Feathertop Rhodes grass is just one of the weeds which can eat into farming’s profits and sustainability. Photo: Nicole Baxter
AN INVESTMENT in weed management led by the Grains Research and Development Corporation has been developed to help Australian growers manage one of the most persistent and costly challenges facing farming businesses.
Announced by GRDC chair Sharon Starick at the Grains Research Updates in Perth today, the Weed Management Initiative is valued at $47 million.
It aims to provide sustainable and effective weed management strategies through four nodes across Australia, ensuring both national collaboration and regional specificity.
The 5.5-year initiative will bring Australia’s leading researchers and communications and extension specialists together to work on innovative, cutting-edge weed management research, development and extension.
Under the initiative, GRDC will invest $25M to create regional nodes with strategic partnerships, and $22M in co-contributions will come from the University of Western Australia, the University of Adelaide, Charles Sturt University, and the University of Queensland.
The WMI will also support more than 20 weed-research scientists, working under experienced node leads, as well as 12 new PhD student scholarships to build critical capacity in this field.
GRDC chair and SA grower Sharon Starick.
Mrs Starick said the WMI was a critical investment GRDC was making on behalf of Australian grain growers, and built on three decades of weed RD&E.
“Conservatively, weeds impose an annual cost on growers of approximately $4.1 billion in lost production and control measures; this equates to around $196 per hectare,” Mrs Starick said.
Under this initiative, four regional nodes will be established: one in WA, one in the southern region covering South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria and based within the University of Adelaide, and two in the northern region covering Qld and New South Wales, and catering for summer and winter cropping systems.
Mrs Starick said this federated approach would build on GRDC’s long-term investment in integrated weed management and ensure there was a well-resourced and interconnected research community, and cohesion in national efforts across RD&E.
- Program 1. Evolutionary dynamics of weed adaptation and herbicide resistance;
- Program 2. Biochemical, molecular and genetic basis of novel herbicide resistance;
- Program 3. Mitigation and management of weeds using novel and integrated approaches;
- Program 4. Capacity, expertise and collaborative uplift; and,
- Program 5. Communication, extension and adoption of weed research outputs.
“As a grower I understand that one of the most important elements to research investment is ensuring key information is made available to those working on-farm.
“Importantly the WMI will be underpinned by a strategic communication, extension and adoption program ensuring a strong focus on delivery of outputs and information generated being extended to growers.
“Emphasising regional extension and practical demonstration of developed research will ensure that growers have timely access to cutting-edge information and best practices for addressing their weed management challenges.”
Find more information about GRDC’s Weed Management Initiative on the GRDC website.
Source: GRDC
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