DISEASE FEARS THREATEN NZ KIWIFRUIT

Posted in : Diseases

(added few months ago!)

A kiwifruit orchard is under quarantine after the discovery of a disease which may be the same as that which has caused substantial damage to green and gold fruit in Italy. Peter Ombler, president of New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers, would not confirm the location of the North Island orchard but said reports that a strain of the bacterial kiwifruit vine disease, Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa), may be present on the orchard were first made on Friday.

"Tests are under way to find out exactly what the disease is and at this stage we don't know what we are dealing with. It could be virulent, it could be harmless," he said. The disease does not pose a food safety risk for those eating kiwifruit. Kiwifruit vines are coming into flower now and have yet to set fruit which won't begin to be harvested until March or April next year. Kiwifruit exports are worth more than $1.5 billion to New Zealand. In the year to November 2009, kiwifruit exports amounted to 64.4 per cent of fruit and nut exports, and 45.7 per cent of all horticultural exports from New Zealand. Biosecurity Minister David Carter has just issued a statement reassuring kiwifruit growers that the Government was "treating the discovered vine infection on a North Island kiwifruit orchard very seriously, and is making all necessary resources available." "Swift action is underway to confirm whether the vine infection is Psa, a bacterial kiwifruit vine disease. MAF Biosecurity New Zealand is working closely with ZESPRI, Plant & Food Research and New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc," said Carter. "We are confident that robust testing will quickly determine the next steps. "This potential risk to our kiwifruit industry is being taken seriously. While the strain of the disease is not yet known, all necessary precautions have been put in place on the orchard to avoid the disease spreading. "It is imperative that a considered and responsible approach to this potential threat is taken by all primary sector stakeholders while the kiwifruit industry and Government works out exactly what we are dealing with," said Carter.

It is not yet known what effect Psa would have on the kiwifruit industry here if it is confirmed. It is understood the disease acts differently in different parts of the world - Japan still produces kiwifruit despite the disease having been detected. While he was not aware of the Psa scare, Andrew Coker chief executive of Priority One - the Western Bay of Plenty's economic development agency - said anything that threatened the kiwifruit industry was of extreme concern. The kiwifruit industry represented 20 per cent of the Western Bay of Plenty's GDP, he said. "It's a very significant industry and a large employer, increasingly so throughout the year with seasonal changes with different varieties. "It's a leading export industry and is in substantial growth mode." The industry had doubled in size in the last 10 years, and at the Zespri AGM in August a commitment was made to triple exports by 2021, he said. "There's not many industries in New Zealand with that scale of growth." Concerns raised by the orchardist and a consultant were first reported to Plant&Food, Ombler said. MAF Biosecurity New Zealand and kiwifruit exporter Zespri were informed and a series of meetings with industry players were held throughout the weekend. "It is appropriate that we act with caution until we know exactly what we are dealing with. The strength of the kiwifruit industry is that it is integrated and it is possible to involve key players at very short notice," Ombler said. MAF Biosecurity New Zealand said it should be known by Wednesday if the vine infection was Psa. Precautions had been taken to mitigate any risk of spread, including issuing a Restricted Place Notice on the orchard, MAF Biosecurity said a statement. If Psa is confirmed, MAFBNZ would work with Zespri and NZKGI to implement an agreed action plan. Meantime, Zespri is keeping industry leaders up to date with the current situation, while seeking to understand how widespread the issue may be and to encourage best-practice orchard hygiene. Ombler said bacterial diseases in kiwifruit were not uncommon and most could be controlled by normal orchard management techniques. Even if the disease was identified as Psa, it may not present the same problems for New Zealand growers as it had for those in Italy where growing conditions were different, he said. HortNZ president Andrew Fenton said there was an "embargo" on information and he did not wish to comment until later today.

