Rain N grain and stubble; a proactive approach to weed control: out of crop weed control

2014
CC BY 4.0

Research organisaton
Funding source

Trial details

Researcher(s) Nick Hill (CWFS)
John Small (CWFS)
Year(s) 2014
Contributor Central West Farming Systems
Trial location(s) Condobolin, NSW
Rain N grain and stubble; a proactive approach to weed control: out of crop weed control locations
Aims

To investigate whether weed management outside a cropping area provide benefits to growers in terms of lower weed burden, pest and disease risk within crop fields and an associated reduction in herbicide and pesticide inputs with an increase in economic returns?

Key messages

Weeds external to a cropping area (ie; along fence lines and roadways) are a known problem. They impact negatively upon a cropping operation in a number of ways; ie,

  • Pest insects - Weeds can provide refuge for insect pests and act as a point source of distribution into a cropping area.
  • Diseases - Weeds can act as a host for crop disease. When an infected weed is fed upon by a pest insect (e.g. aphid) and the pest insect then feeds upon a plant within a cropping zone the disease is transferred to the crop.
  • Seed - Weeds external to a cropping zone provide a source of seed that can enter and infest a cropping area.
  • Mice - Weeds external to a cropping area provide food, moisture and refuge for mice.
  • Herbicide resistance - Weeds external to a cropping area do not generally receive the same levels of control as weeds within a cropping area, which can assist in the development of herbicide resistance.
  • Green bridge - Weeds that perpetuate external to a cropping season provide what is termed as a “green-bridge”. This green bridge is known to enable pest insects and diseases to survive as well as provide a source of weed seed for future in-crop infestations.
Lead research organisation N/A
Host research organisation N/A
Trial funding source GRDC CWF00018
Related program N/A
Acknowledgments N/A
Other trial partners Not specified
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Trial report and links

2014 trial report



Trial last modified: 26-11-2019 14:49pm AEST