KVH has received positive feedback from growers around the country regarding the value and need for good plant traceability records.

Presenting a short workshop at OPC winter Pitstop events, KVH has been highlighting how high-risk diseases such as Brazilian Wilt (Ceratocystis fimbriata) can spread rapidly, with symptoms often unseen until some time after disease transfer. In Brazil, traceback suggests the kiwifruit epidemic in Rio Grande do Sul originated from a C. fimbriata genotype in a single orchard with disease unknowingly distributed throughout the region via grafting material and nursery stock.

Many growers attending the Pitstop events had received Kiwifruit Plant Certification Scheme (KPCS) plants and/or budwood onto their orchards through winter and recommendations were to keep robust records detailing source and destination of all plant material. KVH will continue to work with industry on systems to support this data capture in a simple way that growers could easily access. A reminder on managing biosecurity risks when grafting is available here.