The Biosecurity Authority of Fiji is calling on the public to contact them if they find any unusual signs or disease on their papaya plants.
This is after BAF identified a papaya disorder in certain backyard gardens and farms in Sigatoka last week.
Authority Chief Executive Elvis Silvestrini says a team from BAF and the Department of Agriculture visited some papaya farms in Sigatoka after requests were made.
Silverstrini says they have collected samples from these plants and have sent cultures to the Landcare Research Institute in New Zealand for phylogenetic analysis and authentication.
He says the signs of the disorder is yellow leaves that are rotting along the edge; water soaked areas on the base of the leaf stalk, crown and on the leaf mid ribs; and foul smell coming from infected fruits and plant tissues.
