Nicola Mauchline: Bug enthusiast now scientist

Nicola spent her childhood days bug hunting and collecting an array of insects and spiders which she kept in jars in the family garage. One night she was even awoken by the sounds of a gum emperor moth emerging from a cocoon in her wardrobe!   

This fascination with the natural world continued into adulthood, with Nicola completing her undergraduate study in Zoology and a Master’s degree in Plant Protection. Nicola works on developing insect pest management strategies and technologies which enhance the sustainability of the primary industries, with a focus on kiwifruit and avocados.  

“My passion is to explore the scope of insect pathogens as microbial biological control agents – these are microorganisms that naturally occur in the environment and specifically target and kill insects”, says Nicola.  

The exploration of insect pathogens as biological control agents allows for the development of new biopesticides for use against insect pests, such as a fungal-based formulation that we have in development which targets the chorus cicada, a problematic insect in kiwifruit orchards.  

Nicola has also led the development of mating disruption for use against leafrollers on avocados for Plant & Food Research. The project, which has recently completed 5 years of R&D, uses pheromones to disrupt leafroller communication. The final product, Isomate^®Avocado Four NZ Leafroller, will be released this spring by UPL. 

Nicola is in her element working alongside growers to troubleshoot and find sustainable solutions. "Growers are close to the ground and understand their crop well", says Nicola. "They have taught me a great deal about crop husbandry, pollination, and the seasonal problems they face." 

While Nicola is highly motivated to create safe and sustainable pest management solutions that add value to crops, responding to industry in a timely manner with these types of solutions is challenging. “We need to anticipate what industry need both tomorrow and in 10 years’ time”, she says. “It means having the capacity and capability to respond to industry needs in a timely manner with solutions that are meaningful for the grower through to the consumer.”