New Zealand plant health authorities have confirmed the presence of kiwifruit vine disease Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (PSA) in three Bay of Plenty orchards.
Five orchards have been issued with restricted-place notices by the authorities to try to prevent the spread of the disease and NZ kiwifruit marketer Zespri has received 65 emails containing photos of suspected symptoms. NZ ministry of agriculture & forestry (MAF) officials are investigating 20 orchards.
PSA causes a brown discolouration of buds, dark brown and yellow marks on leaves and rusty-red cankers on twigs and trunks. It can cause fruit to collapse and plant material to wilt and die, leading to major commercial losses. The disease has never been found in New Zealand before but has caused sporadic losses in Italy over the last two decades.
MAF response manager David Yard is urging people to stay away from kiwifruit orchards. “While we are still gathering information on the situation, it is vital that biosecurity precautions are met and that anyone other than officials involved remains out of the area to avoid any unnecessary risk of spreading the infection,” he said.
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