New detection of Panama TR4 in the Tully Valley

The eighth case of Panama disease tropical race 4 (Panama TR4) has been confirmed on a commercial banana farm in the Tully Valley, Far North Queensland.

The property in question, alongside all other commercial banana farms in the Tully Valley, has been subject to a frequent surveillance schedule over the past eight years to aid early detection of the disease.

Sampling events on this property prior to this detection have all returned a negative diagnostic result for Panama TR4.

A single plant on the property has returned a positive result for Panama TR4. Further testing will be undertaken to provide additional confidence of the positive diagnostic result for Panama TR4. These results could take up to four weeks.

Early detection, rapid destruction of infected plants and on-farm restrictions are the only way to control and contain the disease