Bumper kiwifruit crop despite disease

Zespri sold 98.5m trays in 09/10. Photo / Alan Gibson

Next year's kiwifruit crop could be bigger than this year's, despite the billion-dollar industry grappling with a bacterial disease.

Zespri director of corporate and grower services Carol Ward said based on present information there would not be an impact on next year's crop volume.

"The extent of orchards with the infection is less than we would normally see in a seasonal variation so we still anticipate strong production," she said.

"And, fingers crossed, if growing conditions are good then we will see increased production coming through."

Exporter Zespri in its 2009/10 annual report said the volume of New Zealand-grown trays sold was 98.5 million, with a global volume and sales of 108.3 million trays and $1.5 billion respectively.

"We also do recognise that the viability and prosperity of our industry requires a focus on those orchard practices that need to be undertaken at this time of year to ensure a successful crop for next year," Ward said.

"Our world has changed; we've got to increase vigilance now on orchard hygiene, but business goes on."

Pollination was under way this week for green kiwifruit, which made up about three-quarters of the crop, with gold fruit typically about three weeks ahead and finished.

The majority of pollination was done by beehive, while about 10 per cent of the industry might use artificially applied pollination.

Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae (Psa) had tested positive on about 1 per cent of orchards, within each of which it could range from a couple of vines to an extensive area.

"So we have over 99 per cent of the industry which absolutely needs to continue to produce a great crop and we absolutely anticipate that pollination will continue as it needs to," Ward said. "There had been some guidelines produced for people transporting beehives, including recommendations about resting hives prior to transfer between regions.

MAF Biosecurity had put forward a cautionary notice regarding the use of artificially applied pollination.

"That is as a result of some positive tests on Psa which have come back on samples of pollen," Ward said.

"Although we know that there is some positive Psa found on pollen, what we don't know and what we don't have a definitive scientific picture on is whether that pollen can cause infection in the vine."

Permits for importing pollen were cancelled in November as a precaution and imported stock has been impounded.

"We're asking growers to assess their own orchard requirements, to be aware of the Psa test data information which MAF has provided and to take whatever precautions they can in terms of reducing the risk of further spread of Psa to their orchard," Ward said.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) president Peter Ombler said all things being equal there would be a good crop.

"It doesn't alter the fact that we've got some concerns with Psa and they need to be dealt with, but we've now reached agreement on that and we're moving forward on that as well," Ombler said. "So I think things are in pretty good nick."

There was some concern about pollination.

"But that falls very much in the same basket as there's concern about pruners moving from orchard to orchard and sprayers moving from orchard to orchard. I think everything's a bit new," he said.

"Suddenly there's concern about orchard hygiene and risk to everybody's orchard through a number of different means, and bees and pollination is only one of those."

The needs of every grower would be different and NZKGI's advice was to be extremely careful with artificially applied pollen.

Outbreak

* 61 kiwifruit orchards confirmed with bacterial disease Psa.

* Majority are in a 23km area south of Te Puke township.

* Pollination is under way, mostly using beehives.

* Zespri sold 98.5m trays in 09/10.