Can a native herb treat Kauri dieback?

Efforts to control the disease have seen the closure of many walking tracks and forests. Where tracks remain open, cleaning stations at track entrances urge people to stop the disease spreading. While treatment methods include the use of phosphite, injected into the infected kauri trunks.

However, these methods are both inconvenient and, so far, ineffective in preventing the spread of the disease.

In finding solutions against kauri dieback, a diverse team of researchers led by Dr Viji Saronjini from the School of Chemical Sciences have come up with a novel approach to harness the beneficial properties of horopito.

Horopito is an endemic New Zealand herb, which produces naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides and biologically active molecules. The team hope they can utilise these components in the development of environmentally friendly alternatives for treating kauri dieback and preventing its spread.