Kiwifruit Vine Health Incorporated is reporting more than 500 orchards in the Bay of Plenty have returned positive Psa-V test results for either Green or Gold varieties.

Most of these orchards are in Te Puke, but orchards in Tauranga, Katikati, Whakatane, Waihi and Opotiki are now included.

Red ooze on a vine is a sign of Psa-V infection.

The overall situation for Te Puke Gold growers is not good with 85 per cent of the Gold growing area in Te Puke infected with Psa-V.

Also, a Gold orchard in Kerikeri is confirmed with Psa-V.

KVH general manager John Burke says the spread of Psa-V outside of the Bay of Plenty is disappointing.

He says Kerikeri growers have been vigilant in managing their regional border since the initial outbreak last year.

He suspects given Kerikeri's distance from the Bay of Plenty it is likely the incursion is as a result of inadvertent plant movement rather than spread from a weather event.

The incursion tracing report underway about this orchard may also provide clues as to how long the disease has been present in New Zealand.

As in November and December last year, there is widespread leaf spotting on Te Puke Hayward vines at this time of year and associated shoot collapse has been reported.

John says it is likely these symptoms are showing up due to high inoculum levels in the Te Puke area and unfavourable weather conditions.

While it is too early to say what the long-term impact will be on Hayward, the outlook for Hort16A vine survival is not encouraging.

John says the best approach for growers is to have a plan, spray, and ‘wait and see' with more to be known about the disease in the coming weeks.

The ‘wait and see' message is similar for new variety growers who are seeing various levels of infection across Gold9, Gold3 and Green14.

A high percentage of these orchards will not make it through to the 2012 harvest.

KVH recommends growers remove infected vines and plan ahead towards replanting as potentially the best option.