QUARANTINE SURVEY OF CAPE YORK PENINSULA AND THE TORRES STRAIT--2003

AS PART OF a project funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), the fourth survey of the region bordering the centre of diversity for Saccharum officinarum was made in June 2003. The objectives were to determine the incidence of pests and diseases within the region, to highlight any new records (movements) of significant pests and diseases and to highlight to indigenous communities the need for sugarcane quarantine. No new major pests or diseases were found within the region. The possibility of eradicating Eumetopina plant hoppers from Cape York was proposed to reduce the risk of spread to commercial cropping areas. The survey highlighted the movement of hybrid Saccharum material from Queensland cropping areas north, a concern for the spread of Australian pests and diseases closer to the centre of diversity in PNG. The paper reports on other significant outcomes from the survey and highlights action needed to maintain the integrity of the germplasm present in the Torres Strait and Papua New Guinea.