Australian Weeds Vol. 2(3) Autumn 1983 107 a serious weed eventually, plant ad­ ministrators could make decisions on control measures. containment pol­ REVIEWS (continued) icies . subsidy schemes and research priorities with a clear picture of the area infested. In 1970. information on the area and distribution of E. curvula in New South Wales was limited, the only accurate assessments being for a small area near Tenterfield (Auld and Scarsbrick. 1970) and for points of introduction and chance spread throughout the State (Leigh and Davidson, 1968). Area, distribution and weed potential of Eragrostis Thus in 1981 a statewide survey was curvula (Schrad.) Nees in New South Wales initiated to assess more thoroughly the area and distribution of E. curvala. M. H. Campbell Department of Agriculture. Orange. New South Wales 2800 Methods A mail questionnaire survey was carried out in 1981-82 seeking infor­ mation from weed control bodies in Summary chromosome number and inflorescence 123 shires in New South Wales. Re­ characteristics. Clear definition of all peated requests were made until an­ A questionnaire suney of the area and genotypes will not be possible until the swers were obtained from all shires. distribution of African loyegrass (Erag­ taxonomy of the genus has been The 'shires ' included the A.C.T. and rostis carvala (Schrad.) Nees) in 123 revised (Leigh and Davidson, 1968). II 'city' shires, for example City of shires in New South Wales reyealed that Greater Lithgow. Weed officers an­ the plant occupied 45 000 ha of land Eragrostis curvula has been reported swered II questions and provided a and occurred in 56 shires and on 644 to be one of the highest producing map of the shire showing infestations. properties. Fhe shires had more th.n grasses in the summer rainfall tem­ Information for some shires was ob­ 1000 ha, and 54 properties were heavily perate and cool subtropical regions of tained from agronomists, weeds field infested. The plant was present on road­ southern Africa and of North and officers and soil conservation officers. sides, railway land and river banks in 53, South America (Leigh and Davidson, 21 and 15 shires respectiYely; from these 1968). It has also persisted over a wide The survey method was chosen situations it spread to adjacent rural range of conditions in Australia and because it has proved to be successful land used for agricultural production. shown promise as a pasture grass for other weeds in New South Wales Eragroslis carvala (consisting of a (Leigh and Davidson, 1968; Leigh and (Campbell, 1977) and was faster, number of naturalized strains) was con­ Mulham, 1964; Squires and Myers, cheaper and more practical than some sidered to be an unpalatable weed on the 1970). other methods, for example those of south coast and northern, central and Because of its drought tolerance, Smith (1975) and Cuthbertson (19'78). southern tablelands. It has the potential warm season performance and adapta­ In the survey, the only types of for further spread within favourable e.­ bility to a range of soil erosion situ­ E. curvula that could be identified with vironments and there is a strong ations, E. curvula has shown potential any degree of certainty were the cur­ argument for its control in these areas in for soil conservation. Johnston and vula-type and the short chloromelas­ New South Wales. Aveyard (1977) screened 70 acces­ type. However, no distinction was sions, selecting 16 on their ability to made between them in the survey in protect the soil during summer when case other types were also presen t. In cool season species are dormant. 1981 , identification problems were IntroductIon Factors which indicate that E. cur­ overcome by lecturing to weed officers Leigh and Davidson (1968) described vula may be a potential weed include: and showing live plant specimens, and African lovegrass (Eragrostis curvula low palatability, low crude protein by sending them a description and a (Schrad.) Nees) as a perplexing pasture content (Voigt et al., 1970), suscepti­ seedhead encased in plastic. Many species because it is regarded as a valu­ bility to frost damage and ability to weed officers also had identification able plant for animal production and invade and dominate native and intro­ assistance from agronomists and soil conservation on the one hand and duced pastures. For example, in New botanists. as an unpalatable weed on the other. South Wales, E. curvula has invaded The area of land infested with At present there