The opportunity for a deep dive into soilborne diseases with an expert on the subject was embraced by Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne squash growers at a series of farm visits last month.
About 35 growers met with Australian plant pathologist Dr Len Tesoriero to discuss different aspects of disease management and disease issues during a week-long visit to the region, organised as part of the New Zealand Buttercup Squash Council-A Lighter Touch soilborne disease (SBD) management project.
A scientist with more than four decades of experience working alongside commercial vegetable growers to identify, manage and prevent crop diseases, Len’s visit was organised as part of extending knowledge from the project’s newly launched squash soilborne disease toolkit.
From left pictured are Jono Ritchie, Agronomy Manager, Grace Ching, Agronomy Technician, Dr Len Tesoriero, Sam Lindstrom, Operations Manager.
Project technical lead Dereck Ferguson, who accompanied Len on his visits with local growers, says the one-on-one visits were very well-received, with lots of questions and discussion.
“We met with 13 different groups and each time the conversation focused on different disease issues and aspects of disease management. There was a lot of positive feedback and growers were very interested to also hear about the conversations other growers were having with Len.”
As a result, Dereck is preparing a report summarising the various subjects discussed which will be shared with all squash growers.
From left are Phil Egan, Fruitfed Technical Horticultural Representative Gisborne, Henry Dods, squash grower and owner of H Pak, David Briant, squash grower and shareholder in Four Seasons Packhouse, Cameron McKenzie, agronomist for H Pak, and Dr Len Tesoriero.
Len says while there were several threads in common across the various discussions with growers, there was a unique takeaway from every meeting.
“I recognise that there are enormous challenges facing growers in New Zealand that reach far beyond the issues with buttercup squash. The loss of some processing vegetables will only add pressure for suitable crop rotations for soilborne disease management,” he says.
Dr Len Tesoriero and Omaranui based squash grower Danny Bearsley, who has been growing for 48 years, starting out with sweetcorn, when he was 21 years old in Tutira.
SBD cause losses averaging around 30 percent a year for a sector with an export value of around $55 million. The NZBSC-ALT project, which is due to complete in March next year, is focused on developing an agroecological “whole of farm” approach to manage SBD in squash and other crops grown in rotation.
The newly released grower toolkit draws on knowledge gathered from researchers and industry through the project as well as trial results and insights from demonstrations. It explains the factors that lead to a buildup of the pathogens that cause SBD, identifies the main pathogens affecting buttercup squash and outlines strategies growers can consider to reduce the impact of disease.
The toolkit will be updated before the project ends in March 2027, with further insights and data gathered from the 2025-26 season and work currently underway.
Learn more about the squash SBD management project here.
