Electric weed control for the management of annual ryegrass and herbicide resistance

Document Type

Conference Proceeding

Publication Date

8-2024

Conference Title

23rd Australasian Weeds Conference - Breaking the Cycle: Towards Sustainable Weed Mangement

Place of Publication

Brisbane

ISBN

978-0-646-70156-1

Keywords

electro-weeding, integrated weed management, Lolium rigidum.

Disciplines

Weed Science

Abstract

Electric weed control is a non-chemical weed management alternative with the potential to address increasing social pressure to reduce chemical applications and minimise the widespread development of herbicide resistance. Electric weed control machinery delivers an electrical current (via the continuous electrode-plant contact method or the spark-discharge method) through the foliage, stems, and roots of weeds, bursting their cells and killing or suppressing the plant. It has the potential to be integrated into current weed management programs in a range of systems with international companies seeking to certify their technology in Australasia in coming years.

Using the Zasso™ XPower machine, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) has illustrated that electric weed control is an effective control strategy that can manage a variety of weed species. In 2023 a greater than 80% reduction in the biomass of glyphosate resistant L. rigidum (Lolium rigidum Gaud.) was observed following electric weed control applications at 2 or 4 km h-1 compared to the application of glyphosate (Roundup UltraMax® at 1.5 L ha-1). Electric weed control also has the potential to be utilised as a crop-topping alternative through applications at faster speeds, which reduces the ‘dose’ of electricity applied. In 2022, such applications did not reduce the L. rigidum seed set but did reduce the seed viability when applications occurred at late tillering. Overall, electric weed control can be an effective L. rigidum management strategy in a variety of agronomic situations with immediate applicability for fence line and firebreak management of resistant populations.

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