DAFWA keen to bury weed

Specialised rigs are scouring the State for the menace of skeleton weed. PHOTO: DANELLA BEVIS

The Department of Agriculture and Food is asking Great Southern farmers to remain vigilant in the struggle against skeleton weed.

Brian Kimber, department biosecurity officer at Lake Grace, is co-ordinating the search and said the weed had been found near Kukerin, more than 80 kilometres from traditionally infested areas in Kulin, Lake Grace and Newdegate.

Last year, the State's skeleton weed program was extended for another three years.

Mr Kimber said there had been a 65 per cent increase in size of the surveillance area by department staff to cover from Esperance to Albany and Jerramungup, Kent and Katanning.

"We are seeing direct trends that show as people go away from sheep, a lot more skeleton weed is being found on pasture paddocks," Mr Kimber said.

"Normally, it's found in stubbles but without sheep on pastures and grazing the weeds, they are more visible and easier to spot."

Skeleton weed is a prolific seed setter, with high mortality rates and, given the right conditions, it can spread rapidly if not controlled.

It competes for moisture with food crops and can cause significant problems when harvesting.

"At the moment, we are very happy with the number of reports coming in. Farmers are being diligent and are playing their part in the war against skeleton weed," Mr Kimber said. "And now is the time they should be considering to return their paddock search records to the department and keep up their diligence and eyes open."

To search for the weeds, co-ordinators use a special ute with a search frame that allows three people to safely sit and spot weeds while driving along. GPS is used to format the paddock, track the vehicle's movement and allow for the exact location of skeleton weed to be logged.

   Printable Version