In this section:
Revegetation by Design
A Partnership Project:
Revegetation at property scale-designing the ‘right’ biodiversity for sustainable production
Background
The utility of endemic vegetation as a refuge for beneficial insects in agricultural systems has been the focus of much investigation over the preceding decade. While this project is using the intensely farmed Virginia horticulture area in SA as a model – the findings will have national significance/application. In this landscape, pest thrips and the Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV) that they transmit cost the horticulture industry on the Northern Adelaide Plains (NAP) around $25M a year.
Unsurprisingly, exotic weeds are favoured as habitat by these introduced crop pests. Brassica weeds in particular have on average the highest densities of exotic thrips (mainly Frankliniella schultzei, western flower thrips; WFT) and the sheer acreage of this weed (and corresponding lack of native vegetation, ≈1% by area) in the production area of the NAP represents a vast reservoir of pest thrips and diseases they vector. The original Revegetation by Design project began in 2003 and aimed to develop a novel IPM strategy whereby weeds are replaced with perennial native vegetation that was shown to support fewer crop pests.
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Capsicums showing symptoms of TSWV infection |
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WFT on capsicum flower |
| WFT |
The Revegetation by Design Guidebook (PDF 4.82MB) was produced from data collected in this project. Individual sections can be downloaded using the following links
Foreword and Introduction (pdf)
Property Plans (pdf)
Pest & Natural Enemy Information (pdf)
Plant Data Sheets (pdf)
Pest Thrips Data Sheets (pdf)
Plant Establishment & Maintenance (pdf)
Resources and Glossary (pdf)
Appendices (pdf)
The new project
New vegetable levy funding from Horticulture Australia and Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation will build on the key findings of the initial report (ie. that agriculturally relevant insects can be manipulated by planting select native plant species). The current project team (Dr Richard Glatz (Leader), Ms. Glenys Wood (Principal Investigator) Ms Helen DeGraff (Principal Technical Officer), Dr Claire Stephens, Ms Gabriella Lankin Vega, Mr. Bill Doyle (City of Playford Greening Officer)
The current project is funded till June 2008.
In this project we refine the approach to assessing and predicting the effect of endemic plants. By demonstrating the benefits of replacing weeds with low-risk native plant species we can offer an additional/alternative strategy for land managers to reduce their weeds.
The project
- aims to evaluate property size native plant refuges,
- identify new potential biocontrol agents
- develop a more detailed understanding of how to manipulate the system to provide maximum grower benefits.
- develop a screening system to identify low-risk plants
We consider grower involvement as crucial to this research. Growers that have donated their land for trial sites benefit by understanding and accessing the latest agricultural research, getting direct value for levy funds and becoming leaders in their relevant industry.
Find out more about
The project
Benefits of revegetation
Abundance and diversity of natural enemies
Wasps with potential for biological control
Native plant screening system
Useful publications
Revegetation for Pest Management - 2008 Presentation (PDF)
Typically there are areas on each property that are covered by weeds (or rubbish) that represent a hidden opportunity to improve IPM and reduce costs and long term environmental degradation. There is an initial setup cost, but our results suggest there are benefits of having selected perennial deep-rooted native plants. These native plants generally support very low numbers of pests and disease while acting as an over-wintering refuge for beneficial insects of crop pests.
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| Early planting of saltbushes Rhagodia parabolica and Enchylaena tomentosa | Transverse ladybird on Enchylaena tomentosa photographed at this site | Same site 18 months after |
Take home message
Growers who invest in integrated native plant refuges can create a buffer that will rapidly support colonisation of natural enemy populations, whilst reducing pest-preferred exotic weed habitats.
Contact details
Ms Glenys Wood
Dr Richard Glatz
