Media release no.
Aerial spraying trials were carried out recently in remote areas of the Goldfields to determine if the technique would be a viable means of control for the potentially damaging, declared weed Bathurst burr. Agriculture Western Australia senior research officer John Peirce said Bathurst burr had spread in the Goldfields, north and east of Kalgoorlie, following several wet summers and ideal growing conditions, producing very large bushes with enormous numbers of burrs. The trial involved applying chemical treatments by air using both water and distillate as the carrier, and carrying out ground spraying treatments as a comparison. Samples of the vegetation at each treatment site were then collected to monitor possible changes in the growth of other broad leaf species caused by off-target damage in the area. Further trials were planned to test the effectiveness of other control techniques and chemicals.