Most Recent News

Release: New wheat cultivars anticipated from cereal breeding partnership

1 February 2012

An expanded breeding programme will result in new varieties of wheat and barley being made available for New Zealand growers, delivering high yields and improved resistance to disease.

News Snap: Bunch Rot Tool Now Online

25 January 2012

A new tool is set to help the wine industry more accurately train staff to make visual estimates about the severity of bunch rot among the vines. The Bunch Rot Assessment Trainer or BRAT  is a Visual Estimation Tool  developed by the Disease Risk Management Team, in partnership with HortPlus, and is online at www.bunchrot.co.nz

Release: Gold kiwifruit each day reduce cold symptoms

19 December 2011

Adding gold kiwifruit to your diet may lead to less suffering from symptoms of common illnesses such as colds, research suggests.

Video: Dr David Pattemore

14 December 2011

Dr David Pattemore, a pollination scientist at Plant & Food Research's Ruakura site, talks about his career.

News Snap: New website for Food Composition Database

6 December 2011

Plant & Food Research has launched a new website for the New Zealand Food Composition Database, the largest and most comprehensive collection of nutrient data in New Zealand. The database provides up-to-date nutrient values for foods commonly consumed in New Zealand. Food and nutrient data is available for a range of uses including dietary assessment, nutrition surveys and research, development of nutrition policies and guidelines, product analyses and labelling, and nutrition claims.

News Snap: New funding for biosecurity centre

24 November 2011

The Australian Federal Government has announced funding for a Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre, of which Plant and Food Research will be a significant member.  The CRC will have a life of 6 years and continues the good work of The Australian Cooperative Research Centre for National Plant Biosecurity. The new CRC will undertake research to develop new knowledge and tools to assist in protection from, and minimisation of the damage from, damaging pest incursions. Plant & Food Research’s  membership of the new CRC will create strong collaborative links between Australian and New Zealand biosecurity networks and associated research.

Release: Birds and mammals vital for plant survival

16 November 2011

Research has shown that the loss of native birds and bats from New Zealand ecosystems can have serious consequences for the survival of native plant species.

News Snap: New funding for functional food research with Japan

4 October 2011

Plant & Food Research has received $0.5m through the Ministry of Science and Innovation to work with Japanese science organisations to identify specific compounds in onion and spring onion that may confer health properties, and for quantifying the variation in these compounds across a range of varieties. Onion is New Zealand’s largest vegetable export, and this research will support the breeding of new varieties with high levels of these added-value health compounds.

News Snap: KuDos for Plant & Food Research scientist

23 September 2011

Dr Mark Goodwin, an apiculture scientist at Plant & Food Research, has been selected as a finalist in the 2011 KuDos Awards. The KuDos Awards are presented in recognition of science achievements in the Waikato region of New Zealand. The winners will be announced at the official dinner on 13 October. 

Release: Plant & Food Research scientist recognised by peers

22 September 2011

Plant & Food Research scientist Dr Jim Walker has been recognised for his 30 year research career with the presentation of a prestigious New Zealand Plant Protection medal.

Video: Sequencing the Potato Genome

10 July 2011

A short video explaining the work of the Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), an international team of scientists including Plant & Food Research, and the research recently published in Nature.

Release: Potato genome sequence published in Nature

8 July 2011

The Potato Genome Sequencing Consortium (PGSC), an international team of scientists including Plant & Food Research, has published its findings in the international journal Nature.