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Planning pinpoints papaya pests
Biosecurity planning for the papaya industry in Australia has identified the pests that pose the biggest threat to the production of papayas, in an effort to maintain the future sustainability and viability of the industry.
The Industry Biosecurity Plan for the Papaya Industry released by Plant Health Australia (PHA) and Papaya Australia is the first step for the papaya industry in planning for and preparing against potential new pest incursions. The project, funded by Horticulture Australia Ltd, involved a risk assessment of pests that damage papayas resulting in the development of a list of high priority pests for the industry.
The risk assessment included consideration of the likelihood of each pest entering the country, its ability to establish and spread as well as the economic impact it would have if it did become established in Australian papaya orchards.
In all, ten high priority plant pests were identified including Papaya mealy bug, species of exotic fruit fly, and bacterial infections known as Mushy canker and Bacterial crown rot.
“These are the pests that we most need to keep out of our orchards,” says PHA Executive Director and CEO, Greg Fraser.
“The papaya industry has already had a close call with a major pest incursion after detection of Papaya fruit fly in Queensland in 1995. A decisive response by the state and Australian governments saw the eradication of the incursion within four years at a cost of $30 million. Considering the estimated impact of $100 million as a result of trade restrictions and production losses across many horticultural industries, eradication of this pest was an excellent return on investment.
“The Industry Biosecurity Plan will also help Australia prepare for pest incursions such as Papaya fruit fly by identifying current biosecurity activities and who has responsibility for each step. For example, the Australian government looks after national border control, state and territory governments impose intra- and inter-state border controls, while the papaya industry and growers themselves are responsible for good orchard biosecurity and clean transport procedures.
“The Industry Biosecurity Plan maps out how all partners work together to provide the best protection for the industry, communities and the growers themselves.”
Papaya Australia CEO Gerard Kath said the biosecurity planning was well worth doing to protect the industry.
“Many growers were badly affected by Cyclone Larry in March 2006, with only half of the usual number of cartons of papaya produced that year. Cyclone Yasi in 2011 also hit papaya growers along the coast so the last thing we need now is a plant pest incursion affecting production,” Mr Kath said.
Commercially, papayas are predominately grown in the wet tropical areas of Australia, including Northern Queensland, Kununurra and Carnarvon in Western Australia and around Darwin in the Northern Territory. Around 100 papaya growers produce an estimated 1.3 million cartons worth approximately $25 million annually.
The Industry Biosecurity Plan for the Papaya Industry was developed by PHA in collaboration with Papaya Australia as part of a Horticulture Australia Ltd project. Copies of the Industry Biosecurity Plan for the Papaya Industry are available on request from PHA.
