The Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) has been awarded four research projects with a combined value of over $ 1.8 million in the Ministry for Primary Industry’s 2014 Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) round.
FAR CEO Nick Pyke says it is a pleasing result, and that the four projects, which will address issues around nitrogen leaching, dairy grazing on cropping farms, Argentine stem weevil and slugs, are a good fit for the levy funded organisation’s research portfolio.
“Our aim, as a research organisation, is to increase the profitability and sustainability of cropping farm systems. Each of these four projects was developed as a result of industry consultation, and as such is focused quite clearly on on-farm issues faced by our growers. Any information which helps to provide solutions to these problems will be a big help for them.”
Mr Pyke says the projects involve other industry funders and research organisations, a clear reflection of FAR’s business strategy.
“Our recently launched business strategy stressed the importance of industry and research partnerships for the development and delivery of excellent research projects for our growers. For this reason we are pleased to be partnering with other primary industry sectors, Crown Research Institutes and regional councils in funding and carrying out these projects. Such collaborations ensure that these SFF projects provide the best outcomes for our levy payers, as well as those in other primary sectors.
The four projects which have been funded are:
Root zone reality: a fluxmeter network to measure and manage nitrogen leaching losses on cropping farms
This project will place fluxmeters (devices which can measure drainage and N leaching losses from the plant root zone) on nine arable and vegetable cropping farms across New Zealand. The measurement data will improve our knowledge of typical N leaching losses from cropping and vegetable production under good management practice, and help farmers to understand what steps they could consider taking to deliver the water quality outcomes desired by their communities. It is also expected that these results will provide a valuable database for future work on validation of the OVERSEER® crop model and the development of public policy regarding freshwater quality.
Good management practices for intensive winter dairy grazing on arable farms
This project involves working with farmers from Waikato, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Canterbury, Otago and Southland on grazing practices on their farms. Their experience will guide the project’s outputs. It aims to provide an environmental and productivity risk assessment for the impacts of winter grazing on arable cropping soils and nutrient management. This in turn will inform discussion about the long term sustainability of winter grazing and provide the basis for a cross-sector discussion about the real costs of the practice to arable farmers. The information gained will also be used to develop a risk assessment framework to help farmers assess the environmental impacts of intensive winter grazing on nutrient losses and degradation of the soils on their farms.
Impact and management of Argentine stem weevil under reduced levels of parasitism
The parasitoid wasp which was introduced in the mid-1990s to control Argentine stem weevil (ASW) is not as effective now as when first introduced. This project aims to develop a better understanding the extent of ASW damage on farms, the effect of the biocontrol agent and how farmers are currently managing ASW. This information will be used to determine the risk of ASW to ryegrass and cereals and gain an updated understanding of the role of the parasitoid in ASW control.
Integrated management of slug pests
The current project aims to deliver guidelines and extension activities to support a fully integrated approach to managing slugs, based on pest monitoring, cultural control methods such as tillage and crop residue management, optimising the use of chemical molluscides and investigating the potential for biological control of slugs in New Zealand. The project will use maize grown for silage and forage brassicas as test crops, but the results should be applicable to many crops across the arable, pastoral and horticultural sectors.
Work on the projects will begin later this year.
Photo:The parasitoid waspMicroctonus hyperodaelays an egg inside the adult Argentine stem weevil