Herbicide Resistance
Researchers
- Professor Jim Pratley
- Dr John Broster
- Allison Chambers
Project resources
Summary
Tracking the evolution of herbicide resistance to inform farm management practices.
Aim
Charles Sturt University has been testing weeds for herbicide resistance for more than 25 years. This helps producers avoid using chemicals that are no longer effective.
It also gives insight into how resistance is evolving and how it’s associated with different cropping practices.
What's involved
Herbicide resistance in weeds is common in southern Australia and is a costly problem for the grains industry.
The research team collects weed seed samples from randomly selected broad acre crops. These seeds are then grown in the glasshouse and then sprayed with commonly used herbicides to test the level of resistance.
This long-running national research project has recently been supported for another three years by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). This year Charles Sturt is surveying all of southern NSW with other organisations surveying the remainder of the Australian cropping region.
It also informs research into integrated weed management practices.
In conjunction with the random surveys Charles Sturt also operates a commercial herbicide resistance testing service, screening specific weed populations for producers.