AgResearch at the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays

7 June 2011

AgResearch at the New Zealand National Agricultural Fieldays 2011

Black Beetle Action Group receives key funding for new research in Waikato

The Waikato Black Beetle Action Group, in conjunction with AgResearch, has been awarded a three-year MAF Sustainable Farming Fund grant worth almost a half a million dollars over three years for a project entitled 'Beating black beetle: developing pest-resistant dairy pastures in the Waikato' This grant is also matched by a similar level of cash and in-kind contributions from DairyNZ, seed companies, industry and farmers.

The impact of black beetle on pasture production in the Waikato and throughout the northern North Island is significant. Farmers in these regions are experiencing widespread failure of perennial pastures, many of them within 12-24 months of successful establishment. A recent survey of more than 700 Waikato and Bay of Plenty dairy farmers highlighted that pasture failure was the single biggest problem on-farm and black beetle was widely identified as one of the major culprits.

Despite the economic and environmental impacts of black beetle outbreaks, many farmers and rural professionals do not understand the extent of the problem or know how to combat it. This project will contribute to the development of a communication programme to inform Waikato farmers and the wider industry of the factors that result in damaging black beetle populations and how to minimise future pasture losses.

In addition, the project will include on-farm trials to determine and demonstrate the best combination of currently available establishment/endophyte/cultivar combinations to limit future black beetle damage. Farms will be monitored for pasture production and composition, persistence through time, pest insect populations and endophyte infection rate. The Waikato Black Beetle Action Group is also hoping to link with commercial companies that may have breakthrough technologies to deal with black beetle through this programme.

The team will work towards developing a warning system to initiate pro-active farmer decision-making. Predictive models for black beetle outbreaks were developed in the 1980s, but changes in both pasture composition and climate mean that these are no longer valid. The models will be updated, validated against population changes on the demonstration farms and used to inform farmers and industry of a heightened risk of impending outbreaks.

Collectively, these three elements provide the opportunity to reduce the effect and extent of black beetle damage to pastures in the Waikato and across the northern North Island and will generate a significant step forward in farm- and regional-scale profitability and sustainability.

This research will feature at the AgResearch exhibit at the National Agricultural Fieldays at Mystery Creek on 15-18 June 2011.

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