Title: Australian focus for herbicide resistance research
[WAHRI August 11, 2010] -- Australian grain growers and agronomists will benefit from a national focus on herbicide resistance across the Australian broad-acre cropping belt as the WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative (WAHRI) evolves through the establishment of formal linkages with eastern states partners and Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA) to become the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI).
Funding of $5.5 million for the next five years (2010 - 2015) from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) will underpin the new University of WA based, AHRI centre. In a move supported by GRDC, AHRI will work closely with DAFWA, DEEDI Queensland, University of Melbourne and University of Adelaide to understand the impact of herbicide resistance and facilitate a national approach to resistance management across Australia.
AHRI Director and Winthrop Professor Stephen Powles is an internationally recognized authority on all aspects of herbicide resistance and leads this world-class research team.
"WAHRI already has had a major impact on Australian agriculture through both fundamental and applied research. The focus for the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) will continue to be on strategic and applied research aimed at minimising the adverse impacts of herbicide resistance in Australian agriculture," Professor Powles said.
"Herbicide sustainability is imperative for Australian crop production as herbicides are a cost effective tool for weed management, however a number of resistance problems exist and AHRI will work with its partners to address these," he said.
AHRI research will continue to be delivered through publications in high ranking scientific journals, book chapters and reviews and disseminated via extension packages, field days, industry forums and the new AHRI website.
The new AHRI website ahri.uwa.edu.au will be useful to growers, agronomists, the agro-chemical industry, and the research community as it aims to disseminate research, surveys and field studies to provide a measure of the resistance problem not only in Western Australia, but across Australian cropping regions.
For more information:
Lisa Mayer, 08 6488 7870 lisa.mayer@uwa.edu.au or Neree Martinez 08 6488 1512 neree.martinez@uwa.edu.au