The approaching festive season is, unfortunately, also a sure sign that it is the tomato/potato psyllid season again.

The tomato-potato psyllid was first found New Zealand, in Auckland,  in 2006. It has since spread around the country devastating the potato crops of 2008 and 2009.

These days growers are able to control the little bug and produce a viable crop. The recent announcement of record export earnings in excess of $100 million are testament to that.

Nevertheless Potatoes New Zealand is warning growers that as the psyllid season approaches it is timely to state the obvious and remind them to take a cautious approach to managing the TPP.

Potatoes New Zealand warns we don’t know whether TPP populations have stabilised yet, a fact particularly relevant to Canterbury growers who, last season, saw a two-four times increase in TPP numbers.

The National Psyllid monitoring programme is now underway for the 2011-2012 season and currently has 15 sticky trap sites on the North Island, and 21 on the South.

For further information visit www.potatoesnz.co.nz