Weeds in the Wet

WWeed all about iteed all about itn e w s l e t t e r

In this issue:• Weeds in the Wet• Die Parki Die• Hope for biological

control of Noogoora burr• NT Weed Management

Regulations• National Athel Pine

Management Committee Update

• Appointment of National Coordinator for athel pine and mimosa

• East Timorese delegates• Lantana’s a weed• Remote Workforce

Development Strategy• Changes to the declared

weeds list

Weed all about itPO Box 30Palmerston NT 0831Ph: 08 8999 4567Fax: 08 8999 4445BiocontrolPh: 08 8999 2266Email: weedinfo.nreta@ nt.gov.auWebsite: www.nt.gov.au/nreta/naturalresources/weedsTo report exotic weeds:1800 084 881

A Commonwealth Government Initiative

Issue 2, February 2007

cont. page 5

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENT AND THE ARTS(NRETA)

The wet season is the perfect time to get out and tackle your weeds.

The rain creates the most suitable conditions for controlling weeds in a

number of ways. The soft ground makes it so easy to hand-pull those smaller weeds such as hyptis, sicklepod, sida and exotic grasses such as mission and gamba grass.

Hand-pulling is not as time consuming as it sounds, especially if confi ned to small weed infestations or sensitive areas such as creeklines or native plant islands.

Welcome to the second edition of Weed all about it. Thank you to everyone for their positive responses to our fi rst newsletter and welcome aboard to those people who weren’t originally on our distribution list.

Since our last newsletter in October, much has happened in the Weed Management Branch. You will certainly get this impression after reading some of the articles in this edition.

In terms of extension and education, there are many things happening. We have the Weed Management Calendar 2007 now available on our website http://www.nt.gov.au/nreta/naturalresources/

weeds/resources.html or by phoning 8999 4567. This year’s calendar concentrates on different control methods for major weeds throughout the Northern Territory, as well as ways land-users can plan, manage and eradicate their weeds.

Weedbuster Week was a hot topic in the fi rst edition of Weed all about it and you may remember seeing Woody Weed splashed across the cover. The Australian Weeds Committe signed off on the Weedbuster Program again last year, enabling its continued support.

For the fi rst time, the Northern Territory will not be running weedbuster activities

over the one week in October. Instead there will be activities organised throughout the year, allowing for a wider range of community groups to jump onboard during the wet and throughout the year.

We are currently calling for secondary schools to register classes to participate in a nation wide weeds competition called ‘Lord of the Weeds’.

In this competition students investigate a weed-infested area and then write a report addressing key criteria. $3500 in prize money will be offered to the schools producing the national winning reports. For information call 8999 4557 or go to www.weeds.crc.org.au

Alison DerryExtension CoordinatorWeed Management Branch

Welcome

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

Die Parki Die!The University of Queensland (UQ) is continuing its research on parkinsonia dieback in the Barkly region.

Tennant Creek Weed Management staff and Landcare groups (Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association and Roper River Landcare Group) assisted UQ in the establishment and monitoring of trial sites in 2006.

Parkinsonia (Parkinsonia aculeata) is a thorny wood shrub which can form dense impenetrable thickets. It is a declared weed in the Northern Territory and is classifi ed as a Class B (growth and spread to be controlled) and Class C (not to be introduced) weed. On a national scale parkinsonia is a Weed of National Signifi cance. Its preferred habitat is river systems and associated wetlands and fl ood plains. Parkinsonia impacts on Traditional Owners, pastoralists and native riparian habitats. Dense monospecifi c thickets out-compete native plant species along water courses, displacing native fauna. These thorny thickets impede mustering and restrict access to water points. They can also cause injury to stock and workers. Parkinsonia occurs throughout the NT but is most prevalent in the Barkly and Victoria River districts.

Parkinsonia dieback is a naturally occurring disease. Plants that are infected appear to die back from the tips of the branches with the dead leaves remaining attached to the plant. Brown staining within the stems and branches is also visible. Naomi Diplock, Research Scholar with the University of Queensland and her advisor, Dr Vic Galea, are studying the cause and distribution of the disease and developing pathogens that will enable the use of this disease as a biological control agent.

