From the Ground Up, Issue 73

Farmers face three levels of biosecurity risk; regional biosecurity incursion risk; border biosecurity, regional biosecurity and on-farm biosecurity. This Maize update discusses the importance of on-farm biosecurity, the one factor you have control over.

Keep up with the latest fall armyworm updates for the 2024/25 season, including regional updates and cultural control options for FAW.  

This Maize Update discusses key issues for consideration in the choice and establishment of over-winter cover crops, along with the results of a five-year trial at FAR’s Northern Crops Research Site which researched the potential for over-winter cover crops to suppress weeds in the following no-till maize grain crop.

This FAR Focus on maize weed management covers research on issues maize growers currently face, including; Herbicide resistance, problem weeds, herbicide options and on-farm biosecurity. 

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) is a highly invasive plant pest first detected in New Zealand in February 2022. Fall armyworm (FAW) larvae can feed on over 350 plant species and in New Zealand, the crops at most risk are sweetcorn and maize. This update outlines the pest's biology and behaviour and provides tips for identifying and managing fall armyworm in maize and sweet corn crops.

It was great to see 90 people at our NCRS maize field day last week. This day, along with a series of field events across the central North Island, introduced around 150 growers and industry reps to Jon Myhill and Kate Baker from the UK Maize growers Association. 

Booklet covers: UK maize; nitrogen management; changing the maize system; herbicide resistance and maize weeds, combine set up.

Weed related yield losses ranging from 15 % to 56 % for silage and 15 % to 61 % for grain have been observed in New Zealand maize systems. And with herbicide resistance being an ongoing challenge growers need to know if and when to spray to maintain herbicide effectiveness and manage input costs. This update discusses the results of a three-year AgResearch-FAR, post-emergence herbicide trial to evaluate the effects of various herbicide treatments on different weed species at both small and large growth stages.

Find the booklet for the 2024 field day at the Henderson and Jackson maize cover crop and maize establishment trials here. 

This update provides information on Septoria tritici blotch, stripe and leaf rusts, powdery mildew, Seedling blight, foot and crown rot, ear blight, common eyespot and sharp eyespot.