Australian Fruitgrower

Transcription

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CONTENTS
Vol. 9 Issue No. 11
December 2015/January 2016
Australian Fruitgrower
Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) is a
not-for-profit organisation that supports and
provides services to Australia’s commercial apple
and pear growers.
Australian Fruitgrower is published every
two months.
Publishers
Apple and Pear Australia Limited
Suite G01, 128 Jolimont Road,
East Melbourne VIC 3002
t: (03) 9329 3511 f: (03) 9329 3522
w: www.apal.org.au
REGULAR FEATURES
Juicy bites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
APAL CEO’s report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
APAL news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
State Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
R&D Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Weather, quiz and crossword . . . . . . . 35
Managing Editor
Sophie Clayton
Communications Manager, APAL
e: cm@apal.org.au
OUR COVER:
Peter West from Orange in one of his
netted apple orchards (read more on
page 18).
Technical Editor
Angus Crawford
e: acrawford@apal.org.au
EVENTS
Online Manager
Post harvest seminar . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Richelle Zealley
e: rzealley@apal.org.au
Climate change field day . . . . . . . . . .12
Advertising
Taste of Melbourne . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
The publishers accept no responsibility for the
contents of advertisements. All advertisements are
accepted in good faith and the liability of advertising
content is the responsibility of the advertiser.
Enquiries: Hyde Media
t: (03) 5659 5292
e: max@hydemedia.com.au
Benefits of seasonal workers . . . . . . .16
PROFILE
Netting, your best insurance . . . . . . .18
Graphic Design
Vale Graphics
t: 0409 887 706
e: angie@valegraphics.com.au
NETTING
22
Copyright
All material in Australian Fruitgrower is copyright.
NO material can be reproduced in whole or in
part without the permission of the publisher.
While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy
of contents, APAL accepts no liability for
the information.
Disclaimer
Australian Fruitgrower’s content is intended for
general informational purposes only and may
not be suitable for your particular purposes. In
particular, APAL is not responsible for any
information which is supplied from external sources.
You should obtain independent expert advice if
you are considering relying on any information
published in Australian Fruitgrower. APAL is not
responsible for any loss, damage, cost or expense
incurred by you or any other person as a result of
any error, omission or misrepresentation in the
contents of Australian Fruitgrower.
ISSN 1447-5618
www.apal.org.au
16
LABOUR
Black or white netting . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Netting cost benefit calculator . . . . . .25
ORCHARD MANAGEMENT
New Focus Orchards revealed . . . . . . .26
R&D
Apple flour takes on wheat . . . . . . . .30
Pear research fellowship . . . . . . . . . . .30
Rootstocks for red-blushed pears . . . .32
Edition
32
Booking and Editorial copy deadline
Ad material deadline
Feb/Mar 2016
11 January 2016
18 January 2016
Apr/May 2016
14 March 2016
21 March 2016
APAL would like to thank our partners who provide us with funding and support.
AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER DECEMBER 2015/JANUARY 2016
03
FROM THE
EDITOR
Free fruit for kids
W
e were all very disheartened to
see another nasty hailstorm hit
Victorian pear growers causing more
damage. As a result, we are sharing a
few stories on netting including one
from NSW where growers successfully
lobbied the State Government to get
subsidies to net their orchards. There
are some good lessons we can learn
from them and hopefully more support
will be forthcoming for our pear growers.
Woolworths is giving away
free pieces of fruit to kids
in the fresh produce
sections of their stores –
hopefully it will get them
hooked for life.
Apple juice icy poles
On a positive note, we’re all very
excited that the summer 2016 series
of the Future Orchards walks has been
scheduled and Jesse Reader introduces
us to the orchardists who will run the
Focus Orchards in their blocks starting
next year.
APAL’s Annie Farrow shares some
growers’ perspectives on employing
staff under the Seasonal Worker
Programme – a great option for labour
as we head toward harvesting – so
keep it in mind.
As we draw to the close of 2015, I
would like to wish all our growers and
industry friends all the best for Christmas
and the New Year. Next year we are
dropping back to six hard copies of
Australian Fruitgrower magazine but
looking to upgrade our online presence
so you can keep getting all the quality
content that you are used to.
Batlow’s Tree Tops are selling ready-to-freeze apple juice icy poles
at the Canberra Farmers’ Market – a great idea for summer!
Selfie stars
APAL’s Richelle Zealley and
Kevin Sanders pose for a
selfie at Taste of Melbourne
during a break between
selling pear smoothies and
apple frappés.
Sophie Clayton
/applesnpearsau
@applesnpearsAU
/applesnpearsAU
Subscribe to
industryjuice
tinyurl.com/APALnews
04
Submit your photos and ideas to cm@apal.com.au
www.apal.org.au
FROM THE CEO
Let’s make 2016
a great year!
By John Dollisson
CEO, APAL
“ ”
A
s we prepare for Christmas and the New Year we are
all praying for good weather to ensure the harvest is
maximised.
We are also doing all we can to work with the retailers to
maximise the return on the pear crop, affected twice by
hailstorms in the Goulburn Valley, to ensure a return for growers.
Unfortunately some have lost almost all their crop and we are
working alongside Fruit Growers Victoria to hopefully get
assistance from government to support the purchase of hail
netting to protect future harvests.
As you may be aware, with the disruption to the Hort Innovation
marketing campaign this year, APAL has taken over the marketing
of apples and pears until year end. We have completed a detailed
analysis of the industry data to prepare both apple and pear
category management plans to work with the retailers and plan
new marketing campaigns both above and below the line. By
Christmas we will have met with all the retailers a couple of times
and hopefully have their buy in on the plans. We will then work
with them and the apple and pear suppliers to work together on
the 2016 season.
On behalf of the team at APAL
we wish you a happy Christmas
and all the best for the New Year.
www.apal.org.au
Included in our marketing work has been the development of
our new Hailstorm Heroes pear campaign, which has been well
received by the retailers and importantly the public with great
media exposure and feedback thanks to Olivia Tait, APAL’s
Market Development Manager. In the New Year, we will share
with you further updates on the campaign and the analysis of
the marketing data on apples and pears.
Two great events will kick start the New Year – the Post-Harvest
Seminar scheduled for 13 January 2016 in Melbourne and the
start of the Future Orchards® summer walks from 25 January 2016.
I encourage you to participate and look forward to meeting many
of you there.
In addition to marketing and technical programs we have taken
an active role in the review of the Modern Horticulture Award
through the Voice of Horticulture and we will be approaching
you in January to complete a survey so we can demonstrate the
damage changes to casual/part time, minimum terms of
engagement etc. will have on our businesses.
2015 has not been an easy year with lower than average prices
and hail damage, but we have been successful in increasing
pear exports and pulled together a great apple export program,
which we can build on to expand the industry. I am pleased to
see a developing export market for Joya® (Sundowner) in Asia
and for anyone interested in this please contact me.
On behalf of the team at APAL we wish you a happy Christmas
and all the best for the New Year. Remember that 2016 is a leap
year and the year of the Olympics – Rio 2016 the 31st Summer
Olympics, let’s also make it an Olympic year for apples and pears!
:afg
John Dollisson | t: (03) 9329 3511 | e: ceo@apal.org.au
05
APAL NEWS
Country of
origin labelling
update
National Residue
Survey results
Changes to country of origin
labelling laws are good news
for Australian apple growers
who produce juice, but cider
remains outside the mandatory
labelling requirements.
The apple and pear industry has once again shown high
T
he proposed reforms, would require
that where water is used to reconstitute
imported juice concentrate, the juice
will be taken to have the country of origin
of the concentrate.
“This means that imported juice concentrate
that is reconstituted in Australia with
Australian water will not be able to make
a ‘Made in Australia’ claim,” said APAL
Industry Services Manager Annie Farrow.
“Unfortunately, the Government has chosen
not to mandate the new additional labelling
requirements for alcohol like cider.”
In a Government survey, consumers ranked
the importance of origin information for
nineteen foods. Origin information for
alcohol, including cider, was considered
less important. However, cider companies
using fresh Australian apples can still label
origin voluntarily.
APAL and Cider Australia will look into
allowing cider makers to use the Aussie
Apples logo to help consumers identify
cider produced from Australian-grown
apples. :afg
06
compliance with chemical residue testing as the results
of the 2014-15 National Residue Survey are announced.
E
very year the National Residue
Survey tests Australian apples
and pears for a range of chemical
residues and environmental contaminants.
It has been operating since 1998 and
is funded by the statutory levies on
apples and pears.
“
Chemical screens are developed in
consultation with the industry and
take into account Australian registered
chemicals, chemical residue profiles
and overseas market requirements.
”
The apple and pear programme covers
random residue monitoring which
ensures the industry can meet quality
assurance and certification requirements
for domestic and international markets.
In 2014-15, a total of 294 apple and
92 pear samples were collected and
analysed, and the results were compared
with the relevant Australian Standards.
The overall compliance rate in this
period was 98.6 per cent for apples
and 97.8 per cent for pears.
Approximately 350 to 450 apple and
pear samples are collected each year at
packing sheds and wholesale markets.
Samples are selected from participating
producers with the aim to establish a
nationwide spread of samples covering
as many producers as is practicable
each year.
Over the past 10 years the Australian
apple and pear industry has shown
a high degree of compliance with
Australian Standards. This demonstrates
that the industry uses in-crop and
post-harvest agricultural chemicals
in accordance with good agricultural
practices. :afg
Australian apple and pear growers continue to
demonstrate a high degree of compliance
with Australian Standards.
www.apal.org.au
APAL NEWS
APAL joins
Hort Con 2016
Agricultural trade
counsellors meet
with growers
APAL is once again joining AUSVEG, and now the Central
In November, five of Australia’s
newest agricultural trade
counsellors met with a number
of apple, pear and stone fruit
grower exporters in the
Goulburn Valley.
