Trevor James and Katherine Tozer are scientists working on the MBIE funded AgResearch project “Managing Herbicide Resistance”, and join Georgia to discuss their two areas of research into non-herbicide weed control.
Interview Part 1: Trevor James
Trevor James is a senior scientist at AgResearch responsible for the “Managing Herbicide Resistance” project.
Aside from his role as manager of the many scientists working on the project he is researching the potential for cover crops to control weeds in maize.
Interview Part 2: Katherine Tozer
Katherine Tozer, another senior scientist at AgResearch is working on tools and practices to improve non-chemical weed management. A key area of her research is pasture fallow, a practice where certain paddocks or parts of the farm are set aside to reduce weed establishment from overgrazing.
The Live Panel Discussion with the Managing Herbicide Resistance guests was held on Tuesday 28th July after our presenters featured on the LandWISE Podcast. Guests included:
Associate Professor Kerry Harrington (Massey University)
Chris Buddenhagen (AgResearch)
Martin Espig (AgResearch)
Robyn Dynes (AgResearch)
John Evans & Kai Tegels (Arable Farmers)
The recording starts with the panel members introducing themselves, along with a quick synopsis of their topic content.
If you’re interested to hear the episodes from Kerry Harrington & Hossein Ghanizadeh, Chris Buddenhagen, Martin Espig & Robyn Dynes, and John Evans & Kai Tegels, you can listen to their individual podcast episodes here:
Our latest podcast episode is here. This July we’re focussing on Managing Herbicide Resistance – we’ll keep you posted with new episodes, and the panel discussion with our July guests coming soon.
Associate Professor Kerry Harrington and Dr. Hossein Ghanizadeh join us to talk about their work developing a quick test to identify herbicide resistance in weeds.
Associate Professor Kerry Harrington (left) has been lecturing and conducting research in Weed Science at Massey University since 1983, and research officer Dr Hossein Ghanizadeh (right) has been working on herbicide resistance at Massey since 2011.
Herbicide resistance occurs following the build-up of individual weeds that have an inherited ability to survive the application of herbicides that would kill normal plants of that species, such as fathen plants that have developed resistance to atrazine then later also dicamba in Waikato maize crops.
This differs from herbicide tolerance, where all individuals of a species have always survived a herbicide, such as white clover poorly controlled by glyphosate. Some herbicide resistance is target-site resistance, where the site in the plant where a herbicide normally acts has changed so that it is no longer affected by the herbicide.
Other types of resistance are non-target site, so-called because there hasn’t been a change at the site of action, but instead some other mechanism stops the herbicide getting to that site of action. This might be caused by reduced penetration into the weed, or perhaps reduced movement of the herbicide once inside the plant, as can occur with glyphosate resistance in ryegrass.
Resistant ryegrass in Marlborough vineyard
A quick test would enable faster identification of herbicide resistance allowing for faster response to a growing issue. However, Kerry stresses preventing resistance is the first defence, and has developed a series of guidelines for farmers and growers around rotating herbicides and varying herbicide groups for different growing scenarios.
Calling all followers and friends of LandWISE, we invite you to become a financial member this year.
Your support is vital for LandWISE to continue doing what we do. We rely on farmer support to ensure the backing of new projects, discover new areas for research or technology adoption, and to fund field days, workshops and the development of practical resources.
LandWISE Membership is a great way to support the mission of sustainable production in New Zealand, and as a member you’ll benefit from:
Results from on-farm trials
Projects focussed on real farmer and grower problems
Regional field days and workshops on a range of topics from conserving soil to nutrient management and novel fertiliser technology
A discounted registration at the 2021 LandWISE Conference
Subscription to our annual LandWISE News publication
Membership is open to all who are interested in primary production and share our values. We hope you’ll consider becoming a member, or forward this on to a non-member if you already are!
Unable to gather for our popular annual conference in May, but not wanting to you to miss hearing new ideas about sustainable production, we joined the virtual conference crowd.
We are pleased to present “LandWISE: Promoting Sustainable Crop Production” a podcast that will bring the insights of lead researchers, technologists, and farmers to listeners from all over the Ag and Hort industry. Each month has a theme with guests joining on the last Friday of the month as a discussion panel.
This month we’re presenting “Reducing Nitrogen Losses from Intensive Vegetable Cropping” starting with our first guest Jay Clarke, Director of Woodhaven Gardens.
Woodhaven was named the Regional Supreme Winner at the Horizons Ballance Farm Environment Awards in April 2020. We are looking forward to hearing how Jay and the Clarke family have transformed Woodhaven’s growing practices to achieve this outstanding recognition.
JUNE: Reducing Nitrogen Losses from Intensive Vegetable Cropping
On the last Friday of the month – look out for our live Panel Discussion where we bring together all of the guests from the show and ask them your questions.
