An outbreak of banana freckle in the Northern Territory is continuing to grow, with infections found at 12 more sites.
The Department of Industry, Tourism and Trade’s biosecurity team has found evidence of the fungal pathogen at Fly Creek, Batchelor, Marrakai and on the Tiwi Islands.
The latest discoveries take the number of infected sites to 29 since the first diseased plants were spotted in May this year.
A response plan has now been put on hold to allow more detailed surveillance to determine the extent of the spread.
The Northern Territory’s chief plant health officer Anne Walters said it was clear the current outbreak was more widespread than first thought….