If anyone notices parkinsonia plants displaying symptoms of dieback please report

this to your local Weed Management staff. This information will aid Naomi in determining its natural distribution. Research has been ongoing for two years with trial sites set up at Newcastle Waters (NT) and Taemas (QLD) stations. In 2006 these sites were monitored and additional sites were set up at Newcastle Waters and Hayfi eld stations. Early results are encouraging and indicate that the dieback is effective. However, research is ongoing to isolate the most successful pathogens.

Setting up a trial site involves tagging and measuring appropriate plants then inoculating them with a pathogen. At this stage inoculation involves drilling a hole in the base of the stem and inserting the pathogen. This method is very time consuming, however it is hoped that future research will lead to a pellet or stem injection type method. Ultimately the inoculation method must be easy and time effi cient for land holders to utilise.

It is hoped that funding will soon be secured to set up further trial sites throughout the Barkly and Victoria River districts because, while the work is hot and thorny, all stakeholders are eager to continue the research.

Michelle KassmanRegional Weeds Offi cerTennant Creek

Innoculating parkinsonia

Parkinsonia thicket

Tagging parkinsonia

Drilling into stem Inserting pathogen

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

During the week of October 23–27, Ian Rowbottom (Rowie) who is the Roper River Landcare Facilitator, Garry Hillen from the Katherine Weed Management Branch and members of the Jilkminggan Weeds team, Lee Doctor, Mathew Duncan and Ken Whalla, spent time at Elsey Station treating, mapping and collecting data on parkinsonia.

“ The area that we were working in was fairly inaccessible so there was a lot of walking on foot. In all we covered an area of approximately 10km2. With Garry’s help, Lee, Mathew and Ken received training in GPS and data collection using the Weed Data Collection sheets and the handy hint sheet created by Caroline Green from the Katherine Weed Management Branch.

Jilkminggan Weed Team hunting parkinsonia

Learning how to use the Weed Data Collection Sheet

Basal barking with Access and Diesel

Weeds Offi cer Gary Hillen giving lessons on the use of a GPS

Crossing the water hole to hunt for parki

The work we have been doing on Elsey has been made possible through the National Heritage Trust-funded project -Managing Priority Weeds in Key Areas of the Roper Catchment. This project allows us to continue with weed control work carried out over the last fi ve years by the Aboriginal ranger programs operating in the Roper River region- Jilkminggan Weeds Team, Mangarrayi Aboriginal Land Trust, Mimal Rangers – Bulman area, Minyerri Rangers – Hodgson Downs and Alawa and the Yugul Mangi Rangers in SE Arnhem Land.”

Ian Rowbottom, Roper River Landcare Group

Monitoring parkinsonia on Elsey Station

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

Once considered to be the second most important weed to prickly pear in Queensland and New South Wales, biological control has now suppressed Noogoora burr along much of coastal eastern Australia.

Why then does Noogoora burr continue to be a large and growing problem in the Northern Territory and in the north west of Western Australia?

Biological control of Noogoora burr commenced in Australia in 1929 with a total of four insect species being released. A fi fth insect, a stem galling moth predominantly released against parthenium, also attacks Noogoora burr and has become widely established.

However, it is the rust fungus, Puccinia xanthii that is largely responsible for the decline of Noogoora burr populations in the high rainfall areas of eastern Australia. But, although widespread across northern Australia, the rust has little impact on Noogoora burr populations in the NT and WA. Why is this so?

There are many possible reasons why a biological control agent may fail to establish or fail to exert suffi cient control of the target weed. In the case of the rust fungus, it was suspected that climate was preventing the rust from producing epidemics severe enough to reduce the vigour and reproductive capacity of Noogoora burr plants.

