Update on Myrtle Rust in Australia

 

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Publication Date

Tue, 30 Jun 2015, 06:08

Last Updated

June 30, 2015, 6:08 a.m.

Report Number

AUS-37/2

Country

Australia

Pest Id

Uredo rangelii - (UREDRA)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

Myrtle rust has been found on numerous Myrtaceae species including willow myrtle, turpentine, tea tree, lilly pilly, water gum, bottle brush and Austromyrtus.

Pest Status (old values from ISPM 8 -1998 )

• Present: only in some areas

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and under official control

Geographical Distribution

It has been found in New South Wales and in nurseries in Queensland.

Summary

Myrtle rust was first detected in Australia on the Central Coast of New South Wales in April 2010. Observations on the detections in state forests and nature reserves indicate that the disease may have been present in Australia for at least two years.

It is not known how Myrtle rust entered Australia. Rust fungi produce microscopic spores which are carried by wind, people’s clothing, plants or goods that are shipped around the world.

Danger

Myrtle rust is a disease that affects the Myrtaceae family of plants, which includes many Australian native species. The fungus that causes Myrtle rust belongs to a group of fungi known as the ‘guava rust complex’. This complex of diseases is native to South America and is also present in the United States of America (Florida and Hawaii) and Mexico.

Contact for info

Chief Plant Protection Officer Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia [email protected]

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