?The Australian tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) oil industry is one of many new and emerging rural industries bringing opportunity, diversity and resilience to rural Australia. Originally a 1980s cottage industry, it now produces over 700 metric tonnes of pure Australian tea tree oil per annum with an estimated farm-gate value of $28 million in 2014, 85 to 90 per cent of which is exported to more than 20 countries worldwide.
Integrating pest and disease management into a whole-of-farm model where plant health is at the forefront is vital to ensure continued growth and expansion of the industry without dramatically increasing the use of pesticides and the risk of developing resistance to these.
This fact sheet summarises findings from RIRDC project Integrated pest & disease management in the tea tree oil industry to do with efficacy and residue data for a topical fungicide and foliar and ground-applied insecticides.