Laboratory studies conduct-

New hope for the biological control of Noogoora burr

ed by CSIRO found that the basidiospores (the infective stage) required 2-3 hours of high humidity at moderate temperatures (20-25oC) to germinate and successfully penetrate its host. A fi eld experiment conducted in 2003 by NRETA Weed Management staff at Berrimah farm confi rmed this theory. They found that at periods of high humidity, temperatures during the wet season were warmer than ideal for basidiospore infection.

While the failure of biological methods to control Noogoora burr in northern Australia became better understood, this did not mean that all hope was lost.

Biological control reinvigorated

In 2004, CSIRO, NRETA and the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australia (DAFWA) joined forces to

renew efforts into enhancing biological control of Noogoora burr. The obvious approach was to concentrate on the rust fungus, with the aim to fi nd more strains from overseas better suited to the tropics.

AchievementsTo date, signifi cant progress

has been made.The Noogoora burr rust

was accidentally or illegally introduced into Australia sometime around the 1970’s, therefore little is known about the origins of the rust. A molecular technique was developed by CSIRO and used to study the genetic

Noogoora burr

Rust fungus on Noogoora burr

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

diversity of the rust from various regions of Australia and overseas.

It was found that the rust in Australia is genetically less diverse than European and South American accessions, and it is suspected that it may have originated from Europe.

Noogoora burr populations are being studied to collect important baseline data to enable future impacts of rust releases to be assessed. Permanent transects have been set up at two sites (Daly and Victoria Rivers) in the Northern Territory and have been monitored annually by NRETA biological control staff since 2005. With the assistance of DAFWA, a third transect is to be set up in the Kimberly this year.

Future research Through funding from the Defeating the Weeds Menace Program the search for new strains of the rust is forging ahead. Searches will be made in Central and South America from areas with a similar climate to northern Australia. These will be tested against Australian Noogoora burr to fi nd the most virulent strains.

To ensure the rust will be safe to release, it will undergo host-specifi city testing in CSIRO’s quarantine facility. It is envisaged that the testing will be completed by mid

Herbicides rely on plants being in an active growth state with healthy foliage (leaves), and after a few rains the conditions are perfect. Spray plants early in the day if possible, as the plant leaves can become stressed if it becomes too sunny.

When plants are stressed, as happens for much of the dry season, they do not ‘drink’ as readily, and most foliar

Weeds in the Wet

continued from page 1

In December 2006 Regulations were made under the Weeds Management Act 2001.

The primary objective of the Regulations is to ensure the long term conservation of the environment through sound weed management practices.

Weed Advisory Committees, industry groups and individuals have in the past been critical of the lack of enforcement of the Weeds Management Act 2001. These groups have strongly advocated that the Act needs a strong and effective enforcement regime to ensure all landholders and land users meet their obligations.

These regulations will strengthen the regulatory capacity of NRETA, who is tasked with managing the

NEW NT WEED MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS

complex issue of weed management, by introducing a penalty infringement notice system for offences under the Act.

While compliance is a critical factor in the enforce-ment of weed legislation, it is widely understood and accepted that community education and awareness is a necessary principle to underpin such an approach.

Weed management staff are currently drafting NT Species Plans which will promote the foundations of an enforcement program under the Weeds Management Act 2001.

For further information contact the Weed Manage-ment Branch on 8999 4567.

Jenny DeverauxLegislation Offi cer Darwin

2008 and, if approved by the Australian Government, new rust strains will be ready for release soon after.

Further readingEdgar, V. and Grace, B. 2004, ‘Experimental inoculations of the rust fungus Puccinia xanthii, a biological control agent against Noogoora burr (Xanthium occidentale) in northern Australia’, Plant Protection Quarterly, no.19, pp. 98-101.

Morin, L., Auld, B.A. and Smith, H.E. 1996, ‘Rust epidemics, climate and control of Xanthium occidentale’, Proceedings of the IX International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds, pp. 385-391. (Eds V.C. Moran and J.H. Hoffmann), University of Cape Town.

van Klinken, R.D. and Julien, M.H. 2003, ‘Learning from past attempts: does classical biological control of Noogoora burr (Asteraceae: Xanthium occidentale) have a promising future?’, Biocontrol Science and Technology no.13, pp.139-153.

