Giant Parramatta grass manual out

A new manual to help landowners tackle giant Parramatta grass and other weedy Sporobolus grasses has been jointly published by the NSW and Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI).

The Weedy Sporobulus grasses best practice manual is available free-of-charge from NSW DPI Grafton.

Joint author David Officer, a research agronomist with NSW DPI at Grafton, said the 38-page manual provided practical information to help landowners manage weedy Sporobolus grasses (WSG) - a group of weeds that includes giant rat’s tail grass and giant Parramatta grass.

The information in the manual is based on outcomes from a four-year research project sponsored by Meat and Livestock Australia and conducted by Mr Officer and Dr Steven Bray, from Queensland DPI.

"Management of WSGs requires a flexible plan and long term commitment for success," Mr Officer said.

"This manual provides the information needed by land managers to make informed decisions about WSG management on their properties."

"A variety of common weed situations are examined in the book, and readers are presented with a ‘best bet’ strategy for each situation," he said.

"These ‘best bet’ strategies are based on the latest research, and focus on achieving effective weed control in a cost-efficient way."

He said an integrated approach combining land management techniques with chemical control was recommended to effectively control current infestations and prevent the spread of weeds to clean country.

Mr Officer said giant Parramatta grass was a coarse tussocky grass that grew to a height of two metres.

"It is a declared noxious weed that has invaded large areas of pasture on the north coast and is a major threat to grazing lands," he said.

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