By ANNE BESTON
The cost of a late-summer salad is about to rise dramatically thanks to a tiny lettuce-munching insect.
The lettuce aphid, discovered in Christchurch almost a year ago, has now infected up to 80 per cent of the lettuce crop at Auckland's "food bowl", Pukekohe.
"Growers are just rotary-hoeing them into the ground because we want to try and get rid of this thing," said Auckland Retail Fruiterers Association chief executive Ash Jeram.
At this time of year, the humble iceberg lettuce usually retails for around 95c but the price is rising rapidly, with $2.50 now common and more increases on the way.
The aphid, Nasonovia ribis-nigri, has now been found at Gisborne, Poverty Bay and Pukekohe, although Horowhenua is still free of the pest.
Retailers in Auckland are getting lettuces from Horowhenua but demand is outstripping supply.
Other growers, with help from Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and Crop and Food scientists, are urgently searching for a pesticide cocktail that will work against the aphid but that would take time, said Mr Jeram.
Unlike a lot of other crop pests, the lettuce aphid feeds on the plant from the inside, making it difficult to reach with conventional sprays.
While the aphid has affected mainly iceberg lettuce, other varieties could also be affected, he said. And "fancy" lettuce varieties not susceptible to the aphid would likely become more expensive as demand increased.
Lettuce prices soar as aphids dine out
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