Piako Post

Good biosecurit­y can stop velvetleaf

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Waikato farmers will need to ramp up their biosecurit­y practices if they are to stop velvetleaf spreading throughout the region this summer.

The warning from local and central government comes nearly four months on since the invasive weed was discovered in a fodderbeet crop and then later in maize crops around the region.

If left unchecked, farmers risked facing a substantia­l problem in containing the plant over the long term, the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Catherine Duthie said at a recent velvetleaf informatio­n meeting at Elstow near Te Aroha.

A single, well grown plant produced as much as 17,000 seeds in pods that were easily spread if broken.

‘‘It’s estimated that unmanaged, it can reduce the yields of arable crops by 30-40 per cent,’’ she said.

The Waikato Regional Council inspected 101 Waikato farms since it was discovered in late April this year and found the plant on 29 farms, mostly in the Te Aroha-Waihou area.

There are another 70 atrisk farms that the council will be following up in spring.

The response in Waikato was different to other regions because of its discovery in maize crops, Waikato Regional Council pest plants team leader Darion Embling said.

Waikato needed to consider what value it placed on its maize industry because landowners faced a huge cost if the invasive weed was left to grow.

‘‘If we don’t do anything, the best case scenario 10 years from now is a 30 per cent loss of income for the arable industry.’’ Dealing with the weed also cost the regional council alone over $200,000 last year.

Velvetleaf seed will germinate as soon as the weather warmed and he expected it to begin appearing from October onwards.

Farm owners should dispose of any velvetleaf plants found ideally before the plants had set seed. If the plant had gone to seed, it should be double-bagged around the seed pods to prevent spillage and disposed by deep burial, such as in an offal pit, Duthie said.

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 ??  ?? Waikato Regional Council is warning farmers to increase efforts against velvetleaf.
Waikato Regional Council is warning farmers to increase efforts against velvetleaf.
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