HERBICIDE resistance is challenging growers and agronomists as they plan weed management programs to make the most of both old and new chemistry.
AGRIvision Consultants general manager Ed Nixon said growers still have the chance to preserve older herbicides and keep as much diversity in the program as possible.
"WeedSmart Week is a great opportunity for growers and agronomists to broaden their weed management knowledge and skills and AGRIvision is proud to be part of the organising team bringing this annual event to the Northern Mallee," Mr Nixon said.
AGRIvision consultant Brad Bennett, who covers the Ouyen and Northern Mallee region, will speak about the strategic use of older chemistries at the WeedSmart Week forum day in Mildura, Victoria, on August 30.
The three-day event - which was held in Esperance last year - includes bus tours to farms in the region and a machinery expo, where growers can see the latest in spray and camera technology, impact mills and other mechanical weed control tools being put to use on Mallee farms.
"In the Victorian Mallee, over time graingrowers are coming up against new weed challenges as our farming systems and control methods select for different weeds and resistance to herbicides," Mr Nixon said.
"We know that the routine use of any herbicide mode of action inevitably leads to resistance and that diversity in both herbicide and non-herbicide tactics is the best way to manage weeds."
Knowing what chemistry is working now and what is falling over is invaluable information when planning future herbicide programs.
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Peter Boutsalis will be presenting the latest information on resistance surveys and screening relevant to the Mallee region.
Mr Nixon said most growers were also managing a significant chemical budget and keeping old chemistry 'in the mix' was an important component of maintaining cost-effective solutions, while accepting that using some new chemistry for long-term sustainability and profitability was inevitable.
The forum and farm tours will showcase growers such as Bec Marshall, who farms a diverse cropping program of wheat, barley, hay (vetch and oaten), lentils, canola and irrigated faba beans at Normanville.
She will outline how they use multiple tactics, such as haymaking, double knocking and crop-topping, to stop weed seed set.
Wade Nickolls is another grower who will be speaking at the forum and sharing his experience with managing weeds on the 8000 hectare family farm at Pinaroo, South Australia.
The Nickolls family takes an 'everything including the kitchen sink' approach that includes using impact mills for harvest weed seed control, diverse herbicide use, legume break crops, deep ripping, variable rate technology and hay making to keep weed numbers low.
The growers, agronomists and researchers speaking and participating in expert panels at the one-day forum will spark important discussions about herbicide resistance and how the WeedSmart Big 6 tactics can be used to target the weed species and farming systems of the Mallee region.
The bus tours on day two and three will showcase five farms in the Mallee region and includes a machinery expo, hosted by Kondinin Group research manager Ben White.