Raelene KwongSenior Biological Control Offi cerDarwin

herbicides rely on being cycled through the plant via absorption through the leaves.

However, do not spray while it is raining, as the herbicide will be washed off the plant. A common herbicide such as glyphosate will ideally have a six hour ‘rain-fast’ period to work best (i.e. before rain), but many people report it can work effectively with a rain-fast period of as little as two hours.

Landholders should ensure they are familiar with important weeds, and conduct regular property inspections to ensure any new outbreaks are found and

controlled early. The wet season is a great

time to look, as plants begin to produce distinguishing features such as fl owers and seed pods.

More information can be found on the Weed Management Branch website www.nt.gov.au/nreta/naturalresources/weeds or by phoning 8999 4567.

The NT Herbarium in Palmerston can also provide assistance in identifi cation.

Roni OpdenDistrict Weeds Offi cerDarwin

Noogoora burr seeds

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

The National Athel Pine Management Committee was established in November 2005 under the guidance of Neil Phillips, Regional Manager Alice Springs. Neil has acted as the National Athel Pine Coordinator until the recent appointment of the fulltime coordinator, Sandy Leighton, in December 2006.

During 2004- 05, with funding assistance from the Australian Government, Neil oversaw the production and airing of an athel pine television advertisement throughout the interior of Australia that aimed to increase awareness of the identifi cation and risks of athel pine. Consequently he received phone calls from across Australia and these key people became the founding members of the Committee.

The Committee consists of state and territory representatives:Western Australia - Sylvia Clarke, Southern Rangelands NRM Biodiversity Coordinator, Kalgoorlie and Kevin Walley, Indigenous Land Management Facilitator, South Hedland.Northern Territory - Neil Phillips NRETA, and Maree Meredith, Indigenous Land Management Facilitator, Alice Springs.Queensland - Greg Jones, Principal Land Management Offi cer, Rockhampton.South Australia - Dennis Gannaway, National Bridal Creeper Coordinator & WoNS SA. Committee members and weeds staff on a fi eld trip along the Finke River in March 2006

New South Wales - Don MacKenzie, Senior Weeds Offi cer, Bourke Shire Council.

Alice Beilby, Acting Director Weed Management Branch NT, Phil Maher, Senior Project Offi cer/ Strategic Weed Control Qld and Peter Klem, Land Protection Offi cer, Longreach are corresponding members and have participated in most of the meetings.

Neil Phillips remains as the acting chair until a community person can be found to fi ll this role. The Committee have held regular meetings either by teleconference or face to face since their formation.

The primary role of the Committee is to oversee the implementation of the National Athel Pine Strategic

Plan (2001) and the group has determined a set of draft national priorities.

National Athel Pine Management

Committee priorities • Produce a national athel

pine map and identify areas where it has naturalised or has the potential to naturalise.

• Identify, contact and form effective partnerships with national stakeholders in key areas.

• Increase stakeholder involvement in implementing key national priorities within their jurisdictions.

• Investigate the weediness of Tamarix ramosissima and T. parvifl ora in Australia and overseas.

• Investigate the presence and weed risk of athel pine (T. aphylla) x T. ramosissma hybrids in Australia and overseas.

• Encourage the lodging of voucher specimens throughout Australia.

• Develop a national communications plan for athel pine to raise awareness of the risks that athel pine poses across Australia.

• Investigate including other Tamarix species jointly with athel pine as Weeds of National Signifi cance.

• Encourage other states and territories to declare additional weedy Tamarix species.

• Seek funding for national education and awareness products.

• Encourage and support key research into seed longevity and dispersal.

• Encourage and support fi eld trials/ effi cacy studies for potential new herbicide registrations.

• During 2008-09 review, revise and reprint the National Athel Pine Strategic Plan.

For more information contact Sandy Leighton, National Athel Pine Coordinator, 8951 9226.

National Athel Pine Management Committee update

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

Sandy Leighton is the new National Athel Pine and Mimosa Coordinator for the Weeds of National Signifi cance Program.

