Cutting-edge weed biocontrol efforts in focus next month in NZ

CISS’s own Research and Development Coordinator, Maree Wright, is on the countdown as she prepares to present at the XVII International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds in Rotorua next month.

Her presentation will canvas the CISS-led $5.9 million Weed biocontrol network for drought resilience project funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

Caption: From left: Dr Boyang Shi of QDPI and Dr John Virtue of CISS examine how prickly acacia is damaged by the gall thrip biocontrol agent as the project gets underway. Image: Jason Callander.

The project is delivering a multi-jurisdictional biocontrol network for the large-scale mass rearing, release, monitoring and evaluation of nine biocontrol agents. Through a national consortium of research, government, industry and community partners. It targets African boxthorn, opuntioid cacti, prickly acacia, horehound, cabomba, sagittaria and salvinia.

The project is the first major investment arising out of Australia’s National Weed Biocontrol Pipeline Strategy | Initial Stage project, also led by CISS, to guide future weed biocontrol research, development, and extension activities for priority weeds at a national scale.