CANBERRA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from Australia's national science agency have discovered a potential biocontrol tool for one of the country's most challenging agricultural weeds.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) on Thursday announced that a rust fungus will be deployed in a biocontrol release program to help farmers fight flaxleaf fleabane.
Native to South America, flaxleaf fleabane is one of Australia's fastest-spreading weeds, damaging cropping and grazing areas across the country, said CSIRO.
Ben Gooden, a CSIRO weed ecologist, said flaxleaf fleabane is estimated to affect nearly 3 million hectares of land, causing grain crop revenue losses of more than 43 million Australian dollars (about 29 million U.S. dollars) every year.
It has developed resistance to some herbicides, making it hard to control. However, the discovery of the fungus has offered new hope.
"We identified a rust fungus called Puccinia cnici-oleracei in Colombia which infects flaxleaf fleabane and restricts it from growing by destroying the plant's tissues," Gooden said in a media release.
He said the research found the fungus can only infect flaxleaf fleabane, while all non-target plant species tested were resistant to it.
"Based on this research, the fungus is deemed to be safe and has been approved by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for introduction to Australia," Gooden said.
With the Grains and Research Development Corporation (GRDC) and AgriFutures Australia, the CSIRO will now release the fungus at strategically selected sites across flaxleaf fleabane's range.
Landowners will be charged with monitoring the fungus and reporting back to the CSIRO on its impact on the weed. ■
