New weeds project to trial anaerobic soil disinfestation as a “next generation weed management” strategy
Historically, chemical herbicides and manual weeding have been effective in controlling problematic weeds in vegetable and fruit crops. Weed management has become increasingly costly and difficult due to labour supply constraints, rising cost of labour, limited chemical options and tightening regulation regarding chemical use.
High-value crops currently grown on plastic mulch often suffer infestations from various weeds causing crop yield losses, contamination and interference with crop management and harvesting. This is problematic as there are almost no post-emergence herbicide options available, resulting in significant economic loss to growers.
The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries are partnering with La Trobe University and Clemson University (USA) in a new project to trial an innovative weed management approach in Australian horticulture “next generation weed management”. The project focuses on anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) as a sustainable alternative to traditional fumigants and herbicides.
ASD uses soil microbiome, organic amendments, and advanced polymers to create low-oxygen environments and volatile fatty acids that suppress weeds and pathogens. It is used and proving effective in other countries but has not been trialled in Australia. This program will assess the performance of this technique under Australian environmental conditions.
Get involved!
The Northern Territory component of this project will focus on target crops melons, vegetables and agave, surveying the weeds common to these industries.
Researchers would like to hear from NT growers about their experience with plastic mulch and fumigants, what has, or has not worked for them, and common weeds in their systems. If you are interested in being involved, or just being kept in the loop, contact us on the details below.
Contact us
Alice Springs region:
Shah Nawaz
shah.nawaz@nt.gov.au
Darwin region:
Dakshina Yadav
dakshina.yadav@nt.gov.au
Katherine region:
Jashan Kaur
jashan.kaur@nt.gov.au
Chelsea Moore
chelsea.moore@nt.gov.au
This project is funded through Hort Innovation Frontiers with co-investment from La Trobe University, the Northern Territory Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and contributions from the Australian Government. It is led by La Trobe University with collaboration from DAF NT and Clemson University.
