Sustainable Wild kiwifruit Options Actinidia spp. Pest Plant Control 18 CONTAINMENT PEST CONTAINMENT

Description Best practice to minimise Woody climbing vine, deciduous the spread of wild kiwifruit (loses its leaves in winter). In the orchard: Remove reject fruit Leaves: Large, lobed. from vines and mulch as soon as possible. Flowers: Large white flowers in spring. Female plant needs to At the packhouse: Ensure reject be cross pollinated with male to fruit is not being transported into produce fruit. bush areas. Fruit: Large and borne in large On the farm: If reject fruit is quantities. Form varies depending being used for stockfeed, ensure on plant variety. piles of fruit are well covered with windbreak cloth or similar. Only feed out quantities of fruit from Origin the stockpile which can be eaten Native of China. Introduced to New quickly by the stock. This avoids Zealand as a fruit bearing plant. large quantities of fruit being available for mass feeding by birds. Where is it found? Status as a pest plant in the How do I get rid of it? Wild kiwifruit is able to grow almost Bay of Plenty anywhere, in bush, pine forest, Spraying: Individual vines are shelter belts and gulleys. Mostly Wild kiwifruit is a Containment Pest often difficult to trace to the roots in found near orcharding areas (eg. Plant in the Bay of Plenty Regional which case spraying is an effective Te Puke gulleys) but also found in Pest Management Plan. treatment. isolated places, usually in bush. Rules require land occupiers to Spray from November to March destroy any wild kiwifruit on their with brushkiller (e.g. Tordon How does it spread? properties. Brushkiller, Agpro Tricloram Seed is spread by birds, especially It is an offence under the brushkiller) waxeyes, eating the fruit left on Biosecurity Act to propagate, sell, With knapsack or CDAX unit use vines in orchards. distribute, release or spread wild 60 ml per 10 L of water. kiwifruit in the Bay of Plenty. It’s also spread by humans With handgun use 600 ml per 100 dropping fruit remains. Assistance may be available from L of water. Many plants spread from reject fruit Bay of Plenty Regional Council by Stump treatment: Use from being transported and dumped for way of approved programmes. November to March where vine use as stockfood. stems are easy to find. Where they are growing into tall trees, this is Why is it a problem? the best method. Wild kiwifruit rapidly forms a dense, Cut the vines close to the ground. heavy blanket of growth which CAUTION: When using herbicide smothers and eventually kills, or Use Vigilant gel. Apply a blob of gel please READ THE LABEL thoroughly to the freshly cut surface. topples, trees and shrubs beneath. to ensure that all instructions and safety It’s a significant threat to native requirements are followed.

bush and forestry. DISCLAIMER: Information in this fact sheet For more information contact a regarding herbicides does not necessarily Bay of Plenty Regional Council appear on the labels of the products concerned. Land Management Officer Bay of Plenty Regional Council does not accept liability for any damage that may arise from the use of herbicides at non-standard rates. Mention of product trade names implies neither endorsement of those products nor criticism of similar products not mentioned. GDS13 PP18 Bay of Plenty Regional Council Pollution Hotline: 0800 884 883 5 Quay Street, Whakatāne Phone: 0800 884 880 Email: [email protected] 1125 Arawa Street, Rotorua Fax: 0800 884 882 Website: www.boprc.govt.nz Rata Street, Mount Maunganui