The 4th version of the 2019 Future Farming Centre Bulletin is now available, and can be found here. The latest report by Charles Merfield focuses on sustainable vineyard floor management, which is described as the key space where sustainability issues in perennial cropping are all intertwined.
The booklet addresses the opportunities for a sustainable vineyard floor to:
Replacing herbicide strips / bare undervine soil for weed management / crop competition with a living mulch of growing plants;
Replace synthetic nitrogen fertilisers through legumes;
Improve soil health and minimise erosion
Sequester atmospheric carbon;
Increase biodiversity and;
Conservation biocontrol of vineyard pests & diseases.
“…many of the sustainability issues facing viticulture, and, indeed all perennial crops, e.g., pipfruit, stone fruit, nuts, vines, bush / cane fruit, come together in a nexus around management of the vineyard / orchard floor as all the issues are all interlinked / intertwined and meet on the vineyard floor. ” (Merfield, 2019).
The Future Farming Centre Bulletin is a free extension newsletter sent out quarterly, see past issues or find out more here and subscribe here.
Referenced
Merfield, C. N. (2019). Vineyard floor management: A sustainability nexus with a focus on undervine weeding. Report number 04-2019. The BHU Future Farming Centre, Lincoln, New Zealand. 51.
We’re not quite sure what to call the job: science manager, extensionist, project manager, consultant? We know it offers diverse activities and needs excellent communication skills and practical knowledge of horticulture and technology.
We are looking for someone to help identify and lead research projects and extension activities across a variety of issues and regions. For the right person, this is a role with considerable potential to grow.
This will be a Page Bloomer Associates appointment. They provide our science, management and support services while having addditional private consultancy activities. Working closely together, we know they share our passion for sustainable land and water management.
Since the dawn of the new millennium we’ve been providing progressive, pragmatic and independent services through projects and consultancy. A key feature of our work is close collaboration with end users, researchers and developers. We talk about “linking thinking from the farm out”.
The role includes engaging with growers, industry and researchers to identify opportunities to review practices and integrate new technologies to create sustainable cropping systems. The appointee will develop and manage projects and support services that support economically and environmentally sustainable primary production.
If you know someone with passion for smarter farming who wants a key role in a small dedicated organisation, Page Bloomer Associates would like to chat with them!
Do we really know why we farm as we do? Or are we constrained in ways we just don’t see?
Often our current practices have evolved over a very long time – thousands of years of human history, decades of technology developments. Remember the space shuttle and the horse’s rear? We’ve long forgotten some of the reasons behind what we do, so maybe it is time for a reset!
On the 24th May, a small group of leading researchers, farmers, and tech developers will come together at the LandWISE MicroFarm to discuss New Strategies to Manage Weeds. The discussion will centre around the challenges with existing weed management. These challenges include herbicide resistance becoming increasingly more common, international markets demand increasingly lower chemical residues, and consumer and community expectations of low environmental impact.
In a new MBIE and FAR funded AgResearch project “Managing Herbicide Resistance” alternative weed control technologies will be trialled and monitored – with the aim of managing ryegrass in arable crops. Some of these technologies being researched and demonstrated in the Technical Session are:
Hot Foam Weeding
Weedingtech’s FoamStream Machine – Using Hot Foam to Kill Weeds
Abrasion Weeding
Frank Forcella’s Abrasion Weeder – Using Walnut Shells to Blast Weeds
Electric Weeding
The Weed Workshop will be a collaborative session where farmers can express the operational challenges they face day-to-day, and scientists can understand the areas of research needed to tackle them. Technology developers in the weed management sector will provide valuable knowledge and insight in bridging the gaps.
If you’re interested in applying to attend the Weed Workshop on Friday the 24th May please contact us here – there are limited spaces available.
With the ever mounting issues surrounding herbicides, including: resistant weeds, ‘resistant’ consumers, global environmental concerns, and increased regulation, non-chemical/herbicide weed management is ever more important.
The BHU Future Farming Centre is putting on an updated version of its popular participatory workshop on non-chemical weed management, to give attendees the knowledge and tools they need to make significant enhancements to the long-term sustainability of their on-farm weed management practices. Topics covered include: the context of weed management; essential weed biology and ecology; integrated weed management; plus detailed coverage of field operations and machinery.
The course will run all day on Thursday 30 May, at the BHU, at Lincoln University, Canterbury, and costs NZ$278.26+GST including smokos and lunch.
Katherine Tozer, another senior scientist at AgResearch is working on tools and practices to improve non-chemical weed management. A key area of her research is pasture fallow, a practice where certain paddocks or parts of the farm are set aside to reduce weed establishment from overgrazing.
rounding herbicides, including: resistant weeds, ‘resistant’ consumers, global environmental concerns, and increased regulation, non-chemical/herbicide weed management is ever more important.