KVH is investigating reports of two unpruned kiwifruit orchards – one near Whakatane and the other in Northwest Auckland.  Under the National Psa-V Pest Management Plan (NPMP) kiwifruit vines in an orchard must be winter pruned and tied down by 1 October each year. 

 The closing date for tenders for the control of wild kiwifruit in the Western Bay of Plenty is Friday 6 November at 4.00pm.  

On 9 October Onions New Zealand signed the Deed of the Government Industry Agreement for Biosecurity Readiness and Response at a ceremony in Pukekohe, becoming the first vegetable group and the sixth signatory to sign the Deed.

Last week KVH completed a second round of monitoring in the Whangarei region – covering 16A blocks in the controlled area and the orchards closest to the first positive orchard.

 A reminder to growers using bactericides that Kasumin© is only approved for use until three week before the start of flowering. For most regions and varieties this window has already closed. KeyStrepto™ may be used until seven days before the start of flowering (male or female). 

 KVH have recently reviewed the role of the KVH Regional Coordinator.  The Regional Coordinator role was established in the initial response to Psa to support growers and Post-harvest companies to work collectively in managing the Psa-V risk in their region.

• Discontinue with the Regional Coordinator roles in the wider Bay of Plenty including Opotiki, Edgecumbe, KatiKati and Waihi (they have already been discontinued in Te Puke and Tauranga). The Regional Coordinator function will be retained in other regions where Psa has established more recently and/or post-harvest support may not be as present.
• Incorporate a wider biosecurity function and reduce the Psa associated activities as appropriate. 
• Reduce funding to a maximum of $250 per month per region and encourage regions with reasonable fighting funds established to suspend payments until a need arises. 

Growers in Exclusion and Containment regions and also ‘Not Detected’ orchards in Recovery regions have until Saturday 31 October to report their mandatory monitoring results to KVH. 

An online reporting tool is available for growers to submit monitoring results directly to KVH. Click here to access this tool.

Historically, weather events over Labour weekend have resulted in Psa-V symptoms appearing shortly after. The weather around most of the north island this labour weekend is forecast for heavy rain and wind. Growers should be prepared for these high-risk spring weather events with protective sprays applied in the lead up to these events. Click here for the KVH recommended product list for this time of year.
 

KVH fully supports yesterday’s announcement by the Government to finalise the Border Clearance Levy on passengers entering New Zealand from 1 January 2016.

• The levy comes into effect on 1 January 2016 and will be NZ$18.76 + GST for air travellers and those arriving and departing on private craft, and NZ$22.80 + GST for cruise passengers.
• Passenger volumes are forecast to increase to 13.3 million by 2018/19.  This growth is expected to continue at around 3.5–4 percent per year.

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) carried out a thorough consultation process which the kiwifruit industry was actively engaged with.

KVH supports the levy as it will provide sustainable funding into the future and address New Zealand’s increasing biosecurity risks as more and more passengers enter New Zealand. As passenger numbers coming into New Zealand rise, so too does the risk of unwanted pests and diseases.

The levy creates a funding mechanism that can keep pace with the changing risk profile; and those that create risks at the border will fund the activities to mitigate them.

Click here for more information on the Government’s website.
 

While copper forms the base of the Psa-V spray programme through spring, products such as Actigard™ and Ambitious should also be included to provide additional protection against leaf spot and flower bud infection.

Trials have shown these products are most effective when applied before leafspot symptoms appear and most growing regions will be at, or fast approaching, a canopy stage suitable to application (pictured).

The best timing for Ambitious is mid-way between bud-break and flowering; or if two applications are planned, apply three weeks post bud-break, with the second two weeks later. As a guide, shoots should be around 100mm long. Use of this product on Gold varieties is not recommended.

Foliar Actigard™ may be applied as soon as the canopy is sufficiently developed for absorption. If vines are under stress from factors such as wind, frost and drought it may be prudent to delay applications until the canopy is more established.  A second application of Actigard™ immediately pre-flowering will assist with Psa-V protection during flowering.

Coppers need to be reapplied to match rate of shoot extension, with all sprays applied at label rates.  Maintain comprehensive spray programmes throughout spring, irrespective of weather patterns as risk events can arise quickly.  The removal of infected material from canopies is equally important in reducing risk of infection spread.
 

Growers with green blocks at high risk of bud-rot infection should be considering a pre-flower girdle now to manage flower bud infection risk.

Sepal staining and leafspot are beginning to show on some Hayward and G14 blocks (pictured) particularly in colder locations or where higher levels of Psa infection have occurred this spring.

Pre-flower trunk girdling provides a tool for reducing Psa-V bud-rot and increasing fruit-set for both Hayward and Green14 varieties. Best results are achieved when applied around 30 days before flowering.  Many orchards are now within, or fast approaching, this timing window.

For best results apply full girdles to both male and female vines and avoid girdling stressed plants. Choose a low-risk weather period, apply girdles to stumps in preference to young scions, girdle to the correct depth and ensure tools are sterilised between plants.

Even if sepal staining is already being seen, trial results suggest there is benefit in applying a pre-flower girdle.

This tool is strongly recommended for at-risk organic sites. Leave some vines un-girdled to gauge the effectiveness of this technique on your site.

Click here for further information on trunk girdling on the Zespri Canopy
 

Growers are encouraged to attend the upcoming inaugural Kiwifruit Innovation Symposium on Thursday 29 October which includes an interactive biosecurity workshop.

There has been a lot happening in the biosecurity space and the event provides a great opportunity to be updated on what’s happening and also discuss future ideas and opportunities.

The session will give an update on biosecurity threats and the activities being undertaken to mitigate these; and explore opportunities to enhance our system for reporting emerging risks and on-orchard biosecurity practices.

For more information and to book your tickets to the Symposium go to http://zesprievents.co.nz/