USDA Research

Abstract

It had been a long time since the author last participated in a series of presentations on Integrated Weed Management (IWM) and he left it with mixed feelings. The first presentation from Henry Creissen, only 65% of the 225 responses to his IPM survey claimed to be practising IPM and it seemed to me that there was some way to go to encourage its take up and the need for inclusion of IPM in legislation was understandable. However, in most of the following presentations, IWM was clearly being practiced. As Sean Sparling stated, most farmers practice it whether they know it or not and that it is common sense. I would like to think that most, if not all farmers and growers, practice IWM measures and practice sustainable agricultural and horticultural practices. Hopefully, the days of unsustainable mono-cultural practices with repeated use of the same herbicides for weed control, year after year, have passed, as many of these herbicides now have resistance issues, even if they are still available. Changing weather conditions will mean adjusting weed management practices, which if sustainable will meet IWM requirements. One concern is that all presenters stated that herbicides were a key component of IWM, particularly the use of glyphosate. Its use is threatened from a regulatory perspective, or more appropriately political perspective, although regulatory science does not suggest there is an issue. However there is also the issue of loss of efficacy due to the development of weed resistance due to overuse. I live in hope that glyphosate can remain as part of the toolbox IWM and that my former colleagues in the remaining Agrochemical Companies undertaking R&D are able to discover and develop new and environmentally safe herbicides to provide the tools to contribute to IWM for years to come.