Pest and Disease Management Program for the Australian Avocado Industry (AV23017) update

Tackling emerging pests and diseases in avocado production – a project update

Pests and diseases continue to be major constraints on avocado productivity and fruit quality.

Led by Dr Bishwo Mainali Macquarie University, a research team from around Australia are working together to address these challenges through the Pest and Disease Management Program for the Australian Avocado Industry (AV23017) – delivering targeted research, monitoring, and practical solutions for growers.

Two key approaches to tackle pests and diseases

This research project has two key focus areas:

1. Improving best-practice chemical use and resistance management, including:

• identifying gaps in available control options
• supporting market access through updated maximum residue limit (MRL) information.

2. Better understanding emerging and established pest and disease issues. Current work targets pests including the mirids and thrips, and diseases like anthracnose, stem-end rot, and panicle and branch dieback.

A nation-wide team and diverse expertise to target local issues
Macquarie University (MQ) is leading the work, with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD), Agreco Australia, and Southern Cross University (SCU) contributing expertise and on-ground support across different components.

The MQ team and the NSW DPIRD team, led by Dr. Saleh Adnan,  are collaborating to monitor pest dynamics and evaluate insect pest trap performance across Northern NSW, Central Queensland, and Far North Queensland.

For the disease component, the Agreco Australia team, led by Dr. Cherie Gambley, and the SCU team, led by Dr. Jay Anderson, are working together to better understand the drivers of anthracnose through spore trapping in commercial orchards across Central Queensland and Northern NSW.

The team has begun engaging with Western Australian growers and will shortly commence trap deployment in WA avocado orchards to expand the project’s geographic coverage.

Pictured: Traps installed

Status updates from around the country

The project is now partway through its first full season. Fruit from monitored orchards will be harvested and assessed at maturity to examine links between disease incidence, spore release, weather conditions, and orchard management factors. Monitoring activities for both pests and diseases are also planned to commence in Western Australia from the next flowering period.

When pest insects are active

Monitoring across Northern NSW and Queensland in 2025 shows that pest pressure is closely linked to crop phenology. In Northern NSW, Citrus Blossom Bug (CBB) and thrips peak during early flowering, particularly from inflorescence elongation to flower opening, highlighting this as the critical window for monitoring and control.

Disease pressure remains high

Fruit surveys (fruiting season 2025) confirm that anthracnose remains widespread, with an incidence of >50% across assessed sites. Stem-end rot was especially severe in Central Queensland (44–81%), while impacts were lower in Northern NSW.

Improving disease detection

Spore trapping is underway to better link disease risk with orchard conditions. However, challenges with traditional methods have prompted exploration of modern tools, such as eDNA-based detection, which are expected to improve reliability and early-warning capability.

Dieback under investigation

Panicle and branch dieback are emerging concerns in several regions, including Bundaberg. Current work focuses on identifying causal agents and understanding their distribution through field surveys and DNA-based diagnostics.

Better monitoring tools

Trials are underway to identify the most effective sticky trap colors for pests such as thrips and mirid bugs. For thrips, lures are also deployed alongside the coloured traps to improve monitoring accuracy and support timely management decisions.

Have your say

Grower input is critical to ensure the project delivers practical outcomes. We will soon be seeking feedback, particularly on experiences with emerging pests and panicle and branch dieback.

Keep an eye out for the survey and get involved!

More information

To learn more about the project, please email:

• Dr Bishwo Mainali, Macquarie University, Sydney
• Dr Cherie Gambley, Agreco Australia,Bundaberg
• Dr Jay Anderson, Southern Cross University, Lismore

Acknowledgements

The Pest and Disease Management Program for the Australian Avocado Industry (AV23017) project has been funded by Hort Innovation, using the avocado research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government. Hort Innovation is the grower-owned, not-for-profit research and development corporation for Australian horticulture.

This article appears as part of the 8 May 2026 issue of Guacamole, our e-Newsletter.