Trialling prickly acacia controls at Strathmore Station
An aerial view of a prickly acacia infestation on Strathmore Station, near Collinsville.
Burdekin grazier Paul Fry, Strathmore Station, is actively tackling the significant environmental and economic impacts of prickly acacia through a weed management trial as part of the Landholders Driving Change project.
Prickly acacia, an aggressive woody weed, threatens native vegetation and causes soil degradation by promoting erosion. Its resilience and the longevity of its seeds, which are often dispersed by cattle or heavy rainfall, make it a difficult problem for landholders to control.
At a 12-hectare trial site, Paul is testing different herbicides and methods to control this invasive species. The first spray, carried out in June 2023, showed promising results, but the infestation’s size and the large seed bank mean that a second treatment is necessary. This second spray in January, 2025 targeted regrowth from the seed bed.
PBE Services and Desert Channels Queensland consultants specialising in broad-scale weed control are providing technical support.
The goal of this trial is to establish effective, cost-efficient methods for weed control that improve ground cover and minimise soil erosion. The ultimate aim is to reduce weed presence so landholders can focus more on managing pastures rather than weeds, leading to better pasture production, improved habitat for native species, and greater economic sustainability.
The weed management trial aims to create a set of principles landholders across the catchment can apply on their properties to better manage weed infestations and improve the overall landscape.
A field day will be held later in the year to share the results of the trial and provide insights for other landholders in the region.
Stay tuned to our monthly newsletter, Prime Cuts, and our Facebook page for updates on that upcoming field day event.
Fact box
Although capable of regenerating from cut stumps, prickly acacia only reproduces by seeds. A medium sized tree in a well-watered environment can produce as many as 175,000 seeds per year. (1)
Prickly acacia grows best on cracking clay soils that have high water holding capacity, but can also grow on sandy soil in areas of higher rainfall. It grows around waterways and on seasonally inundated floodplains receiving 350-1500mm of annual rainfall.
Seeds are readily dispersed by stock movements, native animals and flowing water. Characteristic of prickly acacia invasion is the potential for mass establishment events to occur in response to a series of high rainfall years. (2)
(1) Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management, Prickly acacia (Acacia nilotica) Weed Management Guide, 2003, pp 1-2.
(2) Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management, Prickly acacia (Acacia nilotica) Weed Management Guide, 2003, p 1.
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This project is part of the Landholders Driving Change (LDC2) project funded by the Queensland Government through the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program.
