2015 will mark the fourth year of the Stirlings to Coast Farmers cooperative herbicide resistance testing initiative.

The initiative, which is part of a collaboration with DAFWA, local growers and Charles Stuart University, seeks to provide Stirlings to Coast growers with a better understanding of the scope of weed resistance on their properties.

The group identified herbicide resistance as an emerging issue in their region in 2010 and sought to develop a system that provided their members with a better understating of herbicide resistance.

Stirlings to Coast R&D coordination John Blake said “as you need to collect seeds at harvest to conduct effective resistance testing many growers overlook the activity, however the group engaged the services of two private technicians to undertake the sampling on behalf of the group.”

“Growers still have to pay for the testing to be done but having someone come and conduct the sampling really removes one of the key barriers to adoption,” John said.

As a result of four years of testing Stirlings to Coast now have a comprehensive understanding of the various resistance issues their growers are facing.

To further capitalise on this herbicide resistance management priority, the group has recently received a GRDC Industry Development Award allowing them to fund a tour to other regions in the wheatbelt where herbicide resistance issues are already quite established.

“With many of our members looking to get into harvest weed seed management systems we thought it would be a good opportunity to connect them with growers who have been dealing with these issues for a period of time,” John said.

For more information about the testing initiative click here, or contact John Blake, M: 0438 76 1950, E: john@blakeshare.com.