Mundulla Yellows
Mundulla Yellows. Photo Hafiz Stewart
Mundulla Yellows (MY) is a fatal disease that affects eucalypts and other native plants. It was first observed in the vicinity of Mundulla, South Australia in the 1970's and has now been identified in all States, including Tasmania. It is characterised by progressive yellowing and dieback of foliage. It is not clear whether Mundulla Yellows is caused by living agent(s), or environmental factor(s), or a combination of both. This disease has several unusual attributes. The combination of slow, progressive expression, yellowing leaves interspersed with healthy limbs, the presence of healthy trees and shrubs amongst dead and dying trees, and the lack of recovery of affected plants.
The Australian Government Department of the Environment and Heritage and the South Australian Department for Environment and Heritage funded research by the Victorian Department of Primary Industry's Institute for Horticultural Development to investigate the role of biotic and abiotic causal agents in the plant die-back syndrome, Mundulla Yellows.