Importance of partnerships in monitoring and managing diseases in the South African sugarcane industry

SA McFarlane¹, M Zhou^1,2,3, J Erasmus¹, K Trumpelmann¹, T Radzilani¹ and RA Stranack¹

¹South African Sugarcane Research Institute, 170 Flanders Drive, Mount Edgecombe, 4300, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa; sharon.mcfarlane@sugar.org.za

²School of Agriculture, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UKZN, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

³Department of Plant Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa

The Biosecurity-Extension-Researcher partnership at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute provides a conduit for knowledge exchange between researchers and sugarcane growers. This partnership provides a foundation for the promotion of new varieties, raises grower awareness to relevant disease issues through regular monitoring, and promotes the use of integrated disease management strategies to minimise losses. It has also facilitated rapid detection, identification and early intervention in response to new disease challenges such as the orange rust incursion in 2022. The collaboration has been integral to improving the disease situation in the South African sugarcane industry. The results of ratoon stunt (RSD) and smut surveys conducted by the Biosecurity Inspectorate since the introduction of the RSD diagnostic service in 1977, and the establishment of the Local Pest, Disease and Variety Control Committees (LPD&VCCs) in 1982 provide an indication of progress made in reducing disease incidence, and highlight the challenges in maintaining these levels as the number of diseases impacting the industry increases. Three case studies are presented. The first highlights the measures taken to successfully reduce smut incidence in the smut-prone northern region of the industry after an outbreak in the early 2000s. Another focuses on the role of the RSD diagnostic service and seedcane schemes in reducing RSD incidence in commercial fields. Finally, the rapid response to the orange rust incursion in 2022 highlights the benefits of developing incursion plans and raising grower awareness of potential disease threats. Further improvements in the disease situation are expected with increasing emphasis on knowledge exchange at SASRI.