Riverine Plains Blog

Key messages

• optical spray technology can offer dramatic savings in chemical, diesel and labour use
• green-on-brown (fallow) and green-on-green (in-crop) technologies are proving themselves with Australian farmers and can have a fit for all cropping operations
• low-cost options are available, with drones also having the capability to map and spray weeds across large areas

Key messages:

• check the efficacy of your pre-emergent herbicide applications – poor results may mean you need to reconsider your post-emergent spray program or other control options
• overall herbicide efficacy can be affected by a range of factors including plant stress, moisture and inadequate coverage
• delays or failures in weed control can be costly, so monitor now to manage the risk

Many Riverine Plains growers are still busy finishing their sowing programs, while also managing time-sensitive issues like slugs. Despite time constraints, it’s important to prioritise weed monitoring, including the effectiveness of pre-emergent herbicide applications, especially in earlier sown crops.

Key Messages:

• Mice and rats have become a more persistent problem over the past few years
• monitoring is key to understanding the scale of the problem and helps indicate when additional control is required
• timing mouse bait application is critical to protecting crops when populations are high.

Mice populations have traditionally followed a boom-and-bust type pattern, however over the last decade or so they have become a more persistent problem.

Key Messages

• Know what you’re dealing with – monitor, monitor, monitor 
• Soil moisture data can help predict when slugs will become active 
• Biological controls can be useful  
• Bait at sowing and approximately four weeks later if required 
• Vigour and speed of establishment in canola is important 
• Key factors of bait efficacy are chance of encounter and consumption of active 

Slugs are one of the main establishment pests in the Riverine Plains, along with earwigs, slaters, millipedes, wireworms, and mice. The first step to controlling any of these pests, particularly slugs, is knowing what you are dealing with. 

Key Messages

• Phenoxy herbicides can cause significant off-target damage to susceptible summer crops
• Volatilisation of herbicide from the treated plant occurs more frequently during summer, when temperatures are higher
• Before using volatile herbicides, check with your neighbours about proximity to susceptible summer crops
• Always check with your agronomist to see if there are less volatile alternative products available

Non-intentional herbicide drift from Group I herbicides such as 2,4-D and other compounds occurs regularly across Australia, with cotton, grapes, soybeans, sorghum, forage brassicas, horticultural crops (i.e tomatoes) and other broadleaf species being especially susceptible.