Horticulture

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development works closely with all sections of the industry supply chain from paddock to plate.

Western Australia grows a diverse range of top-quality horticultural crops from the Ord River Irrigation Area in the north, to the Gascoyne River at Carnarvon, the coastal sands near Perth and throughout the cooler south-west region.

Crops include tropical and temperate fruits, delicious vegetables and outstanding table wines. WA also leads the country in flower exports, mostly from our unique native flora.

Articles

  • Mites of the Tetranychidae family (commonly known as spider mites) include some important pests of economic concern to agriculture and forestry.

  • Six-spotted mite can defoliate avocado trees and grapevines in the lower south-west of Western Australia.

  • European red mite feeds on leaves of fruit trees especially apples. This can result in premature leaf fall which affects fruit tree vigour and fruit quality.

  • Mites are one of the most consistent pests in deciduous fruit tree orchards in Western Australia. Over-reliance on miticides for control has led to pesticide resistance in some species.

  • Bananas in the Ord River Irrigation Area face two major insect pests (banana weevil borer and sugarcane bud moth) and two mites (russet and two-spotted).

  • The most common mite pest of strawberry crops is two-spotted mite (Tetranychus urticae), also known as spider mite or red-spider mite.

  • Mites (Acari) are arthropods, a group that includes insects and spiders. Some mites are large enough to be visible to the naked eye while others can only be seen with a hand lens or microscope.