APPS PORTAL
Nursery Papers
Documents
| Title↕ | Description↕ | Updated↓ |
|---|---|---|
| Managing a plant fungus in nursery production (December 2020) | This Nursery Paper provides an overview of the symptoms, diagnosis, management and prevention of a plant fungus, using Thielaviopsis basicola (black root rot) as an example. This disease can be found worldwide and has been identified as a major problem in Australian production nurseries since 1993. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer: <i>Euwallacea fornicatus</i> (October 2022) | Polyphagous shot hole borer (PSHB) is a complex organism that carries the fungal disease Fusarium euwallaceae. Native to Asia, in August 2021 it was detected in Western Australia. This Nursery Paper describes the pest and reviews host plants, reproductive and non-reproductive hosts, symptoms in affected plants, insect phenology, monitoring of the pest and the prevention of pest spread. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Guava root-knot nematode (May 2023) | This Nursery Paper provides information on the life cycle, host range, symptoms, diagnosis, prevention and management of guava root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne enterolobii, a plant-parasitic nematode that attacks the roots of a wide range of crops. The paper includes images of the pest and of affected plants. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Tips and tools to make plant protection easier (November 2023) | This Nursery Paper discusses the elements of best practice in plant protection and offers solutions to best practice plant protection challenges. Resources are listed that can provide assistance in implementing best practice in plant protection. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Pest ID tool redesigned and relaunching (May 2024) | Identifying and managing pests, diseases and weeds quickly is vital to maintaining a profitable plant production business. The Pest ID Tool has been developed by Nursery & Garden Industry. Queensland (NGIQ), with support from Greenlife Industry Australia, Plant Health Australia and nursery levy funds through Hort Innovation. Upgrades and expansion have made the resource even more valuable for nursery plant producers. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| To dip or not to dip: Foot baths (June 2024) | This Nursery Paper explains why hygiene is the most basic platform for ensuring pest and disease-free growing areas and producing the best quality stock for sale to customers. Nursery hygiene issues in the propagation and production phases can cause problems that persist for the lifespan of the plants, which may be several decades in the case of woody species. Topics covered include successful foot bath implementation, disinfectant chemicals, vehicle baths, | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Supply chain ethical sourcing: What ethical sourcing means for your bottom line (August 2024) | Australian markets are becoming more and more connected to international systems, organisations and influences. It is vital that producers keep up with the constantly shifting expectations of consumers, governments, and the community. Ethical sourcing is an integral part of the supply chain lexicon, and it can impact a business' bottom line. The NIASA Ethical Nursery Stock Specification is a management system that helps you document policies, procedures, and recordkeeping to demonstrate a commitment to your ethical operations. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| 2025 guide to practical plant protection (March 2025) | This Nursery Paper looks at the top challenges facing the greenlife sector, which include upskilling in crop monitoring, improving support and extension services, streamlining crop monitoring and reporting, enhancing your workforce, managing the costs of inspection and surveillance for plant protection, building confidence in biosecurity and navigating regulations. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| How to reduce pest and disease pathways into your nursery (December 2024) | Plant pests are an everyday part of running a plant production nursery. Even the most careful grower can experience an incursion. Managing pathways into to your business is more important than ever with Australia experiencing more and more biosecurity threats each year. This Nursery Paper looks at how pests get in, and the processes of reporting emergency plant pests and implementing a biosecurity system. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Sprinkler selection, layout and operation (November 2022) | A well-designed overhead sprinkler system delivers water evenly across the growing area at an application rate that is compatible with the absorption rate of the growing media. This Nursery Papers explains industry irrigation best management practice parameters including coefficient of uniformity, scheduling coefficient and mean application rate, and provides a table listing approximate growing media blends absorption rates. It also discusses topics such as sprinkler layout and square grid design, pressure and flow, the effects of wind on sprinklers, and the comparison between upright and inverted systems. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Water test interpretation (March 2024) | This Nursery Paper looks at why quality water is one of the critical requirements to grow quality plants. Water quality can not only impact plant health but affect soil, growing media, irrigation equipment, nursery activities. The properties of surface, underground and drainage water can vary. Topics covered include why and what to test, and what the results can mean. