(Lepidium draba)
What is whiteweed?
Whiteweed (also known as hoary cress) is a weed of crops.
Whiteweed is a declared weed under the Tasmanian Biosecurity Act 2019 and associated Regulations. The importation, sale and distribution of whiteweed are prohibited in Tasmania.
How to identify whiteweed
Whiteweed is closely related to crop plants such as cabbages and rapeseed. It is an erect, herbaceous (non-woody) plant growing to 90 cm high with white, umbrella shaped flower heads which appear in October and November. Individual flowers are 4mm in diameter with 4 white petals.
For help in identifying whiteweed, search the
Dennis Morris Weeds and Endemic Flora Database for whiteweed illustrations. If you are still in doubt about the weed you are dealing with, contact Biosecurity Tasmania on 03 6165 3777 for help.
Flowering whiteweed, © Saint Mary's College of California.
Whiteweed plant, © Luigi Rignanese.
Whiteweed in Tasmania
- Whiteweed is common in the south-eastern and Midlands areas of Tasmania and occurs occasionally in the north of the State. White weed appears to be spreading in the Midlands and Derwent Valley, especially along roadsides.
- Whiteweed is a significant weed of crops in Tasmania, reducing yields through competition with crop plants for moisture and nutrients. It is very difficult to control once it has become established in cropping paddocks. White weed is also thought to taint the meat and milk of grazing animals.
What is the legal status of whiteweed in your area?
Detailed management and control guidelines for boneseed can be found in the Whiteweed Control Guide. Refer also to
Herbicides for Whiteweed Control. For further information see Weed Links and Resources.
See also
Whiteweed Control Guide
Do
Plan your control program, this will save time and money in the long-run;
Ensure cultivation, harvesting and road-grading machinery used in an infested area is washed down to remove whiteweed seed and root fragments;
Use sheep grazing to keep whiteweed down in pasture - but remember! sheep will not remove the weed from the soil;
Remember that when grazed pasture infested with whiteweed is cultivated for pasture or cropping, whiteweed numbers may increase dramatically from root fragments;
For cereals or forage-grass cultivation in whiteweed infested areas, use the herbicide
chlorsulfuron to control whiteweed; and
For cultivation of other crops in whiteweed infested areas, consider one or more initial cereal crop cycles with
chlorsulfuron treatment before planting non-cereal crops.
Don't
Don't introduce whiteweed to whiteweed free areas (e.g. by failing to wash down machinery and equipment between sites);
Don't start your control program without first planning your approach;
Don't expect sheep grazing to remove whiteweed from an infested area - whiteweed roots will remain in the soil and regenerate when sheep are removed;and
Don't cultivate herbaceous perennial crops (e.g. lucerne, essential oils) in areas heavily infested with whiteweed.
Spread of whiteweed
Whiteweed is a prolific seeder. However whiteweed seeds do not readily germinate under dense whiteweed infestations and seed is not usually important in the regeneration of established infestations. However, seed is an important method of spread of whiteweed into new areas.
Whiteweed has an extensive and persistent root system, reaching depths of over 1.5 meters. Regeneration of plants from root fragments following cultivation is rapid, and fragments are the principal method of spread of whiteweed within and between paddocks.
Avoid the introduction of whiteweed
Preventing the introduction of whiteweed to whiteweed free areas is the best means of control. Good hygiene practices are vital.
Machinery can carry both seeds and root fragments of whiteweed. Thorough cleaning of cultivation, harvesting and road-grading machinery which has been working in infested areas will greatly reduce the risk of spread into other areas
Hay and crop seeds can contain whiteweed seed if they have been sourced from infested paddocks.
Feed out hay in restricted areas on the farm and check for whiteweed seedlings.
Check cropping paddocks at an early stage of crop growth and remove any whiteweed before they become well established.
Cultivation
When infested pastures are cultivated for resowing to pasture or for cropping, whiteweed numbers may increase dramatically. This results from both the fragmentation of the root system during cultivation and the removal of grazing pressure.
Cultivation alone will not provide long-term control of whiteweed. Continuous cultivation will kill whiteweed roots in the topsoil, however new shoots can continue to emerge from roots below the depth of cultivation.
Grazing
Whiteweed is readily grazed by sheep and may not be noticed in heavily grazed sheep pastures. However, grazing only removes the shoots of the plant and whiteweed will persist even under very heavy grazing.
Cattle and horses usually avoid grazing on whiteweed.
If a landholder resows to pasture or commences cropping in infested paddocks without being aware that whiteweed is present (due to heavy grazing by sheep), whiteweed may appear in large numbers from regeneration from root fragments.
Whiteweed may taint the meat of grazing stock, and sheep should not be used for control of the weed immediately before being sent for slaughter.
Chemical control
The choice of selective herbicides for whiteweed control in pasture and crops is relatively limited. See
Herbicides for Whiteweed Control for more information.
No currently available herbicide can eliminate an established whiteweed infestation in one application. Follow up treatment is essential.
Selective chemical control of whiteweed is only available for cereal crops, forage grasses, pastures and some fruit crops. For other crops, whiteweed infestations should be reduced prior to crop sowing.
Integrated Management of Whiteweed
Control in permanent pasture
Heavy grazing by sheep is the best method of controlling whiteweed in permanent pasture. Stock that have grazed mature whiteweed plants can spread seed to clean areas, so grazing should be timed to avoid seed production.
Where sheep grazing is not possible, slashing of the flowering and seeding stems in spring may be used to reduce competition and to open up the infested area for grazing by cattle or horses. However, slashing will have little long-term effect on the whiteweed infestation, even if seed production is totally prevented.
Control in cropping systems
In pasture or fallow, treat whiteweed with herbicide at the bud stage in spring prior to cropping. Where crop sowing is to be undertaken immediately after herbicide application,
glyphosate or
glyphosate/dicamba mixtures can be used. Where suitable crops (cereals or forage grasses) are to be sown in the following autumn, the herbicide
chlorsulfuron can be used. Consult an agronomist. Where herbicides are used adhere to product labels.
Where crops other than cereals or forage grasses are to be sown, no further herbicide treatment is available. Wherever possible, a cereal or grass crop should be sown as the initial crop in such areas. These crops can be treated with
chlorsulfuron as above.
Where the whiteweed infestation is very dense, a cereal cropping program may need to be undertaken for two seasons to gain control of the weed.
After one or more seasons of non-cereal cropping, the whiteweed may again increase to significant levels. In such situations, rotation back to a cereal crop and in-crop treatment with
chlorsulfuron may be necessary to reduce the infestation.
Herbicides for Whiteweed Control
Herbicides for Whiteweed Control
Important Disclaimer
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