JANUARY> | It’s that time of year | Weed Watch | Events | News |

Welcome to the first edition of The Vegetation Manager for 2014!

I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and an enjoyable and safe start to the New Year. The past year has certainly seen some exciting changes with Technigro joining the Citywide Group. This move is the next step forward for the business as we strengthen and expand our range of innovative vegetation management services to better serve our customers.

As we enter 2014 I am pleased to announce that Technigro has entered into a new partnership with Leighton Boral Amey Joint Venture (LBAJV) one of Australia’s foremost road asset management groups. This partnership will see Technigro managing the roadside vegetation on the Transport and Main Roads (TMR) South network. This includes the M1 Motorway - from the NSW border through to the Logan River. Work undertaken will include mowing, landscape maintenance, litter control, tree trimming, hedging, emergency response as well as weed control. We are now pleased to offer this expanded range of services to all of our customers and pride ourselves on being Queensland’s leading roadside vegetation managers.

I’ve always been adamant that we, as a company, do everything we possibly can to keep both our people and the public safe. Given the amount of work we do in public open spaces, including in the roadside environments, it is vital we stick to all of the necessary OH&S compliance requirements; in many cases, going over and above that which is legally required in order to provide a safe working environment for the public and our people. The Safety Capsule® is a great example of innovation in safer work conditions. The Safety Capsule® removes workers from high-risk roadside environments, placing them in a padded operator cell which allows for efficient gains and the puts the operator in the safest position for vehicle based work, while still enabling rapid kerb side and footpath access. You can learn more about the Safety Capsule on page 10.

Best wishes for a safe and productive 2014.

Nick Bloor

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Message from the CEO

Weed Watch White OakWhite Oak is an attractive tree of the Proteaceae plant family that is native to the rainforests of northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea. It is widely grown as a garden and street tree and is particularly common in cultivation in the sub-tropical regions of Australia. Please refer to page 5 for more information about this new and emerging threat.

YOUR ALERT TO NEW AND EMERGING THREATS

Fast Facts> Currently Lantana covers more than 5 million hectares of subcoastal New South Wales to Far North Queensland.

> Small infestations of Lantana have been found in central west Queensland, the Northern Territory, Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria.

> Research indicates more than 1400 native species have been negatively affectedby the Lantana invasion, including many endangered and threatened species.

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In the news

> 7th Australian Stream Management Conference Catchment to Coast 28th - 30th July 2014, Rydges, Townsville. > The 29th International Horticultural Congress 17th - 22nd August 2014, Convention & Exhibition Centre, Brisbane.> LOGOV Expo 2014 8th - 9th October 2014 , Cnr Bruce Hwy & Pumicestone Rd, Caboolture.

Upcoming Events

Caustic WeedsCaustic Weeds are fast growing and will quickly colonise bare soil, such as in gardens or poor quality turfed areas, or crevices in footpaths. They are most commonly found along roadsides. February is the perfect time to target these problem weeds as they can produce several generations during a single growing season. For more information on Caustic Weeds, read our fact sheet on page 7 or talk to one of our specialist team on 1800 678 611.

Serial pest in bare areas

It’s that time of the year

A new biological control is successfully fighting back against pasture weed giant Parramatta grass (GPG), with researchers now upping the ante by developing more efficient methods of spreading the naturally occurring fungus.

It’s estimated that GPG and other weedy sporobolus grasses are found across almost half a million hectares of Australia’s east coast, costing graziers some $60 million in lost production.

But farmers are now fighting back, thanks to recent trials which have proved both the effectiveness the fungus Nigrospora oryzae and how it can be safely spread into GPG infestations.

New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) research agronomist David Officer has overseen the trials, which have been supported by funding from the National Weeds and Productivity Research Program, managed by the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC).

“Until recently, graziers have had to rely on chemicals that are expensive and often provide only short-term suppression,” Mr Officer said.

