Processing Tomato Enterprise Management Plan Tomato Potato Psyllid Processing Tomato Enterprise Management Plan
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Processing tomato Enterprise management plan Tomato potato psyllid Processing tomato enterprise management plan CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 UNDERSTANDING PEST AND PATHOGEN BIOLOGY AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION 2 IDENTIFYING RISK PATHWAYS 5 APPLYING CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS 6 BIOSECURITY AWARENESS AND IMPLEMENTATION 12 MOVEMENT OF FRUIT TO PROCESSING FACILITY 13 PERMIT 14 APPENDIX 1 — Preliminary results 15 APPENDIX 2 — Biological control results 19 APPENDIX 3 — Chemical control results 23 MY NOTES 27 Tomato potato psyllid Processing tomato enterprise management plan 1 INTRODUCTION Tomato potato psyllid (TPP) is supporting ongoing efforts to renew and a serious pest of Processing maintain market access, as well as underpin tomatoes. TPP is the vector certification and assurance schemes. of the bacterium Candidatus Our aim is to build on current best practice Liberibacter solanacearum* to include the management of TPP, without (CLso) which is associated with creating unnecessary additional work. a range of symptoms that affect the production and economic THIS PLAN INCLUDES FIVE KEY performance of your crop. COMPONENTS: TPP WAS FIRST DETECTED TPP was first detected on mainland Australia UNDERSTANDING PEST AND in Western Australia (WA) in February 2017. ON MAINLAND AUSTRALIA PATHOGEN BIOLOGY AND THEIR This prompted a comprehensive biosecurity IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA IN response to minimise the impact of TPP on IDENTIFICATION FEBRUARY 2017. Australian businesses. After national agreement TPP could not be IDENTIFYING RISK PATHWAYS * As at October 2018, surveillance eradicated, efforts focussed on developing the confirms that CLso is not present science, biosecurity and business systems to in WA improve the capacity of growers and industry to manage TPP. APPLYING CONTROL AND An essential component of transition to MANAGEMENT OPTIONS management is the development and implementation of enterprise management plans for affected industries. The plans outline BIOSECURITY AWARENESS BELOW: TPP nymphs on underside measures to effectively control TPP and AND IMPLEMENTATION of leaf. demonstrate industry commitment to minimising its spread and impact. They are critical in POST-FARM GATE MANAGEMENT ABOVE: Mature adult TPP in comparison to a 5 cent coin. Tomato potato psyllid 2 Processing tomato enterprise management plan UNDERSTANDING PEST AND PATHOGEN BIOLOGY AND THEIR IDENTIFICATION TPP go through three stages of development What is TPP? — egg, nymph and adult. Adults and nymphs cause injury to plants by feeding with sucking TPP (Bactericera cockerelli) is a psyllid, a tiny mouth parts. plant pest which feeds on tomato, potato, • Adult psyllids resemble a winged aphid capsicum, chilli, tamarillo and sweet potato, and and are about 3mm long. The body is solanaceous weeds like nightshade, leading to brownish and has white or yellowish loss of plant vigour and yield. markings on the thorax and a broad white band on the abdomen. Wings are transparent and rest roof-like over 1mm 2mm the body. • Nymphs are up to 2mm long, oval shaped, flattened and scale-like in appearance. Young nymphs are yellow with a pair of red eyes and three pairs of short legs. Older nymphs are greenish and fringed with hairs and have visible wing buds. • Psyllid eggs are less than 1mm long and are attached to the plant by a short vertical stalk. They are usually laid on the lower surface of leaves or as a halo around the leaf edge. Eggs are white when first laid then turn yellow to orange Egg — less than 1mm long Nymph — up to 2mm long after a few hours. TPP is a vector of the bacterium ‘Candidatus 3mm Liberibacter solanacearum’ (CLso) which can also cause serious crop damage if left unchecked. Adult — about 3mm long ABOVE: TPP life stages. Tomato potato psyllid Processing tomato enterprise management plan 3 ABOVE: Damage to the foliage of a tomato plant, caused by the TPP Symptoms of TPP infestation to look for (Bactericera cockerelli). Photo: Western Australian Agriculture Authority • Look for damage on the underside of • White sugar-like granules (excreted by BELOW: Wax pellets excreted by leaves. adults and nymphs), which coat plant TPP. leaves and stems, and can lead to the Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State • Insects jumping from the foliage when University disturbed. development of sooty mould. • Severe wilting of plants caused by high • Ants on plants may be symptomatic of the numbers of psyllids feeding. presence of sugars. • Yellowing of leaf margins and upward • Stem death symptoms similar to other curling of the leaves. potato and tomato disorders. GROWERS SHOULD REGULARLY CHECK FOR SIGNS OF TPP IN HOST CROPS. Tomato potato psyllid 4 Processing tomato enterprise management plan ABOVE: Dull fruit colour from TPP infestation. Candidatus Liberibacter Solanacearum* Photo: Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University (CLso) TPP can carry a bacterium called Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso) which