Congratulations to Professor Chris Preston and the UA team including A/Prof Gurjeet Gill, Dr Jenna Malone, and Dr Mahima Krishnan; who have been successful as part of the new National Weed Management Initiative (WMI) moving forward that is invested through GRDC. Chris and the team have secured ~$6.7M to take responsibility for the Southern Node of the National operations over the next ~4 years. In short, this project will investigate major herbicide resistant weeds causing problems to grain growers in the southern region using a suite of laboratory, pot and field studies to develop new knowledge about resistance evolution and management solutions to herbicide resistance.

The key problems to be investigated include glyphosate and paraquat resistance in annual ryegrass and flax-leaf fleabane, pre-emergent herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass, glyphosate and Group 4 resistance in common sowthistle, glyphosate resistance in brome grass and barley grass, and Group 12 and Group 27 resistance in broadleaf weeds.

Research will be conducted with collaborators at SARDI and Farming Systems Groups to better extend information to grain growers. The project will collaborate with the other WMI nodes at UWA, CSU and UQ.

A wonderful way to kick-start the year. Well done Chris and team.

Words from the desk of Prof Jason Able