Weed whacking has gone to the dogs
Rusty the dog is busy scoping out a Horowhenua farm to detect a pesky weed accidentally introduced to New Zealand.
He was trained by Southland electrician John Taylor, who thought it would be good for the dog to learn a new trick.
The border collie is the only one in the country used to detect velvetleaf – a fast-spreading weed that takes nutrients from crops. It was introduced here in 2016 through imported beet seed, which is often used as feed for stock.
On Wednesday, Rusty and his handler searched a 4-hectare farm lot and found one velvetleaf plant.
The dog could search for velvetleaf that was yet to flower, whereas staff could only detect it easily once it had flowered, Horizons Regional Council environmental protection Procter said.
This was why the council had decided to use Rusty’s expertise, he said.
It took Taylor about nine months to train Rusty. ‘‘[Velvetleaf] turned up with such a big fuss in Invercargill. It’s a logical use for a dog.’’ officer Noel
Taylor and Rusty are in Horowhenua and Manawatu until today to help detect the weed on farms that could be at risk.
Horizons environmental coordinator Craig Davey said velvetleaf could spread fast and it wanted to nip it in the bud.
Horizons knew of four farms in its region that had velvetleaf.
It could spread through animals and seed dispersal, as well as on a larger scale through flood events, Davey said.
The Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) had provided Taylor with the original weed to help train Rusty.
MPI response manager Dr Catherine Duthie said velvetleaf affected crops by competing for nutrients, space and water.
‘‘Individual velvetleaf plants produce up to 15,000 seeds. A small infestation can quickly become a large management problem if not addressed early.’’
Along with regional councils, MPI mounted extensive searchand-destroy missions on properties where contaminated seed was planted, Duthie said.
Farmers who found velvetleaf on their properties should destroy the weed through deep burial, she said.