the weed flora in Australia are the agricultural and horticultural industries, nurseries,
parks, catchments authorities, and so on.
Multiple lists of different types of weeds, eg WONS, Alert lists (pages 414-415).
Large bureaucracy and websites which seem to be becoming even larger
and more complex, even duplicating each other.
Prevalence of herbicide resistance and large seed banks.
Because many other countries have lost their natural biodiversity and most floras
have come from naturalized species from other areas, Australia is one of the very
few countries of the world trying to manage invasive plant species (Thorp 2008).
www.daff.gov.au/
TRAINING
National Competencies for Weed Management:
www.weeds.org.au/
Training Schemes are available for specific groups of people, eg
– Weed Control Assistants
– Weed Spray Operators
– Weed Control Officers (Local Government)
– Weed Control Contractors
– Parks Rangers
– Bush Regenerators
– Landholder Government Advisors
– Labour Market Programs
– Managers of Weed Management programs at all levels
– Volunteers, eg Landcare, Conservation volunteers, Greencorp
Special courses/guidelines/best management practice are available for
managing specific weeds and crops, etc, including
– Specific weeds, eg bitou bush, cape ivy, Paterson’s curse, willows, serrated
tussock (WEEDNet), managing wild radish.
– Specific crops, eg agricultural crops, turf, fruit trees, vegetables, viticulture,
containers, cut flowers.
– Riparian weeds in waterways.
– Best Management Practice for 20 WONS, National Weed Strategy
– Nurseries, eg Bush Friendly Nursery Schemes.
– Weed Seeds–Breaking the seedbank, eg GRDC www.grdc.com.au/
– Management Guides for wild radish, wild oats, pasture, Paterson’s curse, ragwort.
– Environmental Weed Best Practice Management Guides, eg Scotch broom,
bitou bush, boneseed, blackberry, bridal creeper, St John’s wort, horehound.
– Workshop proceedings, eg thistle, bitou bush, wild radish, arum lily, survey
workshop, spiny emex, St John’s Wort, broom.
– Weed Seed Wizard (treat the seeds not the weeds) is a management tool for farmers
to assess weed populations, reduce viable seed in the soil seed bank.
– Introductory Weed Management Manual www.weeds.gov.au/
– Integrated Weed Management Manual www.weeds.gov.au/
– What Does Your Garden grow? Available online.
Weed courses include the following segments.
– Legislation.
– Licensing of operators.
– Identification of weeds, including weed seeds, weed seedlings, mown weeds,
but especially grass species.
– Type of weed, life cycle, overseasoning, spread, conditions favouring. Fact
sheets for each weed.
– Weed mapping, weed tests for soils by germination.
– Integrated weed management (IWM)
– Methods of non-chemical and chemical weed control
– Apply herbicides safely and effectively.
430 Weeds - Integrated Weed Management