What was it all about?

Running during 2018, this project evaluated the effectiveness of current management strategies used to control banana bunchy top virus and estimated the risk of increased disease incidence for alternative scenarios. There was a focus on ensuring containment in endemic areas within southern Queensland and northern New South Wales and preparing for new incursions in other production areas. The primary finding was that the disease is likely to be kept in check with a continuation of current management and surveillance activities. Other results included:

• Less stringent management practices have a high risk of a delayed, rapid spike in infection.

• With current management strategies, new infections in plantations where the virus was detected in the previous year are likely to be picked up before the epidemic explodes.
  
  
• The frequency of visiting plantations has a significant effect on disease risk.
  
  
• Sweeping the surrounding plantations has relatively little effect on improving overall disease management.
  
  
• Reducing the frequency and efficiency of surveillance will result in a rapid rise of infections.

ACT NOW

More information on banana bunchy top virus and current management strategies can be found on the levy-funded Australian Banana Grower’s Council website here.

At the time BA17001 was undertaken, the industry’s current banana bunchy top control program was run under the Hort Innovation Banana Fund investments National banana bunchy top virus program – Phase 3 – QLD (BA15006) and National banana bunchy top virus program – Phase 3 – NSW (BA15007).