Demonstrating continued value in reporting the unusual, KVH received information early January about significant leaf skeletonisation.
Initially seen on a pear tree adjacent to kiwifruit, the concern was that the insect might move across to the adjacent kiwifruit crop. With help from experts at Plant & Food Research we were able to confirm the damage was not a new association and caused by a pest called “pear slug”, or pear saw fly larvae, known to be more prevalent during hot summers.
The pest is quite easy to control, by spraying with water or dusting the affected tree with wood ash or lime, and we were able to pass this on to the grower and allay any fears of a biosecurity risk.
Pear slug causing skeletonisation on leaves and reported to KVH.
Reporting unusual symptoms and pests like this is a good thing – it shows that as an industry we are all on the lookout and aware of the need to report potential biosecurity threats that could be significant risks to the industry.
The information we then gain and can share with other growers helps identify similar symptoms they may be seeing on their own properties and assists with on-orchard management and plant health.
Primary industry trial of online traceability programme
Several primary industry sector groups have joined forces to trial an online biosecurity traceability programme that will test whether it makes it easier and faster to detect and respond to outbreaks of pests and diseases.
Biosecurity New Zealand, KVH, New Zealand Winegrowers, NZ Pork, Aquaculture New Zealand, New Zealand Avocado, and New Zealand Apples and Pears have signed a memorandum of understanding with New Zealand Agri-Tech company Onside.
Onside will work with each organisation to roll out and evaluate the effectiveness of its biosecurity traceability programme, called Onside Intelligence, in their sectors.
The MOU outlines plans for a comprehensive six-month evaluation to gauge how well Onside’s traceability programme works across the primary sectors covered by GIA parties.
A reminder also that through Onside, kiwifruit growers can already quickly and easily record all mandatory information of plant material movement to satisfy Pathway Management Plan and GAP requirements. All users of the Onside app can use this free functionality - all you need to do is:
- download Onside from your app store (Apple or Google Play)
- check-in to a property
record your plant movement details at anytime while checked-in. You can record source; destination; date; property KPIN; type; and volume.
Growers can still keep physical records of plant material movements, but this free digital option has been designed to simplify the process of providing plant movement records as part of a GAP audit.
For more information: kvh.org.nz