Actigard manufacturer Syngenta, will not be renewing the limited label claim on soil-applied Actigard from May 2016. Therefore, from May onwards soil-applied Actigard will be considered off-label use. However, it may still be approved by Zespri under Justified Approval (JA).

Foliar-applied Actigard is not affected by this change.

Please contact Sylvia Warren, Crop Protection Advisor on spraydiary@zespri.com for more information on a JA.

Record numbers of arriving passengers into NZ over the 2015/16 summer have kept border biosecurity defences busy over the season.

However, strengthened biosecurity measures have stopped hitchhiking pests and diseases from entering New Zealand without affecting passenger processing time. In fact, processing time is down on last year, and compliance rates (the amount of times MPI correctly detects risk goods carried by passengers) are up at 99%.

Significantly, these detections included 14 fruit fly found on passengers—reflecting the biosecurity risk pressure at our borders.

Strengthened biosecurity measures include:

• 90 new frontline officers and 24 new detector dog teams
• Introduction of a mobile x-ray scanner to clear cruise ship passengers
• Raising risk assessment levels
• Heavy investment in public biosecurity awareness
• A stricter approach with fining passengers who break the rules

Click here to read more on MPI’s website.

MPI’s latest summer statistics are a good indication of the pressure New Zealand’s borders are facing. Here’s a snapshot of some interesting stats:

• 14—number of fruit flies intercepted in fresh produce risk items between December 2015 and February 2016
• 38—number of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (mostly dead) intercepted at the border
• 4148—undeclared risk items seized from air passengers, an increase of 28% from last summer
• 1109—risk items intercepted from cruise ship passengers, an increase of 84% from last summer
• 3.4—average risk items per cruise ship detected by biosecurity detector dogs
• 2288—infringement notices issued ($400 fine), an increase of 41% from last summer
• 343—number of inspections on arriving yachts
• 216—number of yachts carrying fruit fly risk items

Click here for full details.

Immediately following harvest, growers should be getting copper spray programmes underway to help prevent Psa entering their vines through harvest wounds and leaf scars.

Incorporation of Actigard into a post-harvest programme will reduce the likelihood of disease symptoms appearing the following spring. Actigard can be tank mixed with copper and is most effective when applied to leaves that are still in good condition. Extreme care must be taken to avoid spray drift onto unharvested blocks.

Following the discovery of copper-tolerant and streptomycin-resistant Psa developing on some orchards, a robust spray programme and cutting out infected material is particulary important through autumn and winter to reduce the spread of these new Psa strains.

Best practice advice for post-harvest protection and managing tolerance and resistance:

• Starting after harvest, maintain a comprehensive copper programme through autum and winter including a minimum of five copper applications at full winter rates.
• Ensure water rates are sufficient for complete canopy coverage. The addition of spreaders will improve coverage.
• As autumn progresses, maintain copper cover to protect fresh leaf scars. This is particularly important following the use of leaf drop sprays.
• Carry out good tool hygiene between vines during winter pruning and remove infected material from orchards.
• Apply coppers prior and post winter pruning.

Autumn and winter are high-risk periods for Psa-V. While vines are dormant the disease can still be active and enter through pruning wounds, new grafts and frost-damaged tissue.

For more information, refer to KVH’s Psa-V Best Practice Guide at www.kvh.org.nz/seasonal_advice.

Any growers concerned they may not be achieving the expected levels of Psa control from copper applications at label rates should contact KVH on 0800 665 825 or email info@kvh.org.nz.

Young plants, or vines newly grafted this season should be protected through the autumn period—particularly those located in frost-prone sites or close to Psa-V affected locations.

New leaf spot symptoms are being seen on a number of sites indicating a lift in Psa-V activity as we begin to experience colder wetter weather periods.

A protective spray programme re-establishing copper cover is now high priority to protect young tissue and plants.

The KVH Psa-V Risk Model has predicted high risk periods for Psa-V over the last few weeks with these periods matching periods of rainfall.

An incoming passenger from Hong Kong was refused entry into New Zealand by border officials after a biosecurity detector dog sniffed out lemons concealed in her pants at Auckland Airport. The passenger was returned to Hong Kong on the next available flight.

KVH strongly supports the action taken by Immigration NZ and MPI which sends a firm message to those who deliberately smuggle high-risk food items into NZ.

Lemons from offshore can harbour unwanted pests like fruit fly, which would have a devastating impact on New Zealand’s horticulture industries if it were to enter and establish here. 

Read MPI’s press release here.

 On 1 October 2016 new conditions around buying and selling kiwifruit plants will come into effect when the Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) becomes mandatory.

This means only KPCS-certified kiwifruit plants may be bought or sold after this date. However, growers will still be able to ‘grow for their own use’ up to 1000 kiwifruit plants for movement between their own properties within the same Psa-V region.

In the March Kiwiflier growers will have received an information sheet about the KPCS, outlining their options and requirements from 1 October – click here for the online version.

It is important growers are not only aware of their options from 1 October, but they also need to order kiwifruit plants for the upcoming season well in advance (at least one year) to enable nurseries to anticipate demand.

The KPCS has been in place for almost two years and some nurseries have already joined the Scheme and are producing certified plants in several regions – click here for the list of these nurseries.

In 2012 KVH developed the Psa-V biosecurity pocket guide and translated it into several languages to promote harvest hygiene messages.

Growers and contractors are reminded that prior to any movement of orchard machinery they should refer to the relevant KVH Protocol, to confirm whether permission from KVH is required.  The need for permission is dependent on the regional classification of where you are moving the machinery from or to.  This includes movement of tractors from a machinery sales yard.

Click here to view the KVH Protocol for orchard machinery and infrastructure. 

Kiwifruit trunks make great firewood, but growers and orchard managers are reminded of movement control rules for all kiwifruit plant material moving off an orchard.  This includes kiwifruit trunks used as firewood.

KVH permission is required if kiwifruit firewood is moved from a Psa-V positive orchard.  The only circumstance under which a permission may be given is if the firewood is moved to a location within the same Recovery region.  The firewood must be covered in transit.

Moving kiwifruit firewood from a Psa-V positive orchard to a location in a different region, is prohibited. The reason for this rule is to restrict movement of kiwifruit plant material across regions and reduce the risk of resistant bacteria or other pathogens or pests being moved significant distances.  KVH wants consistency in managing risk associated with the movement of all plant material.

The KVH Protocol for movement of kiwifruit firewood can be viewed here. 

The rule of thumb is to dispose of all kiwifruit plant material on the property of origin using approved disposal methods.  These include mulching, burial or burning.  Further information can be found in the KVH Protocol for disposal methods, which can be viewed here.  

Do not throw the trunks over a bank as they are likely to regrow and cost the landowner to control as wild kiwifruit.

MPI has released a consultation package asking industry for comments on its proposed approach for determining a fruit fly export restriction zone (ERZ) during an incursion. This consultation package is comprised of the following: 

• Discussion document - Contingency export protocols during Fruit Fly Incursion into New Zealand and Implications for Phytosanitary Policy for the Management of Offshore Pest Free Areas; and 
• Technical paper - Evaluation of import and export parameters for fruit fly export restriction zones.