Onslow College has introduced a fungus to help it control a pest plant. Tradescantia fluminensis (Wandering Willy) is an invasive weed in Aotearoa that has its origins in South America and no natural enemies here (except chickens who love to eat it). In Onslow’s forest restoration area it smothers our native seedlings.
Biocontrol is about restoring balance by reuniting a pest plant with some of its key natural enemies from its natural origin. Manaaki Whenua (Landcare Research) brought the Tradescantia Yellow Spot Fungus to Aotearoa from Brazil to help control Tradescantia. They carefully tested the fungus to make sure it would not have any harmful effects on other plants or animals and they gained approval from the Environmental Protection Authority to release the fungus in Aotearoa. Greater Wellington Regional Council’s pest plant specialists have been introducing infected Tradescantia to sites around Te Whanganui-a-Tara in recent years.
Last year, Onslow College gained the approval of Mana Whenua, Te Ati Awa to introduce infected Tradescantia plants at our school, so the fungus could work as an ally in restoring native biodiversity in our forest restoration areas. On Wednesday 19 February, Jim Mitford-Taylor, pest plant specialist from Greater Wellington Regional Council, brought infected plants to Onslow College and introduced them in dense areas of Tradescantia, to establish the fungus here.
In Year 11 Science, as part of learning about microbes, students will study the use of this fungus as a biocontrol agent and will perform experiments in the lab to discover which environmental conditions enhance infection between plants.