are seven agro­ and dominated Phalaris aquatica pas­ E. curvula was assessed from records nomic types of E. curvula in New tures south of Braidwood, Lolium kept by inspectors, from their know, South Wales: robusta (blue, green, in­ perenne pastures nea r Bega and native ledge of their shires, from special sur­ termediate); chloromelas (tall, short); grass pastures near Cooma (Campbell, veys, or from indications of infesta­ conferta; and curvula (Leigh and unpublished data). Many landholders tions on shire maps. The degree of in­ Davidson, 1968; Johnston and in the northern and southern table­ festation was classified according to Aveyard, 1977). The types are iden­ lands and' south coast consider it to be density: class I - dense infestation; tified only with difficulty; the dif­ a weed. Thus we need to know the class 2 - scattered patches with ferences are based on leaf colour and present area and distribution of the isolated plants interspersed; and class 3 size, stalkiness, habit, plant height, plan t so that, should it be c1assifiied as - scattered plants only. 108 Auslra han Weeds Vol. 2(3) AUlumn 1983 Results and discussion compared with that occupied by other had class 2 infestations, and only seven pasture weeds. for example, Nassel/a of these had 100 ha or more. Of the 56 trichotoma L. - 680 000 ha or Hyperi­ shires infested only 19 had a total in­ Area and distribution cum perJoratum L. var. angustiJolium festation of 100 ha or more. Although this survey shows that DC. - 188000 ha (Campbell, 1977). The earliest record of E. curvula in E. ClIrvlIla is widely distributed in New Of the 56 shires with Eragrostis cur­ New South Wales was from the N.S.W. South Wales. mainly on the coast and vula, only 15 had class I infestations National Herbarium where plants tablelands (Table I. Figure I). the total and only five of these had 100 ha or coll ected at Cowra and Richmond were area occupied (45000 hal is small more (Table I). Similarly, 19 shires identified in 1900 (Leigh and David- Table 1 Area of land and number of properties infested with Eragrostis curvula in the shires of New South Wales Shire Area infested (ha) Number of properties infested class I class 2 class 3 Total class I class 2 class 3 Total A.C.T. to 50 500 560 3 t5 18 Ballina 270 270 1 t Baulkham Hills 20 20 Bega Valley t 500 1000 5800 8300 14 10 20 44 Berrigan 1 2 Bombala 10 12 2 5 8 Byron 270 270 Cabonne t 1 City of Blue Mountains 10 50 t50 210 City of Dubbo 1 1 City of Greater Lithgow to 30 90 130 4 4 City of Lismore 200 200 City of Shoalhaven 10 10 City of Wagga Wagga 1 1 Conargo 1 1 Cooma-Monaro 200 5500 12 000 17700 20 30 80 130 Coonabarabran 1 Cootamundra 1 Cowra 1 Crookwe11 1 Culcaim 1 1 Dumelesq to 20 30 10 10 EUlobodalla 1 1 Evans 200 900 1 100 20 46 66 Gundagai 1 1 Guyra 2 2 Harden 1 1 ·Hawkesbury 40 60 tOO 10 10 Holbrook 1 1 Hume 20 20 2 2 Inverell 10 10 Kcmpscy 1 1 Kyogle 270 270 Lachlan 1 t Manilla 21 21 Mulwaree 20 20 200 240 4 4 Murrurundi 25 25 Narrabri 1 t Narrandera 1 t Nundle 25 25 Oberon 1 1 Parkes 5 20 20 45 Parry 20 20 Port Stephens 2 2 Quirindi 20 20 Richmond River 270 270 1 Severn 50 100 300 450 3 6 20 29 Snowy River 50 50 80 180 4 4 6 14 Tallaganda 100 200 1000 1300 7 4 30 41 Tenterfield 400 6000 6000 12400 2 50 160 212 Tweed 240 240 1 Uralla 5 5 Walcha 3 3 5 5 Wingecarribee 4 3 60 67 2 2 Wollondilly 40 25 8 73 3 4 to 17 Yarrowlumla tOO 200 80 380 20 20 TOTAL 2500 13500 29000 45000 54 13 3 457 644 Australian Weeds Vol. 2(3) Autumn 1983 109 Figure 1 Distribution of Eragrostis curvula in New Sou th Wal es on a shi re classificat ion basis L o "-!.-~,~.--f--=t,~, . <-,." Shirel with > 1000 h. 01 E. cUOful. 17 Snowy River 35 Gundagai 1 Begi;! Valley 18 Tweed 36 Guyrs t9 Yarrowl um la 2 Cooma- Monaro 31 Harden 3 Evans 38 Holbrook. •4 Ta ll aganda 39 Hume 5 Ten ter1 ield 40 Inverell [I] Shlrel with < 100 ha 01 E. cur~ula 41 Kempsey 20 Bau!kham Hill s 42 Lachlan 21 Berrigan 43 Manilla 22 Bomba!a 44 Murrurundi Shirel with 100 to 1000 h. 01 E. curtul. S 23 Cabonne 45 Narrsbri 6 A.C.T. 24 City 01 Dubbo 46 Narra ndera 1 Ballina 25 City 01 Shoa!haveo 47 Nundla B Byron 26 City 01 Wagga Wa gga 48 Oberon 9 City of Blue Mounlains 21 Conargo 49 Parkes 10 City 01 Grealer Lithgow 28 Coonabarabran 50 Parry 11 City 01 Lismore 29 Cootamundra 51 Pan Stephens t2 Hawkesbury 30 Cowra 52 Ouirindi 13 Kyog le 31 Crookwell 53 Ura lla 14 Mulwaree 32 Culcalm 54 Walcha 15 Ric hmond River 33 Oumeresq 55 Wingecafribea 16 Severn 34 Euroboda ll s 56 Woliondilly son, 1968).