Pest and disease management and research services (MU16003)

What was it all about?

This investment ran from 2017 to 2022 to assist mushroom growers in understanding and managing key pests and diseases. The project delivered new farm-focused resources and maintained AGORA, the industry’s web-based pest and disease management knowledge database.

The project team delivered a suite of pest and disease management resources designed to help growers and farm staff to recognise disease symptoms early, make good decisions at the right time, and prevent pests and diseases establishing with effective hygiene and up-to-date management strategies.

While many grower queries were easy to satisfy, some requested help with a longstanding pest or disease issue that had defied their best control efforts and impacted farm profitability. In working with these growers, the project team identified which resources worked, how farm staff could use them to their advantage, and which resources needed to be developed or modified for broader industry application.

Pest and disease management information and resources were shared across the sector via face-to-face and online workshops and webinars. Numerous articles, instructional videos, presentations and factsheets were published during the project, with grower alerts sent directly to members when needed. A management wallchart and symptom recognition pocketbook were updated and sent to all farms, along with supporting materials such as chemical summary tables and examples of recommended farm signage.

ACT NOW

All resources produced by the project team remain available to growers via AGORA online library of mushroom pest, disease and hygiene information (password protected). If you’re unsure of your details, require access for new staff members, or would like to arrange a time for a phone tutorial on how to use AGORA, contact Judy Allan at judyallan@bigpond.com or on 02 6767 1057.

You can also read this project-related article Defending Aussie mushrooms against pest and disease, published on Hort Innovation’s website in February 2022.