Chemistry: Weeds are becoming resistant to selective herbicides.
Project Kangaroo has been initiated. It is managed by Australia’s Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and receives assistance from Bayer of Germany. Money from growers is funding it: they are paying $45 million in levies. The Federal Government is promising money. Knowing how government has behaved recently the project might get a dollar!
Herbicides have officially been used since 1890, though common salt could have used to kill weeds for possibly a thousand years before. The first selective herbicide was identified in 1940. It later became 2,4-D compound and was released in 1946. Seventy years later we face the problem of weed resistance to selective chemicals. Western Australia can no longer get significant kill of weeds growing around crops. It is costing farmers a fortune.
Wild radish and ryegrass are the main culprits affecting crops. Glyphosphate was used widely to control these weeds. They are not very effective these days. Chemical companies need to take a new tack and work at the molecular, even atomic level, to find ways of killing selective weeds. Nature though is good at overcoming new things in the environment. It is only a matter of time before evolution beats "unique" obstacles set up by Man.
◆ Chemstry by Ty Buchanan ◆
Australian Blog
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