Much has been said in regards to Glyphosate about the potential risks to those working in close contact with the herbicide and its environmental impact.
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Glyphosate is used in approximately 500 herbicide products to control noxious weeds that impede and impact good land management.
BioHerbicides Australia (BHA) provides biological control methods for weeds but has also developed exciting innovations that allow traditional herbicides to be utilised in a much safer manner, for both the environment and the people reliant on them.
Managing Director of BHA Peter Riikonen said the basis of the company philosophy is to develop new methods to control tree weeds that are economical, environmentally safe and safe for operators.
"We have been progressing the APVMA registration of our bioherbicide products, but we recognised that there was also a need to find alternative applications of our technology that could be delivered by insertion of a pharmaceutical-grade capsule into a tree," Mr Riikonen said.
"We started to evaluate whether a capsule enclosing dry herbicide could control woody and noxious weeds, so we started experimenting with capsules containing Glyphosate and other herbicides, inserting them directly into the trunk of the tree - and the results were excellent."
When BHA first started working in bioherbicides, capsules were applied using a hand drill and sealing with a cork gun, but the company soon realised that to be attractive to operators, the application and sealing of capsules would have to be at least semi- automated.
Now, they have developed an applicator with a circular magazine that holds 30 capsules and plugs and is driven by a battery-operated hand drill.
Mr Riikonen said it's a game-changer in application.
"A hole is drilled into the trunk of the woody weed tree, the drill bit retracts, the capsule and plug are then inserted into hole sealing the capsule within the trunk," he said.
"Once that capsule is inserted, it's the last time the chemical has any level of exposure whatsoever to the environment, delivering a precise small dose only to the target tree.
"This method dramatically reduces the need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and requires minimal training, making it significantly safe for the environment and the operator, eliminating all contact with the herbicide."
It's an alternative that has now been trialed at more than 500 sites all around Australia over the past 18 months - from local councils, to forestry managers, to state and federal government departments, to natural resource management groups and bushland volunteers to cattle producers.
