Monitoring in Citrus is voluntary in New Zealand
Training for monitoring citrus was rolled out in the Bay of Plenty in the mid 2000’s, taught by Dr. Keith Pyle. There were only three staff from Fruitfed’s Katikati branch trained initially, Cathy Harris being one of them.
The ten years that the voluntary programme was running allowed the industry to develop the most effective programme. The monitoring frequency started at weekly, changed to monthly, then back to fortnightly, where the best practice recommendation remains, having proved to be the most cost effective and best for control of pests on the orchard.
The original intent of monitoring was to reduce pest damage to fruit, therefore achieving a higher packout with better quality fruit. AvoGreen© is also used now as the major tool to gain access to overseas markets, with the AvoGreen© programme being the point of difference.
If you need a citrus monitor, please call or email Cathy.
Phone: +64 7 281 1034
Email: officeadmin@cropcheck.co.nz