Growers of green kiwifruit in the Te Puke area have been given a stay of execution from having vines infected by PSA cut down.
Kiwifruit Vine Health says it will place more emphasis on managing gold orchards, because the bacterial infection appears to be spreading more quickly through them.
General manager John Burke says 10 gold and 31 green orchards there are confirmed as having a more virulent Italian strain of PSA.
But he says the infection is less severe on the green vines and it's agreed to allow those growers to hold off on removing vines while they try other control measures.
Mr Burke says more than $3.5 million has been paid to growers for the 29-hectares of vines removed so far.
Some 147 kiwifruit blocks in all major growing areas except Northland, are now confirmed as having the disease.
