Flora
New Thinking
New Zealand plant and food science boosted by new joint graduate school
The University of Auckland and Plant & Food Research have joined together to create the prestigious new Joint Graduate School in Plant and Food Science, the first collaboration of its kind in New Zealand.
Landing lights for bees
Nature’s way of inviting bees to sample the nectar and pollen in a flower gives us beautiful flowers often with intricate colour patterns.
Professorial Fellowship marks revival of plant breeding education
Dr Warren Williams has been appointed as the AgResearch Professorial Fellow in Plant Breeding at Massey University, primarily to support the new post-graduate qualification in plant breeding offered by Massey and Lincoln Universities.
Possum in a pickle
A recent trip to the UK to present breakthrough research in possum biocontrol led to an unlikely meeting for AgResearch scientist Dr Gail Shuttleworth.
The apple of Europe’s eye?
Healthy lifestyles, based on what we eat, is the coming thing. New Zealand’s leadership is recognized by having Crown Research Institute HortResearch as one of only two bodies outside the EU in a “farm to fork” programme seeking to deliver the taste, texture and nutrition EU consumers want.
Stunning NZ red-fleshed apple is healthier to the core
Get ready to crunch in! A stunning red-fleshed apple, packed with health-promoting antioxidants, was recently unveiled by Crown Research Institute, HortResearch. The new (non GE) apple’s scrumptious flesh is rich red right to the core, due to the high level of the antioxidant anthocyanin.
New Science
Kapiti Coast hosts Fungal Foray
Fungal Forays have two main aims - to better understand the diversity and distribution of New Zealand's native fungi, and to increase public understanding and appreciation of them, says Landcare Research.
Fungal Foray celebrates 21st birthday in Masterton
The Fungal Foray is an annual event organised by Landcare Research, and attracts both amateur and professional mycologists from New Zealand and overseas. This year’s Foray will be held in Masterton.
Botanists honoured for role in understanding New Zealand plants
Two botanists who specialise in rare and endangered native plants have been awarded
Biting back against billion dollar blights
The enemy never rests. Clover root weevil, Argentine stem weevil, New Zealand grass grub and Californian Thistles collectively cost NZ pastoral farmers over a billion dollars a year. Now scientists are showing that the right pest controls not only reduce losses – they can actually make money. It’s a virtuous circle from science that’ll give the little blighters something to chew over.
New Value
Using science to conserve endangered plant species
Scientists at Plant & Food Research are using their knowledge of plant genetics, including DNA fingerprinting technologies developed to identify traits of interest for commercial fruit breeding, to catalogue rhododendron varieties.
A website with 10,000 legs!
A FREE, easy-to-use, on-line invertebrate and host plant database will shortly open up the world of plant-feeding insects to all New Zealanders. The database pulls together information that has traditionally been scattered in scientific literature, biological collections and scientific libraries – making it accessible to anyone around the world via the web.
Time for action on troublesome trees
NZ horticulture quietly takes export spotlight
Apart from flagships Kiwifruit and wine, NZ horticulture exports are seldom high profile. But look closer: in the year to March 2006 horticulture exports quietly hit $2.3 billion. That’s 7% of all NZ exports and a huge $100 million gain on the previous year. Strong growth owes much to ground-breaking new products, where HortResearch takes a driving role.