“We’ve discovered that N. oryzae is a highly effective control method for weedy sporobolous grasses, causing a type of crown rot which can reduce infestations to manageable levels over a 2-3 year period.

“Trials in northern New South Wales have shown that N. oryzae can be easily spread by re-locating grasses carrying the fungus into the midst of an un-affected infestation.”

These trials are now being replicated in southern Queensland

and southern New South Wales, as weedy sporobolus grasses have spread into these areas over recent years.

Mr Officer has also produced a video showing graziers how to identify and transplant the fungus, which is best done in spring and summer when the leaves of affected plants turn bright orange. The video can be found on the RIRDC YouTube channel (http://youtu.be/M8g96eYvcVs).

“What we’d like to develop is an effective way to spread the fungus without having to dig up plants to move the fungus around,” Mr Officer said.

“The current technique used to grow the spores in the lab to spray on plants as part of the trials is very labour-intensive and not suitable to produce large quantities needed for commercial release.

“This season for the first time we’ve been able to inoculate sterile grain with the fungus. The grain provides a food source which helps to keep the fungus alive longer than in the liquid solution and can be spread in the field like a solid fertiliser over weedy sporobolus infestations.

“Once the technique’s perfected, it’s hopefully going to provide a quick and cost-effective way of providing bio-control over large areas in the field,” Mr Officer said.

NSW DPI has a fact sheet, Nigrospora crown rot for biocontrol of giant Parramatta grass, available on its website at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/factsheets. More details about the National Weeds and Productivity Research Program are available at www.rirdc.gov.au/weeds.

Biological control of giant Parramatta grass

Groundsel BushWatch out for this particularly difficult to control weed. Groundsel bush is a Class 2 declared plant in Queensland. Its peak flowering period is fast approaching making it very easy to spot. Now is the ideal time to detect infestations and implement suitable control measures. For more information, read our fact sheet on page 9 or talk to one of our Natural Areas team on 1800 678 611.

Upcoming threat

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Outcomes of the IVM Pilot Program - Perrin ParkPerrin Park is located in Toowong in the inner western suburbs of Brisbane. It is one of four public parks that have been managed by Technigro over the last two years, as part of the BCC IVM Pilot Program. This pilot program has been undertaken in partnership with Brisbane City Council (BCC) to determine if Integrated Vegetation Management (IVM) can provide better vegetation management outcomes in public parks in a cost-effective manner.

During 2012-2013, mo\nitoring was conducted in Perrin Park to determine the effects of IVM practices. In particular, what effect IVM has on species composition, weed populations and the potential for weed spread. The data collected in this park was compared with the results obtained from an adjacent park, Jack Cook Memorial Park, in which normal management practices were undertaken over the same period. On each of four sampling occasions various attributes of the turf growing in the two parks were recorded, including the percentage cover of each species, the number of weeds present, and the number of weed seeds being produced.

The data from these assessments showed that turf in Perrin Park was in a much superior condition to the turf in Jack Cook Memorial Park. There was a much higher cover of desirable turf grasses, a much lower cover of Bahia grass, and significantly fewer broadleaf weeds (See Figures 1 & 2). Weed seed production was also significantly lower in Perrin Park, thereby reducing the number of seeds that would have entered the seed bank and reducing the potential for weed spread. This was particularly true for Bindii, an important broadleaf weed which produces spiny fruit that impact negatively on park users. The IVM program almost totally prevented Bindii from producing any seeds in Perrin Park, and reduced its potential to cause problems or spread to other parks to almost zero. In fact, seed production of Bindii recorded in Perrin Park was about 75 times lower than recorded in Jack Cook Memorial Park.

Figure 1. Species cover in the turf of Perrin Park during 2012-2013.

Figure 2. Species cover in the turf of Jack Cook Memorial Park during 2012-2013

The results from Jack Cook Memorial Park also indicate that the current practices of managing parks results in high weed growth during spring and autumn. More importantly, the longer period between mowing rotations in spring and autumn also allows for very high seed production of winter-growing weeds (in spring) and summer-growing weeds (in autumn), when the competition from turf is lower. This facilitates the development of a large weed seed bank in the soil, ensuring weed infestation in future years, and increasing the chances of weed seed dispersal to other areas.

