37 EMROP: Waihi North Project WAI-985-000-PLN-LC-0001_Rev0 clean 3 MANAGEMENT OF PLANT PATHOGENS 3.1 MYRTLE RUST PROTOCOLS Myrtle rust is a serious fungal disease of plants in the myrtle (Myrtaceae) family and is caused by the fungus Austropuccinia psidii. It affects several native plants including ramarama, pōhutukawa, rātā, kānuka and mānuka, as well as several exotic species. Myrtle rust is known to be present throughout most of the North Island (including Waihi), and across the top and on the west coast of the South Island (Beresford et al., 2019). In May 2018, the Ministry for Primary Industry’s (MPI) response was closed, and the focus moved to science to find ways to manage the disease in the longer term. Myrtle rust can be identified by the following symptoms (myrtlerust.org.nz): • Bright yellow powdery eruptions appearing on the leaf • Brown/grey rust pustules on older lesions • Grey ‘fuzzy spore growth on underside of leaf • Some leaves may become buckled or twisted and will die off. Figure 6. Myrtle rust on ramarama (left), rata (right). Images courtesy of myrtlerust.org.nz
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