Update on branched broomrape in South Australia - move to offical control

Publication Date

Thu, 25 Feb 2010, 00:00

Last Updated

June 30, 2015, 6:04 a.m.

Report Number

AUS-31/4

Country

Australia

Pest Id

Orobanche ramosa - (ORARA)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

Broad acre dicot crops including safflower, sunflower, canola, vetch; vegetables including brassicas, tomato, carrot; pastures including white clover, medic; Australian native daisies, some herbaceous ornamentals and weeds

Pest Status (old values from ISPM 8 -1998 )

• Present: subject to official control

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and under official control

Geographical Distribution

Branched broomrape is present in an area of approximately 70 square kilometers in the Murray Bridge to Tailem Bend and Nildottie area of South Australia.

Summary

Branched broomrape is a parasitic weed of a wide range of broadleaf crops internationally. Broomrapes are root parasites that extract all of their nutritional requirements from their host plants, which if not managed can reduce yields. There have been no yield problems observed in Australia where in-crop herbicide application is utilised. It has a long-lived seed bank, which can survive for at least 12 years

Danger

A small outbreak of branched broomrape has been under eradication in South Australia since 1992. A recent review determined that eradication was no longer technically feasible. An official program has been established to contain the infestation under official control provisions of the IPPC for two years to allow industries and individuals to develop and implement farm biosecurity plans. The South Australian Government will continue to maintain restrictions on high risk pathways from known infested properties through noxious weed declaration under the Natural Resources Management Act 2004. Products that pose a lower risk of spreading the pest will be able to move freely. Research has shown that branched broomrape can be readily managed through on-farm biosecurity practices.

Contact for info

Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer Australian Government Department of Agriculture, GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia [email protected]

Report files

Website

http://branchedbroomrape.net.au/

Issue keywords

Pest reporting

Commodity keywords