Apple rot causing an export ban to China was probably due to heavy rain during harvest, says Pipfruit New Zealand technical manager Mike Butcher. He said Pacific Queen and Pacific Rose were the varieties particularly affected.
"These organisms manifest in storage and are more prevalent in extremely wet harvest periods," "It requires rain to be released from its capsule and then water running down the tree spreads it to other apples
The rot, caused by the fungus Neofabraea alba, was not a food safety risk. "China undertake a sub-sampling of each consignment and they found evidence on only a few apples, so it is not in every apple, it is not in every box," Dr Butcher said.
Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said because China took only 2 per cent of the New Zealand harvest the industry was unaffected at season-end. Shipments bound for China had been diverted.
"The rot may be a market access problem for China but not in other markets," Mr Pollard said. He said two pack houses had been identified as being the source of three shipments with the surface rot.
The Ministry for Primary Industries had a team in China and they notified New Zealand of the rotten find, he said. Talks with China about market access for next season will start in February-March.
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