Understanding velvetleaf

Velvetleaf is considered a warm zone weed, so at the time of the 2016 incursion there was little understanding of how well it would grow in different parts of New Zealand. Since then, an ongoing study of velvetleaf biology and population dynamics has provided New Zealand researchers and velvetleaf managers with solid information on where and how this unwanted weed species is behaving in New Zealand. The study, led by AgResearch’s Dr Trevor James, involved growing velvetleaf plants at five locations from Hamilton in the north to Invercargill in the south during the summers of 2017/18 and 2018/19.