S1: Controlling mature fleabane is tricky. With funding from the Hugh
S1: Williamson Foundation and the Australian Government's Future Drought Fund. BCG
S1: research agronomist Angus Butterfield completed a research project on controlling
S1: mature fleabane, which is up next. The information shared is
S1: based on research conducted for the purpose of exploring fleabane
S1: control options, and should not be considered direct advice. Please
S1: note some herbicide rates and applications discussed may not align
S1: with registered label requirements or maximum residue limits. We strongly
S1: encourage you to consult your agronomist or local adviser before
S1: implementing any of the strategies covered here. They can provide
S1: guidance tailored to your conditions, ensure compliance with current label requirements,
S1: and help you adhere to MRL guidelines. This podcast is
S1: sponsored by Action Steel. Today, I'm speaking with BCG research
S1: agronomist Angus Butterfield about his research into summer fleabane control,
S1: specifically when it's mature. So not when it's at the
S1: rosette stage, but when it's elongated and it's mature because
S1: that's when people often have the trouble. So welcome, Angus. Thanks, Janine.
S1: Just for a start, can you give a little bit
S1: of a background on you and then why you are
S1: so interested in researching fleabane?
S2: I'm originally from the outskirts of Melbourne, just out of
S2: a town called Hurstbridge. Third year at the Birch Cropping
S2: Group as a research agronomist. And the reason that I'm
S2: interested in this stuff is because it has been such
S2: a big issue for a lot of our growers. There's
S2: been growers contacting us asking what is the solution for
S2: this sort of issue, especially with a few of our
S2: wet summers we've had recently. It's become an issue as
S2: it's so hard to kill with some of our knockdown herbicides.
S1: And where are most of those growers from? Angus.
S2: So most of those growers at the minute are in
S2: the mallee sort of region. So anywhere from all the
S2: way up past sort of Balranald, all the way down
S2: to Birchip, but we are seeing it start to spread
S2: more and more into the Wimmera as well as the
S2: North Central.
S1: And why are we seeing that?
S2: It's been around for a little while, more of a
S2: Queensland New South Wales weed, Wade. But a lot of
S2: guys I've been talking to have said after the floods
S2: we had about ten years ago, it's come in. And
S2: just due to how many wet summers we've had recently,
S2: it's become more and more of an issue. Obviously, if
S2: we're going to dry summer, we're not going to see
S2: those weeds germinate over that time. So do you.
S1: Think that the flood water helped disperse the seeds.
S2: As it wasn't really around at the time? That's just
S2: what I've heard. But yes, I would have thought so.
S2: It's a windblown and I guess it can be spread
S2: by water as well. One of the biggest issues that
S2: they can spread from roadsides and fence lines.
S1: Okay. So can you tell me a little bit about
S1: fleabane and why it is so hard to control?
S2: Yeah. So it's it's a broadleaf weed. So it emerges
S2: sort of in that 10 to 30 degrees conditions. So
S2: we often see it emerge in springtime once it gets
S2: a bit of size about it. Its plant structure and
S2: phenology makes it really difficult to kill. It's quite tolerant
S2: to glyphosate, so your standard glyphosate spray won't really get
S2: into it. And the reason that is because it's got
S2: a low stomata count. It's got quite a waxy plant tissue.
S2: It's got hairy leaves and they're quite small. So it's
S2: got all these sort of characteristics that sort of make
S2: it hard for our herbicides to translocate into. So it's
S2: a surface germinating weed so often. Once upon a time
S2: in our till systems, we could control it just because
S2: once it gets buried, it's quite hard to germinate. Germinates
S2: in our 1 to 2cm in depth. And also something
S2: makes it so hard is that you might only see
S2: 1 or 2 weeds in your paddock because it produces
S2: about 100,000 weed seeds per plant. You can see that
S2: is a fair few and one where it can. Obviously,
S2: it can turn into a blowout in a number of
S2: years like quickly.
S1: So why do you think it's important to research fleabane
S1: control at this stage when it's mature?
S2: So we often see fleabane germinate in the springtime. So
S2: that's often under a crop. So it's quite easy to
S2: kill at those smaller growth stages. But we often don't
S2: get the chance to target them over those stages. So
S2: like for our lentils, the only sort of options we've
S2: got is until the end of harvest, which is desiccating.
S2: And if they've been sitting in the ground for two months,
S2: they've put a bit of a taproot in and they'll
S2: elongate pretty much as soon as it warms up so
S2: often hard to target them at those stages. Also, there's
S2: some residual control that you can do. But again, just
S2: due to our love of lentils at the minute and
S2: our pulses, it's really hard to use any of those
S2: residual herbicides just due to plant back issues that we
S2: see with them now.
