Response of skeleton weed (Chondrilla juncea L.) to continuous cropping
J.R. PeirceA , B.J. RaynerB , M.F. D’AntuonoC , C. RuchsD , C. KiddE and A.W. ReevesF
A Department of Agriculture and Food WA (retired), 207b Preston Point Road Bicton, Perth, Western Australia 6157, Australia.
B Invasive Species Program, Department of Agriculture and Food WA, Vasse Research Centre, 4703 Jalbarragup Road, Acton Park, Western Australia 6280, Australia.
C Biometrics Unit, Department of Agriculture and Food WA, 3 Baron-Hay Court, South Perth, Western Australia 6151, Australia.
D Peracto SA, PO Box 183, Moculta, South Australia 5353, Australia.
E Insight Agriculture, PO Box 668, Clare, South Australia 5453, Australia.
F Invasive Species Program, Department of Agriculture and Food WA, PO Box 1231, Bunbury, Western Australia 6231, Australia.
Summary
Skeleton weed is under an eradication program in Western Australia. There was concern that should the weed establish over large areas of the sandier soils in the cereal growing areas of Western Australia; the treatments to eradicate/control the weed would affect the cropping rotations. This is because the persistence of the herbicides clopyralid and picloram used for skeleton weed control would suppress lupins and other legumes which are a major part of cropping rotations in Western Australia. A cropping rotation experiment was established during 2002 in South Australia in an area heavily infested with skeleton weed. For six years crops were grown in a continuous rotation which included lupins in 2004 and 2006. Regular use of the herbicides clopyralid and picloram in the cereal phase and clopyralid as a pre-sowing application in the legume phase significantly reduced skeleton weed density without any deleterious impact on narrow leaf lupins (Lupinus angustifolius).
Plant Protection Quarterly (2010) 25 (1) 26-33.