New Zealand kiwifruit marketer Zespri's general manager Psa innovation Dr David Tanner has outlined the methods being used to help the industry operate despite the spread of the bacterial vine infection.
Speaking at a conference in Tauranga, Tanner said that while a programme to produce a new variety of the fruit that is resistant to Psa had been stepped up, chemical use to protect the vines was proving an effective short-term solution, Radio New Zealand reported.
However, Tanner said that this chemical use was simply designed to buy the industry time, and that the long-term solution to Psa was to breed vines that co-exist with the disease.
While focusing on Psa tolerance and resistance was important, factors such as productivity and good taste should not be forgotten, he noted.
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