In response to reports of increased vine stress in the Gisborne region, KVH recently visited orchards to view symptom progression first hand and discuss the patterns of decline with affected growers.

These discussions were also to check if growers had any concerns about whether pathogens may also be involved in the problems being seen.

Orchards visited had not suffered directly from flood waters but were suffering the impacts of poor root condition resultant of ongoing waterlogging. You can view photos from the visit here.

Samples were taken from orchard areas where sudden or less well explained vine collapse had occurred. The samples were sent to the Plant Health Environmental Laboratory (PHEL) for diagnostics teams to identify possible causal organisms and rule out the possibility of the presence of exotic pathogens.

These follow-ups continue to build knowledge of organisms present in different growing areas and give growers confidence that a general surveillance programme is in place and on the look-out for the unusual.