Panama disease fears for Tully tree

SAMPLES from a banana tree on a Tully farm suspected of being infected with Panama disease have been sent to Brisbane for testing.

The Australian Banana Growers’ Council confirmed last night that a Tully banana farm operating with Panama tropical race 4 ( TR4) had had samples from another suspect plant sent away for testing.

The Townsville Bulletin understands the suspect plant was identified on Tuesday. The office of Agriculture Minister Mark Furner was not aware of the discovery when contacted yesterday afternoon, but the ABGC confirmed last night that testing was taking place.

The suspect plant was found on the Tully Valley property through routine onfarm surveillance and an initial molecular ( PCR) test of the plant has returned a positive result for TR4.

However, it could be up to several weeks before definitive test results from further biological testing are known.

ABGC chair Stephen Lowe stressed that while the possible detection was not good news for the farm involved, it did not greatly alter operations on the existing infested property.

“From the perspective of the grower involved it is obviously disappointing,” Mr Lowe said.

“However, this farm has been operating under strict risk- minimisation biosecurity control measures since its initial detection, and a further suspect plant does not change the biosecurity situation on this property, because they are already successfully operating with this disease.”

The same farm had an initial positive TR4 detection confirmed on July 26, 2017.

“For the property to have gone almost 12 months without any new detections is quite remarkable considering this disease has spread so rapidly in other countries across the world.”