Sandy, based in Alice Springs, started her new role last December and will be with us until April 2009. Her position is primarily funded by the Australian Government and hosted by the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts.

BackgroundSandy has been involved

in NRM for over 20 years and recently moved to the Territory from Tasmania where she was the National Gorse Coordinator for 2 1/2 years. The knowledge and experience she gained during this position will be of great benefi t to her current role.

Prior to this Sandy worked as an NRM facilitator in southern Tasmania and also as the Tasmanian Weed Education Offi cer. She has also been extensively involved

in various community based biocontrol programs and a schools program for rearing and releasing agents.

She has a strong background in community engagement and capacity building, together with coordinating a wide variety of stakeholders to achieve shared goals. Sandy has also run a small business, worked on threatened species and developed a commercial market garden.

Sandy started out her working life with the Australian Plague Locust Commission based in Broken Hill and then moved to Kakadu to work with the Offi ce of the Supervising Scientist. After that she moved to Tassie as one of the Department of Agriculture Entomologists.

RoleSandy’s main tasks are to:

• Act as the Executive Offi cer for the National Athel Pine Management Committee.

• Form the National Mimosa Management Committee

Introducing the new National Coordinator for Athel Pine and Mimosa

and act as its Executive Offi cer (each of the national committees is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the relevant National Strategic Plans).

• Identify, contact and form effective partnerships with key stakeholders nationally.

• Identify gaps and value-add to existing programs.

• Facilitate improved know-ledge sharing amongst stakeholders throughout Australia and overseas.

• Oversee the development of national maps for both species. For athel

pine this will provide an excellent tool to prioritise infestations, determine national containment linesand document achieve-ments in reducing athel pine on the ground.

• Oversee the review and revision of the current national strategies for athel pine and mimosa.

Sandy looks forward to meeting the weeds team and other people involved with athel pine and mimosa here in NT and learning from their experience.

Sandy can be contacted on 8951 9226, 0427 186 153 or sandy.leighton@nt.gov.au

Sandy’s surroundings have changed from tranquil Tasmanian mountain tarns to the turbulent Todd River

Athel pine seeding

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

Darwin’s Weed Manage-ment Branch recently hosted two East Timorese delegates, providing them with the opportunity to learn more about various weeds and weed control measures.

The two week visit, organised by the Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts (NRETA) and Charles Darwin University (CDU), included a tour of the Biological Control facilities at Berrimah Research Farm and several trips to Top End sites.

The trip was part of a $327,384 three year Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project called the ‘Biological Control of Two Major Weeds Affecting Crop and Livestock Production’ in East Timor.

The visitors were Mr Alao Alvares from the East Timor Ministry of Agriculture, Plant Protection Branch and Mrs Donata de Araujo from the

National University of East Timor, Agriculture Faculty.

East Timor shares many weed species with the Top End, such as bellyache bush, sida (Sida acuta), and mimosa (Mimosa pigra).

The visit enabled the East Timorese to learn various aspects of weed biocontrol, such as how biocontrol agents need to be reared, how they are released, and how they can be monitored in the fi eld.

During their two week stay, the visitors accompanied Biocontrol staff on the release of the sida beetle, Calligrapha (Calligrapha pantherina), and also the bellyache bush jewel bug, Agonosoma (Agonosoma trilineatum).

Several days were also spent in the laboratory learning how to rear Agonosoma. The visitors also assisted with mimosa agent abundance surveys on the Mary, Adelaide and Finniss River Catchments. Here they learnt different

Sharing technology to beat a common enemy

techniques for surveying insect agents, such as using light traps, visual counts and beat samples.

They also learnt how to process collected samples in the laboratory to look for the agents.

Both sida and bellyache bush are common in East Timor with widespread negative impacts on the agriculture industry.

It is hoped that as the East Timorese understand more about biocontrol agents,

they will be able to apply for permits to import Calligrapha or Agonosoma.

