Exotic pest detection a threat for Victorian tomato growers

Gardeners and farmers alike have been urged to remain vigilant after a noted exotic pest was detected on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula. See the details.

Gardeners and farmers alike have been issued a “wake-up call” and urged to remain vigilant after a noted exotic pest was detected on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula.

Tomato potato psyllid – a sap-sucking pest insect that targets plants such as potatoes, tomatoes and capsicums – was detected in a glasshouse tomato production facility on the Bellarine Peninsula, with Agriculture Victoria issuing a warning to growers to monitor crops.

Further surveillance revealed the pest had spread to locations within a 1.5km radius of the glasshouse, with an investigation underway into the spread of the incursion.

TPP – an exotic pest under Victoria’s Plant Biosecurity Act 2010 – has not been detected outside Western Australia since 2017.

And while the pest may only cause minor crop damage, the main threat for producers is its ability to transmit a pathogen known as CLso, which can cause the plant disease Zebra chip in crops.

Greenlife Industry Australia director of research development extension and biosecurity John McDonald said detection of the pest in Victoria should be a “wake-up call for the horticulture industry”, and called for growers and stakeholders to collaborate on management of the pest and its potential spread.

“For growers of nursery stock, the stakes are particularly high,” Mr McDonald said.

“Rigorous hygiene, monitoring and sourcing protocols are essential to safeguard the supply of healthy, pest-free plants, which are critical to supporting the broader horticulture industry.”

Victoria’s Chief Plant Health Officer Rosa Crnov said early detection was critical, and urged producers and gardeners alike to monitor crops, and contact Agriculture Victoria if they suspect they have found TPP.

Signs of TPP include:

– insects jumping from the foliage when disturbed

– severe wilting of plants caused by high numbers of psyllids feeding

– yellowing of leaf margins and upward curling of the leaves

– white sugar-like granules which coat the plant leaves and stems, and can lead to the development of sooty mould

– ants present on the plant, collecting the sugar-like granules

– stem death symptoms similar to other potato and tomato disorders

Report any suspected detections of TPP to Agriculture Victoria by email at [e-mail] or online at www.agriculture.vic.gov.au/reportpestsonline