For more information on IVM, and how it can be used to manage public parks, please contact Steve Hampton on 0438 464 262 or at steve.hampton@technigro.com.au.

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Sports Field Audit Programs in South-East Queensland during 2013During winter 2013 a total of 451 sports fields were audited by Technigro for a number of local government authorities in the south-eastern Queensland region. The audit program involved a scientific evaluation (i.e. agronomic assessment) of each sports field, along with the collection of data to support performance and safety. This field assessment was followed by analysis of the data and reporting on the results obtained. The outputs generated from these audits were intended to:

• Provide information to councils that will increase their understanding of the condition of their sports fields;

• Deliver easy to understand summaries for each field, that will provide council staff with information essential in the development of a turf management program; and

• Provide a prioritised field improvement program, with potential costings, which can be used to determine which activities should be undertaken within timeframes and budgets available.

The audit program for each council varied slightly, according to specific requirements, but the attributes listed below were assessed as part of all of the field audit programs:

• Turf Composition (i.e. percentage cover of desirable turfgrasses, weeds and bare ground)

• Soil Profile (i.e. strata and soil texture classes as determined from soil cores)

• Thatch Depth (i.e. thickness of thatch above soil surface)

• Root Depth (i.e. depth that turf roots have penetrated into the soil profile)

• Soil Nutrient Analysis (i.e. concentration and saturation of nutrients from soil samples)

• Surface Hardness (i.e. surface resistance to impacts)

• Soil Compaction (i.e. penetration resistance at 100mm and 200mm depth in soil profile)

• Soil Moisture Content (i.e. percentage volumetric water content)

• Surface Levels (i.e. evenness of the playing surface) and

• Water Infiltration Rate (i.e. rate at which the soil is able to absorb water).

The data from the field audits was compiled and then delivered to councils in two main ways. Firstly, a brief and easy to understand summary report was developed for each field, which could be distributed to sporting clubs if required. Secondly, a database of all fields was generated that included a prioritised field improvement program, with potential costings, based on the data collected for each field.

The management models that these sports fields were under can be broadly placed into one of two types. The majority of the fields were leased to sporting clubs and usually only received attention in reaction to problems that had become apparent (i.e. they were under “reactive management programs”). In essence, control of weed populations in these fields generally only occurred after they had become well established and physical management activities were done in an ad hoc manner or in response to issues that had already developed.

The remainder of the fields were fully-maintained by council authorities, enabling the management activities to be totally co-ordinated, and were under “proactive management programs”. These fields were usually subject to collection and analysis of soil samples to determine soil amendment requirements, pre-emergent control of weeds to prevent populations becoming established, and a regular program of physical management activities (e.g. scarification, top-dressing, aeration, etc.) to prevent issues developing.

The audits showed that proactively managed sports fields were generally in much better condition than fields which were reactively managed. For example, the vast majority of the sports fields under a “reactive management program” had less than 80% cover of desirable turf grasses (Figure 1), and required attention. On the other hand, a majority of the sports fields under a “proactive management program” had a very good cover of desirable turf grasses (Figure 2). In fact, almost half of these fields had at least 98% cover of desirable turf grasses.

Figure 1. Percentage of Desirable Turf Cover in sports

fields subject to reactive management programs.

Figure 2. Percentage of Desirable Turf Cover in

sports fields subject to proactive management programs.

These results support the view that proactive management programs will improve the quality of sports fields and extend their life. Conversely, the strategy of leasing fields out to clubs in order to reduce costs, results in poor quality playing surfaces and more rapid degeneration of these assets. This is possibly due to a combination of factors including lack of adequate maintenance funding, lack of co-ordination of management actions, and the use of reactive management practices.

