CSIRO is embarking on the
world's very first release of the
Flaxleaf Fleabane biocontrol
agent, which is a rust fungus.
The fungus is suspended
over the top of the recipient
plant simply like this, and then
we cover it with a bag.
It's a pathogen that infects the
leaves of fleabane.
When it infects the leaves of
fleabane, it essentially lives
inside the body of the plant and
it's eating the inside of
the plant out and reducing the
ability for the plant to grow and
set seed.
So, by being infected
with the fungus and by reducing
the overall performance of the
plant, we should be able to reduce
the invasion potential of that
plant, in a crop setting.
So with any biological control
program for a target weed, we'd
go through a rigorous risk
assessment process.
The first step is to go back
to the country of origin, of where
the weed is from, what we term its
native range, and identify
potential candidate biocontrol
agents in that native range.
But the risk assessment itself is
when we bring that biocontrol agent
back to an Australian context, in
a quarantine facility, a high
security quarantine facility,
to test the safety of that
biocontrol agent on what we termed
non-target plant species.
They are everything from native
vegetation, crop species,
ornamental plants, horticulturally
important plants, to ensure that
that biocontrol agent only attacks
the target weed and has no potential
for negative spill-over effects
to those other desirable vegetation
targets.
Where we're at now with the program
is to work with farmers and
different growers and stakeholder
groups to help CSIRO release
the fungus at different areas and
then monitor over the next few
months how well the fungus performs
on farm, in different growing
contexts.
It is highly specific
to that target weed and that there
is no risk of that spilling
over to other plant species,
particularly Australian native plant
species and crops of high value.
We have a huge amount of interest
from people we've made already
this spring 300 different
releases of the fungus throughout
Australia, in the range of this
weed. We provide people with
instructions, but we also most
importantly provide people with a
sample of the fungus that we
have cultured in our laboratory
environment for people to
release into the environment at
different places that are most
suitable to them.
So fleabane is a weed of great
significance in the Murrumbidgee
Irrigation area because it goes
across a number of cropping types
as well as permanent horticulture.
It grows around fence lines
and channel banks and around
infrastructure on the farm, so it
can be difficult to access
to control with chemicals.
So the biocontrol will be fantastic
because you can release it and it'll
just do its thing.
So, you know, the potential is
tremendous.
In the short term, we are absolutely
not expecting to completely
reduce the impact that fleabane has
in a local crop setting.
At best, we can get the fungus
established within the next few
growing seasons.
Once that fungus becomes
established, we hope that it
actually will be sustained through
the local environment and will be
able to spread itself without any
further interventions from humans to
slowly reduce the impact that
fleabane has in crop.
So the area wide management of weeds
project, is all about getting
different people together to
control weeds of significance.
So rather than farmers controlling
weeds on their spot and Murrumbidgee
irrigation controlling weeds on
channel banks and then council
trying to control weeds on
roadsides, it's about getting
everybody together to work
to control these weeds so we're
using less resources more wisely
and having a better outcome, which
is the control of these weeds.
So what we're saying to growers is
if you get the fungus and you want
to release it on your property,
don't release it in your crop.
Find those areas where it's been
very difficult to manage fleabane,
pick a roadside, pick a fence line,
an irrigation embankment, areas
where it's very difficult for you to
manage fleabane.
Release the fungus there.
If it establishes and persists in
those environments, and if it does
reduce the reproductive output
in the seed set for fleabane, that's
just less weed seed blowing
back into your crop.
Landscape area wide suppression
of the weed, to reduce invasion
potential back into your crop in the
long term.
So
very simply, if people are
interested to get in touch and learn
more about this process and how they
can get involved in the future.
Contact us by email or phone.
We can talk about expressions of
interest. We can register your
interest for a potential future
release of the agent.