Your Levy at Work

New smart technology and remote sensing survey

Tuesday, 21 June 2022

Nursery managers and staff are being encouraged to fill out a short survey developed by Greenlife Industry Australia (GIA) to help gather insights on the uptake of smart farming technologies in production nurseries.

Funded under the National Landcare program through a Hort Innovation strategic levy funded project, this survey seeks to not only identify what smart farming technologies are being used or would like to be used, but how these technologies are helping to manage and improve production. More

Biosecurity Advice: Serpentine Leafminer detected in Victoria

by Levy Communications • Biosecurity

Pest

Liriomyza huidobrensis Serpentine Leafminer

Date

17 June 2022

Location

Werribee – Victoria

Situation

Serpentine leafminer (also known as Pea leafminer) Liriomyza huidobrensis has recently been found infesting a vegetable farm in Werribee (June 2022). Biosecurity and Agriculture Services, Agriculture Victoria (AgVic) will not be mounting a response to delimit (undertake surveillance) the current distribution of the pest due to Serpentine leafminer already being present in Queensland and New South Wales (2020). More

Mid-year applications are open for the Hort Masterclass!

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Wednesday, 15 June 2022

Mid-year applications for the 2022 Hort Masterclass are open.

Delivered by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, with input from international research providers, the University of Tasmania’s Masterclass in Horticultural Business is a professional development program for those looking to accelerate their careers within horticulture.

The program brings together more than 30 individuals across Australian horticulture, including those from the nursery industry in 2022. More

PROJECT UPDATE: Spider lilies can be used to warn of tospovirus infections

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Tuesday, 14 June 2022

Project Update

Tospoviruses, a group of thrips-transmitted viruses, have the potential to greatly harm plant production in Australia
A levy-funded project is currently exploring ways that growers could identify infestation from these pathogens early, enhancing biosecurity
The project has found that spider lilies can be used to warn of tospovirus infection and growers should consider using them as sentinel plants

June Pest of the Month: Grey mould

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Grey mould has a distinctive appearance that can potentially be identified with a microscope or even a good hand lens. It can grow on dead and decaying tissue and may cause a variety of symptoms including leaf and flower blights, spots, blotches, wilts, cankers, rots, damping off and storage diseases.

New Pesticide Minor Use Permits – May 2022

by Levy Communications • NGI Updates

Tuesday, 25 May 2022

Six Minor Use Permits (New Applications) have been approved by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) for the nursery industry within the last month. Minor Use Permit numbers PER91921, PER91923, PER91928, PER91929, PER91941 and PER91944 are now available as described below.

Through the ‘National Biosecurity and Sustainable Plant Production Program’ (NY20001), levy funds and additional contributions from the Australian Government were used to apply for the six new Minor Use Permits (MUPs).