The next instalment of this series will be held on Wednesday 4 November at 1 pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) with Robert Beresford, Honorary Fellow at the Bioeconomy Science Institute, Auckland presenting on “Fungicides provide a pathway for finding myrtle rust resistance in Syzygium maire“. The talk will be followed by the usual Q&A session and time for informal discussion which won’t be recorded. Registrations open soon!

About the series

There is a need for horticulturists and practitioners managing Myrtle Rust susceptible collections to collaborate, share ideas and workshop problems.

To address this, PCA collaborates with Botanic Gardens of Sydney and the BGANZ Collections and Records Management group (BCARM) to co-ordinate this series of free, informal virtual get togethers.

This series is exclusively focused on practical aspects of managing and maintaining a conservation collection of Myrtle Rust susceptible species and has an open forum structure. It is open to any practitioners across Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand managing collections impacted by Myrtle Rust including local council nurseries.

Previous sessions

Session 1 on 22 February 2024 focused on “Fundamentals of managing a Myrtle Rust sensitive collection“. You can view Bob Makinson’s introductory talk about Myrtle Rust in Australia and Veronica Viler’s talk on managing Myrtle Rust sensitive collections below.

Session 2 on 16 May 2024 was about “Pest and Disease Control – Chemical Use and Permits” where Veronica presented on ‘Chemical and Cultural methods of Myrtle Rust Management’ which is also available below.

Session 3 on 29 August 2024 was on “Monitoring and Collecting from Wild Populations of Myrtle Rust Susceptible Species“. Craig Stehn from NSW DCCEEW shared his experience in surveying, monitoring and collecting from wild populations of Myrtle Rust impacted species. Craig’s talk is also available to view below.

Session 4 on 5 December 2024 focused on “Local government enabling community-led recovery of Myrtle Rust impacted species”. Emma Simpkins (Senior Regional Advisor Flora) and Rebekah Fuller (Senior Plant Pathogens Advisor) from Auckland Council discussed the actions implemented by local government to support threatened Myrtaceae in Auckland, primarily by engaging community to build capacity to support species and ecosystem recovery. Their conservation actions include funding mana whenua (indigenous people) and community groups to lead monitoring of Lophomyrtus obcordata (rōhutu) and Syzygium maire (maire tawake) populations and carry out fungicide treatments in order to collect seed for propagation, establishing ex situ collections of threatened species including rōhutu and rātā moehau (Metrosideros bartlettii), creating awareness of Myrtle Rust through workshops and training, and advocating for nursery suppliers to have a nursery biosecurity accreditation (Plant Pass) to ensure healthy plants are used in restoration. Their presentation can be found below.

Session 5 on 24 April 2025 was on “Getting a Myrtle Rust conservation program going – the practicalities“. Brandan Espe from James Cook University presented on how TropEco at JCU established its Myrtle Rust conservation program. The focus was on the tools and steps required to get such a program off the ground, and the challenges of ensuring ongoing success. Brandon curates the JCU living collections and manages the TropEco program, with the Townsville campus alone being over 380Ha, having over 1300 taxa and well over triple the accessions recorded to date and growing. He manages the Grounds and Environment teams who care for the gardens, natural ecosystems, nurseries and wildlife. He oversees plant selection and landscape designs for capital and operational works across the University as well as botanic conservation and educational engagement. He started the JCU TropEco Myrtle Rust conservation program in his former role as Environmental Officer. A recording of Brandan’s presentation can be found below.

Session 6 on 13 November 2025 was on “National Plant Biosecurity and Sustainable Plant Production” presented by John McDonald, Director of RDE & Biosecurity at Greenlife Industry Australia. He presented on the national plant biosecurity system and response management, including responding to an emergency plant pest incursion, Pesticide Minor Use Permits (MUPs) and nursery production sustainability including best management practice, environmental and natural resource management, and plant protection and biosecurity.

For more information on this series, please email PCA’s Myrtle Rust Recovery Project Manager Jules Freeman.

For more information about Myrtle Rust visit the dedicated PCA resource page.

Image: Tracey Menzies with Native Guava potted collections at the QLD DPI Gympie nursery. Credit: Alison Dillon DPI

Presentations from Session 1

Presentation from Session 2