For more information about Sports Field Audits, or Proactive Management Programs for sports fields, contact Steve Hampton at steve.hampton@technigro.com.au or on 0438 464 262.

1. Habit in cultivation. 2. Immature fruit. 3. Entire leaves on adult plant. 4. Close-up of densely packed cream flowers.

JANUARY 2014

YOUR ALERT TO NEW AND EMERGING THREATS.

White Oak is an attractive tree of the Proteaceae plant family that is native to the rainforests of northern Queensland and Papua New Guinea. It is widely grown as a garden and street tree and is particularly common in cultivation in the sub-tropical regions of Australia.

Distribution White Oak is native to north-eastern Queensland and the southern coastal regions of Papua New Guinea. In Queensland it is restricted to two main areas, from the McIlwraith Range to the vicinity of Coen and from Cooktown south to Ingham.

While no herbarium records have been collected outside its native range, there are reports of young plants becoming established in bushland in the Brisbane and Sunshine Coast areas. For example, several seedlings and saplings have been reported from conservation reserves in Kuraby, Larapinta and Tingalpa in Brisbane. Numerous young plants have also been recorded becoming established in the vicinity of mature adult trees in the Tewantin and Noosaville areas on the Sunshine Coast.

Description A tree growing up to 30 m tall, but usually less than 10 m in height in cultivation. Its trunk and older branches have grey bark while its younger stems and new growth is covered in rusty brown hairs. The alternately arranged leaves are variously shaped depending on the age of the plant. Leaves of younger plants and regrowth are usually quite large (up to 30 cm long) with 5-9 prominent lobes (each 3-11 cm long and 15-30 mm wide). Leaves of seedlings and adult plants are usually smaller (10-20 cm long and 1-6 cm wide), and are either entire or have a few small lobes towards their tips. The upper leaf surfaces are dark green while the lower surfaces are distinctly rusty brown.

The white flowers are borne in elongated clusters at the tips of the branches in late spring and early summer. These clusters (6-14 cm long) are cream in colour and usually held upright. Each cluster contains numerous small, densely packed, flowers which have inconspicuous petals and a very conspicuous style ending in a swollen stigma. The small fruit (12-19 mm long and 7-9 mm wide) turns from green to brown as it matures and splits open when fully mature to release a single papery seed (11-12 mm long and 6-7 mm wide).

White Oak (Grevillea baileyana) Quick Facts

> A tree growing up to 30 m tall, but usually less than 10 m in height

> Variable leaves that range from deeply lobed to entire

> Leaves have distinctive rusty brown undersides

> Cream flowers densely arranged in elongated clusters

> Small fruit that split open to release a single papery seed

Habitat Within its native range, White Oak typically grows in rainforests and their margins, from sea level up to 900 m altitude. It is also found in riparian vegetation and gallery forests, and is most common in regrowth areas.

© Technigro Australia Pty Ltd 2014

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Introduced Not DeclaredNativeTREE

Documented herbarium recordNative rangePotential introduced range

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Top. Ivory Curl leaves with pale green undersides. Bottom. Drooping flower clusters of Ivory Curl.

Reproduction and Dispersal This species reproduces only by seeds, which are primarily wind-dispersed. However, seeds may also be spread in dumped garden waste.

Why is it an Emerging Threat? White Oak is favoured by disturbance and is a characteristic species of regrowth areas within its native range. Hence, it is probably well adapted to colonising areas of disturbed forest outside its native range.

Evidence from this very early stage of invasion suggests that it favours wetter habitats in south-eastern Queensland (i.e. disturbed rainforests, wet sclerophyll forests and tea tree swamps). In some cases plants have become established hundreds of metres away from cultivated specimens, in undisturbed natural vegetation.

Control Methods As most plants invading natural areas are currently quite small they can usually be pulled out by hand. Larger plants can be manually removed with the aid of suitable tools, but care must be taken to remove the entire crown.

