Weed management remains a major challenge for Australian onion and vegetable growers. Increasing herbicide resistance, pressure on chemical control options and rising labour and input costs are creating a need for effective non-chemical alternatives.

This project will establish an independent testing program for physical weed control technologies, including mechanical, electrical and laser weeders. Trials will be conducted at the Gatton Smart Farm in Queensland and at grower sites across South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia. Technologies will be assessed against current weed management practices to measure their performance, practicality and indicative costs under Australian growing conditions.

The project will generate evidence to help growers, industry stakeholders and Hort Innovation make informed decisions about non-chemical weed control options. It will identify technologies that show potential for Australian onion and vegetable production systems and provide guidance on future investment and development opportunities. Key outputs will include technology benchmarking reports, grower-focused WeedTech briefs and a national non-chemical weed technology forum.