Markets Association of Australia in partnership with
Fresh Markets Australia (CMAA-FMA), to host the
National Horticulture Convention that will be held
23-25 June 2016 on the Gold Coast.
A
PAL’s involvement in the
2015 National Horticulture
Convention was successful
with more than 150 attendees from
the apple and pear industry.
Feedback showed that 84 per cent
of APAL delegates ranked apple and
pear industry activities as very good to
excellent, with more than 90 per cent
saying they would attend again.
and pear growers and their staff and
associates there.”
AUSVEG is also in discussions with
other industry groups to come on board
for the 2016 Convention to help further
unite Australian horticulture. :afg
A
PAL Industry Services Manager
Annie Farrow organised the visit and
Rocky Varapodio kindly hosted the
counsellors at his orchard and packing shed.
“It is important for our overseas representatives
to be familiar with how fruit is grown and
packed for export,” Annie said. “The
counsellors will play a critical role in their new
postings, negotiating new market access for
apples and pears, improving existing protocols
and keeping markets open to trade.”
“We’re excited to be part of the
growing National Horticulture
Convention that offers our industry
some great focused activities of specific
relevance to their business, but also
many relevant bigger picture activities,”
says APAL CEO John Dollisson.
The counsellors, Amy Guihot (Vietnam), Ben
Mitchell (China), Paul McNamara (China), Glen
Edmunds (Middle East) and Enrico Perotti
(Malaysia), learnt about the process from tree
to port and the effort involved in complying
with export protocols.
“We learnt a lot from our involvement
in the 2015 National Horticulture
Convention and have identified a range
of ways we can improve our participation
even more for apple and pear delegates
in 2016.
Other growers and exporters, including
Andrew Plunkett, Owen Carter, Andrew
Maughan, Rocky Varapodio and Peter Hall,
together with Horticulture Centre of Excellence
Director Sze Flett, joined the group along with
APAL’s Market Development Manager Olivia
Tait to discuss grower requirements regarding
market intelligence and market access. :afg
“I am looking forward to attending in
2016 and I hope to see lots of apple
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www.apal.org.au
07
APAL NEWS
Court judgement
– Pink Lady™
A court judgement on a case between APAL and Pink
Lady America regarding the supply of Chilean-grown
apples traded under the brand name Pink Lady™ to
North America has been made.
NEWS
SNIPPETS
More hail hits pears
Another devastating hail storm has hit
Goulburn Valley pear growers wiping out
some orchards completely.
To help, Fruit Growers Victoria are preparing
a submission to the Victorian Government for
hail net subsidies, while APAL is progressing
its Hailstorm Heroes marketing campaign.
Hort Innovation AGM
A
PAL owns and manages the
Pink Lady™ brand in numerous
territories worldwide and invests
in the marketing and development of
the Pink Lady brand internationally.
“To ensure the Pink Lady brand
retains its integrity and quality, APAL
defends the brand and its trademarks
worldwide in courts of law,” explains
APAL’s Intellectual Property Manager
Garry Langford.
“This ensures customers who choose
Pink Lady apples can continue to get
only the best quality fruit and not
counterfeit or sub-standard fruit. It also
provides revenue to support projects
run for the benefit of Australian apple
growers that APAL manages.”
In November 2015, judgement on one
of those court cases pertaining to the
supply of apples grown in Chile traded
under the Pink Lady brand and exported
to North America was made in the
Victorian Supreme Court.
This case was about the licensing
and usage of the Pink Lady brand on
Chilean apples exported to North
America. Chile is a major grower of
apples and North America is a major
importer.
“The judgement did not support APAL’s
case,” says APAL CEO John Dollisson.
“However, it does not affect the
domestic or international trade of
Australian-grown Pink Lady apples.”
APAL is seeking to appeal the decision
in the case involving Pink Lady America.
APAL would also like to reassure
Australian growers that this case along
with other legal actions are funded by
revenue from APAL’s Pink Lady
business. :afg
Horticulture Innovation Australia held its first
Annual General Meeting on 27 November
in Sydney. Re-nominating apple grower
Susan Finger was re-elected as a director.
While a number of questions and concerns
were raised by attending growers, Hort
Innovation’s Chair Selwyn Snell said that he
and the new Board were looking forward to
working positively with growers and industry.
Source: horticulture.com.au
Ceravolo Orchards wins again
South Australian apple grower and juicer
Ceravolo Orchards has won two SA Food
Industry Awards.
The first was the Thomas Foods
International Primary Producer Award and
the second was the Peats Soil and Garden
Supplies Sustainability Award for their water
filtration and energy efficiency systems that
have reduced their fruit waste.
Congratulations to all at Ceravolos!
Source: safoodawards.com.au
Horticulture issues survey
A Voice of Horticulture members’ survey
has identified strong growth prospects
from most sectors. Strengthening consumer
preferences for fresh horticulture products
and improved market access are creating
strong demand.
The survey also identified a number of
challenges including market access, chemicals,
and country of origin labelling.
Source: voiceofhoticulture.org.au
@applesnpearsau
APAL is seeking to appeal the decision in the case involving Pink Lady America.
www.apal.org.au
09
EVENTS
Apple and Pear
Post-harvest Seminar
Learn about the technology and management tools available to maintain quality during
storage at APAL’s Apple and Pear Post-harvest Seminar, Wednesday, 13 January 2016.
T
he seminar will focus on: the
fundamentals of delivering quality
apple and pear products for
consumers; and how to utilise storage
technologies to optimise pre-harvest
conditions and achieve better outcomes
– ultimately leading to better quality fruit
for customers.
Seminar organiser and APAL Technical
Manager Angus Crawford says it’s important
for growers to deliver a quality product
every time they produce a piece of fruit.
“This reinforces the fundamental reason as
to why people want to buy apples and pears,”
says Angus. “By ensuring a consumer’s
experience is a good one, it encourages
them to continue purchasing the product.”
A top-line list of highly sort after speakers
have been invited from around Australia
and overseas covering a vast range of preand post-harvest technical information,
technologies and economics.
Two international guests will join the
team of experts including Dr James
Mattheis who is a research leader from
the United States Department of
Agriculture. James specialises in many
aspects of post-harvest in apples, pears
and cherries, and will provide an overview
of Washington State’s apple production.
The second international guest is Dr Robert
Prange who is best known for discovering
the potential of chlorophyll florescence
to detect low oxygen stress in fruit in
controlled atmosphere. Robert is now
retired from Agriculture and Agri-Food
Canada, based in Nova Scotia. He will talk
on the development of Dynamic Controlled
Atmosphere with HarvestWatch and its
applications worldwide over the last 15 years.
James will then lead into a presentation on
harvest maturity management explaining
how post-harvest technologies influence
quality and disorders. James will also
Robert’s second presentation will include the
Nova Scotia experience of Honeycrisp and
overcoming the challenges of this lucrative
but troublesome apple. While Honeycrisp
Time Presenter and topic
Time Presenter and topic
09.00 Registration – Coffee and tea on arrival
13.15 Brad Georges, Greeneye
Re-engineering post-harvest costs and packing for export
09.20 Opening
09.30 Marcel Veens, Horticultural Adviser
Link between pre-harvest management and
post-harvest quality
10.00 Dr Robert Prange
Development of Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere
and HarvestWatch and its applications worldwide in
the last 15 years
10.40 Stephen Tancred, Orchard Services
Demonstration trials of SmartFresh and DPA for
scald control in Granny Smith
11.00 Break – Morning tea
11.15 Dr Hannah James, AgroFresh
An update on SmartFresh and pears
11.30 Dr James Mattheis, USDA
Harvest maturity and how post-harvest technologies
impact quality – including disorders
12.30 Break – Lunch
13.10 Olivia Tait, APAL
Review of export results for the 2015 season
10
present later in the day on apple fruit
volatiles, the impacts of fruit development,
ethylene and the storage environment.
13.30 Dr Robert Prange
Total quality management of Honeycrisp apple
– The Nova Scotia Programme
13.50 Dr Dario Stefanelli, DEDJTR
New technologies for managing maturity
14.10 Dr Robert Holmes, DEDJTR
Improved post-harvest disease control preventing
post-harvest losses
14.30 Austin Taylor, MediTube®
MediTube for the removal of unwanted compounds
for improved storage
14.45 Break – Afternoon tea
15:00 Dr Robert Premier, Global F.S. Pty Ltd
Sanitation and food safety management across the
supply chain
15.15 Dr James Mattheis, USDA
Apple fruit volatiles; impacts of fruit development,
ethylene and storage environment
16.00 Close
u
www.apal.org.au
EVENTS
Apple and Pear
u
is not a common variety in Australia it is
susceptible to virtually every physiological
disorder known. This will help Robert draw
on some key fundamentals of management
by linking factors such as thinning and
crop load, maturity and cold storage.
Australian based speakers include
horticultural consultant Marcel Veens who
will link the in-field pre-harvest conditions
and management with post-harvest quality
and provide examples. Stephen Tancred,
an industry advisor with Orchard Services
in Queensland, will discuss a demonstration
trial currently running with different
treatments of SmartFresh and DPA for
scald control in apples and pears.
Other technical speakers will be Dr Dario
Stefanelli and Dr Robert Holmes from
Victoria’s Department of Economic
Development, Jobs, Transport and
Resources, speaking on new technologies
for managing maturity and post-harvest
diseases respectively, and consultant
Dr Robert Premier covering food safety.
