Status of Weed Science in Australia: Prospects and Challenges

Weeds are estimated to cost in excess of AUD$4 billion every year in Australia. National coordination of weeds research, extension and education aims to reduce weed impacts in both natural and agro-ecosystems. Research is in progress to improve detection and management of new weed incursions as well as develop new control tactics. For more than 30 years selective herbicides have effectively controlled agricultural weeds but now herbicide resistance, concerns about chemicals in the environment, and the lack of new herbicidal products threatens the sustainability of chemical weed control. The integration of cultural control tactics such as diverse crop rotations, crop competition, cover crops, and physical weed control with chemicals aims to improve the efficiency of weed management in agriculture.