Chemical Management of <i>Senecio madagascariensis</i> (Fireweed)
2023
Kusinara Wijayabandara | Shane Campbell | Joseph Vitelli | Sundaravelpandian Kalaipandian | Steve Adkins
Fireweed (<i>Senecio madagascariensis</i> Poir.) is a herbaceous weed-producing pyrrolizidine alkaloid that is poisonous to livestock. To investigate the efficacy of chemical management on fireweed and its soil seed bank density, a field experiment was conducted in Beechmont, Queensland, in 2018 within a pasture community. A total of four herbicides (bromoxynil, fluroxypyr/aminopyralid, metsulfuron-methyl and triclopyr/picloram/aminopyralid) were applied either singularly or repeated after 3 months to a mix-aged population of fireweed. The initial fireweed plant density at the field site was high (10 to 18 plants m<sup>−2</sup>). However, after the first herbicide application, the fireweed plant density declined significantly (to ca. 0 to 4 plants m<sup>−2</sup>), with further reductions following the second treatment. Prior to herbicide application, fireweed seeds in both the upper (0 to 2 cm) and lower (2 to 10 cm) soil seed bank layers averaged 8804 and 3593 seeds m<sup>−2</sup>, respectively. Post-herbicide application, the seed density was significantly reduced in both the upper (970 seeds m<sup>−2</sup>) and lower (689 seeds m<sup>−2</sup>) seed bank layers. Based on the prevailing environmental conditions and nil grazing strategy of the current study, a single application of either fluroxypyr/aminopyralid, metsulfuron-methyl or triclopyr/picloram/aminopyralid would be sufficient to achieve effective control, whilst a second follow-up application is required with bromoxynil.
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