Plant Pass Winter 2023 Newsletter
Plant Pass update June 2023
Congratulations to all our newly certified and registered nurseries. We are delighted to announce that we now have 18 certified nurseries with a further 56 registered. For a full list of our plant producer biosecurity exemplars, click here.
We have some more free Plant Pass workshops coming up, including technical workshops for people who have attended the introductory workshop and want more in-depth knowledge.
In this Winter Newsletter you can find:
- An update from Robert Beresford, Plant and Food Research about his recent myrtle rust research.
- Plant Buyers' Accord update on signatory Action Plans.
- Summary of the Kaurilands Summit, which was sponsored by the Plant Buyers' Accord.
If you haven't already, check out the Plant Pass website where plant producers can register their interest in Plant Pass.
Ngā mihi nui,
The Plant Pass team
Annual invoice time
Plant Pass Annual Invoicing It's that time of the year again, registered and certified producers should have received their annual invoice. This fee has been kept to a minimum and it covers administration, updated technical resources, one-on-one support with the certification process, championing your business with visibility on the Plant Pass website and social media channels.
Please get in touch if you have any questions office@plantpass.org.nz.
Register for workshops
We have a series of Plant Pass introductory workshops and technical workshops coming up so reserve your place now.
The introductory workshops are the why, how, and what of Plant Pass and how to create a robust biosecurity risk management system.
Introductory workshop details:
- Palmerston North - Thursday 6 July, Conference & Function Centre
- Silverdale - Wednesday 12 July, Northridge Country Lodge
- Dunedin - Wednesday 9 August, Dunedin Airport Maungatua Room
We also have a series of technical workshops, which will cover crop monitoring, hygiene and traceability. The workshops are recommended for those who have attended the introductory workshop but want to upskill further or receive more guidance for certification.
Technical workshop details:
- Auckland - Wednesday 20th September, Butterfly Creek
- Hamilton - Thursday 12 October, Jet Park Hotel
- Christchurch - Thursday 9 November, Sudima Christchurch Airport
Workshops are from 9am-3pm. Book online https://www.plantpass.org.nz/workshops
Myrtle Rust Research Update
After a very intense season of myrtle rust around the country, we can expect less spore pustules and visible evidence of myrtle rust as the cold weather sets in across most of the country.
Although it may be 'dormant' in plants, latent myrtle rust infection can remain in the plant over winter with symptoms reappearing when weather warms up again. Be aware that this could lead to a large flush of severe infection in early spring.
An update from Robert Beresford, Plant & Food Research.
New knowledge and better tools to help the fight against myrtle rust in nurseries have been developed over summer 2022-23, through work by Dr Rob Beresford at Plant & Food Research (PFR).
These include improvements to the NZPPI weather risk tool, guidelines for ensuring fungicide resistance doesn’t develop, advice on spraying needs for different Myrtaceae species and non-chemical disease management measures to reduce the risk of myrtle rust in nurseries.
Producing vulnerable species, like pōhutukawa, ramarama, rōhutu and swamp maire, requires year round vigilance to ensure they have not become infected by myrtle rust.
However, myrtle rust risk changes over time, it is much greater in summer than winter and greater in more northern areas than further south.
PFR, in conjunction with HortPlus Ltd, have upgraded the weather risk tool to continuously assess weather conditions and make specific suggestions on when fungicide sprays should be applied to maintain protection. It takes account of differences in myrtle rust efficacy between fungicide products and the effect of heavy rainfall in washing fungicide off foliage.
The most effective fungicides against myrtle rust are modern synthetics that specifically target fungal plant pathogens. However, associated with their high efficacy is a risk that the target pathogen can develop resistance to them.
A new fungicide resistance prevention strategy has been developed for myrtle rust and is now available on the New Zealand Plant Protection Society website (Fungicide resistance management strategy for myrtle rust in NZ).
It indicates the maximum number of applications for fungicide groups at risk from resistance and how these groups should be mixed or alternated with other fungicide groups.
The risk of myrtle rust establishing in a nursery can be reduced by non-chemical disease management measures, including:
- Spacing vulnerable plants so that foliage is not touching to reduce the rate of myrtle rust spread if it arrives and make it easier to detect symptoms.
- Ensuring plants are in an area with air movement (wind) or provide fans to promote drying to reduce humidity and the risk of infection.
- Irrigating early morning on fine days to ensure foliage dries before humidity increases late afternoon. Install drip irrigation as opposed to overhead sprinklers.
- Avoid promoting excessive new growth in late spring and summer when warm temperatures favour infection. Do not fertilise or prune/trim plants during spring and summer.
Download Rob Beresford's 'Non-chemical management of myrtle rust in plant nurseries' report here
Plant Buyers Accord Action Plans
The Plant Buyers Accord works in tandem with Plant Pass. Signatories to the Plant Buyers’ Accord commit to use their influence to encourage and support producers signed up to Plant Pass. Accord signatories include plant buyers and those who influence and specify plant purchases such as local and central government agencies, sector advocates and agencies that own nurseries.
There are currently seven accord signatories. As part of the accord, signatories develop and release an action plan that is available on the Plant Pass Website. Two are currently available online:
Kaurilands Summit
Thank you to Shelley Ashton (Relationship Manager, Regional and Business Engagement at Biosecurity NZ) for representing Plant Pass and Plant Buyers’ Accord as a bronze sponsor at the Kaurilands Summit, Whangārei, May 2023.
New Zealand’s Biological Heritage hosted a well-attended Kaurilands Summit in Whangārei in May where over 200 people came together to hear about breaking news in the kauri ora and myrtle ora spaces. Research talks presented the latest findings within science and mātauranga Māori. The summit was an opportunity to learn, connect and develop relationships that will support protection of kauri into the future.
Summit attendees and speakers included several iwi, hapū, Te Tira Whakamātaki, Plant & Food Research, Northland Regional Council, several universities including the University of Hawai’i, Scion, Manaaki Whenau – Landcare Research, Pest Free Kaipātiki, Project Crimson and the NEXT Foundation. Networking sessions allowed for connecting and building on relationships throughout the country and across the world.
Keynote speakers included Lauren Waller, Science Lead, Tiakina Kauri, Kauri Protection Team at the Ministry for Primary Industries who showcased the work MPI is doing in partnership to protect kauri. Lauren talked about how Plant Pass provides a framework for supporting improvement of biosecurity risk management practices in nurseries and how plant buyers, funders and influencers have a role to play by joining the Plant Buyers’ Accord that encourages producers to become certified under the scheme.