Month: April 2017

More growers are about to benefit from Commonwealth funding designed to assist growers to make on-farm practice changes that reduce their environmental footprint on the Great Barrier Reef. Sonia Campbell reports on Reef Trust III and future funding available through this significant project. The latest round…

By Rosie Godwin Banana Freckle (Phyllosticta cavendishii) was detected in Northern Territory (NT) in 2013, and a response has been underway since then. Banana Freckle affects non-Cavendish and Cavendish banana plants and was found widely across the greater Darwin area. It was also found in…

In a region that has been hit by its fair share of challenges, Paula Doran meets two inspiring brothers  who are determined to break into the New South Wales banana industry and make things work. Ethan (21) and Zack McKeever (25) are two Murwillumbah locals…

The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland (DAF) will soon launch a new project aimed at protecting the banana industry from pests and diseases, well into the future. The Improved Plant Protection for the Banana Industry (BA16001) project is  funded by Horticulture Innovation Australia (HIA),…

Late last year, Biosecurity Queensland (BQ) commissioned Australian Banana Growers’ Council (ABGC) R&D Manager Rosie Godwin to conduct a risk assessment into the potential for contamination and disease spread from Panama TR4 Program field activities. The aim was to ensure that all risks associated with…

Israel boasts one of the most disease-free, pest-free banana industries in the world. However, with Panama Tropical Race 4 (TR4) at its doorstep, scientists from the Middle Eastern nation visited Australia to share their knowledge and gain first-hand insight into our own worldclass biosecurity fight against…

The Banana Plant Protection Program, led by Professor André Drenth — conducted from November 2011 to December 2016 — was one of the banana industry’s largest research programs. Here, Prof  Drenth takes a look at what was achieved during course of the program.  By Professor…