Chosen Theme

My Chosen Theme For An Infographic:

From my brainstorm, I have chosen the strongest idea/theme of PSA. I believe that this is a good topic for this assignment as PSA has not only occurred on the news and in the papers around the world, but I also have personal source of information- my dad. My dad is the orchard manager for the Plant And Food Research in TePuke. He has witness this bacteria in the orchard and has faced many struggles with it. I thought this was a good way to show people just how serious this is- even though some think "it's just fruit".

PSA is short for Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae, which is a bacteria that can result in the death of kiwifruit vines. Psa carries no risks associated with human or animal health and does not affect plants other than kiwifruit vines. Psa is believed to be spread by weather events, mainly wind and rain, and plant material. It is also believed to be spread by footwear, vehicles and orchard tools.

In an orchard it can exist as:

• an Epiphyte, living on plant surfaces without causing high levels of infection

and/or

• as an Endophyte, living within the vine, having entered through natural  plant openings or man made wounds—resulting in severe infection.

Growth of the bacteria outside/inside the vines can result in leaf spotting, cane/leader dieback and, in extreme cases, vine death accompanied by the production of exudation.

My Own Personal Take On PSA:

I think of it as a house fire. Fire spreads through the house at a fast and hard-to-control pace, destroying everything it touches. PSA is very similar to this, as it spreads through rows, blocks and even other orchards before anyone has a good chance of stopping it. Sure, fire fighters come and put the fire out, but they can't save everything. Just like PSA, it's either save all, or save nothing, because it will just keep growing and get worse otherwise.

So maybe this idea of comparing it to a house fire -as serious as a house fire is- it might get people's attention.

Research:
Although this is quite a large topic, I think that there is a decent amount of information to focus on. In saying that, my research will consist of:

• What PSA is
• What it looks like
• What causes it
• How is it spread?
• How is it prevented?
• What are the consequences of PSA?
• How much fruit is lost in a year due to PSA?
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*There are many more discussions/ideas that could be addressed, but I will leave it at that for now.

REFs:

http://www.kvh.org.nz/about_psa