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Improving water and energy efficiency in production nurseries (May 2025) | "This Nursery Paper explains the importance of water management in managing a production nursery, and why it makes good business sense to use water wisely and reduce waste. Topics covered include system design and water supply optimisation, metrics in best practice water management, irrigation scheduling and controller technology, disinfestation and recycling, and potential efficiency gains. Aspley Nursery is included as a case study to show how irrigation upgrades can improve energy efficiency and provide cost savings." | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Growing media: Is your growing media right for you? (June 2023) | Growing media is a fundamental component in containerised production systems and can have a significant impact upon the quality of plants grown. The selection and importance of an appropriate growing media in relation to plant performance is critical for crop success. This Nursery Paper covers a range of topics including air filled porosity, water holding capacity, wettability, water retention efficiency, mean application rate, bulk density, shrinkage, phytotoxicity, optimum pH range, electrical conductivity, nitrogen drawdown and storage. A pH nutrient availability chart is also included. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Huanglongbing (HLB) (June 2022) | Australia is increasing its biosecurity for an incurable plant disease that has crippled citrus-producing regions around the world and is posing an ever-growing threat to our local citrus industry. Huanglongbing (Chinese for yellow shoot disease), or HLB is a lethal, rapidly spreading, bacterial disease of citrus. Currently, it is not found in Australia, however HLB is endemic in many of our northern neighbours. This Nursery Paper provides information on the host range of the pathogen and describes symptoms in the leaf, fruit and whole tree in affected plants. Diagnosis, prevention, quarantine, eradication and management are also considered. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Watch out for red imported fire ants (October 2023) | This Nursery Paper lists the exotic ant species that represent a threat to Australia, and explains why fire ants pose the most serious threat to our biosecurity status, because they move and colonise quickly and have significant environmental, social and economic impacts. The characteristics, dispersal, life cycle and management of fire ants are discussed, and maps of biosecurity treatment and surveillance plans are provided (accurate at the time of writing, October 2023). | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Expanding emergency measures for <i>Xylella fastidiosa</i> (February 2024) | The Commonwealth Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has updated protocols to handle the threat of Xylella fastidiosa, a significant bacterial pathogen, in imported nursery stock. Effective December 2023, regulatory measures are enforced for plants within the Simaroubaceae family to mitigate the risk of Xylella. This Nursery Paper discusses how the disease spreads and how growers can protect themselves. Also included is a case study on Xylella fastidiosa with Dr Fiona Constable of Agriculture Victoria. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Endophytes and Latent Pathogens - Implications for the Nursery Industry Nursery Paper 2017 | Endophytes are fungi that reside in living plant tissue for all or part of their life cycle, without causing any apparent or detectable symptoms of disease.Although generally benign, some have the ability to develop into aggressive pathogens and cause a range of symptoms including dieback, cankers or fruit rots, when trees or plants are stressed. These types of endophytes are usually referred to as latent pathogens. Endophytic latent pathogens are an important biosecurity concern, since they can be moved undetected in plant material and once introduced into a new area, may move onto other hosts and cause disease epidemics. In this Nursery Paper we examine endophytes in more detail and consider their potential future impact on the industry. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Biological Control in Production Nurseries Nursery Paper 2022 | This Nursery Paper investigates the use of biological control methods for the management of insect and mite pests in the production of nursery crops. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| EcoHort: Establishing your environmental credentials | EcoHort certification is the gold-standard for greenlife business sustainability, emphasising sound environmental practices, including using resources. sustainably. This Nursery Paper outlines what sets EcoHort apart in helping businesses address risk areas and establishing sound environmental credentials. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Nursery tree stock inspection and verification procedure (September 2021) | Tree stock inspection procedures assist production nurseries by establishing and maintaining nursery industry best practice. Procedures ensure stock can be graded accurately, with reduced waste and therefore greater profitability. The procedures outlined can be used to demonstrate to clients the implementation of rigorous production processes. This Nursery Paper outlines the key steps to implementing inspection procedures and can be adopted by any production nursery. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Getting to the roots of growing trees (April 2025) | Landscaping is a vital market for the greenlife supply chain. The success of trees planted in landscaping projects is significantly influenced by how they are grown in the production nursery. Best management growing practices are vital for ensuring trees are healthy, well-structured and able to thrive after transplanting. | 3 Feb 2026 |
| Getting to the Root of Tree Planting | The success of tree planting starts at the beginning of a tree’s life and the eventual impact of nursery production decisions may not be seen immediately. The nursery industry is on a journey to refine a standard for landscape trees, ensuring they thrive for centuries in a greener Australia. This began in April 2015 with the introduction of the Australian standard for tree stock for landscape use (AS 2303:2015). Research is currently underway by the Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment to evaluate this standard and assess the real-world performance of nursery trees grown for landscaping purposes. | 3 Feb 2026 |