Friday, 25 September 2015 15:46

Psa-V reaches Whangarei

Written by 

Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) has received a Psa-V positive test result on Hort16A and male vines on a Whangarei kiwifruit orchard - the first confirmed case in the region.

All growers in the region have been advised of the situation and advised by KVH. KVH are holding a meeting for Whangarei growers next week and will be carrying out extensive monitoring in the region over the weekend.

There are 49 orchards in the Whangarei region comprising of close to 144 canopy hectares.

KVH chief executive, Barry O'Neil says this new find is very disappointing and will be particularly hard for local growers and the regional committee.

O'Neil says that Whangarei growers and the regional committee were successful keeping Psa-V out of the region for more than four years.

"The fact Whangarei is located between two positive regions, and is only now being confirmed with Psa-V, is testament to the highly proactive approach they have taken over the last few years."

"However, it has been a cold, wet winter and spring is always a nervous wait as we start to see what effect the winter has had on orchards. This spring KVH has had reporting of more widespread infection in all positive regions – worse than the last couple of years so this result in Whangarei is not entirely unexpected."

Symptoms are only now starting to show, but based on the dieback and exudate, it is likely the disease has been present for some time.

"Every grower in every region should be proactively monitoring their vines and maintaining a robust spray programme this spring to protect their orchards as much as possible."

 

Growers in the Whangarei area are advised the following:

· Monitor orchards extensively and report any suspicious Psa-V symptoms to KVH on 0800 665 825.

· Maintain strict orchard hygiene procedures as per KVH Best Practice: Orchard Hygiene. Refer to www.kvh.org.nz/hygiene.

· Implement and maintain a protective spray programme. KVH recommends a copper spray application as soon as possible. Refer to the spring spray programme in the Psa-V Seasonal Management Guide available on the KVH website www.kvh.org.nz/seasonal_advice.

· No kiwifruit plant material, including budwood and nursery stock, along with any potentially contaminated orchard equipment, can be moved between orchards.

More like this

MPI cuts 391 jobs

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) has informed staff it will cut 391 jobs following a consultation period.

Featured

Australia develops first local mRNA FMD vaccine

Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.

NZ household food waste falls again

Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.

Editorial: No joking matter

OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter