
Landholders in the local Mackay region attended a Pond Apple information session, following a recent discovery of a small incursion on a property in Habana.
The information session allowed participants to view and identify the Pond Apple specimen before watching a demonstration on how to appropriately poison and eradicate an outbreak.
Reef Catchments project officer Iona Flett said the Pond Apple tree had been discovered during a monitoring walk as part of on-going surveillance funded through the Queensland Government NRM Program, which helps ensure the Mackay area remains free of the weed species.
“The tree was found on a creek line and was fruiting. It is a concern and it is critical we alert landholders to the fact that Pond Apple control may need to be taken, because there have been no new outbreaks in the Mackay region for quite some time,” she said.
“As a region, we have been very successful in an on-ground approach to eradicating Pond Apple, thanks to terrific cooperation from landholders. We want to make sure this continues and would encourage all landholders in the area to come along next Tuesday and see first-hand how to manage any incursions they might find.
“Pond Apple has the potential to significantly impact the natural areas of the Mackay Whitsunday region and can also affect our agricultural industries, including cane and grazing.”
‘Pond Apple’ (Annona Glabra) is regarded as one of the worst weeds in Australia because of its invasiveness, potential for spread and economic and environmental impacts. Infestations were first reported in Mackay in 2009, with outbreaks identified in Andergrove and more widely in the Reliance Creek catchment. Thanks to several years of intensive on-ground eradication activity, the weed is being slowly but surely eradicated from the Mackay and Whitsunday region.
The Pond Apple eradication project is a joint initiative of Reef Catchments, Pioneer Catchment and Landcare Group, Mackay Regional Council and the Mackay Regional Pest Management Group, through funding from the Queensland Government.