Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Sultan Mia (pictured left) is a member of a new science project on weeds, together with the Soils West Alliance and the University of Western Australia.
The partners are examining the impact of soil amelioration on weed ecology and control.
Dr Mia said soil amelioration had received great interest in the Grainbelt over the past decade, involving lime incorporation, burying repellent soils and disrupting compacted soil.
“However, relatively little is known about its impact on weeds or the weed seed bank,” Dr Mia said.
He is working alongside Project Lead at the Department, Catherine Borger (pictured centre) and Gaus Azam (right) and with grower groups on a series of field trials to better understand how soil amelioration techniques alter weed dynamics.
This includes the impact of soil renovation on weed emergence, growth, seed bank ecology and crop-weed competition.
“The research will give us a good insight into how key weed species respond to soil amelioration in terms of altered soil physical and chemical characteristics,” Dr Mia said.
“It will also inform how soil disturbance influences weed seed burial, seed degradation, the longevity of the seed bank, weed emergence patterns and the response to pre-emergent herbicides and fertilisers.”
He said the project would also link with another project to examine how soil amelioration altered crop disease pressure and weed competition during the season.
“The result will be a package of updated Integrated Weed Management Strategies to better manage the timing and application of soil renovation during the year and in crop rotations to optimise long-term weed control,” Dr Mia said.
