ZESPRI MEDIA UPDATE

12:30 pm 14 November 2010

New Zealand Kiwifruit Industry – Psa Information Update

LATEST STATISTICS:

1. Orchards issued with a ‘restricted place notice’ by MAF (#11)

2. Total orchards tested (#38 - 8 positive, 28 negative, 2 pending)

• Orchards that have had Psa confirmed (#8)

- The 8 orchards are all in the greater Te Puke Region (taking in Paengaroa)

• Orchards with negative result (#28)

- Including in the Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and Kerikeri

• Orchards with pending results (#2)

3. Emails through the ZESPRI Grower Contact Centre to report symptoms or no symptoms (#558)

a) Emails with photos of potential symptoms (#176)

b) Emails to confirm their orchard is clear of symptoms (#382)

c) Orchards currently being investigated by MAF (#82) up to 300 samples are being collected from each site

LATEST INFORMATION:

Psa symptoms on one affected orchard:

• Advanced symptoms have been observed on, and are limited to, one orchard to date.

• Symptoms include red exudate from the vine and the dieback of shoots and canes.

• The presence of these symptoms indicate a rapid progression of the disease on this orchard since leaf spotting was first identified.

Activities on orchards:

• Growers at the worst affected orchards have commenced cutting back of vines and the removal of plant material under the management of MAF and AsureQuality.

• Copper spraying has been completed at one orchard and is nearing completion on a second. Spraying is expected to commence on a third orchard within the next day.

KEY MESSAGES FOR GROWERS:

• Technical information and resources are available to growers on www.zespricanopy.com

• Growers are asked to review the information on a regular basis as it is being updated frequently.

KEY MESSAGES FOR CONSUMERS:

• Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa) is a bacterial disease that carries no risks associated with human or animal health, and does not affect plants other than kiwifruit vines.

ENDS

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