Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) has received a provisional Psa-V positive test result on a Hort16A vine in an orchard near Maungatapere in the Whangarei region of New Zealand, the organisation has announced, with the verification process underway and the result expected on Friday.
Assuming the result is confirmed Psa-V positive, this will be the first confirmed case of the kiwifruit vine-killing disease in the Whangarei region, KVH said.
As a result, the industry body has established a provisional Whangarei controlled area around the affected orchard, including 32 orchards near Maungatapere in the Whangarei region.
The growers within the newly established controlled area are being advised of the situation, and KVH has revealed that it will hold a meeting for Whangarei growers on 9 November.
KVH chief executive, Barry O’Neil, said the test result is likely to be Psa-V positive: 'The symptoms on the vine sample are consistent with Psa-V symptoms. As part of the KVH verification process in new regions, the sample is tested by two laboratories before we can confirm a positive result. At this stage only one laboratory has returned positive results.'
The news comes the day after KVH announced that it has received a positive Psa-V test result on an orchard near Hamilton in the Waikato region.
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