Melbourne based economist Brad Georges
from Greeneye will provide a look at the
economics and new strategies of exporting
apples and APAL Market Development
Manager Olivia Tait will provide a snapshot
of the recent export results.
The program will be well-rounded and
full of information about both pre- and
post-harvest applications.
Attendees will be presented with the
management knowledge required to
achieve optimal storage and quality in
the packing shed. Information will also
be provided about the linkages between
pre-harvest conditions and post-harvest
quality – looking at better ways to utilise
current technologies and new ones
coming our way. :afg
Thanks to Seminar sponsors Campbell
Chemicals, Isolcell and Sumitomo Chemical,
and to APAL’s corporate partners AgroFresh
and E.E. Muir & Sons for their support.
www.apal.org.au
Post-harvest Seminar
Learn about technology and
management tools available to maintain
quality during storage
Featuring two international speakers:
Dr James Mattheis
Dr Robert Prange
Date:
Wednesday, 13 January 2016
Time:
9.00am - 4.00pm
Location: Best Western Airport Motel &
Convention Centre
33 Ardlie Street. Attwood, Vic, 3049
Cost:
$80 APAL members and their staff
$95 non-APAL members
(contact APAL to become a member)
Book now:
www.apal.org,au/postharvest2016
More Info: Angus Crawford | t: 03 9329 3511
m: 0427 111 852 | e: acrawford@apal.org.au
Supported by:
11
EVENTS
Sharing ideas to
climate change-proof orchards
By Heidi Parkes
At a recent event in Bilpin, NSW, local growers and national researchers got together
to discuss how to reduce the vulnerability of orchards to climate change through
understanding potential impacts and adopting strategies to adapt.
T
he flow of ideas from growers
through to researchers and back
again is an essential part of doing
solid industry-focussed research with
practical on-farm application. The key is
to create plenty of opportunities for such
ideas to be shared openly and freely.
A recent grower workshop hosted by
Bill and Julie Shields in their home and
orchard in Bilpin NSW (on a particularly
spectacular spring morning), provided the
perfect forum for this kind of discussion.
The aim of the workshop was to present
the latest outcomes from the apple and
pear industry’s national climate change
research program to local growers. Broadly,
this research is looking at reducing the
vulnerability of the industry to future
changes in climate through understanding
potential impacts and options for adaptation.
The focus at this workshop was on
measuring winter chill in the Bilpin region,
possible impacts of warmer winters on
flowering, pollination and productivity and
some new approaches to understanding
chill and heat requirements for apples.
Bill conducted a highly informative tour
around the Shields’ Orchard, which included
a look at the trials he is conducting in his
own trees using dormancy-breaking
sprays to produce earlier and more
compact flowering.
(Department of Agriculture and Fisheries,
Queensland). A good example of how
government agencies and universities can
come together to engage with growers
and industry on current and future
research issues that matter to industry.
The strong level of interest and engagement
from the group of growers (who came
from the Bilpin region and surrounding
districts) produced some great discussion
around observations of winter chill and
flowering in local orchards. Other topics
for discussion raised by the group included
the role that soil temperature might play in
the timing of bud burst, and the potential
impact of high spring temperatures on
the viability of pollen, and subsequent
impacts on pollination and fruit set.
The observations, comments and opinions
shared by growers at the Bilpin workshop
will help to inform the direction of future
research, and it’s likely that many of the
linkages made between the participants
on the day will continue on long into the
future. Encouraging the flow of ideas
through the apple and pear industry in all
directions can only be a good thing – it will
help us to better manage the challenges
that face the industry now and into the
future. :afg
“
The event was a truly collaborative effort
on a national scale with organisation and
coordination by Kevin Dodds (Department
of Primary Industries, NSW) and Jenny Treeby
(Department of Economic Development,
Jobs, Transport and Resources, Victoria),
and presentations by Rebecca Darbyshire
(University of Melbourne) and myself
About the author:
Dr Heidi Parkes, Horticulturist,
Queensland Department of Agriculture
and Fisheries
t: 07 4681 6126
e: heidi.parkes@daff.qld.gov.au
The observations, comments
and opinions shared by growers
at the Bilpin workshop will
help to inform the direction of
future research…
Bill Shields conducting a tour of his Bilpin Orchards with researchers and NSW
growers to discuss strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change.
12
www.apal.org.au
EVENTS
Apples and pears
on show
Post-harvest seminar
– apple and pear
Melbourne, VIC
13 Jan 2016
APAL showcased fresh apples and pears at the ‘Picked
for Perfection’ stand at the Taste of Melbourne festival
in November.
A
ustralian Pears and Aussie Apples
were a key sponsor of the Albert
Park event to promote Australian
pome fruit as more than just a healthy
snack eaten fresh from the fridge. Attendees
had the opportunity to purchase fresh fruit
and two drinks were on offer – a pear,
coconut and almond smoothie and an
apple, ginger and mint frappé.
APAL Market Development Manager
Olivia Tait and Communications Officer
Richelle Zealley managed the stand and
said attendees were impressed with the
beverages on offer.
“One lady said the frappé was one of
the nicest things she’d put in her mouth,”
said Richelle. “It goes to show apples and
pears are much more versatile than being
a popular, healthy snack – they can also
be enjoyed as a delicious mocktail.
UPCOMING
EVENTS
Future Orchards® walks
– Summer 2016
25 Jan: Stanthorpe
27 Jan: Orange
28 Jan: Batlow
“Other comments we received during the
event were ‘amazingly delicious pears’, ‘very
refreshing and palate cleansing’, ‘delicious
and refreshing’, and simply ‘yum!’.
“There was also a lot of interest in the
Australian Pears cookbooks which were
made available to anyone interested in
using pears in the kitchen.”
Thanks to Montague Fresh for supplying
the fruit that was promoted alongside
some of Victoria’s best food and wine.
Top-notch local restaurants in attendance
included San Telmo, Pastuso, MoVida,
Gazi and Mamasita, with SuperNormal
using Pink Lady™ apples in their dessert.
APAL’s management of the Picked for
Perfection stand at Taste of Melbourne
was funded by Hort Innovation as part
of the marketing work APAL is helping
to implement. :afg
29 Jan: Goulburn Valley
APAL Board meeting
Melbourne, VIC
28 Jan 2016
Future Orchards® walks
– Summer 2016
1 Feb: Manjimup
3 Feb: Adelaide Hills
4 Feb: Southern Victoria
5 Feb: Tasmania
Prevar Field Day – Piqa®Boo®
Hawkes Bay, NZ
18 Feb 2016
Prevar Field Day – Piqa®Boo®
Nelson, NZ
25 Feb 2016
The Apple and Grape Harvest
Festival
Stanthorpe, Qld
26 Feb – 6 Mar 2016
Harcourt Applefest
Harcourt, VIC
12 Mar 2016
Donnybrook Apple Festival
Donnybrook, WA
26-27 Mar 2016
More event info:
apal.org.au/events
APAL’s Olivia Tait serves apple and pear mocktails at the ‘Picked for Perfection’ stand at the Taste
of Melbourne festival.
www.apal.org.au
We want to know about your
local events for fruit growers!
Please submit your events to
cm@apal.org.au to get listed
here and on APAL’s website.
13
S TAT E R O U N D U P
Victoria
FGV counts the damage done to pear
orchards following hail, farewells
Tony Filippi, and reports on QFF work
and updates to their Growfruit App
The first hail storm that hit
the Goulburn Valley in
October affected many fruit
tree growers, including
apples, pear, stone fruit as
well as cherry producers. A
small number of growers
reported major damage of up
to 100 per cent of their fruit
crops. Of the pome fruit
crops, pears have been most
affected.
In the area affected, FGV
estimated that 65 per cent of
pears were damaged and 47
per cent of apples.
State Associations
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Pomewest
(08) 9368 3869
www.pomewest.net.au
NEW SOUTH WALES
NSW Farmers Association
(02) 8251 1700
www.nswfarmers.org.au
QUEENSLAND
Growcom
(07) 3620 3844
www.growcom.com.au
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Apple & Pear Growers
Association of South Australia
(08) 8389 8300
www.apgasa.com
TASMANIA
Fruit Growers Tasmania Inc
(03) 6231 1944
www.fruitgrowerstas.com.au
VICTORIA
Fruit Growers Victoria Ltd
(03) 5825 3700
www.fgv.com.au
www.apal.org.au/
about-apal/our-partners
14
Considering that Victoria
produces 90 per cent of
Australia’s pears and the
Goulburn Valley is the main
region for pear production,
this hail storm could affect the
entire nation’s pear supply.
FGV organised the grower
meeting after the first hail
storm that was reported in
the last issue of Australian
Fruitgrower. Now, a second
assessment will be done to
assess the additional damage.
We are also working with
Victorian Farmers Federation
on a submission to the
Victorian Government regarding
hail netting subsidies.
Apple Scab
Due to heavy rains in early
November, growers have
been advised on fungicidal
treatments for their orchards
and IPM principles for disease
management. More information
about Apple Scab IPM can be
found on the FGV website.
The timing of Tony’s employment proved
to be extremely opportune
due to the incidence of
Queensland fruit fly (QFF)
in the Goulburn Valley. FGV
would like to thank Tony for
this huge contribution and
wish him all the best. One can
only hope his pursuit of other
interests includes something
in the fruit industry, in which
his many talents lie, and that
he doesn’t go too far away.
