Towards the integration of control methods for St. John's wort: Workshop summary and recommendations
J.M. CullenA, D.T. BrieseA and R.H. GrovesB
A CSIRO Entomology and Co-operative Research Centre for Weed Management Systems, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
B CSIRO Plant Industry and Co-operative Research Centre for Weed Management Systems, GPO Box 1600, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.
Introduction
St. John's wort has been a problem weed in south-eastern Australian landscapes for the last 100 years. Its toxicity to stock and its perennial habit made St. John's wort an early and serious pest of pastures, and led to several attempts at control by chemicals, pasture management and biological control (see Groves 1997, Briese 1997b). Despite subsequent improvements in methodology and some degree of success using these various methods, the weed has still continued to spread; currently, it is becoming increasingly important in natural ecosystems as well as on grazed land.
Given the considerable research effort to date, is it simply a matter of putting all the accumulated knowledge together and combining the most relevant results into an effective integrated package for management; alternatively, is further research still needed in some areas? In 1995, the Co-operative Research Centre (CRC) for Weed Management Systems was set up with the purpose of co-ordinating research and fostering collaboration between groups to promote more effective weed management. As St. John's wort is one of only a few weeds to be considered a problem of both pastoral and natural environments, it is appropriate that the CRC Programs for Perennial Pastures and Natural Ecosystems jointly sponsored a workshop to answer these questions. The workshop brought together researchers from Australia and New Zealand, representing expertise in the ecology of St. John's wort, grazing and pasture management, animal health, herbicide use and biological control, as well as extension workers involved directly in weed control, and end-users, such as landholders and representatives of Landcare groups.
Plant Protection Quarterly (1997) 12 (2) 103-106.