Farmers’ questions on CGMMV to be answered

A meeting is today being held in Katherine to start developing the National Management Plan for the Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic virus, which affects cucumbers, zucchinis, melons, Asian melons, squash and pumpkins causing severe losses and arrived in the Northern Territory, affecting 15 melon and vegetable farms. “The virus response is very much a changing landscape,” notes Greg Owens, Vegetable Grower and Engagement Officer with the Northern Territory Farmers Association.

“It’s now started to impact on Darwin vegetable growers. At the moment it can be devastating because it is limiting market access interstate where the bulk of the Territory Dry season melon and vegetable production is sold.” “ It has had a big impact already on lifestyle with greatly reduced social interactions between farmers, as farmers lock their gates to limit access on to their farms.” The key concern is market access to other states, and impact on the $60 million cucurbit industry, but some melon growers have already said that so far the virus has not yet affected their farms and they are implementing a strict farm biosecurity plan to try and keep the virus out of their farms. . “There are the melons and cucumbers and some Asian melon crops we can still do really well,” says Mr Owens. 

 

As strict testing is being carried out in the Northern Territory, the national plan is needed to ensure that all states meet the same requirements to prevent the spread of the virus. “We would like to be sure the other states’ testing is at the same level. Everyone has to learn to deal with this,” notes Mr Owens.

 

One solution being explored for Northern Territory growers is implementing shade house growing similar to what is seen in parts of Europe where the virus has been found. “You can effectively treat each house like a quarantine zone. The actual re-infection rate is very low,” Mr Owens says. “You’re never sure where it’ll pop up though, as there are so many avenues to spread this particular disease. It is also found to host in some weeds as well as the cucurbit crops.”

 

The meeting to develop the management plan is happening two weeks after the virus was declared impossible to eradicate by the National Management Group. It was first detected in 2014 in 5 farms, but has since spread. Farmers have raised many questions about what on farm biosecurity processes to implement to protect their farms, and whether they will be able to keep sending to southern states, which the plan aims to address.