Fleabane

GOONDIWINDI 2005

Fleabane & Difficult Weed Forum.

(CFI wish to acknowledge the generous support of the Gwydir Border Rivers Catchment Association with organising the forum)

Full list of nominated weeds in order of importance:

1) Fleabane*
2) Annual Saltbush
3) button grass
4) milk thistle
5) malvastaum
6) climbing buckwheat
7) (roundup ready) cotton
8) caustic weed
9) mimosa / briar
10) sesbania pea
11) polymeria pusilla
12) peach vine
10) mother of millions
11) lippia
12) chick pea
13) rasp weed
* Weeds in Bold were discussed in detail on the day and the summary listed below.

Fleabane

Successes

• High rates of Round-up when fleabane small (2-3 leaf)
• All treatments before elongation of flower stem, preferable just after emergence
• 2 litres 2-4-D / ha when small
• High water rates with jet type nozzle
• Atrazine if applied in winter fallow and top up in-crop (post-emergent)
• Surpass mixtures
• Glean (30g) in-crop post emergence (residuals into fallow)
• Flame herbicide in fallow?
• Pre-harvest spray winter crop
• Chickpea desiccation treatments
• The addition of Liase adjuvant to assist penetration with hard water
• Double knock @100 litres / ha. Garlon and diesel (ie 500 ml Garlon plus 10 litres of diesel, made up to 100 litres) then Sprayseed 1.5 litres / ha - 100% kill achieved on woody plants (spot spray).
• spray oil
• Basta in vineyards etc.
• Steel if timing correctly
• Use weed seeker technology
• in-crop simazine from previous rotation (coming out of chickpeas in-crop Simazine / Spinniker)
• Round-up and Grazon or Amitrole spot spray
• IPM - head ditches

Failures

• Glean residuals, problem for sorghum crop
• Clear-field system
• Tram tracks
• Teel if timing incorrectly
• Tank mix antagonism
• Basta inconsistent results (St George)

Saltbush

Successes

• Glean in rotation (label rate)
• Round-up and Ally early (before woody stage) add a good wetter
• If there is plant back issues – An alternative is to use Express on small weeds
• Round-up is effective when weeds are very small
• 1.4 litres / ha Bromicide with Round up (but timing needs to be correct ie small plants, plus high water volume of water 80l/ha plus)
• Amitrol when small
• Round-up and Surpass (small weeds)
• Atrazine but species specific (more than one) not always consistent
• 24D-Amine and Atrazine as fallow pre-rain
• Flame herbicide in fallow?
• Cultivate patches of weeds
• Round-up / Ally / Dicamba 90% success on older weeds, increase water volume in dry conditions and add a wetter.
• Winter management the key in cereal crops using Glean

Failures

• If treated at woody stage (Ally)
• If stressed by drought or tip worms
• large plants and dry conditions
• Staggered germination (germination following knockdown)
• Round-up and 2-4-D
• Amine
• Ester
• Amitrol if weed too large

Button Grass

Successes

• High rates of round-up early after rain
• Flame?
• Shield spraying
• High speed of penetration / entry into plant
• Early timing
• Rates important 1.3 litres / ha minimum
• product brand Round-up Power Max
• wetters - ammonium sulphate

Failures

• shield spraying- (in row)
• stressed plant
• limited chemical choice if high rates of round-up used
• dust
• wheel tracks - stresses plant - small window of time only

Milkthistle

Successes

• Round-up Max or CT at 1.3 or 1.5 litres / ha
• Ally 10g after harvest
• In-crop Tordon 242
• Ally / LVE good spray coverage
• Round-up / Ally better than Round-up / 2-4-D (antagonism)
• Round-up - Atrazine in winter fallow
• Round-up - LVE high rate in winter

Failures

• 2,4-D
• After elongation
• Round-up plus LVE plus Starane (low rate)
• aphids on crop and weeds
• Round-up and Atrazine antagonistic on large plants

Malvastrum

Successes

• Round-up Power Max and Ally (apply early)
• Grazon plus 2-4-D (apply early)
• Surpas in fallow
• 2-4-D in fallow
• Round - up and Ally (young weeds)
• Liase good rate 1.5 / 5 g (2 % rate)
• Round - up plus Ally plus Garlon
• Round - up and Glean pre-sowing wheat
• good water quality

Failures

• waiting and trying to kill it with high rates of Round-up
• Round - up only
• inconsistent results for large weeds
• poor water quality

Climbing Buckwheat

Successes

• Tordon 242 in-crop winter (also a failure; timing and rate issue)
• 242 plus Ally 5 grms
• Atrazine in winter
• post harvest Round-up plus Atrazine 2 litres / ha
• early summer fallow Round-up and Bromicide 1.4 litres / ha
• Round - up and Starane in fallow
• Round - up and Grazon 300 - 400 ml
• Starane and Atrazine in-crop (Sorghum)
• Ally (5g) plus LVE (700 mls) under stressed conditions
• Midas
• 242 (500ml) plus 20g Harmony
• Flame?
• Starane (500ml) and Ally (5g) in-crop

Failures

Tordon 242 in-crop - winter (success also; timing and rate issue…)

General Management

• Reasons for inconsistency of results eg wind, soil, humidity, time of day – observations need to be made.
• Identification of "emerging" weeds ie prediction of possible problem weeds eg; Round-up ready cotton,.
• Round-up ready crops
• Round-up volunteers
• Over-use of /reliance on -round-up and other herbicides - problems later.
• Crop / Weed competition as a management option.
• Low rates with Round-up (over use) - resistance. If using low rates it is better to add another chemical to the mixture, this reduces the likely hood of resistance.