HAIRY HAWKBIT

Hairy Hawkbit, Leontodon taraxacoides, also known as Lesser Hawkbit, is a native to Europe. Naturalised throughout Australia except the Northern Territory. Perennial herb to 40 cm tall with a basal rosette of hairy leaves of narrow oblanceolate shape (lance-shaped with point attached to stem) and often, but not always, lobed.

It is a serious weed of cultivation causing substantial losses in cereal crop yield, especially when severe infestations compete with crops. It crowds out crops and is a strong competitor for moisture and nutrients, especially nitrogen (particularly before the crop is sown and in the early stages of crop growth). In Australia and Argentina it is a major problem of wheat fields and can reduce yields by 80% (CABI 2021). Affected crops include Cluster Clover, Cocksfoot, Japanese Millet, Lucerne, Ryegrass, Strand Medic, wheat, and White Clover. The tough wiry stems that often form tangled masses interfere with harvesting equipment by tangling within machinery, choking headers and making harvesting difficult. They can cause significant wear and tear to harvest machinery as well as causing delays through mechanical breakdowns and jamming machinery. Before effective control measures were developed, Skeleton Weed had prevented the harvesting of heavily infested wheat crops leading to cereal cropping being abandoned in many areas. It can also compete and interfere with fodder plants in sown pastures, as well as unimproved pastures weakened by drought or overgrazing (McVean 1966; Lander 1987; Felfoldi 1993; Panetta & Dodd 1995; Holm et al. 1997; Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001; Sainty & Associates 2003; Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food 2007a). As well as the financial losses resulting from reduced crop yields, there are also costs associated with control and management programs which aim to save farmers from potential greater losses. Skeleton Weed has its greatest economic impact in the cereal phase of the crop-pasture rotation (Panetta & Dodd 1995). It is drought tolerant and can provide useful grazing as the rosette leaves have value as sheep fodder and produce excellent fat lambs. However, once the stem grows and rosette leaves, die it loses much of this value and infested areas yield little fodder in the autumn or winter months (Felfoldi 1993; Panetta & Dodd 1995; Parsons & Cuthbertson 2001; Sainty & Associates 2003). The fibrous flowering stem has been known to cause choking and loss of condition when eaten by dairy cattle (Currie 1936, in Panetta & Dodd 1995).

It is found throughout most of south-eastern Australia (from south-eastern Queensland, through much of New South Wales (especially in the east), the Australian Capital Territory and Victoria (especially in the north; mainly across drier inland areas) into south-eastern South Australia), as well as occurring in south-western Western Australia (Geraldton area to Esperance). It is a serious weed of wheat-cropping areas on the Australian mainland, including almost the entire cereal-growing areas of New South Wales and Victoria (McVean 1966; Burbidge & Gray 1979; Cooke 1986; Lander 1987; Murray 1992; Panetta & Dodd 1995; Jeanes 1999; Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food 2005a; Western Australian Herbarium 2007; Tasmanian Department of Primary Industries and Water 2008).

Spray FireHawk Bioherbicide Concentrate: 50 mL/L of water. Respray when regrowth occurs from roots and/or runners. May require repeated application to obtain long-term weed control.