African Lovegrass – Building Regional Strength for National Impact Program
Do you have African lovegrass on your property? This tussock-forming and summer-active grass generates thousands of seeds each year, meaning it can quickly spread to take over large areas, contaminating produce and reducing the productivity of land.
African lovegrass has minimal nutritional value for grazing, can suppress preferred pasture species, and poses a significant fire hazard.
Getting African lovegrass under control and ideally eradicating it will benefit you and the environment in the long term. African lovegrass is also a declared weed under the Landscape South Australia Act 2019 and must be controlled by landholders.
In 2025-26, PIRSA, the Limestone Coast Landscape Board, Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu, and Green Adelaide have partnered to deliver a State and Commonwealth Government funded program to help landholders across these regions control African lovegrass by providing free contractor visits for mapping and control work.
This landscape-scale approach provides hands-on support to manage African lovegrass infestations, reducing the economic burden of controlling the declared weed.
Registration has now closed for general assistance however properties affected by the recent Tooperang fire are still eligible for free assistance.
Register for the program
Does your property:
- Lie in the Tooperang fire (2026) scar, and
- Have African lovegrass regrowing in burnt areas?
If so, Register for the African Lovegrass Control Program
Ideally, you should plan for a multi-year control program and use this project to start your control. Landscapes Hills and Fleurieu has developed a comprehensive 5-step guide and action plan that can help with your planning.
Resources are allocated dependent on contractor availability to ensure as many landholders as possible have assistance in the spraying season. Registration does not guarantee involvement in the program.
Field days
Field days in Tintinara and Mt Compass provided opportunities for farmers, land managers and interested stakeholders to witness and discuss a range of African lovegrass management approaches, including:
- The results of the latest herbicide trials aiming to give everyone new ways of combatting African lovegrass
- Expert advice about what works
- A demonstration of a drone in operation
Please see the contact details below if you would like any information regarding the field days.
Research
This program has coordinated 2 African lovegrass research projects, in collaboration with researchers from the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development:
- New herbicide combinations: to give land managers more options for controlling African lovegrass. Concluded March 2026. The results will combine with data from completed NSW trials to contribute towards new permits for the herbicides that showed strong effects.
- Herbicide resistance testing: African lovegrass plant samples from around SA and NSW are undergoing testing throughout 2026, with results expected by the end of the year.
More information
Contact Simon Roos-Freeman, Weed Control Coordinator (PIRSA):
- phone: 08 7133 8950
- mobile: 0408 367 556
- email: simon.roos-freeman@sa.gov.au
The African Lovegrass Control Program is funded by the regional landscape levy, the Commonwealth Government and the Government of South Australia through the African Lovegrass – Building Regional Strength for National Impact Program.