No herbicides are specifically registered for the control of White Oak in Australia, but Vigilant Gel is registered for the control of woody weeds in native vegetation, conservation areas, gullies, reserves and parks (using the cut-stump method). Woody environmental weeds may also be controlled with some herbicides in Queensland as outlined in APVMA off-label Permit 11463 (see http://permits.apvma.gov.au/PER11463.PDF). For example, some formulations of glyphosate and triclopyr + picloram can be applied as a cut stump or basal bark application. Please read the off-label permit carefully for the exact products and rates to use and, unless otherwise stated in the permit, the use of any of these herbicides must be in accordance with the instructions on their labels. Within other state boundaries, it is recommended that any relevant permits or government legislation applicable to the region be consulted.

Look a-likes White Oak can be confused with White Silky Oak (Grevillea hilliana), Ivory Curl (Buckinghamia celsissima) and other closely related members of the Proteaceae. However, White Oak can be easily distinguished from these species by its rusty brown leaf undersides. The flower clusters of Ivory Curl are also drooping in nature, instead of being held upright.

JANUARY 2014

YOUR ALERT TO NEW AND EMERGING THREATS.TM

Your Provider of Vegetation Management Solutions

Post: PO Box 2020, Nerang BC, QLD, 4210

T: 1800 678 611 technigro.com.au for smarter solutions

The control methods referred to in Weed Watch™ should be used in accordance with the restrictions (federal and state legislation and local government laws) directly or indirectly related to each control method. These restrictions may prevent the utilisation of one or more of the methods referred to, depending on individual circumstances. While every care is taken to ensure the accuracy of this information, Technigro does not invite reliance upon it, nor accept responsibility for any loss or damage caused by actions based on it.

This information has been developed with the assistance of Dr Sheldon Navie. Photographs are also courtesy of Dr Sheldon Navie © Technigro Australia Pty Ltd 2014

1. Young sapling growing in a swamp box forest. . 2. Rusty brown leaf undersides. 3. Deeply-lobed leaves on regrowth. 4. Showy flower clusters in November. 5. Seedling growing in a scribbly gum forest.

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The Safety Capsule™

The Safety Capsule™Technigro is leading the way in optimal safety for the roadside work environment. The Safety Capsule™ is the latest innovation in roadside vegetation management and removes workers from high-risk roadside environments. The Safety Capsules™ padded operator cell offers the safest position for vehicle based work, while still enabling rapid kerb side and footpath access where closer manual treatment is required. The Safety Capsule™ represents a major breakthrough in roadside weed control to increase productivity, reduce worker health concerns and increase network efficiencies.

Key features

> Causes minimum traffic disruption.

> Operates without the need for independent traffic control protection.

> Heat stress and fatigue for workers is eliminated.

> Fully enclosed capsule fitted with a compliant roll over protection system (ROPS).

> Designed to withstand motor vehicle impact whilst protecting the occupant.

> Product mixing tank, multiple spray lines and swift knapsack access.

> Several product supply contingencies to ensure roadside attendance is brief.

> Quality of results are not compromised.

> Rapid disembarkation and embarkation on both sides of the vehicle.

> Digital cameras with a dashboard mounted monitor providing unrestricted vision.

> Communication system between driver and occupant.

The ultimate road worker safety solutionThe Safety Capsule™ has been designed as one of the safest methods of managing vegetation in road networks. It’s unique range of features make the Safety Capsule™ the new benchmark in safety when working on roads.

> Approved for use on roads.

> Safety risks are reduced for spray operators whilst working in high risk situations on major and minor roads.

> A reduction in the impact on traffic and traffic flow, with a faster pace of work and no need for traffic control.

> An enhanced target application on weeds has improved quality and performance.

> Substantial reduction in the risk of hose entanglement.

> Obstructions while weed control activities are undertaken is less likely to effect pedestrians and cyclists.

> The risk of the spray operator being crushed by surrounding obstacles is eliminated.

Your Provider of Vegetation Management Solutions

T: 1800 678 611 technigro.com.au