New Zealand orchardists will have the chance to learn how growers manage the vine disease Psa-V in Italy when leading Italian scientists address a seminar in Te Puke next month.

Dr Marco Scortichini and Dr Milena Petriccione, principle speakers at the seminar at The Orchard on November 21, will outline how the industry is successfully managing the disease in Italy, where the Psa V bacterium devastated orchards, years before appearing in New Zealand.

Italian scientist Dr Marco Scortichini is to speak at the kiwifruit seminar in Te Puke in November.

Dr Milena Petriccione, scientist from Italy is researching how kiwifruit vines and Psa-V use natural biochemical weapons against each other.

Based at the Centro di Ricerca per la Frutticoltura (Centre for Research on Fruit Culture of Rome and Caserta), Dr Scortichini and his associates have been carrying out research on bacterial diseases in fruit crops for decades.

This has given them a head start in tackling the Psa-V disease in kiwifruit and they are coming to New Zealand to share their research results and grower success with Kiwi orchardists.

Dr Scortichini and Dr Petriccione were the first to publish the genomic sequencing of Psa-V, and to establish that Psa-V had the genetic potential to resist copper spraying and to detoxify antibiotics.

Dr Scortichini is world renowned for demonstrating bacteria can be present in plants without causing any symptoms, and that stress conditions will trigger secondary or disease symptoms.

Between 2008 and 2010, during the height of the Italian Psa epidemic, Dr Scortichini proved that while copper was effective against Psa in laboratory tests, it was less so in the field.

Dr Milena Petriccione's work is concentrated on finding out how kiwifruit vines and Psa-V produce and use natural biochemical weapons against each other, and their consequences, a science that will provide useful information to fine-tune prevention and defense strategies to counteract Psa-V.

The event is organised by the New Zealand Biotech Association, which is advising early registration as it expects the number of growers attending to exceed seating capacity at the venue.

Kiwifruit Vine Health CEO Barry O'Neil says he and members of his team will be attending the seminar.

'We are also aware of potential for Psa-V to become resistant to both copper and antibiotics, which is the reason we are recommending that growers don't go below recommended label rates for copper, as well as using a combination of products to minimise this happening in the future.

'A programme involving coppers, antibiotics and actiguard will limit resistance happening.

'We are also running a comprehensive resistance testing programme and have not, to date, found any evidence of resistance to copper or antibiotics in New Zealand,” Barry says.

The seminar is on November 21 at 2pm at The Orchard, 20 MacLoughlin Drive, Te Puke. Registration is free but essential. To register send name with address/telephone/email to [email protected]