S1: Can you tell me about your research project?
S2: Yeah. So we're looking at during summer because obviously it
S2: does emerge quite early and we have actually seen it.
S2: I've seen two months ago at emerging in some crops.
S2: And if you've got something like lentils in or any
S2: sort of pulses apart from maybe chickpeas, there's no residual control.
S2: You can't spray it on top of it. You've sort
S2: of got to wait until you're desiccation stage. Same with
S2: your wheat. There's like there is some options, but then
S2: you're in terms of residual control, but then you're restricted
S2: to your rotation. And there's not much flexibility there.
S1: Right. So your research project is about fleabane control in
S1: that summer wheat period after harvest but before you put
S1: your next crop in.
S2: Yes. Over that summer fallow period.
S1: Okay. So what did you find?
S2: So our research was a number of trials, but looking
S2: at that elongated fleabane. So when they mature a bit
S2: more natural tolerance to glyphosate and difficult to kill. We
S2: looked at a few different trials. First we looked at
S2: our first pass in the double knock situation. So we
S2: looked at a bunch of Group four herbicides mixed with
S2: glyphosate with a standard paraquat terrador double knock. And then
S2: we looked at another trial with pretty standard sort of
S2: first passes with a range of different double knock options,
S2: usually a mixer with paraquat. Okay.
S1: So generally speaking, most people would control this. Not in
S1: one pass. They would do the double knock.
S2: As far as I can see, I don't think there's
S2: any sort of chemistry that we can use that will
S2: get it done in one go. Out of all the
S2: research I've seen and we've done, just a single pass
S2: is just not effective. Okay.
S1: So what did you find?
S2: Um, so we found a few interesting things. We found
S2: that a lot of our group four herbicides that are
S2: commonly used in the summer. Fallow didn't actually give us
S2: much more control than glyphosate, so starring dicamba and 240 ester,
S2: we naturally see. And these are all rates that are
S2: that were recommended by agronomists. We didn't actually see any
S2: differences between using those chemistries with glyphosate and using glyphosate alone.
S2: So what are the symptoms we saw were the burn
S2: off symptoms from our paraquat. So it's suggesting that we
S2: maybe those chemistries aren't quite getting into the plant. And
S2: then we saw also two at 240 amine was better
S2: than our ester. So we looked at about 85% control.
S2: So it did improve control. But we're like like I
S2: said before 85%. You're getting 15% through. So we saw
S2: the symptoms from those treatments were more of the contact
S2: herbicides that we'd put on the seven days after. So
S2: we're saying that paraquat and our territorial spray in these
S2: trials were doing most of the work. Those treatments were
S2: pretty much similar to glyphosate. Still getting a fair big
S2: seed set there for the next season, but the standout
S2: in this trial was really another product. I mixed with glyphosate,
S2: which was drop zone.
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S2: So it's a 240 amine product so similar to a amine.
S2: But it has some some sort of surfactant package that
S2: makes it translocated into the plant better, which we saw.
S2: So it actually was 98% control. I think from seeing
S2: those results, it might suggest that our biggest issue is
S2: actually getting the herbicide into the plant. So the translocation.
S2: So all of these herbicides like 24D amine can kill it.
S2: It's just getting it in which is what we've seen. Wow.
S1: So that's a group for again.
S2: Yeah. Yeah. So all these chemistries in our first pass
S2: trial were all Group four chemistries. Okay.
S1: So that was the first pass. So you found that
S1: the first pass the best was glyphosate with drop zone.
S1: That was the best. And then the second best was.
S2: So our sort of two 4D amines as well. So
S2: out of our three different two 4D products you've got
S2: drop zone with their best control. And then we've got
S2: amine at our middle sort of and then our ester
S2: at the end, which was surprising because especially because ester
S2: has that bit of kick that most people. And yeah,
S2: it is a pretty standard sort of product that a
S2: lot of people would use.
S1: So you said that trial that you were talking about, Angus,
S1: that was with the first pass being those specific differences.
S1: And then what was the second pass?
S2: The second pass for all those treatments I just talked
S2: about was, um, two liters of paraquat and 20g of terrador.
S1: Okay, so onto the second trial. Angus, can you talk
S1: to me about that?
S2: Yep. So the second trial that we did looked at
S2: again in a double knock situation, instead of looking at
S2: the first spray that we do in that we looked
S2: at the second spray. So the one that's done ten
S2: days after the initial spray. So our first pass sprays
S2: were pretty standard at a glyphosate with a common mixer.
