Parkinsonia bioherbicide - Field scale evaluation

Summary

​A selection of fungi associated with the dieback disease of parkinsonia were evaluated under large scale field trials to address a range of research questions to investigate their potential to be used as a commercially acceptable bioherbicide for this invasive woody weed.

In all cases, inoculation of parkinsonia trees with a capsule formulation of these test fungi resulted in successful establishment of dieback in the treated trees.  Co-treatment with a low dose of herbicide (glyphosate) stimulated infection, while a single inoculation was found sufficient to induce disease in parkinsonia trees. Artificially induced dieback was found to spread between trees in trial locations, supporting the notion that this method can be applied under field conditions to reduce the fitness of parkinsonia populations. A

nalysis of satellite data from one trial location has successfully demonstrated that the development of dieback over time can be measured at the landscape level. At one location, the fungi used were not found to cause harm to native hardwoods, or their ability to regenerate from seedlings. A formulation produced to commercial standards was found to retain viability sufficiently for it to be transported and stored to allow it to be successfully used by industry. Information from this project is supporting a case for registration of a bioherbicide to control parkinsonia.