Eight new Western Bay of Plenty orchards are infected with Psa-V, according to the latest update from Kiwifruit Vine Health.

KVH reports four orchards in Tauranga East, two in Tauranga West and two in Katikati tested positive for Pseudomonas syringae pv actinidiae.

Eight new orchards in the Western Bay have Psa-V heading into the 2014 kiwifruit season.

KVH communications coordinator Lara Harrison says this could be due to recent wind and rain,

'Psa thrives in wet, cool and windy weather. Wind damage can cause wounding – and Psa can enter the vine through these wounds.

'While summer is generally warm and dry, significant weather events of rain and wind have occurred recently; and after these events its likely Psa symptoms will appear.”

Lara says the eight orchards were reported as a result of KVH working with post-harvest operators to help confirm the status of orchards.

'And KVH is continually working with post-harvest operators and the industry to ensure we have an accurate record of Psa progression throughout the regions.”

In Tauranga East, the four new detections mean a total of 88 per cent of the orchards are infected or 253 orchards out of 286.

Tauranga West's two new detections see its total infected orchards equate to 243 out of 327, or 74 per cent. Katikati now has 320 orchards with Psa out of 456, totalling 70 per cent.

Asked whether uninfected orchardists in the Tauranga West, Tauranga East and Katikati areas can expect their properties to stay disease-free, Lara says some orchards 'will be more at risk than others”.

'However, all growers should be doing everything they can to protect their orchards, regardless of what region they are in and what status their orchard is.”

Lara says four things – good orchard hygiene, regular monitoring, prompt management of infection and a protective spray programme – are the best steps orchardists can take to protect their Psa-free orchards.

'Good orchard hygiene is particularly important as we approach the harvest season, when the amount of people and equipment moving between orchards significantly increases.

'One of the biggest risks of transferring Psa within, and between orchards, is through contaminated orchard equipment, tools, vehicles and people. Growers should be aware of everyone and everything entering their orchards.”

Lara says growers should ensure people entering their orchards are aware of hygiene expectations; and they should provide facilities for visitors to carry them out.

'To give orchards the best chance of a healthy start next spring, growers need to be pro-active in managing their hygiene over harvest to reduce the risk of spread and subsequent level of infection.”

As of January 29, KVH statistics show 2433 orchards nationwide have Psa, with 10,984 hectares of orchards infected. This equates to about 80 per cent of NZ kiwifruit hectares on an orchard with Psa identified.

Both nationwide and in the Bay of Plenty, Te Puke has the highest saturation of Psa orchards, with 1083 infected out of 1090, equalling about 99 per cent.

Psa was first identified in an orchard neat Te Puke on November 5, 2010.