New orchard floor project announced in Nelson
A new project focusing on orchard floor management has been successful in receiving support from The Rural Professional Fund.
The orchard floor planting options project was one of 12 succesful projects announced by the Rural Pressional Fund yesterday. The project lead by Aimee Lister from AgFirst Nelson has received $75,000 to team up with growers to test innovative ideas within a short nine-month time frame.
"We were particularly interested in projects that will create practical tools and resources to help farmers decide how to add diversity, increase resilience, and tackle environmental challenges," says Professor Rich McDowell, chief scientist at Our Land and Water.
The Rural Professionals Fund was established in 2020 by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge to support projects that could lead to significant improvements in farming systems and benefit farming communities. Communicating the results of both successful and unsuccessful projects to the wider rural profession and farming community is a crucial part of the process.
Chief executive Jo Finer says the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management is again delighted to support this opportunity to pilot innovative ideas that drive improvement on farm. "Rural professionals play a valuable role as trusted advisors to farmers, and this provides them with a unique opportunity to generate ideas which can be tested with the support of funding."
The fund received 32 applications, of which 12 projects were funded. The orchrd floor project focuses on ground cover plants to replace the ‘weed spray strip’: Weed management in Nelson orchards could be transformed by successfully growing hardy, perennial ground cover plants to outcompete weed species under apple and pear trees. Current standard orchard practice is to use herbicide sprays in the area under trees, to remove competition for nutrients and water from unwanted 'weed' plants. This has been reliable and cost-effective management practice but leaves ground bare, susceptible to erosion and with overall reduced health. Some chemicals have also been found to harm pip fruit trees. This project aims to contribute knowledge to the goal of eliminating the need for herbicides in future.
Rural Professional: Aimee Lister (AgFirst). Project Team: Craig Hornblow (AgFirst), Rob Holtham (Willisbrook Orchard), Anna Lambourne (NZ Apples and Pears), Jake Tully (NZ Apples and Pears), Rebecca Campbell (Plant & Food Research)in projects that will create practical tools and resources to help farmers decide how to add diversity, increase resilience, and tackle environmental challenges," says Professor Rich McDowell, chief scientist at Our Land and Water.
The Rural Professionals Fund was established in 2020 by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge to support projects that could lead to significant improvements in farming systems and benefit farming communities. Communicating the results of both successful and unsuccessful projects to the wider rural profession and farming community is a crucial part of the process.
Chief executive Jo Finer says the NZ Institute of Primary Industry Management is again delighted to support this opportunity to pilot innovative ideas that drive improvement on farm. "Rural professionals play a valuable role as trusted advisors to farmers, and this provides them with a unique opportunity to generate ideas which can be tested with the support of funding."
The fund received 32 applications, of which 12 projects were funded:
Ground cover plants to replace the ‘weed spray strip’: Weed management in Nelson orchards could be transformed by successfully growing hardy, perennial ground cover plants to outcompete weed species under apple and pear trees. Current standard orchard practice is to use herbicide sprays in the area under trees, to remove competition for nutrients and water from unwanted 'weed' plants. This has been reliable and cost-effective management practice but leaves ground bare, susceptible to erosion and with overall reduced health. Some chemicals have also been found to harm pip fruit trees. This project aims to contribute knowledge to the goal of eliminating the need for herbicides in future.
The project team lead by Aimee Lister (AgFirst) includes, Craig Hornblow (AgFirst), Rob Holtham (Willisbrook Orchard), Anna Lambourne (NZ Apples and Pears), Jake Tully (NZ Apples and Pears), Rebecca Campbell (Plant & Food Research).