Vegetables

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development works closely with the vegetable industry to promote growth through better market access, developing integrated pest management programs and improving water and fertiliser use efficiency.

Vegetable production in Western Australia had a farm gate value of about $336 million in 2013, with the total industry value being $909 million. Most crops are grown for local consumption, apart from carrots, which are exported year-round to South East Asia and the Middle East.

The main growing areas are in the South-West, especially the Swan Coastal Plain from Gingin to Busselton, and around Manjimup and Albany.

Articles

  • Onion smut (Urocystis cepulae) is a disease of onions. This disease is absent from Western Australia.

  • Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is considered the most devastating disease of potatoes worldwide and caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s.

  • Onion rust (Puccinia allii) is a disease of plants in the onion family, including onions, garlic, chives, spring onions and leeks.

  • Clubroot is caused by the pathogen Plasmodiophora brassicae.

  • Broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts are members of the brassica family.

  • White blister is a fungal disease caused by Albugo candida. It affects many brassica crops including broccoli and cauliflower and some brassica weeds.

  • Cavity spot disease of carrots in Australia is mainly caused by the soil-borne fungus Pythium sulcatum.

  • Fusarium dry rot can cause breakdown of potatoes in storage as well as breakdown of seed pieces after planting. Worldwide, it is one of the most important postharvest diseases of potatoes.

  • White rot of Allium species (caused by Sclerotium cepivorum) has been confirmed in garlic from a Perth backyard and a property in the Swan Valley.

  • Carrot leaf blight is a disease commonly found in carrot crops in Western Australia. It is usually caused by the fungus Alternaria dauci and occasionally by A. radicina.