Addressing herbicide resistance and control failures in ryegrass management for onions, carrots and rotational crops (MT25001)

Project summary 

This project is addressing one of the most pressing challenges facing Australia’s onion and vegetable industries: herbicide‑resistant ryegrass. Increasing resistance and control failures are impacting onion, carrot and rotational crops nationwide, reducing yields, increasing production costs and threatening the long‑term sustainability of farming systems. Funded by Hort Innovation and delivered by AUSVEG, the project will establish long‑term demonstration sites in South Australia and Tasmania, with learnings extended to growers in Queensland and Western Australia, to showcase practical, integrated weed and crop protection strategies.

Working with leading Australian researchers, the project will deliver a national herbicide‑resistant ryegrass benchmark, resistance screening tests, reviews of global and domestic herbicide options, and regionally relevant best‑practice management systems. Through on‑farm demonstrations, extension activities, best‑practice guides, case studies and trial reports, growers will gain practical tools and evidence‑based strategies to reduce control failures, protect yields, manage costs and build more resilient and sustainable production systems over the long term.