Scientists In NZ First Genomic Study To Cut Chemical Use In Wine Sector

A world-first genome study underway in Canterbury is set to help NZ’s billion-dollar wine export industry grow more disease-resistant grapevines and reduce fungicide use in the sector.

New Zealand farmers consume 3,400 tonnes of pesticides annually. Under the US Environmental Protection Agency’s classification, 5% of herbicides, 60% of fungicides, 8% of insecticides and 72% of plant growth regulators used in NZ are suspected carcinogens.1

Early findings from the grapevine research suggest that chemical spray use could be cut by as much as 80% in some cases - a potential multimillion-dollar cost saving for an industry under mounting pressure from climate change, which is intensifying disease risk and making traditional spray schedules less effective.

Viticulture is New Zealand’s sixth-largest export industry, generating $2.1 billion in export revenue last year alone, and employing thousands across the country’s key winegrowing regions.

The research aims to identify natural genetic traits that make grapevines more resistant to disease, reducing the need for fungicides and boosting productivity for growers.

Scientists at Lincoln University have installed the MGI DNBSEQ-G400 genome sequencer, a next-generation DNA reading machine, which is enabling them to run tens of thousands of tests on grapevines at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional methods.

Advances in sequencing technology have dramatically reduced the cost of genomic sequencing, from billions of dollars in the late 1990s to just tens of thousands today, making large-scale studies like this one feasible.

Associate Professor Christopher Winefield, Department of Wine, Food & Molecular Biosciences at Lincoln University, says it is the first time the sequencing platform has been used to support wine-related research in New Zealand.

“The wine industry is a major contributor to the New Zealand economy, but it’s also facing huge challenges around sustainability.

“Vineyards are heavily reliant on chemicals to fight fungal disease and that can come at a cost to the soil microbiome, long-term crop health and the environment.

“With this technology, we’re now able to scale up our studies dramatically and look for grape varieties that are naturally resistant to disease.

“You’re never going to get to zero but by identifying and cultivating naturally disease-resistant vines, and by targeting interventions only where they’re truly needed, we can massively reduce chemical input. Even removing a single spray late in the season has multiple benefits; it lowers costs, reduces residue risks in wine and lessens the environmental burden.”

“In the past, we have been limited to being able to sample a few hundred vines a year, but with the new system installed, the lab can now process more than 50,000 a year, which is a 100-fold increase in volume.”

“Having this technology on site means we no longer have to send samples offshore for analysis. That’s saving time and money and allowing us to move at a completely different scale.”

The genomic platform allows researchers to detect the presence and spread of diseases like powdery mildew or mealy bug in real time, enabling farmers to spray only where needed.

“What this unlocks is a move from broad-spectrum, scheduled spraying to data-driven, localised treatment. That means fewer chemicals in the environment, lower resistance pressure on pests and pathogens and a better product at the end of the day, whether that’s milk, grapes or meat.”

Professor Winefield says the lab is now collecting genetic data across a wide array of grape and hop varieties to understand how they respond to stress and disease pressures.

“We’re looking for the vines that can handle more with less spray, less water and fewer inputs. Genomics allows us to do that with unprecedented precision.

“What we’re doing isn’t genetic modification it's about identifying and working with natural variation to breed better and more resilient plants.”

Dr. Bicheng Yang, director of MGI Australia, says the partnership with Lincoln University is part of a broader push to support sustainable agriculture globally.

“This is a powerful example of how cutting-edge genomics can support the long-term sustainability of key industries.

“By helping researchers understand the genetic factors that improve disease resistance and fruit quality, we’re enabling a future where viticulture relies less on chemicals and more on the natural resilience of the plant.”

Researchers on the study are now forming a new commercial venture designed to democratise genomic testing for farms across New Zealand.

Targeting sectors like viticulture, horticulture and dairy, where growers often rely on blanket chemical treatments due to a lack of precise data, the venture aims to give farmers affordable access to real-time genomic insights, helping them detect disease earlier, reduce input costs and minimise environmental impact.

Professor Winefield says the project is one of the first of its kind and is expected to inform not only viticulture breeding programmes, but also other crop research relevant to the brewing and horticulture industries.

“Our goal is to bring the cost of genomic tests down to a level where individual growers and farmers can routinely use them to make better, more targeted decisions.

“This is about taking world-class science out of the lab and into the field - and transforming how primary industries manage disease and productivity at the grassroots level.”

“Ultimately, this kind of science supports the future of New Zealand’s primary industries, higher-value, lower-impact and globally competitive.”

Winefield is now seeking investors to back the development of a standalone company that will dramatically scale up the testing capacity already proven in the lab. The new venture plans to process more than a million samples per year initially, with the potential to scale to 10 million tests annually within five years.

He says climate change is adding further pressure to pest and disease management across the primary sector, with warmer, wetter seasons driving more aggressive outbreaks and shifting the geographic range of many pathogens.

Winefield says the venture could serve as a model for similar services internationally and believes the country’s climate diversity makes it an ideal test bed for developing robust genetics that can be exported.

“New Zealand may never feed the world by volume, but we can absolutely feed it through better science, by exporting the genetic tools and insights that lift productivity and resilience globally.”

“We’re seeing diseases appear earlier in the season, or in regions where they weren’t previously a problem. That unpredictability makes scheduled spraying less effective and raises the risk of over- or under-treating crops. Genomic monitoring gives us the tools to respond to these changes with precision, spotting threats earlier and adapting management strategies to shifting environmental conditions.”

“We’re not just building a lab, we’re creating a national infrastructure for precision agriculture, one that allows growers and vets to test for multiple pathogens or productivity issues at once, at a cost that’s viable for everyday use.”

1 Primary Industry Trade at Risk Unless Assurance is Tightened - Our Land & Water - Toitu te Whenua, Toiora te Wai. (n.d.). Our Land & Water - Toitu Te Whenua, Toiora Te Wai. https://ourlandandwater.nz/news/primary-industry-trade-at-risk-unless-assurance-is-tightened/

(Written on behalf of MGI Tech by Impact PR)

© Scoop Media