New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries has shelved a potential treatment for the Psa vine disease.
Kiwifruit growers in the Bay of Plenty area have imported Italian fertiliser Yeti F to combat the disease, injecting it directly into the stumps of their vines.
However, the ministry said the practice must stop, with importer Perazim Technology told trials must wait until the product has been given provisional research approval.
The ministry has allowed one trial to continue in a controlled glasshouse with results expected next month.
The ministry said New Zealand had an obligation to domestic and international markets when it came to controlling the use of chemicals on its food crops.
Meanwhile, New Zealand protective canopy company Procan Limited also believes it has a solution to the Psa problem.
Growers are placing orders with the company for a shelter which protects vines from water and stops the disease from growing.
The cost for coving kiwifruit vines is around $125,000 a hectare.
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