Say goodbye to a life in clover

A tiny parasitic wasp is being released into the environment to do battle against one of farming's biggest potential foes.

The wasp, microctonus aethiopoides, is being released by the Crown research institute AgResearch on a farm at Morrinsville.

It will target the clover root weevil, which could eventually cost the pastoral sector up to $300 million a year in lost productivity.

Dairy Insight chairman Doug Leeder said the dairy industry would be holding its breath waiting for the outcome.

"The implications are huge, not only for dairying, but for the economy."

Detected in 1996, the clover root weevil was deemed too widespread in the North Island for eradication. After an eight-year hunt for biocontrols, AgResearch found the wasp near Galway in Ireland.

Yesterday's release is the first of four research-based releases around the North Island this summer.

AgResearch's chief science strategist, Dr Stephen Goldson, said: "Clover root weevil is a severe pest of white clover, which is important for nitrogen fixation in pastures and contributes greatly to feed value for livestock."

Farming leaders say the threat the weevil represents cannot be underestimated.

New Zealand's pasture-based livestock industries are estimated to contribute more than $3 billion to the economy.

The wasp works by injecting the weevil with an egg which makes female weevils sterile. The wasp larva then kills the weevil as it matures.

- NZPA