Weeds of Western Australia - Paterson\u27s curse (Echium plantagineum L. and E. italicum L.)

Paterson\u27s curse is the name applied to two closely related species, Echium plantagineum and E. italicum. Although the two species have certain botanical differences, from a practical point of view they can be grouped under a single vernacular name, a procedure which will be adopted for the remainder of this article

Weed control in cereals : aerial spraying trials

SPRAYING cereal crops for weed control is now standard farming practice in Western Australia. Almost 500,000 acres of cereal crops, mainly wheat, are sprayed each year, and approximately three-quarters of this area is treated by aircraft. Recent trials have shown that aerial application of \u27extra low volumes of hormone-like herbicides, with oil or water solvents, does not damage cereals if spraying is done at the right stage of growth

Factors in weed propagation

I N crop and pasture plants, seed production and harvesting are of vital impartance. In a negative way, the formation of seeds by weeds can be equally important

The doublegee

DOUBLEGEE, like a number of other major weeds, is native to South Africa. It was introduced to Western Australia during the first years of settlement. There is no more troublesome weed in Western Australia than doublegee. It competes strongly with crop and pasture and its spiny fruits penetrate the hoofs of stock, causing lameness

Weeds of Western Australia - Docks (Rumex spp.)

Some families of plants contain many members which are useful for various purposes while others are only of significance because of their undesirable representatives. The Polygonaceae or buckwheat family as it is sometimes called, does not fit neatly into either of these groups for, besides containing a number of cultivated plants, it also includes several very undesirable weeds

Weeds of Western Australia - Bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.)

Bindweed is native to Europe, but is now found is most temperate countries. In England it is recorded as occurring in cornfields and waste places on almost all soils, especially those of a medium or sandy nature. It is found throughout Canada with the possible exception of two Provinces, being particularly troublesome in the Southern Prairies and the longer-settled areas of Ontario and Quebec

Weeds of Western Australia—noogoora burr

It is generally accepted that Noogoora burr was first introduced to Australia at Noogoora Station in Queensland in the early sixties of last century, presumably as an impurity in imported cotton seed. Southern Europe and Central Asia are regarded as being the natural habitat of this plant, but it now occurs in many other widely-separated countries. In North America and South Africa, members of the genus Xanthium are referred to as cockle-burr or clot-burr

Weed control research pays dividends

On my bookshelf is a handbook entitled War on Weeds or How to Double our Food Supply. In many of these countries experiments have been made to ascertain as far as possible the exact damage done by weeds to crops. Result: In all the experiments, whether made in England or abroad, the mean loss was over 50 per cent. The level of loss is equally true today, but the methods at our disposal for handling weeds have improved tremendously

Weeds of Western Australia—Water hyacinth

The story of Water Hyacinth is similar in many countries. It occurs naturally in * sub-tropical and tropical America, in Venezuela being called Ear of a Mule or little Boat. Plants were first introduced to the United States of America in 1884, and excited great admiration. Many visitors to the Floral Exposition in New Orleans carried away plants to their gardens and pools. Surplus material was thrown into creeks and within a short period Water Hyacinth was carried through the waterways of Florida. To quote Dr. P. W. Zimmerman— The rapid spread of Water Hyacinth in the Southern States, with its adverse effects on agriculture, health and wild life and its interference with drainage and navigation has been an alarming problem for many years