QFF
As part of the Area Wide
Management of QFF project,
FGV and the Horticulture
Centre of Excellence, Tatura,
organised for Dr Penny
Measham and Dr Justine
Murray to visit the Goulburn
Valley. The purpose of their
visit was to better understand
the Goulburn Valley and
Sunraysia landscape for Area
Wide Management of QFF.
Penny was recently appointed
as the QFF Area Wide
Management Coordinator as
part of the project ‘Adaptive
Area-Wide Management of
QFF using SIT.' During her
visit, Penny talked to the
Goulburn Valley QFF Taskforce
and staff from the Horticulture
Centre of Excellence, led by
Dr Sze Flett, about the current
situation and practices for
QFF management.
Victorian Minister for
Agriculture Jaala Pulford
also visited the Horticulture
Centre of Excellence and
released a state-wide plan
for the management of QFF.
The five-year Fruit Fly Action
Plan will engage industry,
community and government
in the management of QFF
across the state, improving
productivity and optimising
market access opportunities
to domestic and international
markets for Victorian
horticulture.
Growfruit App
FGV has released new
upgrades to the Growfruit
App, such as Regional
Reporting on Pest Activity,
and is working on further
improvements. Growfruit
is a web based tool which
provides accurate spray
timing recommendations
using degree day modelling
and trapping data to help
growers apply more targeted
specific insecticides. To find
out more about Growfruit,
what it can deliver, and to
access the program for this
season, please contact Petar
Bursac.
Petar Bursac and
Véronique Froelich
Industry Officers
Fruit Growers Victoria Ltd.
(FGVL)
Farewell
Shepparton based Industry
Development Officer (IDO)
Tony Filippi has left FGV to
pursue other interests. Tony
came to us during a restructure
where his experience with fruit
growers and expertise with
technical management were
a vital support to Executive
Officer Kath Boast. Not only
did Tony take on the IDO role
but he became an integral
part of the newly formed
Management Committee.
From rt to lt: Greater Shepparton Mayor Dinney Adem, Victorian
Minister for Ag Jaala Pulford and Wendy Lovell MP visit pear
orchardists affected by hail in the Goulburn Valley.
www.apal.org.au
S TAT E R O U N D U P
New South Wales
we already pay for the whole
amount of our water licence
irrespective of the percentage
used. We are hoping to have
a meeting with the Office of
Water in the coming months,
surely they will understand
our perspective.
Warm weather is being welcomed by NSW
growers, but water and Hort Innovation
are both a concern.
November in the Orange
district has seen some quite
good conditions with good
rainfall, warm days and cool
nights. Cherry growers will
be hoping for a continuation
of the warm, dry weather
until harvest.
The NSW Office of Water,
under the Department of
Hort Innovation has sent
out a flyer regarding fruit fly
forums, which are to be
conducted in three towns in
NSW; Young, Griffith and
Coffs Harbour. These are to
take place in December 2015.
Hort Innovation is supposed
to be grower owned, these
forums have been scheduled
for the peak times within
stone fruit and cherry harvest.
Primary Industries, seem to be
out there with a focus placed
on revenue. Apparently, they
have sent around 2,500
notices to comply. They now
want to charge land holders
for stock and domestic water,
when in most cases this water
comes from irrigation dams
on properties. Furthermore,
Western Australia
WA braces itself to eradicate QFF, welcomes
a new person to manage commercialisation
of their new apple, and plans a series of
great events for 2016.
As this year ends, Pomewest
is gearing up for the next and
continues its pursuit to supply
quality services to Western
Australian Agricultural
Produce Commission’s Fee
for Service members.
Mediterranean Fruit Fly is well
established here, we, along
with South Australia, have
been lucky enough to remain
QFF free. This pest remains
one of Australia’s worst as it
attacks a wide range of hosts
There is news that we will be and produce. As a result, more
industries will be affected by
faced with a new challenge
this
fruit fly if it takes hold.
in 2016 that has the potential
to threaten market access
The Pomewest committee and
and cause havoc in our region
staff will be active in supporting
– Queensland fruit fly (QFF).
DAFWA address this incident.
QFF has been successfully
QFF
eradicated by DAFWA in past
In early December, the
years in 1989, 1995 and 2011.
Department of Agriculture of
WA (DAFWA) advised us that
Welcome to Peter
they had found six QFFs in a
Richardson
suburb just south-west of
Perth. This is not good news Fruit West Co-operative, who
for horticulture in WA. While manage Pomewest’s major
www.apal.org.au
project to commercialise
ANABP 01, announced in
November that Dr Peter
Richardson had been appointed
as Business Development
Manager.
Peter has a long association
with the WA pome industry.
He has championed the export
of WA apples to the United
Kingdom and managed the
development of the Pink Lady™
brand across Asia. He is now
poised to apply his experience
and skills to the domestic and
export markets to develop this
exciting new variety.
WA Grower magazine
We have recently joined
Vegetables WA and the Potato
Growers Association of WA
by contributing articles for
the WA Grower magazine for
the Pomewest section in the
publication. This development
enables us to increase our
communications by reporting
on our ongoing projects,
events and updates. It also
delivers relevant cross-industry
information from a WA
perspective. We are excited
Surely more appropriate dates
could have been established
which would, in turn, increase
attendance rates.
Fiona and Bernard Hall from
Caernarvon Orchards have
been selected as one of the
finalists in the 2015 Farmer
of the Year Award, we wish
them all the best and
congratulate them for this
achievement.
Finally wishing you all the very
best for the festive season,
may your families enjoy and
safe and relaxing time.
Guy Gaeta
Communication Officer
NSW Farmers Association
about this new venture and
hope to share some of our
stories with Australian
Fruitgrower in the future.
Upcoming events
and promotions
We have a Future Orchards
walk on Monday 1 February
hosted by Susie Murphy White.
An apple grower industry
meeting is also planned for
February and plans are in
place for other informative
events and promotions
throughout the year.
I would like to take this
opportunity to wish all apple
and pear growers, colleagues
and friends across Australia
a very Merry Christmas and a
safe and prosperous 2016.
Nardia Stacy
Executive Officer
Pomewest
15
LABOUR
Growers support
seasonal workers
By Annie Farrow
Anecdotal evidence from apple and pear growers suggest that Pacific Islanders employed
under the Seasonal Worker Programme can be significantly more productive than backpackers.
T
his supports a finding from the Australian Bureau of
Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES)
that seasonal workers employed under the 416 visa
harvested fruit at a much faster rate than their working holiday
maker, or 417 visa holding, counterparts.
Seasonal workers were on average 22 per cent more efficient than
working holiday makers according to the ABARES study. New
seasonal workers were 13 per cent more efficient and returning
seasonal workers 27 per cent more efficient than the backpackers.
More productive workers
Paul Good, APAL Director and Operations and Market
Development Manager at Newton Orchards in Manjimup, agrees
that seasonal workers are productive.
“Our business is very supportive of the Seasonal Worker
Programme and we intend to get workers back for the 2016
harvest season,” says Paul. “This would equate to approximately
10 per cent of the workforce we need at harvest. These will be
from our original crew of six to12 people – individuals who are
tried and trusted workers.
“If I look at the performance of the workers for the first two
years, it was very pleasing. The crew in those first two years had
a very high rate of productivity when picking apples for harvest.
They would pick the apples almost bruise free – the single largest
issue that affects our pack-out rates and hence profitability.
“Many of the workers already had good practical skills, which
meant they were relatively quick to learn new skills and tasks.
Most of the original crew have a good work ethic and some
exceptional – they really care about doing a good job. The
crew worked together to help and motivate each other.”
Paul added that repeat workers passed their knowledge and
experience onto other seasonal workers, so new workers quickly
became ‘up-skilled’.
“In general repeat workers are great, regardless of whether
they’re seasonal workers or backpackers,” says Paul. “They
come readily equipped with the knowledge of the jobs and tasks
at hand, so our productivity from those workers is very high.
“The Tongans were happy to do any job, and seem to really like
the more physical jobs such as ‘reflective matt’ rolling and netting
(often challenging for backpackers). It’s great to walk into your
orchard and see people working hard, hearing them laughing
and singing.”
Consistent and reliable workers
Yarra Valley grower Sue Finger from Vernview Orchards says that
she was unsatisfied with labour hire contractors who churned
backpacker staff continually and were concerned that they may have
been employing illegal labour or not paying their workers correctly.
“We could not allow possible exploitation and our productivity
was being compromised by the staff churn,” explains Sue. “This
increases administration and particularly training costs and made
building stable picking teams impossible.”
About four years ago Sue became involved in the Seasonal
Worker Programme, first engaging another approved employer
to look after their labour needs and then becoming an approved
employer herself.
“With the advent of the Seasonal Worker Programme, our business
has changed so we schedule workers to arrive to do the task,
ensuring better productivity and enhanced profitability,” says Sue.
One of the Tongan nationals working during harvest at Newton
Orchards, WA.
16
“We do the work in a timely manner. Our research is indicating
that you are best to have five workers for a week rather than one
worker for five weeks. This research now dictates the scheduling u
www.apal.org.au
“ ”
LABOUR
u
The crew in those first two years
had a very high rate of productivity
when picking apples for harvest.
of hand thinning, hand pruning and other manual requirements
as well as harvest work.
“Last season we had four Pacific seasonal workers arrive in
mid-October. They helped place temporary netting over the
trees, hand thinning and putting out reflective matting. These
workers then started on the early harvest.
“In March six more seasonal workers arrived to cope with the
harvest, with an overlap of local workers to ensure that fruit was
picked in optimum condition.
“By mid-April the first tranche of Pacific workers returned home.
