Sugar cane smut is now established in all sugarcane growing areas of Australia

Publication Date

Fri, 11 Dec 2009, 00:00

Last Updated

June 23, 2023, 6:33 a.m.

Report Number

AUS-27/3

Country

Australia

Pest Id

Sporisorium scitamineum - (USTISC)

Report Status

Final

Hosts

Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum)

Pest Status (old values from ISPM 8 -1998 )

• Unknown

Pest Status (ISPM 8 - 2021)

• Present: not widely distributed and not under official control

Geographical Distribution

Sugarcane growing areas of Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales (NSW).

Summary

Sugar cane smut is now considered to be established in all areas where sugarcane is grown in Australia.

Danger

The first traces of sugar cane smut disease have been found in a cane crop in the Condong milling area of northern NSW. In preparation for the eventual arrival of the pest, the NSW sugar industry now has around 60% of the cane area planted with smut resistant and smut tolerant varieties.

Contact for info

Australian Chief Plant Protection Officer Australian Government Department of Agriculture, GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 Australia [email protected]

Report files

Website

Issue keywords

Pest status:Present/Presence

Commodity keywords