The Australian Federal Government has announced it will invest AUD$6.1 million (US$6.5 million) towards 33 new projects looking for solutions to the country's weed problem.

Parliamentary Secretary for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Mike Kelly, says weeds cost Australian farmers AUD$4 billion (US$4.28 billion) annually in lost production and control measures.

"The aim of these projects is to find ways to prevent future damage to our natural resources and to better manage weeds in agriculture, as well as implement innovative approaches to improve weed funding, strategies and outcomes," he says.

"The announcement of new research and development projects to reduce the impact of weeds in both the short and long term will be welcomed by primary producers and environmental land managers.

"This research investment will address a number of Weeds of National Significance, assist the cropping and pastoral industries with problems like herbicide resistance and seed persistence, and promote new weed treatment technologies, new biological controls and remote sensing technologies."

For more information on the 33 projects, visit the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.

Photo: Australian Plant Image Index, C.G. Wilson

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