Myrtle Rust Management for Practitioners - Open Series
Stay tuned! The next session will be held in February 2025, date and topic to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, you can view past presentations below.
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There is a need for horticulturists and practitioners managing Myrtle Rust susceptible collections to collaborate, share ideas and workshop problems.
To address this the ANPC, UNSW and the BGANZ Collections and Records Management group (BCARM) are collaborating to co-ordinate a quarterly series of free, informal virtual get togethers.
This series is exclusively focused on practical aspects of managing and maintaining a conservation collection of Myrtle Rust susceptible species and has an open forum structure. It is open to any practitioners across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand managing collections impacted by Myrtle Rust including local council nurseries.
Session 1 on 22 February 2024 focused on “Fundamentals of managing a Myrtle Rust sensitive collection“. You can view Bob Makinson’s introductory talk about Myrtle Rust in Australia and Veronica Viler’s talk on managing Myrtle Rust sensitive collections below.
Session 2 on 16 May 2024 was about “Pest and Disease Control – Chemical Use and Permits” where Veronica presented on ‘Chemical and Cultural methods of Myrtle Rust Management’ which is also available below.
Session 3 on 29 August 2024 was on “Monitoring and Collecting from Wild Populations of Myrtle Rust Susceptible Species“. Craig Stehn from NSW DCCEEW shared his experience in surveying, monitoring and collecting from wild populations of Myrtle Rust impacted species. Craig’s talk is also available to view below.
Session 4 on 5 December 2024 focused on “Local government enabling community-led recovery of Myrtle Rust impacted species”. Emma Simpkins (Senior Regional Advisor Flora) and Rebekah Fuller (Senior Plant Pathogens Advisor) from Auckland Council discussed the actions implemented by local government to support threatened Myrtaceae in Auckland, primarily by engaging community to build capacity to support species and ecosystem recovery. Their conservation actions include funding mana whenua (indigenous people) and community groups to lead monitoring of Lophomyrtus obcordata (rōhutu) and Syzygium maire (maire tawake) populations and carry out fungicide treatments in order to collect seed for propagation, establishing ex situ collections of threatened species including rōhutu and rātā moehau (Metrosideros bartlettii), creating awareness of Myrtle Rust through workshops and training, and advocating for nursery suppliers to have a nursery biosecurity accreditation (Plant Pass) to ensure healthy plants are used in restoration.
For more information on this series, please email the ANPC’s Myrtle Rust Recovery Project Manager Pip Walsh.
For more information about Myrtle Rust visit the dedicated ANPC resource page.
Image: Tracey Menzies with Native Guava potted collections at the DAF Gympie nursery. Credit: Alison Dillon DAF