Important assumptions
Current weed management
Weeds that are not controlled by current management practices are more likely to reach high numbers and have greater impacts than those that are controlled.
Assumptions about the current routine weed management practices for each land use examined need to be clearly stated and recorded, for example, standard herbicide use, cultivation and/or physical control. In practical terms this may mean what herbicides are used and the number and type of cultivation events that are actually performed by farmers in a land use like the dryland cropping rotation. Practices may vary considerably between (and even within) land uses and there may be no routine weed management undertaken for some land uses, for example in natural environments. Stating and recording these assumptions will help all participants to accurately and consistently answer the questions and reduce any possible conflict.
Each question assesses weed potential under current routine weed management practices. As outlined above, this may or may not affect the weed. This also assumes no future government intervention…
