van Schravendijk, CherieOgilvie, Shaun C.Eason, CharlesRoss, James G.Harwood, T.Doherty, J.Waiwai, J.2020-04-212012https://hdl.handle.net/10182/11758Efforts to develop new chemical tools for vertebrate pest control in Aotearoa/New Zealand now include tangata whenua in investigations of natural resources that are found in “our backyard”. Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Ruapanirepresentatives are collaborating with a multi-disciplinary research team that has identified a native plant toxin, tutin, which shows promise for further investigation as a vertebrate pesticide. A decision-making framework has assisted in the selection of the ‘new’ tool and criteria around how that tool might be sourced and utilised as toxic bait. For our tangata whenua research partners, this means investigating natural extraction of the toxin from its source plant, tutu (Coriaria arborea), as opposed to synthetic production. Therefore, characterisation of tutin concentration distribution in different parts of the plant and across seasons is fundamental to how this might be used in pest control. Between March 2011 and April 2012, different parts of tutu were sampled from two populations in the Whirinaki Forest Park, Te Urewera, using historical medical reports of human poisoning events to guide the selection of plant parts. With the assistance of Tūhoe kaumatua, the following plant parts were identified and sampled: young shoots, mature leaves that were older than six months,mature leaves that were aged 12 months or older, immature fruit and ripe fruit. Preliminary results of LC-MS analyses indicate that immature fruit are the most toxic, followed closely by young leaves. This presentation discusses the data and the potential implications for development of tutin as a pest control tool.117-117enphytotoxinpest controlConference Contribution - published