The Kaurilands Summit is an annual event that aims to connect researchers, mana whenua, community members, industry and government staff in the areas of kauri ora and myrtle ora. Hosted by the Ngā Rākau Taketake programme of the BioHeritage National Science Challenge, kōrero focused on the effects and mitigation of plant pathogens Phytophthora agathidicida (the causal agent of kauri dieback) and Austropuccinia psidii (the causal agent of myrtle rust).
Michael Bartlett represented Beyond Myrtle Rust as a guest speaker in the Tiaki (Protect) session. He presented work on the long-term monitoring of myrtle rust at sites across the North Island. He and a team of researchers focused on disease levels and impacts on two Lophomyrtus species – L. bullata (ramarama) and L. obcordata (rōhutu) – which are particularly susceptible to myrtle rust, as well as naturally occurring hybrids of these two species.
Over three seasons of monitoring, Michael and his team recorded a bleak outlook for Lophomyrtus.
“The data shows a progressive decline in tree health for Lophomyrtus at multiple sites in the North Island,” said Michael during the presentation.
In some cases, these declines resulted in reduced reproductive output and even host mortality. But Michael also noted that declines were not uniform.
“The disease is not as severe at some sites as it is at others,” said Michael. “There is potential for resistance, and what we need to be thinking about now is what’s next. Action is needed in the near future to conserve this species.”
A recording of Michael’s full presentation can be watched here.
In the South Island, the 4th International Congress on Biological Invasions (ICBI2023) was hosted in Ōtautahi Christchurch from 1-4 May 2023. Sarah Sale, PhD student at the University of Canterbury, gave a 20-minute talk titled “Growing rust fungi on artificial substrates – A step closer to studying infection in the laboratory without the use of plants.” The talk won her one of the student presentation prizes at the conference.
Not to be outdone, Vladislav Kholostiakov, PhD student at the University of Auckland, won the best student poster presentation for his poster titled “First investigation into the seed-borne microbial communities of Metrosideros excelsa.”
Congratulations to Sarah and Vlad!