is associated with a range of symptoms, affecting SYMPTOMS OF CLso yield and quality of tomatoes. Symptoms of the CLso bacterium on tomatoes may look similar to other It only takes 1–2 hours of feeding for the psyllid BELOW: Tomato plant infected plant conditions. Growers are urged to with CLso. to infect a plant with CLso. be vigilant. Photo: Ministry of Primary Industries, NZ • Plants may become stunted or abnormally elongated • Foliage symptoms include leaf curling and yellowing • Fruit development is uneven • Tomatoes may be misshaped, or no fruit is produced, or there is an over- production of small, non-commercial grade fruit • Symptoms vary in severity between cultivars * As at October 2018, surveillance confirms that CLso is not present in WA Tomato potato psyllid Processing tomato enterprise management plan 5 IDENTIFYING RISK PATHWAYS Where did the pest come from? CANADA TPP was detected in Western Australia for the first time in February 2017, prompting a comprehensive biosecurity response. It had UNITED STATES not previously been found on the Australian mainland and the origin of this detection is MEXICO CENTRAL AMERICA unknown. TPP is present on Norfolk Island and NORFOLK other countries including USA, Canada, Central ISLAND America and New Zealand. It can spread through the movement of host plant material. WESTERN It can also disperse through natural pathways AUSTRALIA such as flight, wind and human — assisted NEW ZEALAND movement (movement of plant material). FIGURE 1: Distribution of TPP worldwide What is being done to protect our industry? A Quarantine Area Notice has come into effect in and around the Perth metropolitan area to limit the spread of TPP with-in the state. In addition, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria have all applied movement conditions to reduce the risk of TPP spreading interstate. Tomato potato psyllid 6 Processing tomato enterprise management plan APPLYING CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT OPTIONS EARLY DETECTION IS IMPORTANT IN ANY PEST MANAGEMENT SCENARIO. Apply sound crop hygiene/biosecurity practices If the property is fully planted with host crops, to prevent the entry, establishment and spread four traps should be sufficient. of pests and diseases. If the property is larger and host crops are • Check the plants you purchase are free of scattered across the property, additional traps pests and don’t bring infested plants into may be useful. your property. • Control host plants in a buffer around Degree days as a guide to monitoring your cropping area. • Regularly monitor your plants for any Frequency of monitoring and control measures unfamiliar pests or diseases. will be guided by a range of factors. New Zealand researchers have developed a tool that uses degree days to determine when Monitoring for TPP to start a spray program. With regional differences in temperature and In addition to looking for TPP and symptoms therefore, potential number of generations of in field, growers should install sticky traps to TPP in a season, pest management should be monitor for TPP. Remember early detection is tailored to individual regions. important in any pest management scenario. How many traps do I need on my property? The number of traps you need will depend on the size of your property and the distribution of TPP host crops on farm. Tomato potato psyllid Processing tomato enterprise management plan 7 STEP REMOVE COVERING FROM THE YELLOW STICKY TRAP TO 1 3 2m EXPOSE THE STICKY LAYER 1 2m STEP ATTACH STICKY TRAP TO POLE 2 USING TWO BULLDOG CLIPS HOST CROP STEP PLACE TRAP WITHIN TWO METRES OF EDGE OF CROP, PEEL OFF 3 ONE TRAP PER SIDE OF CROP COVERING STEP PLACE POLE IN CROP SO THE BOTTOM EDGE OF TRAP IS LEVEL WITH THE TOP OF CROP 2 4 4 CANOPY STEP INSPECT TRAP AFTER ONE WEEK AND DETERMINE ACTION AS PER DEVELOPED TOP OF CANOPY 5 PROCEDURE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL STEP INDUSTRY BODY OR STATE AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT 6 FOR FURTHER ADVICE IF YOU SUSPECT TPP IS PRESENT 5 LEAVE FOR 1 WEEK FIGURE 2: How to install sticky traps in tomato crops Tomato potato psyllid 8 Processing tomato enterprise management plan Pest thresholds and control Much of the local research is just beginning, therefore biological control and pest thresholds for TPP in Australia are yet to be defined. Until local trial data is available, current best practice is to monitor and if no TPP is found, continue with your current pest control program. SCIENTIFIC R&D IS CRITICAL TO IMPROVING OUR The Department of Primary Industries and UNDERSTANDING OF TPP IN Regional Development (DPIRD) is leading a AUSTRALIA, AND INCREASING program of R&D as part of the nationally-agreed MANAGEMENT OPTIONS TPP Transition to management plan. The plan AVAILABLE TO GROWERS. aims to develop the science, biosecurity and business systems to support growers and industry to manage TPP. Key research activities and preliminary trial ABOVE: Ladybird feeding on adult TPP. results are provided in a series of factsheets available in the Appendix of this plan. Note: some insecticides have been made available through emergency permits for use in host crops (Table 1).