Weeds

Hairy panic weeds are piled up almost head-high against the exit door at the Dubbo Airport.

Huge piles of tumbleweeds are surrounding houses, frustrating farmers and heightening fire risk in rural areas. But academics say very little can be done to wipe them out.

Prickly paddy melon is a major problem for the Australian agricultural industry but researchers say it may have potential to reduce soil erosion and offset the construction industry's large carbon footprint.

It's the weedkiller that transformed agriculture, paving the way for farming that is gentler on the land, but now an Australian court is set to determine if glyphosate can cause cancer.

Australia has been infiltrated by six-legged foreign agents, but instead of spying for the enemy, these beetles are working to defeat invasive weeds and protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Farmer John Gargan says the guinea pigs are vital to helping his biodynamic farming system work.

They "eat like you wouldn't believe" and don't burrow or climb, but after introducing nearly 140 of the critters to his property in Far North Queensland last year he has lost almost two-thirds to predators.

Earlier this year alleged off-target spray drift damage from Overwatch caused bleaching on gardens in nearby townships, and there are concerns it will happen again next harvest.

The border collie is one of a precious few canny canines whose elite sense of smell can pinpoint a single specimen of the smothering, scrambling Chinese violet across a large area with minimal impact on the environment.

A weed that can penetrate the toughest of footwear and car tyres had spread across roads and property for decades around Quanda in NSW. With it now contained to just 28 hectares, the Hudson Pear Taskforce dreams of eradication.

While online sales of potentially damaging plants are booming, biosecurity officers in NSW are working to stop the latest outbreak of plume poppy weed from spreading throughout the country. 

Huge bushfires in central Australia have ignited discussions about the role of buffel grass in increasing fire risks ahead of a recommendation on whether or not the plant should be declared a weed in the Northern Territory.

Goats have been drafted onto a difficult block in Tully, QLD, to destroy the weeds and long grass.

A herd of goats has "annihilated" weeds posing a fire risk in inaccessible terrain in a third of the time they were given to get the job done. Now the landowners have bigger ideas.

Hand-weeding and mechanical cultivation fell out of favour in the 1940s. But high-tech robots rolling out across Australian farms are reviving these tactics from the past.

Biosecurity experts are warning the aggressive, invasive weed acts like a blanket over water, dominating everything and reducing oxygen for aquatic animals.

Dredging is halted at a South Australian marina after the discovery of wakame seaweed, regarded as one of the country's worst marine pests.

A highly invasive cactus species is proliferating across the region, prompting the use of drone technology to identify the severity of the outbreak.

Non-native grasses cover a quarter of Hawaii and have been blamed in part for Maui's deadly fires, alongside a drier climate and weather on the day.

A class action involving 800 Australians who allege their non-Hodgkin lymphoma was caused by Roundup has begun in Melbourne.

With a few beeps and a slight rev of the engine, Alfie, the autonomous sprayer, sets off to work. He may be the best new recruit on this farm.

Authorities urge consumers to do their homework to ensure the seeds and plants they are buying or selling are not on the prohibited list, as ignorance will be no protection against hefty fines.

Reclusive rescue goats found roaming the streets of a regional Victorian city have been put to work eating weeds after nobody claimed the ravenous animals.

Camels aren’t commonly thought of as a livestock option in Australian agriculture but a program to teach farmers how to handle and profit from the beasts is gaining traction.

Every hero has a villain, and for many in the outback it is a thorny shrub called prickly acacia.