Weed Surveys Completed in the Bundaberg Region to Support ASD Research

Weed Surveys Completed in the Bundaberg Region to Support ASD Research

Asad Shabbir & Ali Bajwa

As part of the Hort Innovation-funded Next Generation Weed Management project, Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD), the project team recently completed weed assessment surveys across vegetable and fruit production systems in the Bundaberg region of Queensland. ASD is a non-chemical soil treatment that uses organic carbon sources, irrigation and plastic mulch to create low-oxygen soil conditions. Under these conditions, soil microbes produce compounds that can suppress weed seed emergence and soil-borne pests. ASD has shown promise overseas, but more local research is needed to understand how it can be adapted to Australian horticultural systems.

Knowing which weeds are present, how widespread they are, and where weed pressure is greatest will help researchers optimise ASD for use against the most troublesome species. The surveys covered farms located in Bundaberg, Moorland, North Isis, and Sharon, encompassing a diverse range of soil types, production systems (organic and conventional), and horticultural crops.

The crops surveyed included chilli, capsicum, baby capsicum, tomato, snow peas, squash, zucchini, and strawberry. The surveys identified several key weed species affecting plasticulture systems, including nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus), black nightshade (Solanum nigrum), cudweed (Gnaphalium spp.), speedwell (Veronica spp.), crowsfoot grass (Eleusine indica), and mallow (Malva spp.). Among these, nutgrass was widespread and problematic weed, frequently emerging through planting holes and piercing plastic mulch (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Nutgrass emerging through the plastic mulch in capsicum (left) and strawberry (right) crops. Dr Ali Bajwa with a big mallow plant growing in a capsicum field in Bundaberg region (below).

In addition to field surveys, the project team completed an online grower survey to better understand growers’ perspectives on problematic weeds and soil-borne pathogens, current management practices, and their awareness of and interest in Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation (ASD), including their willingness to host future field trials. Please find below the QR code and link to our online survey. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your valuable feedback.

Survey link: https://latrobe.questionpro.com/t/Ac9hBZ8VPa

We sincerely thank Jessy Logan, Regional Development Officer VegNET Wide Bay Burnett, f

or her great assistance in organising farm visits and supporting the weed surveys in the Bundaberg region (Figure 2). The information collected will play an important role in guiding upcoming ASD field trials and developing practical, non-chemical weed management solutions for Australian horticulture.

Figure 2. (L-R) Ali Bajwa (La Trobe Uni), Rick, Jessy Logan (RDO VegNet) and Asad Shabbir (La Trobe Uni) visiting Isis River Produce in Bundaberg.