"Chile: Feared "PSA" kiwi bacteria may have arrived to Ñuble province"

On 17 October Chile's Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) officially announced that the feared Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (PSA) bacteria, which is causing severe damage to kiwi crops in the Maule region, has already arrived in the 8th Region, more specifically to San Carlos, in the province of Ñuble, Chile, and is affecting gold kiwis, which is more susceptible to this disease.

The official statement says: "As a result of tests for the detection of PSA in kiwi crops, 16 new orchards have returned positive results, bringing the total number of PSA-affected orchards to date to 30, all located in the Maule Region except for one in Bío Bío."

SAG also urged "the kiwi industry, including producers outside of these regions, to adopt the necessary prevention measures to stop the spread of the plague and implement a work plan including strict control on plant material transportation, the movement of people, tool disinfection, among other things, to mitigate the risk of the disease spreading."

Furthermore, SAG announced that it will strengthen its phytosanitary measures, which must be applied to orchards that returned positive results and those in areas at risk. "It is essential for producers to adopt urgent prevention measures and to contact SAG for information about the plague, control strategies and any necessary management plans." Those interested in the topic are invited to access more information at the website www.sag.cl, where a special banner can be found at the right-hand side with the title "Bacteriosis en cultivos de Kiwi" (Bacterial disease in kiwi crops).

Source: Diarioladiscusion