The remainder continued with the harvest until May and then they
attended to bringing in nets, reflective matting and commenced
pruning. The last workers returned to Vanuatu in July.”
Lobbying for labour
APAL recently presented evidence to a hearing of the Joint
Standing Committee on Migration for its inquiry into the Seasonal
Worker Programme. APAL advised Members of Parliament that
while less than five apple and pear growers currently use the
Seasonal Worker Programme, many more of the industry’s 600
growers could reap its benefits
For most growers, there is a ready supply of casual unskilled
labour from the pool of international backpackers that the apple
and pear industry heavily relies upon. It is critical that remains in
place, including the second year option for those working in
regional Australia in industries like horticulture.
New rules associated with the program should make the
proposition of employing seasonal workers more attractive
to growers. For example, the rule that required employers to
guarantee a minimum of fourteen weeks’ work has been removed,
www.apal.org.au
although approved employers must guarantee a minimum average
of 30 hours’ work per week. Seasonal workers can be employed
for up to six months at a time and those recruited from Kiribati,
Nauru or Tuvalu can be employed for up to nine months.
Changes to the cost sharing arrangements have also improved
the attractiveness of the Seasonal Worker Programme. The
approved employer is still responsible for paying for the entire
return international airfare and domestic transfer costs for seasonal
workers to and from their work location. However, the approved
employer can now recover any amount over $500 from these
transportation costs. For example, if the return international airfare
costs $1,200, and the domestic transfers to and from the work
location cost $300, the employer can recover up to $1,000 from
the seasonal worker’s pay over the course of their employment.
Growers have advised APAL that the process of gaining approved
employer status imposed a substantial administrative burden and
was a major impediment to taking on seasonal workers. APAL
will continue to work with the Department of Employment to
reduce the costs associated with the program so all growers can
enjoy the improved productivity that seasonal workers apparently
bring to the orchard.
For more information read both APAL’s and Sue Finger’s (No.13,
Vernview Pty Ltd) submission to the Joint Standing Committee
on Migration Inquiry into the Seasonal Worker Programme. :afg
Annie Farrow, Industry Services Manager, APAL
t: (03) 9329 3511 | m: 0408 526 786 | e: afarrow@apal.org.au
17
PROFILE
Netting
your best Insurance
By Sophie Clayton
Hail is the number one enemy of NSW apple growers The Westcastle Partnership,
but with a long term plan and some recent help from the NSW State Government,
they have now netted most of their orchard.
“
D
evastating hailstorms have once again hit orchardists
this year, with a number of pear growers in Victoria’s
Goulburn Valley seriously affected by two massive
hailstorms. But hail is not new to the industry and just about
every grower has a horror hail story to tell.
Orchards in regions like Stanthorpe, Queensland, have responded
to the hail threat (and for them the snow threat also) by netting
their orchards. They now have as good as 100 per cent of their
apple orchards netted. Yet other regions, and especially those with
pear orchards, have not gone down this path…or not yet anyway.
There’s no doubt netting can be very effective – and your best
insurance against hail – but establishment costs of netting and
ongoing maintenance costs can make it difficult to do.
Taking a hard hit from hail
Brothers Peter and Tim West, and Tim’s wife Jayne, are the
family members behind apple and cherry growing business
The Westcastle Partnership in Orange, NSW. They experienced a
shocker of a hail event in 2006 – the worst they had ever seen.
Peter and Tim have a plan to
net a small proportion of their
orchard every year – starting
with the most productive and
valuable blocks.
18
“Our roof fell in from the hail and water came down from the
walls,” says Jayne. “It was devastating because not only did it take
all that year’s fruit but it ruined the buds for the following year
across both our apples and cherries.”
The damage to their fruit that year was complete and really
knocked around the young trees too.
“It really stalled one of our newly planted orchards because of all
the damage,” explains Peter. “But fortunately it missed our Nashdale
orchard that year, but for some growers it affected all their
orchards and some growers went out of business because of it.”
The Wests have around 50 hectares of apple and cherry trees
across two orchards – one in Canobolas and one in neighbouring
Nashdale. They produce between 2,000 and 2,500 tonnes of
apples every year including Royal Gala, Red Delicious, Pink Lady™,
Granny Smith and Fujis.
“Mentally and physically it takes so long to get over a bad hail
storm – you almost go into a bit of depression for a month and
you don’t have much drive,” says Tim. “We know what the pear
growers are going through.”
Another local grower, Guy Gaeta, organised a BBQ at Nashdale
Hall and invited all the growers along as a show of support after
their bad hailstorm.
“Everyone came together and was sharing the same story and
you looked around and everyone was in the same boat – you
think you’re alone but everyone’s in the same situation,” says Tim.
Peter adds that for their business – and probably all growers in
the region – hail is the biggest business risk.
“Hail is our number one challenge, because it is so frequent and
happens at just the wrong time,” says Peter. “It takes you years
to recover.
u
www.apal.org.au
PROFILE
u
Government subsidies for netting to protect fruit bats is helping NSW orchardists to protect their apple crop. (Inset: Peter West)
“Once you get hit by hail, cash flow becomes a problem and
you have to borrow more and it puts you behind. You might
have wanted to buy machinery or whatever and you have to
postpone all of that.”
Some growers in the region are testing some different options
to hold up the drape netting, which would be an added cost,
but less expensive than full structural netting.
A couple of years ago another storm hit the region, but by this
time a lot of the West’s orchard was protected by netting.
Because of the potential damage hail can do and its capacity to
wreck a whole business, Peter and Tim started down the track
of netting their orchards.
“The netting on one of our blocks saved us about 1,200 bins of
apples,” says Peter.
The path to success is covered in…netting
It helps them all sleep a bit better at night.
To spread the cost of the netting, Peter and Tim have a plan to
net a small proportion of their orchard every year – starting with
the most productive and valuable blocks.
Going batty
“Basically we’ve netted anything of value – our Galas and our
Red Dels, because we still do OK with them, that’s how we have
prioritised which orchards to net,” says Peter.
Close to half of the family’s orchards by area are netted now
and much more than half according to production value. Across
the entire Orange district more than 80 per cent of orchards are
netted and most growers would have some of their orchard netted.
“We’ve just been doing it gradually because there’s always other
maintenance and costs and you have to live within your
means,” says Tim.
The Wests have mostly used drape netting to cover their trees,
which is available from local grower and now netting supplier
Michael Cunial at Drape Net. Other growers in the region have
used either the full structural netting or drape net.
“Drape netting is more cost effective and in our orchards it has
stood up better than the structured netting,” says Tim. “But we
still think we need some sort of structure to keep the drape
netting off the younger and smaller trees and those that are
more densely planted.”
www.apal.org.au
By 2012, a number of Orange orchardists had already started
rolling out netting, but another hail storm hit that season and,
combined with the increasing pressure of fruit bats (or flying
foxes) looking for new fruit supplies, orchardists sought extra
help to expedite the netting process.
Guy Gaeta, who is also a representative of NSW Farmers,
explains that he has observed an increase in the number of fruit
bats frequenting the region and saw the difficulty local growers
had with dealing with them. Netting is also effective at keeping
bats off trees so they looked for opportunities to tackle the two
problems together.
Through a coordinated effort, apple growers and NSW Farmers
bandied together with staff from the NSW state government
departments of Primary Industries, National Parks and Wildlife
Service, Local Land Services, and the Office of Environment and
Heritage, to look at ways to get government support for netting
that would be a win-win for everyone – including the bats.
At the time there was already funding for growers in the Sydney
Basin to put structural netting over their orchards as a way to
protect fruit bats because one species, the Grey-headed flying-fox
(Pteropus poliocephalus), is a threatened species.
u
19
PROFILE
Around 80 per cent of orchards around Orange are now netted with either structured or drape netting.
u
“We all got together with the NSW government departments as
well as growers from Batlow to see if we could get the scheme
extended to Batlow and Orange, and include drape netting,”
explains Peter. “We had great support from our local member
Andrew Gee who helped us get our idea up.”
Following a series of meetings and a carefully crafted letter to
the then NSW Minister for Primary Industries, Katrina Hodgkinson
MP, and NSW Minister for the Environment, Rob Stokes MP, that
was prepared with the help of local communications consultant
Bruce Reynolds – the informal consortium had success with
getting the scheme for netting subsidies extended across NSW
and available for throw-over or drape netting too. Their pitch
focused around protecting the bats and the opportunity to help
both environmentalists and farmers.
In August 2014, the NSW Ministers jointly announced that the
NSW Flying-Fox Netting Subsidy Program had been extended.
A subsidy of 50 per cent, up to a maximum of $20,000 per
hectare, for orchard netting has since been made available.
“
Tim and Peter have made one claim to access the funding, which
was successful, and found the process fairly straight forward.
“It was reasonably easy to make a claim,” says Peter. “We had
to provide a bit of evidence of damage so we used a newspaper
cutting from the district that showed the fruit bats and damage
to orchards, plus you had to provide your financial information.
“Overall they were pretty helpful and I don’t think anyone was
knocked back.”
The scheme is administered by the NSW Rural Assistance
Authority with a total of $6 million available up until the 30
June 2016.
Michael Cunial estimates he has seen about a 30 per cent
spike in orders from NSW growers for his drape netting since
the subsidies were announced.
“Most of my regular customers bought extra net, plus we got
quite a few new customers,” says Michael. “It was probably
enough to sway people to get going with their netting.”
Michael Cunial estimates he
has seen about a 30 per cent
spike in orders from NSW
growers for his drape netting
since the subsidies were
announced.
A fruit bat colony take harbour in the town of Orange before heading
out to orchards in the evening.
