Cross-sector collaboration is demonstrating how working together can accelerate access to much-needed crop protection tools, with early trials showing promising results for managing Ascochyta blight in peas.
Ascochyta blight has re-emerged as a significant challenge across multiple pea production systems in New Zealand, affecting fresh, process, seed and feed crops. The disease causes dark blotching on pods, stem and leaf blight within the canopy, and can significantly reduce yield, quality and seed health.
Despite its impact in multiple sectors, there are currently limited control options available, and few products are registered for use in peas.
To address this gap, A Lighter Touch (ALT), together with sector partners Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), and Process Vegetables NZ (PVNZ), collaborated with the Seed Industry Research Centre to fund a series of trials to evaluate potential new tools.
Ascochyta blight damage in peas
ALT transition technical lead Bruno Gatimel says four trials in Canterbury evaluated biological and soft-chemistry fungicides, across both process and seed pea systems. The trials included 13 treatments from 11 crop protection companies, ranging from biological products to soft chemistry and industry standards.
By collaborating, the groups were able to significantly expand the scale of the research, Bruno says. “Instead of each sector funding a single trial, collectively they delivered four trials, generating a much stronger dataset and a more robust understanding of product performance.”
Copper-based products delivered the strongest disease suppression across the trials, reducing Ascochyta up to 40% compared with untreated plots. The industry standard showed moderate performance in some trials and was less effective under higher disease pressure.
Biological products provided partial suppression under specific field conditions, contributing to slowing early disease development but offering limited control under high pressure.
ALT transition technical lead Bruno Gatimel.
Bruno says a clear message emerging from the work is that there is no single “silver bullet”. Instead, effective control will rely on integrated spray programmes, where biologicals are used preventatively and in combination with higher-efficacy fungicides.
Beyond the technical findings, the project highlights a broader shift happening across the crop protection landscape.
FAR Research, Development & Extension General Manager Andrew Pitman says sector groups are increasingly needing to work together to demonstrate the value proposition required for registering new products in New Zealand.
“Government, science providers and crop protection companies are all signalling that investment decisions will depend on whether multiple sectors support the pathway to market, especially if the sectors are small.
“For government, there is a need to demonstrate the wider economic benefit, for crop protection companies, it is about strengthening the business case for registering products in a small market, and for the science sector, it is about ensuring research investment delivers impact across industries.”
With global companies increasingly focused on larger markets and research budgets under pressure, smaller sectors need to work together to remain visible and demonstrate their value proposition, Andrew says.
By pooling resources, aligning priorities and demonstrating shared value, cross-sector collaboration offers a practical pathway to unlocking innovation for New Zealand’s arable and horticultural industries.
Bruno says the trials have produced valuable datasets that can support future product registrations and label extension, while also identifying promising candidates for further investigation.
Ascochyta trial.
Next steps include:
• confirming year one results through further trials,
• testing the most promising products in programme-style approaches, and
• incorporating yield and return-on-investment metrics.
Longer-term, the work will focus on developing integrated disease management strategies that combine biological and chemical tools effectively.
“This work demonstrates the importance of collaboration—not just for addressing Ascochyta, but for ensuring New Zealand growers retain access to effective crop protection tools in the future,” Bruno says.
