Kiwifruit disease found in Aust
The lethal strain of the Psa bacteria has arrived for the first time in Australia where it has been detected on a kiwifruit orchard owned by Te Puke-based company Seeka Industries.
In 2010 the disease wreaked havoc on the New Zealand kiwifruit industry, forcing large numbers out of business until the new Psa-tolerant gold variety SunGold helped rescue the situation.
Seeka commercial manager Rob Twogood said the orchard where the outbreak occurred in Australia has now been isolated and officials were trying to track down the source.
Listed company Seeka is the largest kiwifruit grower in New Zealand and Australia, and the second-largest packhouse operator.
Last year its turnover was $16.5 million from its Australian operation, with a before-tax profit of $2.25 million.
It owns nine large orchards plus post-harvest facilities in Victoria that supply Australian retailers with a large portion of Australia’s locally grown kiwifruit, nashi and pears.
There it grows the EnzaGold variety owned by T&G Global, and some green kiwifruit. Last year it sold 823,711 trays.
There are two Psa strains: Psalv (less virulent), which is thought to be relatively benign, and Psa-v (virulent), the more deadly strain. A mild form of the disease was detected in Australia in 2011.
Agriculture Victoria chief plant health officer Rosa Crnov said Seeka had done the right thing in contacting them.
‘‘They are very well aware of this disease and know how to manage it. We’ve got everything in place … they’ve been destroying symptomatic material.
‘‘We do feel like it has been contained,’’ Crnov said.