Spiny emex - Doublegee

Emex australis

Doublegee is a very widespread weed that can grow on a range of soil types. In WA it is mainly found on red-brown soils with neutral to slightly alkaline pH. Just 8–9 doublegee plants/m2 can reduce wheat yield by up to 50%.

Description

Doublegee first emerges as hairless, elongated, club-shaped cotyledons.

Oval leaves then form a rosette with a fleshy, hairless stem that can grow up to 75 cm long sprouting from the centre. Clusters of very small white flowers produce hard woody seed capsules with three sharp spines.

Control

Doublegee can be controlled more easily and cost-effectively in cereal crops than crops with fewer herbicidal options.

As with most significant broadleaf weeds, Velocity provides very effective early post-emergent control of doublegee. Mateno^® Complete is suitable to use at early post emergent timing for suppression only, or for control when applied with metsulfuron-methyl + BS1000. Hussar OD and Precept are also registered for doublegee control.

Young doublegee is palatable to stock, so a rotation to pasture can limit seed production.

Related Pests

Dead nettles

Lamium amplexicaule

Commonly referred to as deadnettle, because it looks a bit like stinging nettles but doesn’t have the sting, deadnettle is also known as henbit or stingless nettle. It is a widespread, low growing, annual or biennial weed that is particularly competitive in seedling vegetables and low growing crops. It commonly grows to 10 - 25 cm tall with soft, hairy stems emerging from the base of the plant, with clusters of about 12 pink-purple tubular flowers. Deadnettle can also cause staggers if grazed by livestock.

Canola - Volunteer

Brassica napus

The majority of volunteer canola seedlings emerge during the year following a canola crop. With several different herbicide tolerant canola varieties available, consideration should be given to the herbicide tolerance of the volunteers so the correct tools can be utilised for their control. For example, applying glyphosate to Roundup Ready^® canola volunteers will not control them.

Annual ryegrass

Lolium rigidum

Annual ryegrass (Wimmera ryegrass) is arguably the most important grass weed competing with winter cereal crops in Australia. The rapid spread of herbicide-resistant populations in recent years has even threatened the viability of cropping in some areas.