Harnessing the Power of Microbes

This week we hear from Dr Johanna Steyaert, Trichoderma research scientist and molecular biologist and Max Purnell, Trichoderma practitioner and dairy farmer. Johanna and Max will talk about their work with Trichoderma a type of fungi that lives in symbiosis with plant roots, where they can increase nitrogen use efficiency and solubilise phosphate as well as protect against root diseases. 

Listen here>

 

“Spray-free” is an oft cited aspiration as the shift towards regenerative practices continues. An important part of such a strategy is the use of bioinoculants such as Trichoderma in place of traditional chemicals. However, it is not quite as simple as that. Beneficial microbes form part of a large interconnected web, a biological and chemical ‘superhighway’. Understanding those relationships is the foundation for understanding how to better optimise growth promotion and biocontrol.

Dr Johanna Steyaert is a senior scientist at Lincoln Agritech Ltd with 20 years’ experience working with Trichoderma bioinoculants used for disease control and growth promotion. Her research spans understanding the genetics of Trichoderma fungi to optimising production of biocontrol agents in collaboration with commercial partners. After completing her PhD, Johanna won a prestigious Marsden Fund grant from the New Zealand Royal Society. She led a highly original project studying the effect of the Earth’s electromagnetic field on fungal reproduction. Johanna has a strong interest in regenerative practices and the role Trichoderma play.

Max Purnell, was a member of the AGMARDT board for 10 years where his interest in soils and background in farming lead him to become interested in the work of Dr. Robert Hill who pioneered Trichoderma research in New Zealand. Max runs an 80 ha dairy farm in Thames, and takes a soils-first approach to farming. He has experimented with several strains of Trichoderma on the farm, and has supported research to collect Trichoderma fungi and observe their benefits to the farm system.

Thanks to our LandWISE Conference sponsors who continued their support by helping with the podcasts series after our May 2020 conference was Covid Cancelled.

Future Proofing Vegetable Production: Milestone 9

We continue to have solid engagement with our farming communities in Levin and Gisborne.  At this stage our project plan had us monitoring the effectiveness of a bioreactor to manage nitrogen leaving the field, but we have not been able to find a regular flow of nutrient rich water that we can treat. Further drain flow monitor through Levin has continued to show little nitrogen in the drains flowing past the cropping blocks so any nitrate losses are assumed to be via groundwater, possibly reappearing in the Arawahata Stream between the cropped areas and Lake Horowhenua.

We are working with growers to ensure that they are applying the correct rate of fertiliser in the right place so that they do not lose excess nutrients from the field.

As part of the suite of tools to help farmers, we have created LandWISE Nutrient Budget templates and updated the FertSpread web-calculator for broadcast spreader calibrations to include Fertplace for placement equipment such as planters and side-dressers.

The Nitrate Quick Test is a rapid measurement of available nitrate in the plants’ rootzone

The three main tools we are using in our work with growers are:

  • The LandWISE Nutrient Budget: used in the crop planning stage to ensure planned fertiliser practice follows industry good practice.
  • The Nitrate Quick Test soil test: used as an active management tool during the crop to check the fertiliser plan and to validate additional fertiliser applications where the grower expects that extra fertiliser is required on top of what was originally planned.
  • The calibration tools, FertSpread and FertPlace: used to ensure that the fertiliser application equipment is evenly applying the fertiliser at the target rate where it is required.

In the coming season we have started two large, replicated trials in Gisborne focusing on nitrogen application rates to tomato and sweetcorn crops. Late winter soil testing to 90cm has shown a large range of soil nitrate levels (60-257 kg N/ha) in paddocks across Gisborne. Planned nitrogen fertiliser applications across these blocks were the grower standard rate.

Further work we are completing is turning the LandWISE Nitrogen Budget template into an online app for growers to use. The aim is a mobile-friendly tool that growers can use in the field. By making the information available on the technology growers always have with them, they will be able to simply validate their planned fertiliser plan against industry good practice and make more informed fertiliser decisions.

For queries, contact us here

Many thanks to our project funders, and the growers and industry folk who are putting so much time and effort into being the best they can be.

 

Strip-Till and Cover Crops Panel Discussion

The “Strip-Till and Cover Crops Panel” Panel Discussion was recorded in September following a series of earlier podcasts. Panellists included:

  • Hugh Ritchie (HB Farmer, Strip-tiller, LandWISE Honorary Member)
  • John Evans (Canterbury Farmer, Strip-tiller, LandWISE Chair)
  • Allister Holmes, (Technology R&D Manager, FAR)
  • Charles (Merf) Merfield (BHU, Independent Cover Crops and Tillage Researcher)

If you’re interested to hear the panel members’ individual podcasts, plus one from Simon Lochhead, Strip-till farmer in Canterbury, follow these links:

Down load the LandWISE Strip-Till guide here>

All Podcast Episodes here >

Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news from LandWISE including future panel webcasts, and podcast episodes.

Podcast – 20 Years of Strip-Till

Listen to the Podcast Episode >

Hugh Ritchie is a founding farmer and life member of LandWISE. Hugh farms on Drumpeel Station a 2000ha mixed arable, process vegetable and lamb fattening operation.

Hugh joins us to talk about his experiences with Strip-Tillage. A type of minimum tillage system which he brought over from the U.S in 2000, as part of LandWISE’s first project addressing wind erosion of soil in Central Hawke’s Bay.

