AUSVEG has revealed the vegetable leafminer (Liriomyza sativae) has been detected in the Cape York Peninsula but poses no immediate threat to major vegetable production areas.
A routine surveillance in May detected two vegetable leafminer larvae in a backyard garden in the Cape York Peninsula community of Seisia.
The community is located within the Cape York Peninsula Pest Targeted Quarantine Area where no plant materials can be moved out of the area without approval.
Vegetable leafminer affects a broad range of vegetables and ornamentals.
Damage is primarily caused by larvae feeding under the surface of leaves and petioles.
Typically, this feeding causes mines, which appear as silvery lines on leaves.
Higher levels of infestation can affect photosynthetic ability, leading to reduced plant growth and crop yield.
Eggs, larvae and pupae can be moved on plant material, soil, clothing and equipment.
The leafminer was first detected in the Torres Strait in 2008.
In 2014, the Consultative Committee on Emergency Plant Pests (CCEPP) agreed that vegetable leafminer was not technically feasible to eradicate from the Torres Strait.
In response to the recent detection the CCEPP has established a separate group to work with industry to develop delimiting surveillance protocols, investigate control options, and raise public and industry awareness of the pest.
Ausveg says given the widespread distribution of the vegetable leafminer elsewhere in the world and its continued movement through the Torres Strait, it is investigating preparedness measures for the vegetable industry.
The organisation is also seeking the necessary minor use permits for control of this pest on vegetable crops from the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA).
Any unusual plant pest should be reported immediately to the relevant state/territory agriculture agency through the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.