Waste to Treasure: Growing value in winery waste
Wine companies have been "very generous" in gifting grape marc to a project working to transform the winemaking byproduct.
Plant fungal diseases can be devastating for horticulture and agriculture - in the worst cases, wiping out entire crops.
But Lincoln Agritech scientists believe altering the bacteria associated with disease-causing fungi will lead to new strategies to protect crops.
They have picked up a $1 million contract from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) to develop attenuated (weakened) variants of disease-causing fungi that can be used to prime plants and protect against fungal diseases. The research programme will run for two years.
"In previous research, we found that the bacteria associated with a fungus affect its ability to cause disease," Dr Jin-Hua Li explains. "Our approach will make fungi available to cause disease by changing the bacteria that are associated with the fungi."
Working with scientists from Scion, Utrecht University in the Netherlands and the Foundation for Arable Research, Lincoln Agritech scientists will test the concept on brassica plants (a genus of plants that includes cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli).
"We will test these attenuated variants on brassica plants, such as broccoli and cabbage," Li adds.
"We will coat seeds with the altered fungus, then try to infect the seedlings with the original fungus to see whether our new products have protected the plant from infection."
Once the concept has been proven in brassica plants, it will be applied to cereal crops, and could potentially be used on several horticultural crops.
Li believes this new approach to protection will not only help New Zealand's horticulture and agriculture industries, but also provide an export opportunity.
"The global agrochemical industry is pivoting to develop new biological alternatives in response to urgent global demands for reduced chemical use."
Li gives as an example EU regulations which demand a 50% reduction in chemical pesticide use by 2030.
"Our novel biotechnology will help exporters meet the growing market demand for non-chemical disease control."
New Zealand milk production is off to a strong start, with the first month of the 2025/26 dairy season recording a whopping 17.8% jump in milk production, compared to the previous season.
With adverse weather set to rain down on the Top of the South, the Bay of Plenty and parts of Northland, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says farmers, foresters, and growers need to prepare for possible challenges.
Keep up with innovation and e-commerce in China or risk losing market share. That was the message delivered at the China Business Summit in Auckland this month.
Meat Industry Association (MIA) independent chair Nathan Guy says getting meat processors involved has been a shot in the arm for the sector's key marketing initiative into China, Taste Pure Nature.
Listed carpet manufacturer, Bremworth is undertaking a $6 million expansion at its Napier plant more than two years after the site was heavily damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Federated Farmers is vowing to keep the big banks accountable for their actions and to continue pushing for meaningful change in the rural lending sector.