By Andy BYear 4

Charleville School of Distance

Education

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUE:

PARTHENIUM WEED

INTRODUCTION

• The Environmental Issue is parthenium weed, in my local area. My local area is a farm near Mungallala, QLD.

• Parthenium weed occurs on the land and in the waterways.

• It was bought to our place by rally cars but can be spread by livestock, floods, wind and human activity.

WHAT IS PARTHENIUM WEED?

• ‘Parthenium weed is a native to sub-tropical North and South America.’

• ‘Parthenium weed (parthenium hysterophorous L.) is a branching, annual herb with pale-green lobed leaves, a deep taproot, and an erect stem with several branches. It can grow to more than two meters high.’

• ‘It grows best on alkaline, clay-loam to heavy clay soils.’

• Under favorable conditions each plant can germinate withinin 28 days, producing 28 000 seeds.

Resource :’”Parthenium Weed Management” – National Weeds Program, Depart. Of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Depart. Of Primary Industries and Fisheries May 2004

BABY PLANT

WHY IS IT AN ISSUE?

Parthenium weed is spread easily

Parthenium chokes out other grasses and herbs

Stock can eat parthenium just before flowering when the plant is high in sugar, however stock don’t like it very much. At times it can be very poisonous to stock.

People can have allergic reactions to Parthenium weed.

The Pakistan people believe it can starve out the earth

WHAT IMPACT IS IT HAVING?

Not able to grow crops and use farm land

Takes over natural grasses

Causes health issues for humans and animals

It is a world wide issue

WHAT CAN/IS BEING DONE ABOUT THE ISSUE?

We will never get rid of it but we need to control it

Methods of control:-

Poisoning with a poison that has a residual

Fencing it off

Introducing a weevil called Listronotus setosipennis (stem boring weevil)

Growing grasses like tall finger grass to steady up the spread of parthenium

TRIALING CONTROLS IN THE AREA OF PARTHENIUM

WHAT IMPACT IS THE ACTION HAVING?

Poisoning makes the plant die back, but need to keep at it

Fencing off stops stock and people from going into the affected area

The weevil is still being trialled. It doesn’t kill the plant but makes it very sick.

The introduced grasses are working at this stage but we have had plenty of rain. The grasses might not work if we have a drought. We found the kangaroos are liking the introduced grass so we needed to fence the area.

A GRASS THAT IS BEING TRIALED

WHERE THE GRUB LIVES

THE GRUB - LISTRONOTUS SETOSIPENNIS (STEM BORING WEEVIL)

CONCLUSION

The environmental issue of parthenium weed is very serious. Managing parthenium weed is going to go on forever, however if we can control it, maybe it might get easier to manage. I would like to help with controlling the weed. This is an issue which affects the whole world, not just my farm in Mungallala QLD.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

National Weeds Program , May 2004, “Parthenium Weed Management – Challenges, opportunities and strategies” , Depart. Of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Depart. of Primary Industries and Fisheries

Professor Stephen Adkins, (ND), “Parthenium Weed : Identification Kit” , The University of Queensland, Australia (Flyer)

National Weeds Strategy Executive Committee, (ND), WEEDeck, Sainty & Assoc. Pty Ltd

Queensland University students working with Pakistan and Charleville NRM doing trials on our farm

Jenny Hockey, Mitchell Landcare, Mitchell Qld

Photos by Andy B