We had a crop duster flying over our village dusting surrounding canefields a couple of weeks back and plants have shown the above conditions only since. There is a definite connection between the aerial spraying and pawpaw tree deaths in the area. Around the same time last year I had similar problems in the garden but had not made the connection to the crop dusting. I have been told that atrizine is used as a herbicide on the canefields to kill off vines without damaging the cane.

In past years I had wondered why my vegepatch was not thriving when I had attached a soaker hose to the rainwater tank to ensure the plants had sufficient moisture through the dry season. A local irrigation company pointed out that it is safer to use the bore water (which is plumbed to the house) rather than the rainwater for human consumption as anything that falls on the roof washes into the tank.

However, my query here is what can I do to minimise damage and help sensitive plants to survive, and it would be greatly appreciated if anyone has any suggestions on how to prevent the dust from washing into our water tank or what can be done to dilute or preferrably counteract its effects upon the garden.