Further note: Mr Acacio da Costa Guterres, also from the National University of East Timor, has received an ACIAR scholarship to research the control of bellyache bush (Jatropha gossypiifolia) with staff from CDU and assistance from NRETA staff. Anita KeirBiocontrol Offi cerDarwin

East Timorese delegates with Weed Management staff and Tania Paul, senior lecturer from Charles Darwin University (centre)

East Timor shares many weed species with the NT including mimosa (top) and bellache bush (bottom)

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Lantana (Lantana camara) originates from tropical and subtropical America. It is now a major weed pest in over 60 countries, and is considered to be one of the 10 worst weeds worldwide.

The name Lantana camara is used mostly as a convenient reference for the highly variable weedy species complex, consisting of around 600 wild, cultivated, and hybridised varieties. At least 29 varieties are reportedly present in Australia, and have been divided into fi ve main types identifi ed by fl ower colour: pink, red, orange, white, and pink-edged red.

Purple or lilac fl owers with white or yellow centres generally indicate another weedy species, Lantana montevidensis, or creeping lantana. L.montevidensis is a scrambling low woody shrub which is invasive in coastal and subcoastal areas.

Both L.camara and L.montevidensis have been developed as ornamentals in Australia and used in gardens and landscaping in all states and territories. Some commercial varieties previously thought to be sterile can in fact produce viable seed or hybridise with wild varieties, increasing genetic variation in the species complex1. This continual variation may enhance the ability of lantana to adapt to new environments. The commercial breeding of new forms of ornamental lantana ultimately adds genetic diversity to the weedy forms, potentially decreasing the effectiveness of controls.

In the Northern Territory, both L.camara and L.montevidensis are declared Class B weeds. This means they may not be offered for sale, and landholders are required to control their growth and spread2.

The NT Weed Management Branch is playing an important role in removing lantana from the Northern Territory. Two projects have recently been funded through the Defeating the Weeds Menace – Lantana Containment Zone.

The fi rst project, Increasing Community Awareness of Lantana camara in the Northern Territory, involves the design and printing of lantana awareness material.

The second project, Building Community Ownership – strategic control of Lantana in the Northern Territory, is designed to assist landholders and land managers with the physical removal of lantana.

For more information, or to participate in lantana projects for 2007, please contact the NT Weed Management Branch on 8999 4567 or email weedinfo.nreta@nt.gov.auRoni OpdenDistrict Weeds Offi cerDarwin

1. Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy 2004, ‘Lantana control manual: Current management and control options for lantana (Lantana camara) in Australia’.

2. Department of Natural Resources, Environment and The Arts 2007. ‘Declared Weeds of the Northern Territory’.

White, yellow, red, orange and pink, it’s all the same

Lantana’s a weed

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

Weed Management staff have been successful in acquiring two Remote Workforce Dev-elopment Strategy Scholar-ships this year.

The fi rst being awarded to Michelle Kassman from Tennant Creek Weeds Branch, to participate in the Discovery – Women as Leaders Program. The Discovery program aims to develop participants’ leadership capabilities, personal effectiveness and management skills. The course includes four modules; self awareness and personal effectiveness, achievement through teams, accrual

accounting and management and leadership. To date Michelle has participated in two modules and has gained valuable skills in team management. The fi nal two modules will see teams complete an ‘Action Learning Project’, utilising the skills learned throughout the program.

A second scholarship was won, allowing 10 participants to undertake an Introduction to Arc GIS course in Tennant Creek. Caroline Green from the Katherine Weed Management Branch worked closely with the applicants to

Staff Profile - Raelene Kwong Raelene Kwong has recently taken up a 12 month contract with NRETA’s Weed Management Branch, replacing Blair Grace as the Senior Biological Control Offi cer based at Berrimah Farm.

A Victorian, Raelene has moved to Darwin with husband Franz and children, Caleb and Natasha, leaving behind a menagerie of pets including six dogs, a miniature horse, a donkey, two eclectus parrots, some lizards and a hoard of Pekin bantams.

