How is your council dealing
with the use of Glyphosate?

Do they have the latest information?

At the upcoming November 17 meeting of the Chemicals In the Management of Biodiversity Working Group (CIMB) the findings from the recently released report on alternative glyphosate treatments, commissioned by Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV), will be presented by report authors, Associate Professor Lambert Bräu and Dr Lee Hudek.

The 2020 experimental undertaking,  “Comparative Analyses of Glyphosate Alternative Weed Management Strategies on Plant Coverage, Soil and Soil Biota”  will be of interest to any land manager or on-ground practitioner considering alternatives to glyphosate in bushland management.

Also speaking on the night will be Lee James (Bushland Coordinator-Kingston Council) , who will outline how the results of the MAV report impacted on the decision of Kingston Council to overturn their glyphosate ban.

With interest in glyphosate alternatives at an all time high, the MAV project looked at the seasonal effectiveness of nine non-glyphosate-based alternative weed management strategies (glufosinate, imazapyr, MCPA + dicamba, prodiamine, pine oil, clove oil, nonanoic acid, acetic acid + hydrochloric acid and steam).

Assessments were undertaken of the impacts of the various weed management strategies on weed coverage, soil physiochemical, arthropod and microbial abundance.

Overall, glyphosate provided the most consistent weed reduction during this experiment, without any recorded negative off-target or soil biota impacts.

View the report here  https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/20/11454.

Register to attend this Online meeting

The Agenda for the 17/11/21 CIMB meeting

7:30 – 7:40 Welcome & Introductions Patrick Deasey (Chair CIMB)

7:40 – 8:00  Associate Professor Lambert Bräu, Dr Lee Hudek- Report authors

8:00 – 8:05 Lee James – Bushland Coordinator, Kingston Council

8:05 – 8:25 – Q & A

8:25 – 8:30 Next steps and meeting close

Guest Speakers Profiles

Report authors Associate Professor Lambert Bräu, Dr Lee Hudek are members of The Soil Health Group at Deakin. Their research focusses on soil health, sustainable agriculture and agro-ecology. They work on the physiological, genetic and biochemical basis of plant-microbe interactions and the application of beneficial microbes to enhance crop production in Australian agricultural systems to decrease dependence on chemical fertiliser inputs.

Internationally, The Soil Health Group works on integrated soil fertility management practices by smallholder farmers in developing countries to increase yields and farm profitability. With a strong focus on impact, they work with key industries and funding bodies to address critical productivity, environmental and sustainability challenges faced nationally (Grains Research Development Corporation, National Landcare Programme and Melbourne Water Authority) and internationally (ACIAR – Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Crawford Fund, CIAT – Centre for International Tropical Agriculture, CATAS -Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, CIRAD-French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development).