Myrtle rust hits Waikato

The destructive plant disease myrtle rust has spread to Waikato after being positively identified in a small number of plants at a Te Kuiti nursery.

The discovery was made as a result of the Ministry for Primary Industries tracing sales of plants from another positive nursery. MPI said its personnel in Te Kuiti had placed restrictions on the movement of risk goods from the property, which will be treated with fungicide.

MPI will continue to search surrounding areas for signs of the disease, which attacks various species of plants in the myrtle family including pohutukawa, rata, manuka, gum, bottlebrush and feijoa.

This new find brings the latest tally on Wednesday to 16 – 13 in Taranaki, two in Kerikeri and one in Te Kuiti.

Peter Fraser, owner of wholesale nursery Growing Spectrum near Hamilton, said his company had taken steps to guard against the arrival of the disease, which is thought to have blown over from Australia.

‘‘For a start we grow a limited range of myrtle species because we can get 6 degree frosts here, so we have no pohutukawa or manuka. We grow about eight species.

‘‘We took all of them out and showed them to staff so they can identify them. We have started a once-a-week preventative spraying programme,’’ Fraser said.

When plants leave the nursery they are closely checked over to make sure they carry no disease and the nursery trucks are cleaned every week. Pallets and trolleys are also regularly sterilised.

Fraser said he feared what late spring might bring.

‘‘I wonder where else it might be hiding and where it will be found when the weather really starts to warm up in November and December.’’

While in the short term the disease might cost, opportunities would arise for nurseries which managed to develop resistant strains.

In Taranaki the properties include plant nurseries, plant retailers/distributors, orchards and private gardens. The Kerikeri cases are a nursery and a neighbouring garden.

The nursery industry, and feijoa and eucalyptus growers are keeping a nervous watch for the rust which was first spotted on the New Zealand mainland on May 2.

The New Zealand Plant Producers Incorporated (NZPPI) board chairman Andrew Harrison described nurseries as ‘‘sentinel sites’’ at which professional plant people were spotting myrtle rust on young growth.

Represented by NZPPI, the nursery industry is a $500 million business employing 3500 people. There are 79 nurseries in the country, 166 retailers, and 46 allied nursery and garden product suppliers.

As part of the response to myrtle rust, MPI has closed down the affected nurseries and retailers while the plants are destroyed and the surrounding areas sprayed. Owners are compensated for losses.

Any suspected signs of myrtle rust ring 0800 80 99 66.