KVH last week facilitated it’s twice-annual KiwiNet workshop, with around 35 participants from MPI and industry stakeholders in attendance. The aim of the workshop was to engage with the group, inform them of emerging biosecurity threats and to discuss ways KiwiNet will be involved for any future responses.
The number of challenges facing MPI at the border is increasing every year. From a volume and risk point of view, this summer is likely to exceed any that have come before.
Psa can be spread through movement of infected plant material, including budwood. Presently there is no effective way to ‘clean’ infected material or guarantee the Psa status of any material.
Orchards in the Bay of Plenty and other regions have continued to be battered by strong winds over the past fortnight with cane loss and severe leaf damage, particularly in high altitude and/or wind exposed Hayward canopies. Elevated levels of Psa leaf spot and flower-bud infection are also being seen on these orchards as pollination continues. Leaf spotting has also been reported on a few Gold3 blocks.
MPI and GIA partners hosted the Protecting to Grow New Zealand Biosecurity Forum last week, which included national and international experts speaking about the future of biosecurity in New Zealand. Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy also launched the Biosecurity 2025 Direction Statement. The second day of the forum provided opportunity for discussion and contribution through workshops focused on each of the five key strategic directions.
Hill Laboratories will receive samples up to Friday 16 December 2016. Any samples received on or before this date should have results reported prior to Christmas.
HortPlus NZ and KVH have recently produced a suite of online training videos, designed to assist with using the Psa Risk Model and associated weather tools.
Over the past three months, KVH has hosted British PhD student, Stuart Woodcock (pictured) from the John Innes Centre in England. Stuart has been in New Zealand undertaking a review of the research and development surrounding Psa during an internship as part of his PhD, which involves researching pseudomonas bacteria, particularly Psa and its ability to cause infection within plants.