Although new to the Territory, Raelene is an old hand at biological control. She has spent the past 17 years employed by the Victorian State Government at the Keith Turnbull Research Institute, now known as DPI-Frankston. During this time she spent fi ve years conducting IPM research on European wasps and elm leaf beetle, 12 years working on weed biological control and survived six departmental restructures.

For the past two years, Raelene has managed

the Invertebrate Sciences Section for the Department of Primary Industries, consisting of fi ve research and three technical staff involved in weed and invertebrate pest biological control. Prior to this she managed the Biocontrol Services team for 10 years, overseeing a large range of projects targeting bridal creeper, blackberry, ragwort, Paterson’s curse, gorse, spear and variegated thistles, English broom, boneseed and St John’s wort.

Raelene is particularly interested in enhancing biological control adoption through community awareness and participation. She was instrumental in the development of Weed Warriors, which has become a highly successful national program involving hundreds of schools in the breeding of biological control agents.

Raelene’s hobbies include sled dog racing (not a common sport in the Territory), belly dancing and contemporary textile art.

Raelene can be contacted on 8999 2230, 0409 965 471 or rae.kwong@nt.gov.au

ensure this project received funding. Successful NRETA applicants included staff from Weed Management, Bushfi res NT and Parks and Wildlife Services. Applicants from DPIFM, Pastoral Production, were also successful. This course will enable participants to better develop competent use of this software, assisting in the creation of spatial data sets and providing mapping products for distribution to other government agencies and community based groups. It is envisioned that staff will share their knowledge with local groups who also collect

mapping data, such as Barkly Landcare and Conservation Association, Julalikari Homelands Group, Central Land Council and pastoral property managers.

Remote Workforce Development Strategy

Michelle Kassman

Raelene Kwong

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WWeed all about iteed all about it

Schedule Class A and C (To be eradicated)No changes.

Schedule Class B and C (Growth and spread to be controlled)All weeds defi ned as ‘outside town areas’ for the area to which declaration applies are now defi ned as ‘all of the territory’. This applies to:

• Lantana montevidensis creeping lantana • Opuntia spp. prickly pears • Senna alata candle bush• Stachytarpheta spp. snake weeds

Schedule Class C (Not to be introduced to the Territory)There are a number of additional weeds added to the Class C list. These include;

• Amaranthus dubius chinese spinach• Austroeupatorium inulaefolium• Boerhavia erecta• Brachiaria paspaloides common brachiaria, thurston grass• Clidemia hirta koster’s curse, soap bush• Coix aquatica job’s tears• Croton hirtus• Digitaria fuscescens common crabgrass• Digitaria insularis• Diodia sarmentose • Echinochloa glabrescens barnyard grass• Echinochloa stagnina • Equisetum ramosissimum horsetail, scouring rush• Equisetum spp. horsetails• Eriocaulon truncatum • Eriochloa polystachya carib grass• Fimbristylis umbellaris globular Fimbristylis• Hybanthus attenuatus• Hyptis brevipes lesser roundweed• Ischaemum timorense centipede grass• Kochia kurning bush• Kochia scoparia (all except subsp. Trichopyla)• Leptochloa chinensis red sprangletop, feathergrass

CHANGES TO THE DECLARED WEEDS LISTof the Northern Territory

• Leptochloa panicea sprangletop• Limnocharis fl ava yellow bur-head, yellow sawah lettuce• Miconia spp. velvet tree• Mikania cordata • Mikania micrantha mile a minute• Myriophyllum spicatum Eurasian watermilfoil• Orabanche spp. (all except O.minor and O.cernua var.australiana) broomrape• Paederia foetida lesser Malayan stinkwort• Piper aduncum • Rhodomyrtus tomentosa downy rose myrtle• Rotala indica toothcup• Sacciolepis interrupta • Salvinia cucullata salvinia• Salvinia natans salvinia• Schoenoplectus juncoides• Scirpus maritimus• Spermacoce mauritiana• Striga angustifolia witchweed• Striga asiatica witchweed• Striga spp. (all non- indigenous) witchweed• Trapa spp. fl oating water chestnut