Investment
Investment
GRDC Code: ULA2402-002RTX
NGN - Gazanias incidence and impact on grain cropping in the Southern region.
Gazanias are an increasingly difficult to control weed in grain production paddocks of the Mallee, Riverland and Wimmera regions of Victoria and South Australia. Gazanias were raised as an emerging difficult to control weed at the 2023 Loxton, Bowhill and Langhorne Creek National Grower Network forums. Growers stated that chemical control options have been ineffective and even multiple spray strategies had not achieved control. Common in fragile sandy soils, the risk of erosion was also noted as a limitation of cultural control options. Gazanias comprise of multiple species (G. linearis and G. rigens) that can readily hybridise and are identifiable by tussocks or creeping stems, with distinctive large 'daisy' flowers in varying shades of yellow and orange. Previously not a significant weed of grain cropping environments, the past above average rainfall years have seen this weed shift from roadside populations into paddocks. As a new invasive weed of concern in the grain crop and fallow environments, growers are finding it difficult to control and there is limited information regarding management strategies.
This investment will quantify the distribution and abundance of Gazanias in paddock and determine the future risk of incursions from roadside populations adjacent to grain paddocks. A paddock and roadside survey will determine the incidence, understand the distribution, weed spread pathways and current and potential future impact of Gazanias in cropping systems. This investment will also review current control methods being implemented and conduct infield and/ or pot trials to determine control options and inform management strategies for the grains industry.
- Project start date:
- 29/02/2024
- Project end date:
- 31/08/2026
- Crop type:
-
- Not Crop Specific
- Organisation
- La Trobe University
- Region:
- South
- Project status
-
Active