20
u
www.apal.org.au
PROFILE
u
According to Michael, Drape Net is proving itself in some pretty
extreme weather and hail events.
“There is less surface area to collect hail and the weight of the
hail is spread across the net and the tree’s foliage, whereas in
structured netting, the weight is all on the poles and netting so
it may collapse when there’s a lot of weight on it,” says Michael.
He explains that before he puts up netting for a customer he
checks out the block to make sure it has uniform tree rows to
make setting up and putting on the net easy, and that any rogue
limbs that may damage the netting are removed. As with Peter
and Tim, Michael has observed that drape netting may stunt the
growth and canopy development of younger trees. But over the
last four years, he has been developing a new product that is a
cross between a drape and structured net called a Drape Net
Curtain Slider.
“We’re using ourselves as a guinea pig and testing it in one of
our trellised blocks this year and we’ll refine it from there,” says
Michael. “We think the new system will really work well with
young trellised trees and the 2D system of planting.
“It’s going to be a semi-permanent system and we hope it will
be commercially available next year.”
www.apal.org.au
Netting for pears
As for netting pears, Michael says a couple of his customers
have used Drape Net over pears, and there’s no reason why it
couldn’t be used more broadly in pear orchards.
“It hasn’t been used that much in pears, but one of the pear
growers here who is using it has said that apart from the protection
it provides from hail, it also leaves the pears with a good skin
finish,” says Michael.
“One possible problem is that overly vigorous pear trees might
try to grow through the net, but in the Goulburn Valley the
trees are mostly fairly mature and have settled down.
“Tree height and width may also be a limiting factor in pears,
because if the trees are too big the machine wouldn’t be able
to roll out the net.”
Growers interested in trying out some Drape Net can contact
Michael who will supply new customers with a couple of rolls to
test in their own orchard.
Since the hailstorm in Goulburn Valley, Fruit Growers Victoria
together with APAL are looking at ways to get support for
Victorian pear growers to net their orchards. :afg
21
NETTING
Black or white netting,
which is best?
By Susie Murphy White, Rohan Prince and Lisa Starkie
DAFWA and Pomewest researchers share more results from their netting trial in
Manjimup, Western Australia, to assess the differences in using black and white netting.
A
Winter chill
netting demonstration site at Lyster’s Matijari
Orchard, Manjimup, Western Australia, was set up
to demonstrate the benefits of netting under Western
Australian conditions. Two sections of 16mm crossover quad
netting were installed over an established Cripps Pink and Fuji
orchard to assess their effectiveness at reducing bird, sun and
hail damage. Established in November 2013, the demonstration
compared black net and white net to an area of non-netted
(no net) trees within the same block in the orchard.
Winter chill was calculated from 1 March through until 31 August
2014 and 2015 from hourly temperature readings. There is not
much difference in chill accumulation under the black, white
or no net areas. The nets do not reduce the amount of chill
accumulated because there was minimal difference between the
temperatures recorded under the black, white and no net areas.
Specifications on the black net state a 23 per cent reduction of
both shade and UV radiation while white net stated a 20 per
cent reduction. To test the effect of the netting, sensors were
installed in each section to continuously measure mid canopy air
temperature, solar radiation, relative humidity and fruit surface
temperature. A hand held meter was also used to measure
photosynthetically active radiation during the season.
Bud break and flowering data was collected from 10 trees in the
black, white and no net rows. Observations were made three
times a week from 30 August to 30 October 2014. Whole tree
assessments were made to determine the dates of bud break,
occurrence of first flower and full bloom, and to monitor
progression of flowering.
Flowering
Winter chill accumulation and fruit quality were also measured
together with observations of flowering to determine the dates
of bud break, occurrence of first flower and full bloom.
There was minimal difference in flowering progression between
the netted trees and the no net trees. Rootstock shows a greater
difference with the MM106 trees under no net reaching bud
break a week before M26. All trees still came into full bloom
at the same time in 2014.
Chill accumulation at Matijari Orchard
Minimum and maximum temperatures (°C) for
Cripps Pink trees
Minimum
22
Maximum
month
No
Net
Black White
Net
Net
No
Net
Black White
Net
Net
Dec-13
10.5
11.5
11.0
28.2
27.5
27.6
Jan-14
12.4
12.7
12.6
30.1
29.7
29.6
Feb-14
12.4
12.8
12.5
29.5
29.0
28.5
Mar-14
12.6
12.8
12.7
26.8
25.9
26.2
Apr-14
10.6
10.8
10.9
25.6
23.9
24.3
May-14
10.5
10.6
10.6
19.0
18.5
18.5
Jun-14
8.2
8.2
8.2
16.9
16.6
16.9
Jul-14
7.6
7.6
7.6
15.7
15.3
15.5
Aug-14
8.7
8.9
8.7
18.2
17.5
17.9
www.apal.org.au
NETTING
Solar radiation under black, white and no net areas
35
30
MJm2/day
25
20
15
10
5
0
01/01/2014
15/01/2014
29/01/2014
No Net
12/02/2014
Black Net
Fruit growth rate
Fruit diameter was measured six weeks after full bloom and weekly
thereafter until the first pick. Little difference was measured in
all sections during the majority of the season. In March, apples
under the black net measured 3mm larger on average than fruit
under white net or no net. However, at harvest time there was
no significant difference in diameter of fruit grown under any of
the treatments.
Minor variability in irrigation, tree management and nutrition are
likely to have a greater impact on fruit size than netting.
Mid canopy air temperature
There was minimal difference between the black and white
net for mid canopy air temperature and humidity. Mean daily
temperatures rarely varied more than 0.5 to 1 degree. The
netting led to small increases in minimum temperatures and
dampening of maximum temperatures. This action is similar to
a cloud cover effect which reduces radiant heat loss overnight
and reflects a portion of incoming daytime radiation reducing
maximum temperatures.
26/02/2014
12/03/2014
White Net
Solar radiation and fruit surface
temperature
Not surprisingly, the no net area received the highest solar radiation.
While not exactly the same as the specifications, the white net
showed a 15 per cent reduction and the black net a 26 per cent
reduction in solar radiation during January and February of both
years. Specifications are only given as a guide to how the nets
will perform and in this case the black net was close to
specification and the white net slightly less.
It is reasonable to think that the amount of solar radiation
reaching the fruit surface should influence the fruit surface
temperature (FST). However, when FST was measured over the
summer 2013-14 season, the average FST was lower under the
white net than the black, even though greater solar radiation
was recorded under white net.
FST was significantly higher in the no net area particularly during
extreme heat events in late summer and a higher percentage of
sunburnt fruit was observed. There was no difference in sunburn
between the black and white net areas, and both netted areas
reduced sunburn significantly compared to the no net area.
Fruit surface temperature and air temperature under black, white and no net areas
Temperature ˚C
u
60
55
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
02/04/2014
02/11/2014
02/18/2014
02/25/2014
03/04/2014
03/11/2014
Date
www.apal.org.au
Air Temp Black net
Air Temp White net
Air Temp No net
FST Row 4 Black net
FST Row 10 White net
FST Row 16 No net!
u
23
NETTING
Photosynthetically active radiation
F score (background colour) and R score (blush
intensity)
0.80
Percentage of apples within each range, where optimum F score for
long term storage is F3-F4 and optimum R score for long term storage
is R4-R5.
0.70
0.60
µmol/m2/s
u
F score F Score F Score R score Score R Score
3-4
>4
<4
4-5
<3
>5
0.50
0.40
0.30
no net
0.20
black
Black Net
0
78
23
68
25
8
White Net
0
68
32
56
35
9
No Net
0
78
22
47
42
12
white
0.10
0.00
8:30
9:30
10:30
11:30
12:30
13:30
14:30
15.30
Time
Photosynthetically active radiation
The effective area of shade was calculated by measuring the
photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) on a clear sky day in
February 2015 using a hand held ceptometer. Several measurements
were taken throughout each section at morning, solar noon
and afternoon to measure the extent and density of the shade
created by the tree.
While measurements reflected shade specification of the net,
the reduction in PAR was also influenced by tree vigour. The black
net reduced shade more than the white net and no net. Tree
vigour was higher under the netted areas than outside the net.
Fruit colour
Ten trees from each treatment were tagged at the beginning of
the project, these trees were strip picked based on maturity. The
starch conversion guide for the maturity of Pink Lady™ apples,
the 1-6 scoring system, was used to assess the apples. At picking,
starch conversion scores were at 4, which is optimum for only
short to medium controlled atmosphere storage. The firmness
at picking recorded an 8 in all areas measured with an 11mm
penetrometer. The brix was generally lower than the minimum
standard of 13 per cent in all areas testing at 11 per cent after
the first pick.
A random sample of 40 apples from each tree was assessed
against the Pink Lady Europe Ctifl colour charts (Centre technique
interprofessionnel des fruits et legumes (Ctifl) Pink Lady Eurofru
colour charts). Each apple was given an F score for background
colour (F1-F7) and an R score for blush intensity (R1-R8).
The biggest difference observed between the netted and no net
areas was in fruit colour development. Difficulty was experienced
achieving colour to match maturity for picking under the netted
area. While the same temperatures were recorded under the
black and white net, reduced solar radiation, reduced light, and
increased tree vigour resulted in poorer colour development in
Cripps Pink apples grown under net.
At the time of strip picking, the majority of apples had reached
the ideal background colour (F3-F4). In both the no net and black
net blocks, 78 per cent of fruit was between F3 and F4. While,
68 per cent of white net apples were between F3 and F4.
Background colour greater than F4 is undesirable for long term
storage, as the green background begins to move toward yellow.
