407497 - Optimising Remote Detection of White Bryony

White bryony (Bryonia cretica subsp. dioica) is an invasive weed which grows quickly to smother and shade out native, amenity and pastoral species. It is a Notifiable and Unwanted Organism under the Biosecurity Act 1993 and, because of the potential for it to have serious negative impacts on environmental, economic and socio-cultural values it is part of MPI-funded national eradication efforts.
This project is to determine the feasibility of remote detection technologies for white bryony, and if viable, to trial and compare these technologies in the field to traditional methods, to identify surveillance methods that are more efficient, cost-effective and safer than traditional ground-based approaches, particularly in challenging terrain such as the Rangitikei Gorge.