Title: Chemical ban could spark return to cane burning, growers say

[ABC Rural News 28 July 2011 by Miriam Hall] -- As the nation's chemical regulator, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, proposes to take diruron off the market, some canegrowers say they're concerned a ban - which would come into effect almost immediately - will do more harm than good to the environment. Innisfail cane farmer Joe Marano says the use of diruron is a vital tool in the control of weeds, particularly with green cane trash blanketing where weeds can overtake cane in the pre-emerge phase. "It is going to create another disaster because the only way to control the weeds in cane is to go back to burning and cultivating," Mr Marano says."That's going to create different headaches because if we go back to the old ways, we'll have people complaining about burning and people complaining about the sediment in the rivers."Burdekin BSES extension officer Bill Webb says it was important to be able to use diruron in the rotation of herbicides to avoid weed resistance and take out grasses not killed by other more commonly-used chemicals.



From http://www.abc.net.au, see original source.



Article: WeedsNews1926 (permalink)
Categories: :WeedsNews:agricultural weed, :WeedsNews:herbicides
Date: 28 July 2011; 12:27:15 PM AEST

Author Name: David Low
Author ID: adminDavid