Published on 04/10/2024
By accessing innovative solutions, farmers can boost productivity, keep livestock and crops healthy, and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
NZ livestock production predominantly relies on pasture-based systems.
Fluctuating growth rates throughout the year means farmers rely on fodder crops such as beet, brassicas and maize to reduce seasonal feed shortages and animal welfare issues.
If one food source is compromised, pressure mounts on the others, so protecting these from pests and diseases is vital.
The solution is a broad toolkit of options. Something old, something new, something borrowed (only when needed), something green and management practices.
Of existing products available, some are at different lifecycle stages, require replacement, or face resistance challenges.
It is crucial that new products undergo rigorous testing through a trusted process to ensure safety and efficacy. Once approved, these innovations can greatly benefit agriculture, especially when multiple innovative approaches work together for synergistic effects.
Innovation from APHNZ members highlights the benefits of preserving feed crops, resulting in better environmental, productivity and biosecurity outcomes.
Beet can be grazed in situ or harvested for livestock, offering an alternative to disease-prone brassicas and outperforming maize in cooler climates like the South Island.
Planted in spring, beet benefits from optimal conditions, yielding over 25 tonnes of dry matter per hectare with excellent shelf life.
Research funded by MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund shows beet requires less nitrogen fertiliser and results in less nitrate leaching compared to other fodder crops.
A new to NZ innovation uses lower herbicide application rates, aligning with sustainability initiatives that the primary sector is front footing and adopting.
This herbicide, paired with herbicide-tolerant beet seed, effectively controls difficult weeds such as fathen and nightshade.
Using a conventional beet herbicide programme, farmers apply four herbicide treatments at high application rates; whereas the new system requires only two applications of 0.5 litres per hectare, reducing active ingredient use from 6,000grams to 80 grams.
This innovation minimises herbicide use, saves time, reduces the number of passes over the paddock, thereby reducing soil compaction, fuel use, and greenhouse gas emissions.
It also offers a wider application window for flexibility, benefiting farmers, as spraying is often affected by the availability of the spray contractor and weather conditions.
Brassicas, such as kale and swedes are prone to a range of diseases such as clubroot when grown too frequently in the same paddock.
Recently approved innovation includes increasing the availability of biological control agents as part of agroecological crop protection and fungicides to address resistance issues.
A new-to-NZ bioinsecticide for the control of diamondback moth, a priority pest in brassica crops, is awaiting regulatory approval, with the support of the A Lighter Touch Programme and wider sector partners such as Vegetables NZ.
Maize is another supplementary feed, at risk from fall armyworm. Arriving in NZ in February 2022 by winds from Australia, the pest is spreading globally, affecting the Americas, Africa and Asia, as well.
To address known resistance issues, new modes of action were needed to support the initial biosecurity response and subsequent spread of the pest. Efforts have refocused to longer-term pest management and ongoing access to innovation, as more options allow us flexibility to adapt.
All three examples show the individual and synergistic benefits of innovation by APHNZ members in supporting farmers and growers.
More solutions that support IPM, reduce overall agrichemical use and help with resistance management are awaiting regulatory approval.
Multiple options and collaborative efforts allow us to tackle challenges from different angles.
Embracing these solutions ensures are silient and sustainable future for farming in NZ that benefits both farmers and the environment.
Words: Animal and Plant Health New Zealand.