THE interactive computer tool Weed Seed Wizard, which helps grain growers make better weed management decisions, is now even faster and easier to use.
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Developed with funding from the former Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management and supported by sponsors including the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the Wizard also has a number of new features.
Wizard co-project leader and mathematical modeller Michael Renton, of the University of Western Australia (UWA), said the computer tool is designed to give growers an insight into the hidden weed seedbank and allows them to coordinate long-term weed management.
He said the new version of the Wizard has been simplified for greater speed and ease of use, without losing functionality, and includes new modules for information including weather, soil, seeds and plants.
“The improved Weed Seed Wizard has also been developed to enable it to be easily linked with other farm management software and computer models,” Dr Renton said.
“As well, it is now possible to define the residual effect of herbicides and the effectiveness of different weed seed control options at harvest time.”
Dr Renton said new field trials are being conducted to provide more data and the Wizard is continually being tested and refined to accurately predict weed numbers and seed bank size based on field trial data and other potential management scenarios.
The latest version of the Weed Seed Wizard is available by emailing Dr Renton at michael.renton@uwa.edu.au
