New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Dairy production revenue losses in New Zealand due to giant buttercup
(Ranunculus acris)
G. W. Bourdôt
D. J. Saville
AgResearch Limited
P.O. Box 60
Lincoln, New Zealand
email: graeme.bourdot@agresearch.co.nz
D. Crone
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Village Mall, Queen Street
Richmond, New Zealand
Abstract Giant buttercup (Ranunculus acris L.),
a species of European origin, is widespread throughout New Zealand, and is
an intractable weed of dairy pastures in parts of the south Auckland, Hawke’s
Bay, and Taranaki regions and in the districts of Southern Wairarapa, Horowhenua,
and Tasman. In this study, the seasonal progression of the weed's ground
cover in dairy pastures in the Tasman District was measured during 1989–90
and used, in conjunction with monthly weed-free pasture dry matter production
values, to estimate the annual percentage loss in pasture production due
to a typical infestation of the weed subjected to typical control measures.
Extrapolation to other infested regions and districts provided a national
estimate of milk solids revenue loss due to giant buttercup in New Zealand
dairy pastures of $156 million in the 2001-02 season.
Keywords giant buttercup; Ranunculus acris L.;
dairy pasture; milk solids; weed; economics
A02016; Received; 4 March 2002; accepted 25 June 2003; online publication
date 5 November 2003
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2003, Vol. 46: 295–303
0028–8233/03/4604–0295 $7.00/0 © The Royal Society of New Zealand
2003
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