TomatoesNZ Inc

CONSULTATION OPEN ON SWEEPING

NEW MEASURES TO REDUCE NZ’S EMISSIONS

Words by Helen Barnes : General Manager, TomatoesNZ Inc.

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) released their Draft Advice for consultation on 1 February.

It includes advice on the first three emissions budgets and on policy direction for the government’s first emissions reduction plan. Consultation on this advice is open until 14 March. TomatoesNZ will be joining with Horticulture New Zealand and Vegetables NZ to make a joint submission. Some key points included in the CCC advice:

Proposes replacing coal used for industrial process heat (including heating commercial vegetable greenhouses) with biomass and electricity by 2030; and replacing gas with biomass and electricity by 2035. Along with boiler conversion, they assume significant improvements in energy efficiency.

All new space heating or hot water systems installed after 2025 in new buildings (including glasshouses) would have to be either electric or biomass, and no further natural gas connections to the grid, or bottled LPG connections would be allowed to occur after 2025.

The report notes constraints on biomass supply in some regions; and electrification of process heat will be at a significantly higher operational cost, with expansion of the electricity transmission and distribution grids also required. It notes biomass “uptake will require the development of supply chains for gathering and processing biomass along with the establishment of local markets.” And that process heat must be phased in a way that would enable assets and infrastructure to be replaced on “as natural a cycle as possible” to maintain growth while minimising costs from stranded or writtendown assets.

They also advise on the phase out of industrial free allocation in the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). “If an ongoing and substantial risk of emissions leakage becomes evident, industrial free allocation phase out rates could be slowed down.”

Following consultation, feedback will be incorporated and the final advice will be presented to government by 31 May. The government will have until 31 December to decide whether to accept the recommendations. The full report is available at: https://www.climatecommission.govt. nz/get-involved/our-advice-and-evidence/

Tomato Red Spider Mite Survey completed

A small, established population of tomato red spider mite, Tetranychus evansi (TRSM), was detected at Auckland Airport in May 2020. The TRSM was found on black nightshade weeds Solanum nigrum during a routine HighRisk Site Surveillance inspection by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). It was estimated that the population had been present for two or more years. Under a GIA response, a “delimiting survey” of the greater Auckland area was commissioned to assess how far the TRSM population had spread and whether it was already present in commercial growers’ operations. The survey sites included both indoor and outdoor growers’ properties and non-commercial locations (e.g., roadsides, parks).

The survey was carried out in during spring (September/ October). TRSM was found at eight sites: 1 Auckland airport (first detection) 2 Pakuranga 3 Manakau City Centre 4 Mount Wellington 5 Manurewa (Auckland Botanic Gardens) 6 Howick (Lloyd Elsmere Park) 7 Panmure

8 Māngere None of the sites where the mites were found were commercial – they were all in gardens or weedy areas. Tomato Red Spider Mite is very small – the size of a full stop – so accurate identification requires an expert. The tomato red spider mite got its name because it eats tomato plants, is red, and makes silk webbing to protect itself and its eggs, like some spiders do. The mite multiplies quickly and in large groups they can mummify plants, wrapping them up in silk webbing. Crop hosts include tomatoes, potatoes and eggplants. They also attack beans, kumara and some ornamentals – roses and orchids. Weed hosts include the nightshades, shepherd’s purse, cleavers and fat hen. Eradication of established populations of TRSM is difficult due to its biology, including its tiny size making detection difficult with the naked eye, abundance, preferred presence under leaves, dispersal traits and the difficulty of spraying for it effectively, the high rate of population increase (up to 10 generations per season), parthenogenic reproduction (only one female is needed to establish a population) and resistance to miticides. Because of these factors and the large area that the pest is already established, and the fact that export trade impacts are low, MPI and industry parties agreed that eradication is not a feasible or cost-effective option, and would also be socially unacceptable (due to spraying). This means that the most likely outcome is that TRSM will be deregulated, and we will move to focusing on longterm management instead of eradication.

Updated Exotic Pest Fact Sheets

The TomatoesNZ Exotic Pest Fact Sheets, available for download on the TomatoesNZ website biosecurity page, have been updated. We now have 15 fact sheets available, with the addition this year of Fall Army Worm, which has established in Australia.

Covered crops remit update

A remit was supported at both the TomatoesNZ and Vegetables NZ Inc 2020 Annual General Meetings:

That TomatoesNZ Inc. and Vegetables NZ Inc develop options for, and an opportunity to vote on, combining covered crops under one representative product group or body.

A small working group of members of TNZ and VNZI have met twice to work on developing some options to present to growers. The group plans to develop a proposal based on the scenarios they have identified which will be provided to growers for feedback in April-May. Steps following this will depend on grower comments and may include a vote at the TomatoesNZ and Vegetables NZ AGMs in early August 2021.

Global tomato congress online

The Global Tomato Congress will be held online overnight (starting at 8:00pm NZ Time) 16 – 17 March 2021. You can register for free on their website: https://www.globaltomatocongress.com/ There are three concurrent sessions which cover marketing and consumer trends, new varieties, packaging, new technology, pest and disease management, and sustainability.

Exotic Pests Fact Sheet 1 Chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis)

What are they? Chilli thrips(Scirtothrips dorsalis) are extremely small insects (2 mm) that often go undetected. They feed on more than 100 plant species from around 40 different families including tomatoes and other Solanaceous crops (e.g. capsicum, eggplants). How does it spread? Chilli thripsare dispersed via infested plant material –cut flowers, fruits and vegetables. Wind currents may also contribute in the dispersal of adult thrips.

