Plant fungus authorities have given up trying to control
Tasmanian Biosecurity officials have stopped trying to contain the blueberry rust fungus — saying “the benefits of containment no longer outweigh the burden.” Key points: Fungal diseases cause extensive defoliation and can kill plants with severe infections Tasmania has struggled unsuccessfully to contain it Listing it as endemic means that restrictions on infected properties will be removed and farmers will have to live with, and manage The fungus that first arrived in the island nation in 2014 can cause extensive defoliation of blueberry crops and sometimes plant death. Tasmanian Biosecurity said it proved impossible to stop the spread of the fungus, which spreads via spores in the air, contaminated clothing or equipment. “The containment approach we’ve taken over the last few years is clearly not working anymore,” said chief plant protection officer Andrew Bishop. “It worked really well for the first few years, and was always meant to try and slow down the spread to allow manufactur