Between 23 per cent (black net) and 32 per cent (white net) of
fruit were beyond the ideal background storage colour (> F4).
While optimum blush is between R4 and R5 for long term storage,
blush greater than R4 is preferred in all fruit. Colour under the
black and white net treatments was lower than desired at strip
picking with the majority of fruit lower than R4.
Colour development at the demonstration site was still an issue
in 2015, but this may be because reflective matting that was put
out to control vigour was only laid out a week before harvest.
Birds and hail
During the monitoring of the demonstration site there was only
low bird pressure with no bird-induced damage occurring outside
or under the nets. No hail events occurred during the demonstration
so the effect of netting in preventing hail damage was not recorded.
Netting has the capability of reducing bird damage and sunburn
damage compared to the no net treatment. Netting can also reduce
damage caused by hail as seen in previous studies in Queensland.
Conclusion
The netting had no impact on the fruit growth rate, flowering
was not affected, and no significant differences were seen in
winter chill between the no net, black net and white net. The
impact of the reduced PAR under the nets and the increased
vigour could explain the poor colour development.
It appears that if netting is used, colour enhancement and careful
management of vigour is required to achieve good quality fruit. :afg
The results here relating to colour and blush were first reported
in the Australian Fruitgrower article ‘Netting trial results in WA’
in the October 2015 edition.
24
About the authors:
Rohan Prince and Lisa Starkie, Department of Agriculture
and Food, Western Australia
Susie Murphy White, Project Manager, Pomewest
e: susan.murphy-white@agric.wa.gov.au | t: 08 9777 0151
www.apal.org.au
NETTING
South Australia develops
netting cost benefit calculator
If you’re not sure if you can afford netting or want some guidance, try the new netting
calculator developed for South Australian growers, because maybe you can’t afford
not to net!
T
A simple business case template has also been developed to
enable growers to pull the numbers from the calculator into a
business case for use when speaking to banks and financiers.
he team at the Apple and Pear Growers Association of
South Australia (APGASA) in conjunction with Natural
Logic (Australia) Pty Ltd and Econsearch have developed
a cost benefit calculator for permanent netting for growers in
the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
The tool is in the form of a spreadsheet which enables growers
to run different scenarios based on different blocks, netting types
and projects 20 years forward.
The model they’ve developed also includes projected estimates
of the impact of a changing climate in the Adelaide Hills region.
While the tool has been developed specifically for Adelaide Hills’
conditions (particularly for future climate projections), it may be
useful for other regions. The project was funded by the Adelaide
and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resource Management Board.
For more information see the full report on the APGASA website,
www.apgasa.com or go direct to http://tinyurl.com/SANettingCalc.
:afg
Susie Green, CEO, APGASA
t: 08 8389 8300 | e: aplnpear@ozemail.com.au
Hail Hits Hard in Shep
Last season Nathan Barolli and his family invested
in Drape Net to cover their Granny Crop to protect
mainly from hail and sunburn.
Results where very good even though there was
no hail events over the net…sunburn protection
and water retention where a stand out plus very
good codling moth control.
This year as we all know is a whole different ball
game and Nathan has now seen the full benefits
from the Drape Net system.
With multiple devastating hail events around
Shepparton and one in particular over a block
of Drape Net it’s a chalk and cheese result…
Nathan was so impressed he said he will do the
rest of his property next season.
Third generation Shepparton East
grower and packer Nathan Barolli
is pictured here in a row of Granny
Smith a week or so before harvest.
The Barolli family invested in Drape
Net to protect their Granny crop from
sunburn and hail.
Drape Net is a form of crop insurance and has so
many more benefits.
Growers please keep an eye out for meetings held
in your area this off season or get in contact.
CONTACT MICHAEL CUNIAL | m: 0415 663 413 | e: mcunial@bigpond.com
www.drapenet.com.au
www.apal.org.au
25
ORCHARD MANAGEMENT
Introducing the new
Focus Orchards
By Jesse Reader
In great news for the industry, Hort Innovation has re-funded APAL and AgFirst to
continue running the Future Orchards™ program comprising the twice yearly nationwide
orchard walk roadshow and regional Focus Orchard trials.
W
ith APAL set to launch a fresh five-year Future
Orchards™ program for the apple and pear industry,
it will in doing so, notch up 10 successful years of
what has been a highly effective technology transfer project.
With humble beginnings, but clear intentions, the program
launched in 2006 with the aim of doubling productivity per
hectare by 2012 and attracted federal government funding to
support the cause. Through its success with AgFirst at the helm,
the program was granted further support with industry levy
funds being contributed and as such allowed a continued focus
on productivity and international best practice.
Focus Orchards
In 2012, the program received funding for a further two years
and added several new components to the already proven model
including the Focus Orchard concept and introduction of Front
Line Advisers (FLAs). These components were new to APAL’s
members and consisted of selecting two orchards in each of
the eight growing regions to be profiled, technically supported
and utilised to conduct small applied trials for the greater
benefit of the region.
conducted on the 16 Focus Orchards and case studies generated
to highlight activities over the two years. Furthermore, the local
FLAs would conduct fruit size monitoring within the Focus
Orchards and manage this data within OrchardNet™, a purpose
built benchmarking and orchard management tool.
The applied trial component within Focus Orchards has been a
highlight for all involved with many regions claiming this facet of
the Future Orchards program to be their favourite. The ability to
tackle hot topics within the industry, with local and international
expertise and all for a fraction of the cost of a fully funded R&D
project is a real strength of the program and will remain an
integral component going forward.
The FLAs have produced some exceptional outcomes over the last
two years and have covered many topics including the following:
• Enhancing young tree growth (Stanthorpe, QLD) – Stephen
Tancred, Orchard Services
• Best fertigation practices for optimum young apple tree
growth (WA) – Rachelle Johnstone, DAFWA
• Root pruning Pink Lady (Orange, NSW) – Stephen Tancred,
Orchard Services
The intention was to empower the local experts (FLAs) and support
the Focus Orchards in tackling local problems with AgFirst support
and program funding. The model would also see business plans
• Fertiliser budgeting in a Pink Lady apple orchard (Orange,
NSW) – Stephen Tancred, Orchard Services
• Growth effects of GA applications on Kanzi trees (Mt Lofty,
SA) – Paul James, Lenswood Co-operative
• Root pruning (Oakleigh Orchard, Lenswood, SA) - Paul James,
Lenswood Co-operative
• Simple pruning rules and post-frost root pruning demonstration
(Batlow, NSW) – Kevin Dodds, NSW DPI
• Ruby Pink™ fruit quality when grown in singles vs. clusters
(Three Bridges, VIC) – Virginie Grégoire, Fruit Growers Victoria
• Comparing the use of Regalis® and Ethrel® for vigour
(Plunkett Orchard, Ardmona, VIC) – Michael Crisera and
Virginie Grégoire, Fruit Growers Victoria
New Focus Orchard manager Arames Volpato (rt) and Future Orchards
Front Line Advisor Stephen Tancred (lt).
26
Details of these and many other case studies can be viewed on
APAL’s website by navigating to the Future Orchards archive
library (give APAL a call if you need help finding what you need). u
www.apal.org.au
“
u
”
ORCHARD MANAGEMENT
The applied trial component
within Focus Orchards has been
a highlight for all involved…
Maurice Silverstein, of Silver Orchards, where a new Focus Orchards will
be run.
We are now pleased to announce the first batch of businesses
and respective management teams that will be looking after the
new series of Focus Orchards. Their willingness to participate for
the benefit of all others doesn’t go unnoticed and we thank
them for their support and wish them all the best in their quest
for sustained orchard success.
New Focus Orchards for 2016
With the success of the Focus Orchards model over the last
two years, APAL has again made a commitment to facilitate this
aspect of Future Orchards. The first Focus Orchard program will
go for three years and the second iteration for two.
The Focus Orchard program will again include the following key
activities within the model:
The Focus Orchards hosts and managers for the next three years
are: Arames Volpato, Cottonvale (QLD); Ian Robson, Batlow (NSW);
Joel Brockhoff, Lenswood (SA); Bernard Hall, Orange (NSW);
Justin Miller, Hillwood (TAS); Ian Armour, Warragul (VIC); and
u
Bo Silverstein, Shepparton (VIC).
1. One Focus Orchard per region (eight regions).
2. Two applied trials per region addressing local issues and
challenges.
3. Orchard walks on site.
4. Focus Orchard case studies generated highlighting outcomes
of trials and general observations.
5. Business plans conducted on each of the eight Focus Orchards.
6. Fruit size monitoring conducted on at least two varieties and
managed within OrchardNet.
FOR SALE
Complete packing line comprising:
7. Magazine articles produced discussing Focus Orchard activities.
8. AgFirst Skype support to the local FLA and Focus Orchard
managers.
• Single lane CVS Unisorter
(colour and weight)
9. Participation within the Australian Orchard Business Analysis.
• 14 drops (12 tray-filler lines)
Thanks to all our previous Focus Orchards
managers
Previous Focus Orchards in the inaugural years have included
growers such as:
• Robert Green, Oakleigh Orchards, SA
• Mark Trzaskoma, Battunga Orchards, VIC
• Jason Shields, Plunkett Orchards, VIC
• Brad Ashlin, TopQual, TAS
• 5 bin stainless steel automatic
water dump
• Washer, waxer,
drier
• Associated carton
conveyer and 3M
tape machine
Can see working
• Paul Good, Newton Brothers, WA
APAL with the continued support of AgFirst look forward
with excitement to the next phase of Future Orchards and
encourage the industry at large to continue to engage in
the program and benefit from the enormous depth of
knowledge and experience on offer. :afg
www.apal.org.au
NE Victoria
$150k + GST
Ph Rob Tully on 0458 781 392
27
ORCHARD MANAGEMENT
u
Q&A with new Focus Orchard managers
Justin Miller, Miller’s Orchards
Arames Volpato, Volpato and Co.
