Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) biosecurity officials have banned the movement of kiwifruit plant material outside the Te Puke district affected by the Psa-V bacteria. The bacteria has infected a number of kiwifruit orchards in the area, and while there is no certainty that the bacteria is spread on plant material it is a possibility, prompting the action.
“We have established that plant material and rootstock may be able to carry Psa and relocate it to uninfected orchards,” says MAF response manager David Yard. “We need to ensure that plant material from the area known as the priority zone, or from the buffer area around it, is not moved to Psa-free areas.”
The movement ban does not include fruit or pollen.
Currently there are 239 orchards with confirmed cases of Psa, 83% of which are in the Te Puke region. Of these 122 orchards have been confirmed with Psa-V, while there are only two confirmed cases of the strain outside the Te Puke region.
Related posts:
