Partnering to control wild kiwifruit vines

Wild kiwifruit vine control contractors from across the Bay of Plenty came together last week to further joint efforts in tackling this biosecurity risk.

Practical examples of how teams work out in the field and recent research findings were discussed, particularly around effective herbicide use to kill wild vines and our approach to surveillance and control within Te Puke, as well as nationally.

The group were lucky to have Dr Jon Sullivan from Lincoln University present his findings from research into the status of the population of wild kiwifruit vines across New Zealand. He analysed 20 years’ worth of field data collected by contractors, including vine diameter and numbers, to conclude that current efforts are slowing the spread of the wild population, but more effort will be required to suppress it further.

This highlights the importance of slowing the recruitment of seeds from orchards and reject fruit into the wild population. By continuing to cover reject fruit and dropping and mulching fruit left on vines after picking, you will directly reduce the flow of seeds into the wild.

If you’ve had our contractors visit or work on your property recently, we’d appreciate hearing from you to learn more about how things went and your experience. Please contact Andrew in the KVH office at [email protected] or by phone on 0800 665 825.

More information about wild kiwifruit control, including images of the programme over the years, is available on the KVH website.