Pests, weeds & diseases

Pests, weeds and diseases pose a serious risk for primary producers as they can impact on market access and agricultural production.

To reduce the impact of pests, weeds and diseases, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development:

  • works with landholders, grower groups, community groups and biosecurity groups.
  • provides diagnostic services and information on prevention, management and treatment.
  • provides biosecurity and quarantine measures to prevent introduction, and to eradicate or manage current pests.

For advice on pests, weeds and diseases search our website, the Western Australian Organism List or contact our Pest and Disease Information Service (PaDIS).

For diagnostic services, please contact our Diagnostic Laboratory Services.

Articles

  • Sprayed plants have thickened crowns, stems and petioles and twisted, distorted petioles and leaves

    Group I herbicides are used for broadleaf summer weed control or selective broadleaf weed control in cereals. Damage can be caused by soil residues or spray contact.

  • Stunted plants with pale new growth. Residual herbicide causes reddened cotyledons

    Sulfonlyureas and sulfonamides are systemic herbicides that are used for pre and/or post emergent grass and/or broadleaf weed control in cerealsand are highly toxic in canola.

  • Leaf necrosis moves from leaf edges to veins

    A range of group C herbicides are registered for use in triazine tolerant (TT) varieties, but other varieties are susceptible to both pre and post emergent applications.

     

  • Emerging leaves are distorted and discoloured; leaf blades become cupped and crinkly

    Glyphosate is a systemic knockdown herbicide that is used extensively for brown fallow, summer weed or pre-seeding weed control, or selective weed control in glyphosate resistant crops.

  • Uniformly affected plants with pale leaf blotches

    Group F herbicides are registered for selective control of wild radish, wild mustard and wild turnip in cereals, legume crops and legume pastures. Canola is less affected than brassica weeds