Ngi Updates | Your Levy at Work

Heightened biosecurity measures set to protect Australia from Brown marmorated stink bug

Wednesday, 20 November 2019

The Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) poses a significant threat to the nursery industry, and tighter biosecurity measures must be taken to keep this pest out of Australia.

This exotic pest has high establishment potential in Australia, and could cause major damage to agricultural crops, nursery stock and ornamental plants, so keeping this pest out is a top priority.

Biosecurity agencies and departments are on high alert with peak BMSB season happening from 1 September 2019 through to 31 May 2020.

Past incidents of BMSB arriving at the Australian border have occurred during spring and summer, when climatic conditions and host availability in temperature regions are suitable to the pests feeding and development.

In response to the increased threat during these months, the Department of Agriculture has strengthened seasonal measures to manage the risk of BMSB arriving in Australia. The Department is working with the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP), of which NGIA is a party, to provide a platform where information can be shared, and emergency pest incursions managed.

Eriophyids tristaniopsis laurina 'luscious'

November Pest of the Month: Eriophyid mites

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Name: Eriophyid mites – gall, bud, rust and erinose mites

There are over 300 known species of mites that fall under the name ‘eriophyid mite’, many are named for the host they are found on or for the symptom they cause e.g. tomato russet mite, russet mite, rust mite, gall mite, redberry mite, and many more. They infest a wide variety of Field and greenhouse crops as well as weeds and native plants. They can be serious pests of certain crops. More

Greener Spaces Better Places has launched

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Monday, 4 November 2019

The 202020 Vision has evolved, as the next phase of this urban greening initiative takes root under a new title – Greener Spaces Better Places.

Working to build on the momentum, networks, and ambassador program grown through 202020 Vision, the mission of this next phase is to make Australia’s urban areas the greenest in the world.

This national program works to engage growers and encourage greater collaboration with councils, developers and landscapers to increase green life in Australian cities and towns.

In October, the Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) team headed to the Sydney launch event, held at the Dove & Olive in Surry Hills. More

Growers urged to participate in 2019 Statistics survey

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Collection for the 2019 Nursery Industry Statistics survey is underway.

During the month of November, production nurseries are urged to make an appointment to participate in the voluntary survey, if called upon.

The independent research agency leading the survey, Down To Earth Research (DTER), are aiming to interview around 300 production nurseries nationwide.

The interviews collect key business data in order to produce a reliable and accurate snapshot of the size, value, production and employment in Australia’s thriving nursery industry.

By collating key business data, production nurseries will be able to make more informed business planning and resourcing decisions and monitor industry trends. The data collected will also be used to inform the development of the business-benchmarking tool.

At this stage survey progress has been steady, resulting in over half of the 300 required interviews being completed. During the final 3 weeks of the survey period, the DTER team will reach out to growers not already completing a survey.

The IPM Workshop series is coming to WA

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Western Australian growers and production staff are invited to attend the final leg of the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Workshop series, held in Perth and Bunbury this November.

In collaboration with NGIWA and run by the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QDAF), these workshops aim to provide practical advice on managing pest insects and mites, to better protect the biosecurity of your production businesses.

The workshops will focus on the following areas:

Using IPM to protect plants from key pests
How to modify crop production to reduce pest pressure
How to use pesticides within an IPM program
The physiology behind pesticide mode of action
How to effectively manage pesticides to reduce resistance
New biological control agents for production nurseries
How to identify key pests and beneficials
Getting the most out of industry resources, e.g. the Nursery Production Farm Management System (FMS)

The search to incentivise the establishment and retention of trees on private land continues

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

The nine-month ‘Global review of incentive schemes for the retention and successful establishment of trees on private urban land’(NY18002) project is approaching its conclusion, with the final report set to be delivered in December this year.

This levy funded project aims to clarify which mechanisms may be suitable, and effective, for Australian local councils to consider in terms of establishing and retaining more trees on private land.

Commencing in May 2019, the project team from the University of Melbourne and RMIT University has completed an intensive literature review and led two international roundtable discussions at the ‘Nature of Climate Summit’ conference in Paris, France and the ‘European Forum on Urban Forests’ held in Cologne, Germany.

Attendees at these roundtables shared their experiences and key initiatives from cities across the globe, presenting strong case studies for evaluating incentives.

Over the past few months, the project team has continued purposefully collecting data on these various case studies, as well as interviewing dozens of individuals with experience on these types of mechanisms. The objective was to critically investigate what progressive things cities are doing to better retain and establish trees.