We have had a number of requests for the Grow Me Instead WA booklet, which unfortunately is no longer available in print, but can be downloaded here as a PDF. Note that it is an old publication so some of the contact details may now be obsolete.
In this month’s Nursery Paper, NGIA Policy and Technical Officer, Chris O’Connor examines the recently released Australian Standard AS2303:2015 Tree stock for landscape use. After many years of discussion, debate and development, AS2303:2015 Australian Standard Tree stock for landscape use was introduced in April 2015.
In May this year Pyriform scale (Protopulvinaria pyriformis) was discovered in the Perth metropolitan area. Later detections have been made on a variety of host plants in a number of surrounding suburban areas in Perth.
Pythium is a common problem in nurseries, so much so that some plant pathologists have called it the ‘common cold’ of plants. This fungus-like pathogen is fast growing and in the right conditions will reproduce rapidly, damaging roots and preventing nutrient and water uptake.
The Department of Agriculture has initiated emergency measures in response to a large number of Brown Marmorated Stink Bugs (Halyomorpha Halys) being found on and in break bulk cargo imported from the US port of Savannah.
We have been advised that a female Asian Longhorned beetle has been found on a Perth building site recently. DAFWA have inspected the area and begun surveillance but no further beetles (or activity) have been detected. DAFWA are asking us all to keep an eye out for this pest, which they suspect was a single hitch-hiker on imported cargo.
When planning a weed control strategy, setting goals is the first step. But what is considered a good result in holistic terms? An ideal result would be achieving 100% efficacy in the control of target weeds, preventing seed set and adopting an appropriate resistant management strategy.
Report pests and diseases to the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA) using the MyPestGuide app. Developed as part of the Royalties for Regions funded Boosting Biosecurity Project and with funding from Council of Grain Grower Organisations (COGGO), the MyPestGuide app photo reporting tool allows users to easily create and send a report directly to DAFWA and receive a response on their device.
Chalara is a serious nursery pathogen which is frequently encountered in Australia. Given that chlamydospores of the disease can very abundant on the roots of the plants that appeared healthy above ground, great care needs to be taken to remove this disease from the nursery; infected plants cannot be cured. Chalara is a soil borne pathogen which can be a major seedling disease of a large number of species.
Pest fact sheets are now available for download now. Each sheet is a detailed examination of the pest including its life cycle, signs and symptoms, host ranges and control methods. The pests examined include some which are already present within the industry and others which represent a major biosecurity risk to the industry.