See the Maf news release here. * Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa or batteriosi) is a disease that affects kiwifruit (actinidia) * Psa has never been confirmed as being present in New Zealand. * First identified on green kiwifruit vines (Hayward) in Japan about 25 years ago. * Psa was first identified on green kiwifruit vines in Italy in 1992 and has caused substantial damage to both green and yellow-fleshed kiwifruit in recent years. * Psa is also present in Japan and Korea where the disease is controlled by implementing appropriate agriculture practices RELATED POSTS
Psa is a bacterial canker of kiwifruit caused by Pseudomonas syringae pv. Actinidiae. Firstidentified in Japan in the 1980s where the disease caused damage in kiwifruit orchards it has since also been identifi ed in Korea where it also caused economic losses. Psa was first noticed in Northern Italy in 1992 where it remained sporadic and with a low incidence for around fifteen years. In 2007/2008 economic losses started to be observed particularly in the Lazio re gion and the possible spread of the disease, to other kiwifruit producing regions in Italy, began to cause concern. Psa is continuing to emerge in the Mediterranean region where the European & Mediterranean Plant Protection Organisation (EPPO) Secretariat has included the disease to the EPPO Alert List. Symptoms are usually expressed during spring and autumn when climatic conditions are favourable ie cool temperatures, persistent rains and high humidity. Psa is temperature sensitive and active between 10 t o 20 degrees but limited by temperatures over 25 degrees. The disease can be spread via windborne pollen, strong winds, heavy rainfalls, animals and humans. The bacterium infects the plant through natural aperatures (stomata and leaf axis) and wounds. Symptoms: Psa symptoms include angular spots often associated with a halo although not all leaf spots clearly exhibit the halo, brown discolouration of buds and exudation of red -rusty gum although not all symptoms appear at the same time. Control Strategies: Chemical control has been implemented in Japan (copper compounds/ antibiotics) with mixed results as the treatment led to the appearance of resistant strains. Other preventative measures to ensure plants remain in high health, and not prone to infection, i nclude good fertilisation, avoidance of overhead irrigation, disinfection of pruning equipment, pruning and destruction of diseased material, regular inspections of orchards for symptoms of the disease and the use of healthy plant stock. Research is underway to better understand the biology of the disease and avoid further spread in Europe.

f Kiwifruit Sales
New Zealand, the worlds third- largest kiwifruit producer, said tests have confirmed that a bacterial vine disease never before found in the country has infected a North Island orchard. More testing is under way to determine the strain of the disease, Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae, which was found on a nu mber of vines in the orchard located in the Bay of Plenty area, the Ministry of Agricult ure and Forestry said in an e- mailed statement. It placed entry restrictions on the orchard yesterday to avoid the possible spread of the infection. Overseas experience has shown the potential for this disease to have devastating effects on kiwifruit pr oduction, Seeka Kiwfruit Industries Ltd. said today in a statement. Confirmation of the strain may take up to three weeks, it said.

New Zealands kiwifruit industry earned NZ$1.4 billion ($1.1 billion) in the year ending March 31, according to Zespri G roup Ltd, the worlds largest marketer of the fruit. The country exports about 30 percent of the worlds total. The ministrys key focus is understanding the spread of the bacteria in New Zealand,, according to its statement. Industry meetings will be held today to better understand and mitigate any risks associated with the spread of the disease.

Crop Volumes
An outbreak of PSA may reduce crop volumes and cause market restrictions that affect growers returns, Satara Co -operative Group Ltd said in a statement yesterday. It was first identified on green kiwifruit vines in Italy in 1992, and has caused substanti al damage to kiwifruit in recent years, according to the Biosecurity New Zealand website. The disease is spread by airborne spores and can move easily between plants and orchards, according to the website. It carrie s no risks to human or animal health and doesnt affect plants other than kiwifruit vines. The symptoms are brown leaf spots sometimes surrounded by a yellowish halo. This potential risk to our kiwifruit industry is being taken seriously, Biosecurity Minister David Carter said in a stateme nt yesterday. It is imperative that a considered and reasonable approach to this potential threat is taken by all primary sector stakeholders.

What is PSA?

Pseudomonas syringe pave actinidiae (known as PSA or batteriosi) is a bacterial disease that affects kiwifruit (Actinidia) vines. PSA poses no risks to human or animal health and does not affect plants other than kiwifruit vines. The disease impacts the health and viability of the plant, not the fruit directly. It is spread by airborne spores, meaning it is easily spread by heavy rain, strong winds, animals and hum ans.

What effect does it have on kiwifruit plants?

Early symptoms of the disease are brown, angular leaf spots, sometimes surrounded by a yellow halo, and leaf curl. In some cases in Italy, the bacteria has entered the cane of the vine causing visible cank ers and can result in vine dieback or death of the plant.

What effects has it had on kiwifruit markets?

The disease was first seen on green kiwifruit vines in Japan about 25 years ago and on green kiwifruit vines in Italy in 1992. In recent years, outbreaks of PSA have devastated the industry in the northern Italian region of Lazio, including wiping out a New Zealand-owned gold kiwifruit orchard in the region. The disease is estimated to have cost Italy around 2 million euros. The disease has had different impacts in different environments PSA is present in Japan and Korea, but the disease is controlled. New Zealand Plant & Food Research says the impact PSA has depends on the environment and also how it is managed.

What does it mean for New Zealand?

The discovery of PSA at a Te Puke orchard is the first time the disease has been found in New Zealand. The strain of the case found is yet to be determined, as is how it got into the country or what sort of effect it will have on the plants here. Kiwifruit exports are worth more than $1.5 billion to the New Zealand economy. New Zealands vines are coming into flower now and have yet to set fruit, which will not begin to be harvested until autumn 2011

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