Herbicide resistance is challenging growers and agronomists as they plan weed management programs to make the most of both old and new chemistry.
Which is what brought WeedSmart 2022 to Mildura earlier this month – and pulled hundreds of participants from as far afield as Western Australia.
AGRIvision Consultants general manager Ed Nixon says Northern Mallee growers still have the chance to preserve older herbicides and keep as much diversity in their programs as possible.
Ed says WeedSmart Week is a great opportunity for growers and agronomists to broaden their weed management knowledge and skills.
And AGRIvision consultant, Brad Bennett, who covers the Ouyen and Northern Mallee region, spoke to participants about the strategic use of older chemistries.
The three-day event included bus tours to farms in the region and a machinery expo, where growers saw the latest in spray and camera technology, impact mills and other mechanical weed control tools being put to use on Mallee farms.
“In the Victorian Mallee, over time grain growers are coming up against new weed challenges as our farming systems and control methods select for different weeds and resistance to herbicides,” Ed says.
“We know the routine use of any herbicide mode of action inevitably leads to resistance, and diversity in both herbicide and non-herbicide tactics is the best way to manage weeds.”
Knowing what chemistry is working now and what is falling over is invaluable information when planning future herbicide programs.
Ed says most growers are also managing a significant chemical budget, and keeping old chemistry ‘in the mix’ is an important component of maintaining cost-effective solutions, while accepting that using some new chemistry for long-term sustainability and profitability is inevitable.
The forum and farm tours will showcased growers such as Bec Marshall, who outlined how they use multiple tactics such as haymaking, double knocking and crop-topping to stop weed seed set on a diverse cropping program of wheat, barley, hay (vetch and oaten), lentils, canola and irrigated faba beans.
Mallee producer Wade Nickolls was another grower sharing his experience with managing weeds on their 8000ha family farm.
The Nickolls take an ‘everything – including the kitchen sink’ approach that includes using impact mills for harvest weed seed control, diverse herbicide use, legume break crops, deep ripping, variable rate technology and hay making to keep weed numbers low.
WeedSmart project manager Jessica Strauss has labelled the 2022 event a resounding success, having attracted 230 registrations from across the country for the forum day alone.
“There was such positive engagement and feedback, particularly in response to the growers who shared their farming systems and weed management challenges and successes,” Jessica says.
“The farm visits and machinery displays also continue to be popular, as they allow growers to speak directly with manufacturers and growers who use the equipment and products.
“While WeedSmart is primarily concerned with herbicide resistance management on grain farms, we recognise the importance of addressing the spread of weeds and resistant genes across the landscape.
“Like many regions in Australia, the Mallee is home to a wide variety of crops, and practices on one farm can have far-reaching effects on neighbouring farms and sensitive crops.”
The GRDC’s Area Wide Weed Management project was the catalyst for WeedSmart to deliver a weed control event for the Sunraysia horticultural industry as part of WeedSmart Week 2022.
And more than 80 people attended the horticultural event, with the discussion centred on the biological control of fleabane, the benefits of pre-emergent herbicides and effective spray technology for orchards, in line with the WeedSmart Big 6 principles of diversity in weed control.
This year also saw the inception of the WeedSmart Legend award. The inaugural recipient of this award was Kevin Morthorpe, who has represented Gentech Pioneer on the WeedSmart Advisory Committee since its inception in 2013.
Representing the WeedSmart leadership team, Lisa Mayer presented the award to the recently-retired Kevin in recognition of his invaluable role in establishing and promoting herbicide stewardship programs, particularly for herbicide-tolerant crops.
The event attracted senior agricultural students, growers and agronomists from as far as central Queensland and Western Australia.
Jessica says the broad cross-section of growers responded to the opportunity to engage with WeedSmart’s industry sponsors, who showcased their weed management tools at the forum and the machinery demonstrations.
The three-day event included a full-day information forum, two machinery demonstrations and visits to six farms.
In response to the strong demand for regionally-specific information on science-backed weed control solutions, plans are in place for a second WeedSmart Week event for 2022 in Dalby on December 6 and 7.
For more information about herbicide resistance, go to www.weedsmart.org.au
