Agripests and control
Overcoming a chemically limited future for weed, pest and disease control in agriculture
Agriculture uses an array of chemicals to control weeds, pests and diseases. However, a systems approach to reduce, redesign or replace chemical use will be needed to meet new demands.
Wheat’s complex immune system requires a smart health response against disease
Covid-19 has shown us the fragility of our health, and the power of science to rapidly respond. Similar breakthroughs are waiting in the wings if a comparable disaster befell agriculture.
A short history of agricultural chemical usage and development
Throughout human history, pests have greatly impacted agriculture and society through crop failure. In modern times, chemical solutions to the problem have been hit and miss.
Testing the waters against antimicrobial resistance
Research exchange in India is expanding the investigation into what the World Health Organisation names as one of the greatest threats to human health – antimicrobial resistance.
Benefits and risks of neonicotinoid insecticides to Australian agriculture
On the farm, the negative impact to beneficial insects can sometimes negate the positive effects of insecticides. But there's a lack of research quantifying non-target impacts of one particular group, neonicotinoids.
Battle against white spot disease in Australian prawns
CSIRO’s efforts to help the Australian farmed prawn industry recover from this devastating outbreak also required a rapid response to protect a vital research facility that is assisting the industry pick itself back up.
Hybridisation and the new frontier against spread of global pests
Global trade means global pests – not just in the way they spread but in the way they breed. Hybridisation of two moth species has now been confirmed, creating a fast-generating, pesticide-resistant mega pest which threatens broad-acre crops across the Americas. What’s next?
Genetics race against world’s worst megapest
Mapping the genome of this hungry caterpillar might help scientists target what makes it such an effective megapest that it can develop resistance to most known insecticides the world over.
New software to help protect Australia from wind-borne threats
Wind helps the spread of some serious environmental pests within Australia, and now a new online tool for modelling the dispersal of living organisms is helping prepare for and respond to these wind-borne threats.