Bad news from European kiwifruit orchards has galvanised the New Zealand kiwifruit industry into announcing a full-on assault on the kiwifruit vine disease Psa.

There are 229 cases of Psa in New Zealand with 107 orchards confirmed with having the virulent Psa ‘v' strain.

Kiwifruit Vine Health Inc general manager John Burke and Zespri quality and innovation general manager Dr David Tanner showed grave concern at today's press conference about Psa.

The virulent cases were until this week thought to be confined to the Te Puke area.

This week there were four preliminary positive tests returned on four orchards outside the Te Puke area. Three of those are in the wider Bay, including Pongakawa, and there is one in Gisborne.

The news coming in from Europe is that it is going to spread further and may affect a significant portion of the industry before research programmes, now being kick started, are able to offer permanent solutions.

Over the European winter the vine canker has infected 60 per cent of the Italian Gold crop and 40 per cent of the Green kiwifruit.

The infection is also spreading in France.

In Europe the spread of Psa is slowed by hotter summers and colder winters, but Te Puke orchards do not experience zero degree temperatures for days on end.

Kiwifruit Vine Health Inc general manager John Burke and Zespri quality and innovation general manager Dr David Tanner presented this information at a press conference at Zespri headquarters in Mount Maunganui today.

'It's pretty scary,” says John.

'We are planning for the worst from that point of view – we do not want to be complacent.”

He says the research response involving both New Zealand state and industry scientists studying the disease will be continued and strengthened.

About 50 research programmes are in various stages of completion with others underway and more pending.

The results of many of them are not expected to be available on orchard until 2013 with the New Zealand kiwifruit industry expecting to experience a 'bit of a dip for one or two years” until that happens.

By the end of the current financial year, $4.6 million will have been spent on Psa, says Dr Tanner and there is a commitment to spend more.

The research projects will focus on four areas: detection of Psa, biology of Psa, on-orchard management techniques, and treatment or reduction of the disease.

The projects will be overseen by a committee of at least four international experts who specialise in various aspects of biological science.

As well as working with the best minds in plant and food research in New Zealand, France and Italy, New Zealand growers are also being encouraged to come forward with their own ideas.

So far 129 hectares of infected kiwifruit orchard has been removed under the financial support agreement. John Bourke is unable to give any estimate on how many orchardists will be unable to see through the course of the disease, but says that the partnerships will have to include orchardists' banks to helps see them through.

The copper spray that offers some protection costs about $200 a hectare, $150 with a subsidy.
With leaf fall approaching the Te Puke vines, there will be a nervous wait over winter until spring growth will reveal the rate of the spread of Psa.

KVH is also organising the country into 12 regions with 12 committees and a coordinator to educate and inform orchardists about the disease.