Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus has been found in the Carnarvon region. The Western Australian Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) says it is very concerned about finding the potentially deadly plant virus in one of the state's main horticultural production zones.
Abc.net.au reports that statewide voluntary testing found two cases of the virus in the region.
The disease was first found in Western Australia in a cucumber crop near Geraldton last month.
CGMMV affects a range of cucurbit crops, like melons and cucumbers, and can cause substantial losses.
The department says there are now six properties confirmed as infected near Geraldton, and in Carnarvon one commercial property has tested positive and the virus has also been found in a fence-line weed.
DAFWA senior researcher Sonya Broughton said they were hoping the decease would be confined to Geraldton.
"The new detection in Carnarvon is obviously very problematic for that area because it's quite a common weed and it is quite wide spread through Carnarvon," she said.
There has been fruit damage and plant deaths caused by the virus in Geraldton, but Ms Broughton said the virus was not transmitted by effected fruit.
"The fruit can still be sold, there is no issue with the growers actually selling the fruit," she said.
"The badly affected fruit is not going to be marketable but the fruit that is saleable can actually be sold as the fruit is not regarded to be on a risk pathway."