Podcast – Cover Cropping: The Ts & Cs

Listen to the Podcast Episode >

Allister Holmes is the Technology Research & Extension Manager for FAR and has many years’ experience trialling new farming practices and cultivars and sharing that knowledge with arable farmers all over the country.

Allister joins the podcast to discuss cover cropping, and follows on from the general principles we heard from Charles Merfield earlier in the series.

Allister emphasizes that mixed species cover crops can reduce the risk of poor establishment and growth if environmental conditions are unpredictable. He also discusses the types of machinery making it easier and more cost effective to sow cover crops – either during the cash crop’s growth or immediately after harvest.

Find resources about cover cropping on FAR’s website.

Podcast – Strip Tillage for Vegetable Seed Crops

Listen to the Podcast Episode here >

Simon Lochhead joins the podcast to discuss adopting strip tillage in his wide-row vegetable seed cropping. An arable farmer from mid-Canterbury, Simon has been introducing strip tillage to his farm system over the last 3 years. He could recognise the opportunity to preserve the benefits of soil structure gained through a pasture phase and reduce wind erosion of soil, by transitioning to strip-tillage for his wide row vegetable seed crops. Listen to the full discussion above.

 

Farewell to our Coordinator

As some of you may know, this week is Georgia’s final week with LandWISE as Project Coordinator. Since November of 2018, Georgia has been LandWISE’s project and extension coordinator – organising everything from field days, workshops and our conference, as well as writing and presenting technical resources on soils and nutrient management. Georgia recently took on the role of podcast host since our annual conference was disrupted by Covid-19, and has recorded some great interviews with a variety of lead researchers, technologists and farmers. Aside from resources and events, Georgia has also collected data from our on-farm trials – spending time in Gisborne and Levin doing Nitrate Quick Tests, and yield sampling.

Georgia is leaving us to work for LandVision in Whanganui, a land management consulting firm, and will enjoy working with farmers to enhance their land management and farm systems.

From Georgia:

“I am extremely grateful for my time at LandWISE, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and engage with all of our farmer members, and wider community. It’s been a great introduction to the Horticultural and Arable industry, and has given me a huge deal of respect for its growers and farmers. I have learnt so much and gained some fantastic experiences – from talking visual soil assessments with growers, to harvesting potato trials, and driving tractors around orchards the work has been varied and challenging (in a good way) from day one. I will miss the wonderful team here at LandWISE, and plan to stay in touch.”

Managing Herbicide Resistance – Panel Discussion

LandWISE: Promoting Sustainable Crop Production
LandWISE: Promoting Sustainable Crop Production
Managing Herbicide Resistance - Panel Discussion
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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:

All Podcast Episodes here >

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LandWISE AGM – Tuesday 21st July

Our 2020 Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 21st of July at the Green Shed in Hastings. After missing the annual conference catch-up, we were grateful to reconnect with existing members and meet some new ones!

We thank Ollie Knowles for his input as a Board member over the last three years. Ollie played a significant role in the review of our strategy and was a solid contributor with great knowledge of science extension. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Ollie.

We welcome Simon White to the Board following his appointment at the AGM. Simon runs the family’s Ludlow Farm at Otane in Hawke’s Bay. He is an experienced strip-tiller and no-tiller producing a range of arable, specialist seed and vegetable crops along with finishing beef and lamb. Simon is also co-founder and director of Kanapu Hemp Foods, growing, harvesting, processing and marketing a range of products.

AGM attendees heard LandWISE project updates from the past twelve months, and contributed to some great discussion around nutrient management and cover cropping.

Merf explaining cover crops and catch crops at the LandWISE AGM
Merf explaining cover crops and catch crops at the LandWISE AGM

This year we were joined by guest speaker, and longtime LandWISE member, Charles “Merf” Merfield. Merf presented on cover crops, their benefits and challenges for a variety of horticultural and arable systems. In case you missed it, you can view his presentation here.

LandWISE Staff presented on progress updates from our three major projects Future Proofing Vegetable Production, Smart Tools for Orchard Drainage, and Managing Herbicide Resistance:

Thank you again to all those that came, we look forward to seeing more of you at a field day, workshop, or on-farm sometime soon!

Podcast: Identifying Instances of Resistance

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.

Identifying Instances of Resistance

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.

Listen here >

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.

These guidelines can be found here at the Plant Protection Society‘s website:

Herbicide Resistance Principles

Herbicide Modes of Action

Cases of Herbicide Resistance in New Zealand

Listen to Podcast Episodes online here ->

JULY: Managing Herbicide Resistance

Episode
Podcast
Release Date
6 Identifying Instances of Herbicide Resistances (Kerry Harrington & Hossein Ghanizadeh, Massey University) 3rd July 2020
7 Surveying Herbicide Resistance (Chris Buddenhagen, AgResearch) 10th July 2020
8 Drivers of Herbicide Use (Martin Espig & Robyn Dynes, AgResearch) 24th July 2020
9 The Herbicide Tool Box & On-Farm Biodiversity (John Evans & Kai Tegels, Tregynon Farms) 24th July 2020
10 LIVE PANEL DISCUSSION

Register here

Tuesday 28th July

1:00pm

 

Promoting sustainable production