S2: But we looked at a range of different mixes, usually
S2: with paraquat in this trial.
S1: What were some of those mixes?
S2: So there was from this trial, there was a few
S2: interesting things from the second pass trial. So we looked
S2: at a range of different group 14 herbicides. So Terrador
S2: Rackstraw as well. We also looked at some camera sprayer rates.
S2: So we bumped up rates to four liters as well.
S2: So some of our better ones that we saw in
S2: the second pass trial were some of the camera sprayer rates.
S2: So higher rates of paraquat we fight with the higher
S2: rates that you're able to put through a camera sprayer.
S2: We got better control. So we saw that our best
S2: control was with a very expensive brew. It had four
S2: rows of paraquat, foreign mils of amatol and 40g of toradol,
S2: which is very high, but we only saw 93% control.
S2: So we're looking at a quite an expensive spray versus
S2: what we what we talked about before with the drop
S2: zone is that it's probably about half the cost. Another
S2: interesting thing, we had a bit of a curveball treatment
S2: in here, and it was aiming for 52l, as well
S2: as star rain at 500 mils just with a paraquat. Terrible.
S2: And we got 90% control. And that actually was the
S2: second best performer. So we're saying that there is a
S2: lot of different options and they can get quite expensive
S2: in the second pass. But by what I've seen, your
S2: first pass is the most critical stage. So you sort
S2: of want to put your money in your first pass
S2: and just run the standard second pass. So we're seeing
S2: that glyphosate is not really working at all with our fleabane,
S2: because there's two group fours mixed together with just a
S2: standard double knock. We're getting very good control. We also
S2: saw that Pteridophytes are like it's a massive thing now
S2: in our summer spraying. It's a great bit of chemistry,
S2: but in terms of fleabane, we didn't see any differences
S2: between using that and with and without with paraquat either.
S1: So the drop zone in the first pass was how effective?
S2: 98%.
S1: And then in the second pass trial, what was the
S1: most effective?
S2: 93%.
S1: But that was with the really expensive brew.
S2: Yeah. And that was through a camera spray as well.
S1: So do you have any data, Angus, on how much
S1: fleabane takes out of the soil?
S2: I haven't got any data on it necessarily, but yes,
S2: it's got a taproot. So evaporation will happen in your
S2: top 20 to 30cm, so you'll lose it anyway. But
S2: your stored water is underneath that. And it does have
S2: a taproot and can tap into that. So that's with
S2: any of our summer weed stuff. And because it's so hot,
S2: it matures so quickly and can suck that water out quickly,
S2: you can just see even this year, different sort of
S2: summer spraying approaches, um, can make the difference between having
S2: a crop and not having a crop in a year
S2: like this, just because it's been a heavy reliance on
S2: that subsoil moisture.
S1: So what would your advice be, Angus to farmers that
S1: are dealing with. Or they're seeing fleabane popping up now
S1: in their paddocks.
S2: Oh, the first thing you'd have to do would be
S2: monitor it as close as you can, make sure you
S2: know it's there. So if you've got any opportunities to
S2: control it when it's small, do that. That's your best
S2: bet is controlling it when it's at that immature stage
S2: like most don't get the opportunity to do that and
S2: you have to come back, come up with a strategy.
S2: If there's any sort of options, you can do lentils.
S2: If you've got some issues in that desiccating would be
S2: definitely the way to go. And even a double knock
S2: desiccation in cereals. Depending on what your rotation is like,
S2: there is a bit of residual control options, but it's
S2: probably a bit late in the season now. Um, but yeah,
S2: just monitor it and get on as quick as you
S2: can because as soon as they start getting a bit
S2: in size, they are very hard to kill. Even with
S2: those herbicides that I talked about, you still want to
S2: get them early and can be saving some dollars there
S2: as well. You've just got to stay on top of
S2: it because as I said before, it's a windblown weed.
S2: So regardless if you control your paddocks, if it's on
S2: a fence line or if it's in a neighbour's paddock
S2: or it's on a roadside, it can still blow over
S2: into your paddock as well. So it's just constantly being
S2: on top, like a lot of our summer words. Just
S2: making sure you can just stop that set, that seed
S2: set as much as you can. Like any way, depleting
S2: the seed bank is your most important thing because all
S2: of these can stay around your soil for years, and
S2: the chemistry you use in the first pass seem to
S2: be more important in controlling it, rather than trying to
S2: make up for it in the second pass. So spend
S2: your money in your first pass rather than your second pass.
S2: Based off the research we did over the summer, that
S2: would be my recommendation.
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