While black field crickets are found throughout the North Island and milder parts of the South Island, they are generally only of serious economic importance in northern areas of New Zealand - Northland especially.
Damage to pastures can be considerable, affecting establishing seedlings and established pastures, resulting in reduced pasture production and even plant death.
The AgResearch website, Pestweb, says two crickets per square metre over one hectare will consume the equivalent of one sheep.
In plague seasons, as many as 20-40 crickets/m2 frequently occur and can cause losses of 30kg DM/ha/day.
In dairy pasture terms, an average density of 25 crickets/m2 can be responsible for 2000kg DM/ha/yr lost production.
The use of Barrier Combo pasture which contains the endophyte will provide a cost-effective and animal-safe tool against the damage caused by crickets, resulting in potentially greater long-term pasture yield and persistence.
But it is not just crickets that are affected by the endophyte.
It has already been reported that the endophyte, which is the only one to operate above and below ground, protects host grasses from grass grub, black beetle adults and larvae, porina caterpillar and Argentine stem weevil.
"Results in the field have been spectacular. In trials we have seen all other ryegrass/endophyte combinations wiped out by heavy infestations of grass grub and black beetle, whereas grasses containing the GrubOUT U2 have been unaffected," says Jarvis.
"The other exciting aspect is that the endophyte is safe to sheep, cattle and deer and does not cause grass staggers or heat stress. It has not yet been tested on horses or alpacas, and so Cropmark is stopping short of recommending it for them yet.
"While some of NZ's most serious insect pests don't like eating Barrier Combo because of the GrubOUT U2 endophyte it contains, livestock do. Experience throughout the country has shown that stock find it extremely palatable and will graze it preferentially over other ryegrass/endophyte combinations," Jarvis says.
For best establishment, the Barrier Combo pasture mix (which comes complete with medium and large leafed white clovers) should be shallow sown at a rate of 25kg/hectare or more to a depth of no more than 1-2cm, into a well worked, firm seed bed when soil temperatures are 12C or more.
Sowing into existing pastures is not recommended because it dilutes the effectiveness of the Barrier Combo mix.
The seed is available through Ravensdown, Farmlands and other seed retailers.