A novel approach to fighting African Lovegrass has won UQ PhD student Jennifer Firn a $10,000 grant from the Federal Government.
Ms Firn was named the Queensland winner at the 2007 Science and Innovation Awards for Young People in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, held at Parliament House on September 18.
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Peter McGauran, said the awards provided grants for scientific research and aim to develop better on-farm technology and practices.
“The awards are open to people aged 18-35 who have ideas for projects that will deliver long-term benefits to our agriculture, fisheries, forestry, food and natural resource management industries,” Mr McGauran said.
“This year there were 18 awards on offer – 10 that were industry based, as well as one from each state and territory.”
“The awards not only help kick-start the careers of talented young Australians, but deliver long-term benefits to our farmers and rural communities.”
Ms Firn will use her award to investigate whether exotic weed African Lovegrass can be out-competed by two native species, Pitted bluegrass and Kangaroo grass.
She believes native grasses may have the potential to help slow the spread of unwanted exotic species.
“Native grasses are better adapted to the harsh climate and soil conditions that characterise Australian ecosystems,” Ms Firn said.
“If the right species can be found, it could be valuable for building competitive pasture communities that are able to stave off invasion while at the same time ensure sustainable production levels.
“As current control efforts are not working, it’s important to explore solutions outside the boundary of conventional farming practices.”
The investigation will form part of Ms Firn’s PhD, which she began in January 2006 within the School of Integrative Biology, supervised by Dr Yvonne Buckley.
“The main aim of my research is to identify the mechanisms responsible for the invasion of African Lovegrass,” Ms Firn said.
“I have set up a large factorial field trial, which includes 192 plots and 48 different treatment combinations, on a property in the Millmerran district.
“The glasshouse project this award supports will compliment this work by providing more detailed information on the competitive ability of African Lovegrass under more controlled conditions than a field trial permits.”
Ms Firn’s also receives research funding from the CSIRO, Condamine Alliance, Queensland Murray Darling Council, Wildlife Preservation Society and the Ecological Society of Australia.
Media: Further Information, Jennifer Firn (3365 7327, j.firn@uq.edu.au) or Penny Robinson at UQ Communications (3365 9723, penny.robinson@uq.edu.au).
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