Monitoring Austropuccinia psidii (myrtle rust) on New Zealand Myrtaceae in native forest
Austropuccinia psidii (myrtle rust) was first detected on mainland Aotearoa (New Zealand) in 2017 and has established in various urban areas and native forests. To understand the spread of this pathogen and its effect on host species, surveillance for myrtle rust on Myrtaceae in native forests was undertaken in central Te Ika a Māui (North Island). In one site, with confirmed A. psidii infection, the rust infected up to 90% of new flush stem and leaves of some ramarama and rōhutu (Lophomyrtus spp.), with the pathogen eventually causing dieback of these shoots.