Where are they present? Chilli thrips are widespread and are considered present in many Asian countries, Papua New Guinea (native), Solomon Islands (native), United Kingdom, Netherlands,Spain,Israel, parts of Africa, North, Central and South America, and Australia. How can I protect my industry? Check your production site frequently for the presence of new pests and unusual symptoms. Make sure you are familiar with common pests of your industry so you can recognise something different. What do the look like? Adults are around 2 mm, pale white to yellow in colour with dark, fringed wings (Fig. 1). Immature stages (larvae and pupae) are also pale in colour and are without wings (Fig. 2). Eyes are coloured red. The chilli thripsresembles many other thripsspecies. What should I look for? Chilli thripsfeed on the lower surface of leaves, buds, flowersandfruits. Both larvae and adults feed by piercing the plant tissue and sucking up the released plant juices.A heavy infestation causes premature wilting, delay in leaf development and distortion of leaves and young shoots. Under heavy infestations, the buds and flowers usually die. Chilli thripsinfestation may also result in premature fruit fall or can damage the fruit (Fig. 3). They can also vector diseases. Exotic Pests Fact Sheet 5 What are they? Vegetable leaf miners (including Liriomyzatrifolii, L. strigata, L. sativae, L. huidobrensisand L. pusilla) are small flies whose larvae feed internally on plant tissue, particularly the leaf. Many species of leaf miners are unwanted pests for New Zealand. Feeding of the larvae disrupts photosynthesis and reduces the quality and yield of plants. These pests have a wide host range, including many economically important vegetable, cut flowers, and grain crops.What do they look like? The black flies are just visible (1-2.5 mm in length) and often have yellow areas on the head and thorax. Leaf mines caused by larval feeding are usually white with dried brown areas. The mines are typically serpentine or irregularly shaped and increase in size as the larvae mature. Damage to the plant is caused in several ways:• Leaf stippling resulting from females feeding or laying eggs• Internal mining of the leaf by the larvae• Secondary infection by pathogens that enter the leaf mines or punctures• Mechanical transmission of viruses Vegetable leaf miners (Liriomyzaspp.)What should I look for? A leaf miner infestation would likely be detected through the presence of mines in leaf tissue. Adult flies and larvae are unlikely to be seen due to their size.How does it spread? Adult flies can spread throughout a crop by flight, but most long distance transmission occurs when plant material containing larvae is transported.Where are they present? The leaf miners of concern to New Zealand are generally widespread through Africa, America, Europe, Asia and parts of Oceania. In October 2020, serpentine leafminer(L. huidobrensis) was reportedin two locations in Australia (New South Wales, Queensland).How can I protect my industry? Check your production site frequently for the presence of new pests and unusual symptoms. Make sure you are familiar with common pests of your production industry so you can recognise something different.

Exotic Pest Fact Sheet 9 What are they? Black bean aphids (also known as black fly) feed on many hosts and are associated with a large variety of vegetables including tomatoes. Economic damage caused by black bean aphid is mainly as a result of direct feeding. Virus transmission is of relatively minor economic importance for affected crops other than beetroot. What do they look like? Adults are about 2 mm long with a small head and bulbous abdomen (Fig 1). Colour can range from a dark olive green to black. They sometimes have white flecks on the upper surface of their body. Legs are a light colour with black ‘knees and ankles”. Black bean aphids have two black, backward pointing abdominal tubes called cornicles. They may be with or without wings (Fig 2). Why are they an issue? Black bean aphids have piercing and sucking mouthparts. This means they sucksapfrom stems and leaves and cause distortion of the shoots, stunted plants and reduced yield. Black bean aphids excrete a substance called honeydew which encourages the growth of sooty mould which can spoil crops. Heavy infestations may reduce seed formation and cause plants to die. Black bean aphids may also transmit viruses. Black bean aphid populations can increase rapidly in favourable conditions resulting in rapid exploitation of host plants. Black Bean Aphid (Aphis fabae) What should I look for? Symptoms of black bean aphid damage include leaf curling, distortion and wilting especially on young actively growing leaves. Leaves may also yellow and wilt, along the edges first. Aggregations of black bean aphids may develop on soft shoot tips, flower stems and the underside of younger leaves. There may also be white skin casts associated with infestations. The presence of sooty mould (growing on honeydew excreted by aphids) and ants are often associated with black bean aphids. How do they spread? The black bean aphid can be carried on planting material and some vegetables. The main means of dispersal is through migratory flight. Black bean aphids overwinter on a primary host e.g. Euonmyos europaeus or Viburnum spp. They then move to a secondary host to complete their life cycle. The secondary hosts are often a range of crop plants. Female black bean aphids are able to reproduce without mating during some parts of the year. Where are they present? Black bean aphids are widely distributed in many parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and North and South America as well as Puerto Rico in Central America. How can I protect my industry? Check your production site frequently for the presence of new pests and unusual symptoms. Make sure you are familiar with common pests of your industry so you can recognise something different.

Figure 1. Male chilli thripsLance Osborne – University of Florida

Figure 2. Larvae of chilli thripsVivek Kumar – University of Florida

Figure 3. ThripsInfonet-biovision damage on tomato

Version 4. January 2021

Figure 1. Adult LiriomyzaUniversity of Florida. leaf miner.

Figure 2. Mines in squash leaf caused byLiriomyzaleaf miners. University of Florida.

Figure 3. Tomato leafminerdamage to fruit Pete Nelson, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org.jpg Version 4. January2021 Fig 1: Black bean aphids –adult and nymphs(A. fabae) Photo: Jack Kelly Clark, courtesy University of California StatewideIPM Program. Copyrighted by the Regents of the University of California.

Fig 2: A. fabae – winged adult Photo:HulléM., TurpeauE., Chaubet B., 2006. Encyclop'ahid, INRA,http://doi.org/10.15454/1.4333379890530916E12

Version 4. January 2021