| Study of the Biology of Fumitory
(Fumaria spp)
Research Supervisors:
Professor Jim Pratley and Dr Deirdre Lemerle
Research Staff:
Ms Gertraud Norton
Funding:
$93,000 (GRDC)
Duration:
1997-1999
Project Summary:
Fumitory is a weed which can be devastating in crops. It has been controlled partially by trifluralin
but there are increasing suspicions regarding the development of resistance to herbicides but it is
not conducive to testing because of very strong dormancy mechanisms.
A survey of weeds in crops by Lemerle (1993) shows it present in 36% of sites and that it had
increased over a previous survey in the 1960s where it was
only present in 4% of sites. It is therefore a weed
of increasing importance and significance.
The project aims to:
• identify the environmental factors that relate to
the distribution of fumitory (soil factors,
rainfall factors);
• evaluate farming practices which relate to
its development or inhibition;
• identify factors which trigger germination
and dormancy of seed, seed production, biotype variation. | 
