MEDIA RELEASE
Horizons Regional Council

Friday 19 April, 2013
Funding for field horsetail battle success

The battle against field horsetail has taken a positive step forward thanks to funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF).

The Lower Rangitikei Horsetail Control Group (LRHCG), whose members come from the local farming community, NZ Landcare Trust and Horizons Regional Council, successfully applied to SFF for $316,150 to investigate and test biological control options over the next three years. Field horsetail is a very difficult to control weed that regrows each spring from an extensive root system and can spread to overtake pasture and infest cropping land.

Horizons environmental management officer Craig Davey says the funding acknowledges field horsetail is a serious concern in the Region.

“This funding not only provides a key opportunity to take a decent step forward in field horsetail management, but also to work with key agencies who can help,” says Mr Davey.

“Thanks to this funding the LRHCG can contract Landcare Research to investigate what bugs will eat or kill horsetail, test they are safe and then ultimately release them into the Region.”

NZ Landcare Trust will be managing the project, with Horizons providing co-funding and technical field horsetail information. Landcare Trust's regional coordinator Alastair Cole highlights the role of the local farming community.

"This is a great example of how a group of landowners have engaged with a project that has both local and national importance. Their input not only includes time, but also significant cash contributions - in some cases in excess of $1,000 per annum. Their support has certainly contributed to the success of this Sustainable Farming Fund application," says Mr Cole.

Lower Rangitikei Horsetail Control Group Chairman Alistair Roberston says the project will also provide an opportunity to make more people aware of the need to know about field horsetail and the risk it poses to farming, cropping and even gardening.

“We aim to highlight the need for machinery hygiene between farms and what management methods on farm are available to limit the impact of field horsetail when river sourced gravel is brought in. This application was very successful and the outcome a brilliant result for the group and our local community,” he says.

Landcare Research scientist Lindsay Smith says identifying an insect or disease to kill field horsetail is known as biological control.

“Biological control is a technique used worldwide to restore balance between a weed and the environment by recruiting some of its key natural enemies,” says Mr Smith.

“Pest plants that have been introduced to New Zealand are often not considered a weed in their home country because there are bioagents there to control them. If we can determine what these agents are for field horsetail then we can hope to restore the balance.

“What makes this project particularly exciting is that no one else in the world has tackled field horsetail as a target of biocontrol,” he says.

The project will kick off in July with a survey of field horsetail in New Zealand by Landcare Research. This will be followed by a survey in the plants native range, Europe.

Ends

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