National grower survey
One of the first activities of this new project is a survey of truffle growers. The survey will gather information on pests and diseases as well as different aspects of truffle orchard management and attributes of the orchard. This survey is a critical first step for the project as it will give a fuller picture of the pest and disease incidences and trends in production zones across the country and any management issues being faced by producers. The information gathered will help us target project resources for maximum efficiency.
To ensure this project provides the most benefit to industry we need your help to gather all relevant information on pest and disease issues. The better the information we have the more relevant work will be to you and your industry. Please note all information will be treated confidentially and reported in aggregate only. Results will be communicated by the project team via the DAFWA website, this newsletter and at grower meetings.
The survey will also help facilitate the selection of field sites for monitoring and research. Field activities on truffle pests and diseases will commence early in the New Year.
The survey has already commenced in Western Australia, with over 30% of known truffle growers surveyed so far. We will continue surveying in WA through December and will commence in other states in January.
If you haven’t already, you will be contacted by a project team member over the coming weeks –Alan Davey (Advyron RS Innovations, ACT), Ainsley Seago (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries), project officer (Truffle & Wine Co. WA), Anne Mitchell (consultant, WA) or from DAFWA - Helen Collie, Alan Jacob or Stewart Learmonth.
Prior to the survey, we request growers familiarise themselves with some of the pests and diseases we will be asking about by reading Pests and diseases of truffles and their host trees on the DAFWA website.
We have contact details for many truffle growers, but if you have not received a call from a member of the truffle project team by the end of January 2016 and would like to take part in the survey, or know of other growers who may have been missed, please get in touch with project manager Stewart Learmonth - Ph (08) 9777 0167; stewart.learmonth@agric.wa.gov.au
From the surveys conducted so far the main “pests” of trees have been a suspected bacterial disease of hazelnuts and a borer that attacks hazelnuts, as well as establishment pests such as African black beetle. To date oak trees appear to be relatively free of pests or diseases. As far as truffles are concerned, slugs have been the major pest.
As well as being able to prioritise the research program for this project, information gathered during the survey will assist in industry biosecurity planning and management. RIRDC is involved with the project by Plant Health Australia in developing an Australian Industry Biosecurity Plan to assist the industry in being prepared should exotic agents not yet known to occur in Australia arrive. Early detection of such agents is critical in the success of eradication. Knowing the location of truffle orchards and being able to contact growers is critical in this quest.