The disease also threatens market access, both as a quarantine barrier and through associated chemical residue risks.
This project developed and validated a weather-based infection risk model to support more precise fungicide timing, suitable for individual farm use. Eleven field sites were established in the Murray and Goulburn Valleys. Weather stations located at each orchard provided site specific data for estimating infection periods (IP) conducive to infection using the model and growers were notified by SMS within 12 hrs of infection conditions occurring. Disease was assessed after harvest to evaluate the success of spraying by the growers and most orchards achieved continuous improvement in rot control by following IP forecasting