Evaluating the efficacy of the EZ-Ject herbicide system in Queensland, Australia
Joseph Vitelli A C and Barbara Madigan BA Biosecurity Queensland, Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (QDEEDI), Ecosciences Precinct, GPO Box 267, Brisbane, Qld 4001, Australia.
B Biosecurity Queensland, QDEEDI, PO Box 187, Charters Towers, Qld 4820, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: joseph.vitelli@deedi.qld.gov.au
The Rangeland Journal 33(3) 299-305 https://doi.org/10.1071/RJ11038
Submitted: 22 June 2011 Accepted: 16 August 2011 Published: 9 September 2011
Abstract
The EZ-Ject herbicide system was evaluated as a stem injection method for controlling woody weeds in a range of situations where traditional chemical application methods have limited scope. The equipment was trialled on three Queensland weed species; pond apple (Annona glabra), velvety tree pear (Opuntia tomentosa) and yellow oleander (Cascabela thevetia); at five different cartridge densities (0, 1, 2, 3 and 4) and with two herbicides (glyphosate and imazapyr).
Cartridges filled with imazapyr were significantly more effective at controlling the three woody weed species than those filled with glyphosate. Injecting plants with three imazapyr cartridges resulted in plant kills ranging from 93 to 100%, compared with glyphosate kills of 17 to 100%. Pond apple was the most susceptible species, requiring one imazapyr cartridge or two glyphosate cartridges to kill 97 and 92% of the treated plants. Plant mortality increased as the number of cartridges injected increased. Mortality did not differ significantly for treatments receiving three and four imazapyr cartridges, as these cartridge densities met the criterion of injecting one cartridge per 10-cm basal circumference, a criterion recommended by the manufacturers for treating large plants (>6.35 cm in diameter at breast height).
The cost of treating a weed infestation of 1500 plants ha–1 with three cartridges per tree is $1070 ha–1, with labour costs accounting for 16% of the total. The high chemical costs would preclude this technique from broad-scale use, but the method could have application for treating woody weeds in sensitive, high conservation areas.
Additional keywords: glyphosate, imazapyr, stem injection, woody weed control.
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