Dieback disease killing mango trees is spreading in the NT

It's estimated up to 40,000 mango trees have been bulldozed in the last two years because of mango twig tip dieback. (Supplied: Callum Hutcheson )

A fungal disease called mango twig tip dieback is spreading across orchards in the Darwin region of the NT.

The chief executive of Australian Mangoes says the disease has become a "serious issue" for the industry.

A multi-year research program is starting to provide some answers to growers, but more research is needed.

It is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 mango trees have been bulldozed in the Northern Territory as growers struggle with a fungal disease called mango twig tip dieback (MTTD).

The disease has affected farms across the Greater Darwin region, with the famous Kensington Pride (KP) variety appearing to be one of the more susceptible cultivars.

It has been estimated that up to 90 per cent of KP orchards in the Darwin region have some level of infection.

Australian Mangoes chief executive Trevor Dunmall said it had become a serious issue for the industry.

"To see mango trees looking so sick, it would make you cry," he told ABC Rural.

At present, MTTD outbreaks have been confined to the Greater Darwin region, but Mr Dunmall said the entire industry was watching closely.

"Our researchers indicate the pathogens that are linked to MTTD are endemic across many regions," he said.

"But why the symptoms are expressing in such a serious extent in Darwin is what the research is focusing on, and then the aim is to find management solutions."

In its 2025 budget, the NT government committed $1 million over two years to fund an integrated research program to combat MTTD.

Some early results from that research were presented at a field day in Berry Springs in front of a large crowd of growers.

Mango growers gather to hear the latest research on mango twig tip dieback (MTTD). (ABC Rural: Matt Brann)

For a long time, the cause of the mango twig tip dieback was a mystery.

But researchers now know it is a plant disease linked to Botryosphaeriaceae fungi and plant stress.

"The disease affects young shoots, twigs and branches, resulting in canopy thinning, reduced flowering and yield," said the NT Department of Agriculture's progress report.

"Early detection and pruning out of infected twigs can reduce spread and minimise yield loss."

It said the dieback was increasing across Darwin orchards in both young and mature trees and "affecting multiple cultivars (varieties)".

Research into MTTD has included injecting trunks with encapsulated fungicides. (ABC Rural: Matt Brann)

The department said the