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Armillaria is the most difficult root disease to manage in kiwifruit growing. Armillaria grows SLOWLY in the soil & roots but GROWS VERY FAST in the crown and trunk of vines. The only known certain control is to remove all woody plants, sow in pasture and wait for 100 years !
Many growers are looking for that instant cure all treatment. The bad news is that unless someone stumbles on a resistant rootstock, a certain cure is a daydream. The good news is there are ways to manage the disease to maintain an economic canopy in kiwifruit.
- Remove all dead kiwifruit vines and willows, gums etc. from the orchard.
- Identify and map infected vines and a two vine ring of vines around the area.
The area must be remapped every year, including looking for sick shelter trees.
- Plant new vines dipped in a trichoderma-Bran mix. Look after them.
- Expose roots and crown under vine of all vines with signs of rot and 1 apparently healthy ring of vines. This technique is very promising and is easiest done using water to sluice roots.
- Inject the first two rings of "healthy" vines with trichoderma.
- Mulch all injected vines and 1-2 rings of vines around. Apply 50mm of mulch in a 1 metre diameter circle around each vine. Scatter 1 cup of trichoderma in Bran dry mix and then add another 50mm of mulch. I suspect sprinkler irrigation is essential to get the best result from mulching. Coarse mulch materials are best, e.g. non tanilised post peelings.
- Remember to train in new leaders from healthy vines into gaps and keep up the basics of good soil and vine management to minimise vine stress.
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