Your Levy at Work

January 2021 Pest of the Month: Shore fly

Name: Shore fly – Scatella australiae

Indirectly damages plants by spreading Pythium and other soft rot organisms. Adult flies leave faecal material on leaf and flower surfaces, causing downgrading of ornamental plants, particularly seedlings.

Description:
Egg: Very small, ovoid, white. Laid on algae growing on potting mix, pots, benches and floors.

Immatures: Opaque, yellowish-brown maggots, found close to the surface of potting media. No distinct head. Feed on algae.

Adult: Small, black fly with reddish eyes, short legs and antennae. Wings dusky, each with five pale spots. Makes short flights (doesn’t hover).

For further information, please refer to the Pest ID Tool at: https://pestid.com.au/pest-insect/shore-flies More

That’s a wrap on 2020 – Communications Program

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Another year has flown by and with lots happening on the levy front, it was a busy year for the ‘Nursery industry communications program’ (NY18001).

2020 has been unpredictable at best and the industry has faced several challenges presented in the form of climate variability, pest incursions and COVID-19 induced market pressures.

Amidst these pressures, the nursery industry has kept the ball rolling, delivering and communicating high-value R&D project and marketing information to growers and industry stakeholders through case studies, videos, eNewsletters, blogs and media releases.

Input needed for NEW career pathways project

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Wednesday, 9 December 2020

A recent workshop on nursery industry career pathways has identified opportunities for industry to address gaps in certified training programs and provide industry with a learning framework that better supports early entrants into the greenlife industry and industry employers.

The workshop which was held on 11 November brought together educators, industry representatives, and production nursery operators facilitating discussion around prototype courses to further enhance professional pathways for the nursery sector.

Hosted by RMCG in partnership with Greenlife Industry Australia under the Hort Innovation funded project ‘Developing Nursery Career Pathways’ (NY17002), the workshop also aimed to provide participants with an overview of the project, insights into the early research on skills gaps, and information on the new Skills Impact training packages.

Identifying an opportunity to develop a learning framework for career candidates in the industry, the project team are now urgently seeking additional feedback on the specific topic areas and subjects which growers and garden retailers find most beneficial for new entrants.

December Pest of the Month: Fungus gnats

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Fungus gnat larva. Note the distinctive black head capsule.

Name: Fungus gnats – Bradysia spp.

Larvae feed on organic matter and roots, stripping root hairs especially of seedlings and young plants. Tunnel into stems at and below the soil line causing collapse of tissue. Larvae can ingest fungal spores such as Pythium and Fusarium and spread them in both the larval and adult stages. Adults can spread foliar diseases like Botrytis.

Egg: Very small, laid in cracks and crevices of soil surface. Immatures: White, semi-transparent and maggot-like, with distinctive black head. Pupates in soil or potting media. Adult: Small, slender black or dark brown fly with long dangling legs and long antennae. Often found running over soil surface or leaves, weak fliers. Y-shaped vein at tip of wing.

For further information, please refer to the Pest ID Tool at: https://pestid.com.au/pest-insect/fungus-gnats More

Understand your levy with the 2020 Levy Payer Kit

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

The nursery industry ‘pot’ levy is what powers research & development and marketing activities for the industry. Working to directly benefit growers by boosting productivity, biosecurity, sustainability and demand for greenlife, the levy helps to create a stronger future for Australian nursery businesses.

It’s important to understand the breakdown of the levy, how it’s allocated, and how levy payers and other stakeholders can share ideas and influence the direction and investment of the levy.

This is where the Levy Payer Kit plays an important role. Developed through the ‘Nursery industry communications program’ (NY18001), this document provides a snapshot of the levy, mapping out the process for levy collection and allocation, how to share project ideas, and how investments work directly towards achieving the 2017-20 Nursery Industry Strategic Investment Plan (SIP) outcomes.

This is a great document to share with employees and colleagues in the industry. The 2020 document is now available and can be found here.

Where Will all the Trees Be report now live

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

The ‘Where Will all the Trees Be’, Urban Canopy Benchmarking Report, is now available.

Led by RMIT University, Greener Spaces Better Places and funded by Hort Innovation, this report provides longitudinal research results from 131 Local Government Areas (LGA) on urban green cover increase and decline. The research promotes the importance and value of green cover to urban liveability, particularly in the context of ongoing population growth and the expansion of Australian cities and suburbs.

The research

Building on the previous ‘Where Are All The Trees’, and ‘Where Should All The Trees Go’ reports, this research has sought to:

Understand to what extent factors such as urban density, population growth and effort influence local councils’ ability to increase or maintain their urban green cover.
Identify ‘Best on Ground’ councils who, despite a range of challenges, are finding innovative ways to protect and increase their urban green cover.
Capture the broader community’s imagination and understanding of the value of urban green cover by translating ‘targets’ and ‘percentages of cover’ into a more tangible vision for the future, through imagery and an interactive ‘search my postcode’ tool.