The annual Crop Protection Forum, a national forum targeting fungicide, herbicide and insecticide resistance issues in specific growing regions, will make its way to Queensland for its 10th year.
To be held in Highfields on Wednesday 27 November, the forum invites agronomists and industry members to explore the implications and solutions for managing pesticide resistance within broadacre cropping systems of northern NSW and Queensland.
The Crop Protection Forum is supported by GRDC and hosted by three major GRDC research partners: the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) based at Curtin University, the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) based at the University of Western Australia and independent research and extension company Cesar Australia.
CCDM director Professor Mark Gibberd said the forum will focus on the key issues faced by growers of the region, drawing on experts from CCDM, Cesar Australia and AHRI as well as other research institutions to present research that can be picked up and used in paddocks challenged by weeds, disease and pests affecting northern cropping systems.
“Queensland and NSW growers are in an interesting region, where a variety of crops being grown in both winter and summer have allowed for good rotations,” Professor Gibberd said.
“However, in recent years, at CCDM, we’ve seen an increased number of cases of fungicide resistance develop in the region.
“This forum will be a great opportunity to really delve into all chemical resistance issues and ensure we have the right cost-effective solutions available for growers to continue to use chemicals in a sustainable way for many years to come.”
The forum program will cover a range of topics including current and future resistance trends, emerging problems and the implications for pest management in the northern region.
GRDC senior manager crop protection Dr Emma Colson said GRDC investment underpins a significant portion of the research to be presented at the forum, and it was pleasing to see research outcomes being extended to growers and advisers.
“GRDC has a strong focus on investing to provide grain growers and advisers with resources and advice to best manage resistance in weeds, fungal pathogens and insect pests,” Dr Colson said.
“The Crop Protection Forum is an excellent opportunity to showcase the advances being made by research partners such as CCDM, AHRI and Cesar Australia as well as GRDC’s extensive network of other partners across the crop protection space.”
Some of the presenters include:
- Associate Professor Fran Lopez-Ruiz, CCDM fungicide resistance expert, presenting on fungicide resistance cases in this region.
- Professor Ken Flower, AHRI Director, giving insight on utilising new technology for strategic weed control.
- Dr Evatt Chirgwin, Cesar Australia, on the spread of insecticide-resistant aphids in grain crops and how best to manage them.
- Dr Michael Widderick, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, on herbicide resistance status of key northern weeds and strategies to manage emerging resistant ryegrass.
- Professor Christopher Preston, University of Adelaide, on cropping with less paraquat and still delivering an efficacious double knock.
- Dr Leon Hodgson, CCDM, on a new data visualisation tool developed through Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry (AAGI) that can display the distribution and severity of fungicide resistance across Australia.
Tickets to the 2024 Crop Protection Forum are $160, $100 (students) or $80 (live stream). The ticket price for those attending in person includes morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea with a sundowner at the end of the day. Access to the recordings post-event is provided to all attendees.