The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) has boosted its investment in weeds research, commissioning major new projects to significantly advance Australia’s response to its on-going weeds challenge. This follows the recent announcement by Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Dr Mike Kelly, of 33 research projects worth some $6.1 million and brings the total to $12.4 million being invested by the Australian Government’s National Weeds and Productivity Research Program. The new projects will be conducted by some of Australia’s leading research institutions and government agencies.
“The research projects funded by RIRDC will advance our understanding of weeds on all parts of the continent, build knowledge on the ecology of weeds, improve understanding of management approaches at a landscape scale, identify potential treatments, and improve governance and funding to continue the challenge of reducing the impact of weeds on agricultural productivity and the environment,” RIRDC Weeds Advisory Committee Chairman John Kerin said.
“Weeds cause significant social, economic and environmental problems, costing billions of dollars in control measures and lost agricultural production.
“It is vital that Australia continues to invest in cutting edge research to ensure stakeholders including farmers and other land managers have the necessary knowledge and tools to prevent new weeds or control present weeds.”
Among the commissioned projects being funded by RIRDC is research by the University of Melbourne to develop a prototype and test whether it can use microwave energy to kill weeds in a cost-effective manner suitable for use on farms.
The Victorian Department of Primary Industries is investigating the use of biological control agents as a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option to reduce the impact of 21 existing priority weeds, including eight Weeds of National Significance.
Other projects are looking into the use of hyperspectral remote sensing using unmanned aerial vehicles for enhanced detection of weeds; how to future-proof the National Post Border Weed Risk Management Protocol; how climate change will impact the risk of weed invasions in the Murray Darling Basin; and building a national weeds web portal to inform, educate, and interact with stakeholders, enhancing their capacity to prevent or control weeds.
These commissioned projects follow on from an open call for research applications. In total, the RIRDC Weeds Program is providing around $12.4 million (GST inclusive) to more than 50 projects, which will report back in May 2012.
More information on the projects being funded is available on the RIRDC website, at www.rirdc.gov.au/weeds.
Article: WeedsNews1648 (permalink) Date: 17 May 2011; 9:37:04 AM AEST