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Our Projects

The first three 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.

Completed Projects

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Soilborne disease control in squash

Completed
Pan sector

Soilborne disease control in squash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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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Control of Black field cricket

In Progress
Vegetables NZ

Control of Black field cricket

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

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

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

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

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

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

Disease control in dwarf beans and peas

In Progress
Process Vegetables

Disease control in dwarf beans and peas

Two projects have focused on disease control in dwarf beans and peas. One project evaluated the efficacy of a selection…

Agroecological and IPM crop protection for vegetables

In Progress
Onions NZ

Agroecological and IPM crop protection for vegetables

This project focussed on validating agroecological and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches to crop protection for onions and vegetable crops,…

Upcoming Projects

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Biohub information portal

Upcoming
Pan sector

Biohub information portal

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

New control options for Diamondback moth

Upcoming
Vegetables NZ

New control options for Diamondback moth

This project aims to add a new biopesticide to vegetables crop protection programmes for the control of Diamondback moth (DBM).…

Sclerotina control in lettuce

Upcoming
Vegetables NZ

Sclerotina control in lettuce

A project to evaluate fungicides and biological control agents for disease control of sclerotinia in lettuce is currently being scoped…

Green vegetable bug control options

Upcoming
Vegetables NZ

Green vegetable bug control options

A project evaluating alternative insecticide options for control of Green vegetable bug in sweetcorn is under discussion with Vegetables NZ.…

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