16 January 2009
DAFF09/183B
The Rudd Government has delivered on another election commitment - announcing $2.5 million for 28 weeds research projects funded through the new Australian Weeds Research Centre.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said the funding would support projects across Australia, including in livestock grazing areas, wetlands and rainforests.
“Weeds continue to pose a serious threat to our farming industries and natural environment, costing the national economy an estimated $4 billion each year,” Mr Burke said.
“In 2006-07 alone, Australian farmers spent more than $1.5 billion on weed control – more than the combined cost of pest control and land and soil management.
“This Rudd Government funding will support the work of a range of research providers, and potential partners in the new Weeds Research Centre.
“This work is more important than ever, as climate change will increase the spread of pests and disease.
“The Weeds Research Centre is an opportunity for all governments, industry and the research community to work together to address this issue.”
One project will see the Victorian Department of Primary Industries complete testing on a new biological control agent to attack Chilean needle grass and serrated tussock.
In another project, the CSIRO will research whether livestock grazing is a practical tool to help control exotic grasses in remnant vegetation.
The Government announced in May 2008 that it would establish the new national Weeds Research Centre, which was welcomed by the former Cooperative Research Centre for Australian weed management.
Please note: the project leader and senior research fellow for the Birchip Cropping Group project, Dr Michael Walsh, is available for media comment on 0410 438 580.
Details of the 28 projects to receive funding are listed below.
| Project Title | Proponent | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Overcoming paraquat resistance: The potential for herbicide mixtures to reverse paraquat resistance | The University of Western Australia | $71,000 |
| Developing Best Practice methods to manage invasion pathways of gamba grass | Department of Natural Resources, Environment, the Arts and Sport | $163,317 |
| Managing weeds and herbicides in a genetically modified farming system | NSW Department of Primary Industries | $140,417 |
| Implementation of Biological Control of Chilean needle grass and Serrated Tussock | Victorian Department of Primary Industries | $115,500 |
| Best practice for making strategic decisions about weeds of commercial value | CSIRO | $84,123 |
| Molecular Control of Reproduction in Weeds | CSIRO | $116,870 |
| Ecological approach to landscape restoration of wetlands degraded by invasive grasses | CSIRO | $60,072 |
| Quantifying aquatic weed impacts and reducing herbicide use through seasonal efficacy trials | Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries | $26,500 |
| Pollen-mediated gene flow in weed species from adjacent farms into organic farms | The University of Western Australia | $34,753 |
| Developing Novel Diagnostic Tools for Weed Identification | Victorian Department of Primary Industries and the EH Graham Centre for Agricultural Innovation | $92,621 |
| Integrating Adaptive Weed Management and Biodiversity Conservation in the Blue Mountains | Blue Mountains City Council | $5,627 |
| Using UAVs and Innovative Classification Algorithms in the Detection of Cacti | University of Sydney | $108,575 |
| Livestock grazing: a practical tool to control exotic grasses in remnant vegetation? | CSIRO | $76,110 |
| Lippia biological control | CSIRO | $165,166 |
| Biological control and ecology of cabomba and alligator weed | CSIRO | $240,920 |
| Field host range of high priority potential biocontrol agents of Parkinsonia aculeata | CSIRO Entomology | $189,702 |
| Seed banks of weed-invaded wetlands: implications for biodiversity and restoration | CSIRO | $41,551 |
| Weed response to cyclones in the Wet Tropics rainforests: impacts and adaptation | CSIRO | $57,928 |
| Does clonality facilitate rapid invasion of the aquatic weed Sagittaria platyphylla? | CSIRO | $57,282 |
| Introduction of lacy-winged seed fly for Chrysanthemoides monilifera biological control | Victorian Department of Primary Industries | $23,187 |
| Maximising knowledge for adoption on recent weeds research | Land and Water Australia | $93,900 |
| Improved detection and eradication of Hieracium: experiments and 2nd generation dispersal models | The University of Melbourne | $53,065 |
| Weed seed retention at crop maturity of major south-eastern Australian weed species | Birchip Cropping Group Inc. | $53,794 |
| Identifying the basis of dual glyphosate and paraquat resistance in Lolium rigidum selected at reduced rates of glyphosate | The University of Western Australia | $39,470 |
| National bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia) best practice manual | The State of Queensland through its Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries | $67,216 |
| Host testing of the gorse pod moth, Cydia succedana, for the biological control of gorse in Australia | The University of Tasmania (Tasmania Institute of Agricultural Research) | $119,477 |
| Estimation of investment required to achieve weed eradication | Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries | $27,434 |
| The impact of boneseed invasion on biodiversity | University of Wollongong | $155,136 |