Coming events in Victoria and South Australia will provide agronomists with a thorough understanding of how herbicides work and enable them to provide advice that will maximise the performance of herbicides on-farm.
Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) herbicide behaviour workshops, to be delivered by Independent Consultants Australia Network (ICAN), will address the science underpinning how herbicides work.
"Participants will gain a better understanding of the key factors dictating herbicide performance and what can be done in the paddock to ensure weed control is maximised," ICAN weed specialist Mark Congreve said.
"Weeds are one of the largest costs to grain producers and herbicide resistance is a key driver of increasing costs.
"When confronted with a range of weed problems and environmental conditions, the challenge is to optimise the results in the field."
Mr Congreve said knowing what weeds would be controlled from applying a herbicide was relatively easy – as the information was outlined on the product label – but more challenging questions included:
- Why do herbicides perform or fail in some situations?
- Critical comments on the label. Why do they exist and how were they developed?
- How do adjuvants and water conditioning agents work? What should be used, when and why?
- How does resistance affect different herbicides? What strategies can be used as resistance emerges?
- How do residual herbicides work and what influences their breakdown?
Mr Congreve said the workshops would be customised for each location to focus on regionally important herbicides and management issues.
The small group workshops will each run for one-and-a-half days and participant numbers are limited to ensure active participation and discussion. While the workshop content is targeted to experienced agronomists, interested growers are welcome to register.
The first GRDC herbicide behaviour workshops for the southern cropping region will be held at the following locations in February and March, with details of further events to be made available soon:
- Lake Bolac, Victoria – February 12 and 13
- Geelong, Victoria – February 14 and 15
- Wudinna, South Australia – February 26 and 27
- Cummins, South Australia – February 28 and March 1
- Maitland, South Australia – March 12 and 13
- Clare, South Australia – March 14 and 15
The cost is $165 (including GST) per workshop and the events start at 8.30am on Day 1 and finish by lunchtime on Day 2.
