Stamping on Giant Rats Tail

Giant Rats Tail weed

The advance inland from coastal regions of a weed threatening the productivity of extensive grazing lands is being halted by management strategies developed during PhD research at The University of Queensland Gatton.

Dr Wayne Vogler's PhD, supervised by Dr Len Bahnish in the School of Agronomy and Horticulture, was conferred in December last year.

Dr Vogler's research focused on the seed of giant rats tail, to search for weaknesses land managers could exploit to control and reduce its impact.

The performance of giant rats tail was compared with that of important native grasses which must compete for pasture space.

Dr Vogler identified several attributes which could reduce the viable seed bank of the weed.

These included a relatively slow germination and plant emergence, and susceptibility to heat generated by a hot fire.

The pattern of seed drop within three metres of mature plants indicated the usefulness of buffer strips as a containment measure.

Central Queensland producer Margaret Emery, who chairs a national strategy committee, said giant rats tail and closely related species posed enormous threats to farmers.

"The unpalatable weed is spreading into extensive grazing areas in many different parts of the country and threatens to put a lot of people out of business," she said.

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