Hi Everyone
Welcome to Spring which I hope will be extremely prosperous for all members of the NGI network. August was another interesting month of events which included an NGIA Board meeting, the NGI network 202020 Vision Program workshop, another NGI CEO teleconference and a meeting at and tour of Alpine Nurseries for the nursery industry communications team.
Below I will detail some of the key NGIA activities and how they will be progressed:
Category name: Aphids
Importance: Major
Similar to: Other aphid species.
Damage: Sucks sap, large numbers cause malformation of new growth including flower buds. Indirectly damages plants by transmission of a large number of viruses including several mosaics. More
The development of a Strategic Investment Plan for the nursery industry is underway, with several opportunities for growers and others along the supply chain to have input.
Horticulture Innovation Australia (Hort Innovation) is working with the nursery industry to identify the key priorities areas for nursery levy investment in research and development (R&D), and marketing, for the 2017-2021 period. More
A renewed focus on consumers, through initiatives in schools and consumer guides for buying plants for apartments, is part of the strategy for the 202020 Vision for the next 12 months.
The 202020 Vision is a national initiative funded through the nursery industry levy, with the aim of increasing trees and plants in urban areas by 20% by 2020.
A series of webinars is being run to help production nursery professionals more efficiently produce plants free of pests and diseases and avoid disease outbreaks.
The training is being offered as part of the levy funded project ‘Building the resilience and on-farm biosecurity capacity of the Australian production nursery industry’, and will add to a suite of web-based resources being developed.
A survey of eligible production nurseries has found that nearly half are interested in taking the next step and becoming certified under the industry-specific on-farm biosecurity program, BioSecure HACCP.
It’s one of the key focus areas of the National Nursery Industry Biosecurity Program, a levy-funded project led by National Biosecurity Manager, John McDonald.
