Last week KVH carried out the annual Psa monitoring round in Whangarei.

Samples were taken from five orchards. Three of these returned Not Detected for Psa.

Samples from two orchards in the Glenbervie area were confirmed Psa positive by Hill Laboratories testing - bringing the number of positive orchards in this region to 11. Whangarei remains a Containment region with controls in place to protect Psa non-detected growers in the region.

Growers in Whangarei and other regions with Psa Not Detected orchards should be monitoring regularly to identify any symptoms.

This is the highest risk time of year for Psa infection, so it is important to maintain a good protectant spray programme and good hygiene practices. Refer to the KVH Psa-V Seasonal Management Wall Chart for which sprays to use when, and use the KVH Psa Risk Model to get information on risk levels from upcoming weather events.

As casual staff may be moving between orchards ensure tools are sanitised and good people hygiene is observed, and any non-essential vehicles are kept out of the orchard production area.