Current research

NSW Environmental Trust (2025–26) 

This project is part of the Stage 4 environmental weed biocontrol pipeline project, funded by the NSW Government through its Environmental Trust. Stage 4 represents the latest phase in a multi-year programme to advance biocontrol research and practice for environmental weed management in New South Wales. The current project aims to facilitate the mass-rearing, release, monitoring, and evaluation of the impacts of the leaf-smut fungus (Kordyana brasiliensis) for the biological control of wandering trad (Tradescantia fluminensis) across NSW.

Project Overview 

  • Output 1, monitoring and evaluation: The project will enable the ongoing evaluation of a network of biocontrol agent release sites throughout NSW, in which the performance of the fungus and its effects on wandering trad and native vegetation will be monitored over time.
  • Output 2, community engagement: The project will also deliver infected wandering trad stems and release instructions to key weed stakeholders across NSW, targeting areas where wandering trad poses the greatest threat to biodiversity values. Participants may include, but are not limited to, Aboriginal organisations, biosecurity practitioners (e.g., council weed control officers), volunteer community groups (e.g., Landcare, Bushcare), Rangers (e.g., NPWS), private landholders and other key stakeholders with interests in wandering trad biocontrol.

This project will include the following main activities:

The Stage 4 IP1 project for wandering trad biocontrol is structured around four key activities:

Activity 1: focuses on maintaining a healthy, viable culture of the fungus on at least 50 wandering trad plants under controlled conditions (or using equivalent culturing methods). This ensures a sustained supply of clean, viable fungal material, enabling effective establishment of the biocontrol agent at priority release sites.

Activity 2: dedicated to developing integrated management guidelines for wandering trad. These guidelines will incorporate the use of the fungus and provide practical instructions for effective release and human-assisted redistribution. They will also outline the optimal habitat and environmental conditions for successful establishment and offer advice on how to integrate the biocontrol agent with other wandering trad control methods.

Activity 3: support the ongoing release of the biocontrol agent by preparing and delivering packages of viable fungal spores, along with detailed release instructions, to registered community members. While at least 50 units are anticipated for distribution, the final number will depend on participant interest throughout the project year.

Activity 4: repeated monitoring of both wandering trad populations and associated native vegetation at established monitoring plots from the previous Stage 3 (IP2) project. This ongoing data collection will provide a robust assessment of the long-term impacts of the fungus on both the target weed and the broader ecosystem.

Eligibility to receive the biocontrol agent

The fungus is only available for release in NSW at this stage, as part of this current project supported by the NSW Environmental Trust, up until June 2026. Engagement will be targeted at community and public sector organisations, such as (but not limited to) Landcare, Local Land Services, Bushcare, local governments, other volunteer groups, and Aboriginal organisations. Private landholders are also eligible to participate in the program. The fungus is not commercialisable and cannot be released as part of for-profit ventures, including retail or as part of consultancies.

Please email tradbiocontrol@csiro.au to register your interest to participate in the biocontrol program. The CSIRO will endeavour to respond within one week of receiving the email. As part of the registration, the CSIRO will provide a pre-release assessment document for participants to complete, which requires information about the proposed location of the wandering trad infestation.

The biocontrol agent will be provided to registered participants at regular intervals between September 2025 and June 2026. The specific timing of delivery will be determined by prevailing climate conditions, quantity of available material for release and level of demand from registered participants.

The release kit will be sent via post. Participants should release the agent as soon as possible upon receiving their package. Full instructions will be provided in the package, including guidance on how to care for the stems prior to planting if immediate release is not possible.

Additional documents

Coming soon