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Our Projects

The first four years of the A Lighter Touch programme has seen a broad range of projects funded, some specific to a particular plant product group, and others having benefits across multiple crops and sectors. Many are focused on particular pests or diseases, some are evaluating spray residues, and others focus on the use of beneficial organisms and biodiverse planting to help manage insect pests. A brief summary is provided for each project, categorised here under Completed, In Progress and Upcoming. These project pages will continue to be updated with latest developments and results over the coming months.

This Quick Reference Guide is designed to easily identify pests and diseases that A Lighter Touch co-funded projects are targeting.

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Completed Projects

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Soilborne disease control in squash

Completed
Pan sector

Soilborne disease control in squash

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Soilborne disease control, specifically Fusarium oxysporum, is the most important crop protection gap for participating sectors. Two field trials were…

New fungicide residue trials in broad beans

Completed
Pan sector

New fungicide residue trials in broad beans

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Botrytis is a significant issue in many crops including broad beans. The imminent demise of the only viable option (carbendazim)…

Sclerotinia control in dwarf beans

Completed
Pan sector

Sclerotinia control in dwarf beans

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The demise of chemistry available for the control of Sclerotinia in field beans has left this crop significantly exposed. This…

Downy mildew control in spinach

Completed
Vegetables NZ

Downy mildew control in spinach

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Downy mildew is the most important pest or disease control gap in spinach in New Zealand. Where conditions favour the…

Bacterial head rot control in broccoli

Completed
Pan sector

Bacterial head rot control in broccoli

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Bacterial disease was ranked as a concern in crop protection for several sectors. Five field trials were undertaken to evaluate…

Thrip control in onions

Completed
Pan sector

Thrip control in onions

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Thrips were identified by several sectors as an area of concern for crop protection. Four field trials were conducted to…

Insecticide residues in summerfruit

Completed
Summerfruit NZ

Insecticide residues in summerfruit

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Chlorpyrifos may no longer be a sustainable option for summerfruit growers given its incompatibility with integrated pest management (IPM) practices,…

Biodiverse planting in perennial crops

Completed
A Lighter Touch

Biodiverse planting in perennial crops

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The aim of this project was to develop an understanding of how overall biodiversity and specific natural enemies could be…

In Progress Projects

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Unlocking potential of organic compounds

In Progress
Pan sector

Unlocking potential of organic compounds

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This project involves the screening of some organic compounds as potential controls for bacterial pathogens. It is an extension of…

Mealybug control in persimmons

In Progress
NZ Persimmon Industry Council

Mealybug control in persimmons

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This project with the New Zealand Persimmon Industry Council will evaluate bioinsecticide options for control of mealybugs in persimmons. Four…

Control of Black field cricket

In Progress
Vegetables NZ

Control of Black field cricket

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Black field cricket is a serious pest for vegetables (especially kūmara) and pasture in northern areas of New Zealand. Black…

Summerfruit under-canopy planting

In Progress
Summerfruit NZ

Summerfruit under-canopy planting

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This project established understory planting in summerfruit orchards to enhance orchard biodiversity and examine whether associated co-benefits from these plantings…

PSA focussed projects

In Progress
Zespri

PSA focussed projects

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Zespri has three ALT-aligned projects investigating biological control options, and one which is focused on reducing chemical input by optimising…

Arable projects

In Progress
Foundation for Arable Research

Arable projects

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The Foundation for Arable Research has three A Lighter Touch research areas, being: effective use of plant genetics; integrating new…

Brown rot control in summerfruit

In Progress
Summerfruit NZ

Brown rot control in summerfruit

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Brown rot control in stonefruit has been compromised by the failure of existing chemistry to provide acceptable efficacy. Summerfruit NZ,…

Revitalising IPM in greenhouse tomatoes

In Progress
Tomatoes NZ

Revitalising IPM in greenhouse tomatoes

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This project aims to reduce agrichemical applications on greenhouse tomatoes by revitalising Integrated Pest Management (IPM) crop protection practices within…

Upcoming Projects

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Biohub information portal

Upcoming
Pan sector

Biohub information portal

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BioHub is a proposed information portal for growers to understand the impact of their agrichemical use on beneficial insects. If…

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