Australia
November 26, 2014

The Australian Melon Association, after much consideration, has decided to postpone the 2015 Australian Melon Industry Conference & Field Days due to be held in Griffith in March 2015.

With the discovery of Cucumber Green Mottle Mosaic Virus in the Northern Territory, the industry needs to be very mindful of seed testing protocols and farm quarantine practices. The time frame for testing of seed for CGMMV before the planting window for the Conference is too narrow, making it difficult to have enough new melon varieties available at the field days. There is also a need to minimise plant, equipment and human traffic on farms until strong quarantine practices are established.

With these factors in mind, AMA plans to delay the Conference for one year, until 2016 when the industry will come back with a bigger and brighter event than the very successful Bundaberg conference. 

Website: http://www.melonsaustralia.org.au

Published: November 26, 2014