Where is your orchard located?
Newlands Road, Cottonvale, QLD
What is the size of your orchard?
12 hectares.
What varieties do you grow?
Pink Lady™, Gala, Red Delicious, Kalei, Granny Smith, some
Fuji, just started Kanzi®.
What are the main rootstocks on the farm?
MM109, MM106 and MM778.
Who are the key people on your farm?
Mum, dad, my wife, two casual workers and myself.
Do you grow, pack and market?
Yes, but only a small amount, the rest goes to a large grower.
If you could change one thing about your orchard
what would it be?
Planting density and rootstock, and I would like a bit more
land to plant new systems.
What do you hope to get out of participating in the
Focus Orchard program?
More knowledge about how to get the best results with
what I already have, and a clear direction on which system
to adopt in future plantings.
Hillwood Rd, Hillwood, TAS
30 hectares of apples and pears; and 4 hectares of cherries.
Gala, Fuji, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Kanzi
and Jazz™.
M26 and MM106.
Justin and Brendan Miller run the day to day operations of
the farm and packing shed.
Yes.
If you could change one thing about your orchard what
would it be?
Bigger blocks with more uniformity.
I don’t have any specific goals for the program but am starting
with an open mind. I’m keen to learn and I know every time
you interact with others you learn something.
Bernard Hall, Bonny Glen Fruits
Ian Armour, Armours Apples Pty Ltd
Nilma-Bona Vista Road, Warragul, West Gippsland, VIC
Planted area is 36 hectares.
Gala, Pink Lady, Fuji, Granny Smith, Jazz and Golden Delicious.
M9, Pajam 2, Mark, Ottowa 3, M26 and M7.
Canobolas Road, Orange, NSW
40 hectares.
Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Pink Lady, Royal Gala, Fuji,
and Kanzi.
106, M26, M9, 102 and Bud9.
General, orchard and packing shed managers.
Bernard Hall, Charlene Thurston, Peter Barlow, Paula Neill
and Leanne Pearce.
We grow, cool store and pack.
Yes – we also pack and market for other growers.
what would it be?
Make it all younger with the newest strains.
what would it be?
Tree density and root stock selection.
All the team can learn from working with the experts and
the visitors.
More productivity per hectare, get higher / better quality
packouts, higher nett kilogram returns, and learn more
about orcharding.
28
www.apal.org.au
u
ORCHARD MANAGEMENT
u
Joel Brockhoff, Otherwood Orchards
Swamp Rd, Lenswood, SA
20 hectares, including 15 hectares of apples and the rest a
mixture of avocados, citrus and kiwifruit.
Rosy Glow™, Ruby Pink™, Gala, Fuji and Rockit™.
M26 and M9.
Dad (Peter Brockhoff) and myself.
Most fruit goes to the Lenswood Co-operative and the rest
of the fruit goes to farmers’ markets.
what would it be?
Improve yield and packout as well as labour efficiencies by
getting robots to do all the manual work. I would consider
hail nets but they would have to be cost effective.
General improvement in the business and improve organisation
skills as a manager of the business. It would help to get an
economic evaluation of the business and get access to yield
and quality data.
Bo Silverstein, Silver Orchards
Ian Robson, Mount View Orchards
Prentice Rd, Orvale, Goulburn Valley, VIC
Tumbarumba Rd, Batlow (three properties), NSW
Several varieties of apples including Gala, Pink Lady, Rosy
Glow, Sundowner™, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious. And
several varieties of pears including Corella, Williams, Bosc,
Packhams, Josephine and new plantings of Piqa®Boo®.
80 hectares of apples.
Pink Lady, Gala, Fuji, Sundowner, Jonathan, Granny Smith
and Red Delicious.
MM106, M26 and M9 on the apples; and D6 and Quince C
on the pears.
MM106, M26 and M9.
Maurice, Bo and Rein.
Myself and my father who has been managing the farm for
40 years.
Simply concentrate on the growing and use a variety of
packers and marketers to get the fruit to market.
what would it be?
Like all growers our goal is to strive to consistently produce
good volumes of high quality fruit that obtains a market
premium. We have a range of challenges to address to
achieve that. Variety mix is critical as is net to protect the
crop. We also have a significant challenge to slow vigour on
the vigorous rootstocks and, on the converse, grow a good
canopy on the dwarf rootstocks. Maximising the new pear
variety is also exciting.
We are on a continual learning curve and have always
been open to new ideas and change. Being a Focus Orchard
manager will hopefully allow us to reach our goals quicker.
It should be an interesting three years.
Just grow for Batlow Fruit Co-operative as Mount View
Orchards operates as the largest shareholder.
what would it be?
To have more dwarfing rootstocks such as M9 to reduce
tree size and improve quality.
A business analysis which will assess costs versus production
for individual blocks and provide an overall evaluation of
profit and loss for the business.
Acknowledgements
APAL’s Future Orchards program is funded by Horticulture
Innovation Australia Ltd using the apple and pear industry levy
funds from growers and funds from the Australian Government.
AgFirst is a key Future Orchards partner. :afg
About the author:
Jesse Reader, Horticultural Consultant, AgFirst Australia,
t: 0419 107 245 | e: jesse.reader@agfirstaustralia.com.au
www.apal.org.au
29
R&D
Low-calorie apple flour
takes on wheat
Tonnes of fruit pulp normally sent to waste are being turned into nutrient-rich flour
with the potential to replace wheat, say University of Auckland researchers.
B
iological scientists at the University of Auckland have
created an alternative flour high in protein, vitamins
and dietary fibre that is also a zero-waste product.
PhD student Ninna Granucci has been conducting the research
under the supervision of Associate Professor Silas Granato VillasBoas who has been looking into uses for fruit pulp, or pomace,
from juice companies for a number of years.
“We started studying it for animal feed to give to cows but the
problem is it has a lot of sugar so, when cows eat it, it ferments
and produces a lot of ethanol, or alcohol, and they get intoxicated,”
Villas-Boas says.
“So we adapted the fermentative process to reduce the sugar
and leave the fibre for the cows. But in doing that we realised
there was potential not just for animals but for human consumption.”
Fellowship announced
to study pears for Asia
Veski – an organisation that aims to foster
innovation – is supporting a new Victorian
pear fellowship with the University of
Bologna to determine the viability of
pear varieties for Asian markets.
T
he Hon Jaala Pulford MP, Victorian Minister for
Agriculture, announced the fellowship in Shepparton
that will go to University of Bologna’s Professor Luca
Corelli Grappadelli to partner with the Department of
Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources
(DEDJTR) and industry collaborators.
Fermentation experiments in the lab have used pulp from apples,
oranges, kiwifruit, olives, carrots and grapes.
Granucci’s PhD research will continue throughout 2016 and they
are exploring the com mercial potential. The first product concept has been finalised – Ample Apple, a nutrient-rich flour
that’s gluten-free and low in cholesterol, fat and sugar.
“We’ve tried to replace wheat flour completely with this and it
cooks well – the consistency is fine, it tastes great, the flavour is
better,” Villas-Boas says. “You can still make pastries and pasta
but they will not have as many calories as common flour.
“These days we’re all trying to control what we eat – I know this
myself, I’ve been on a diet so many times. When you’re on a diet,
you’re just dying to eat a muffin but you can’t because it has so
many calories. But this could allow you to have a muffin guilt-free.”
Their venture, named Green Spot, came runner-up in the Spark
$100k Challenge, the University of Auckland’s entrepreneurship
competition, winning $15,000 in seed capital and three months’
incubation at The Icehouse.
They have also received funding from Callaghan Innovation and
it’s one of the first projects to be funded by the Bioresource
Processing Alliance, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and
Employment initiative to create value from biological waste.
“We’ve been told a few times this idea can be disruptive, that
the fruit industry could change completely,” Villas-Boas says.
“Instead of producing fruit for making juice, they could produce
fruit to make [flour] and the juice would be a by-product. That’s
the potential that has been described to us.” :afg
Source: business.auckland.ac.nz
Professor Corelli will use emerging sensor technologies and
knowledge from the University of Bologna to determine if
the Deliza™ brand pear and PIQA® pear are suited to Asian
consumer expectations.
Research will include pre- and post-harvest studies on both
pears with a focus on determining best practice for handling,
storage and transportation.
New sensor technologies will be used to improve practices
and monitoring in the production and handling chain to
ensure maximum yield and quality. :afg
Source: veski.org.au
30
University of Auckland Associate Professor Silas Granato Villas-Boas and
PhD student Ninna Granucci researching apple flour. Photo: University of
Auckland.
www.apal.org.au
in 2016
Next year Australian Fruitgrower
will be reducing its print publication
down to six issues a year.
But don’t worry those six issues will
be jam packed full of even more
great features, research updates and
comprehensive technical articles.
Improving our web presence
The same amount of content – across news,
events, technical articles and reports – will be
published online and we will be working to
improve how you can find your favourite
articles easily on our website too.
Plus, we will be publishing more grower
interviews on YouTube – so watch out for those!
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R&D
Rootstocks for
red-blushed pears
Lexie McClymont, Ian Goodwin, David Cornwall, Dave Haberfield, Wendy Sessions and
Susanna Turpin
The team at the Horticulture Centre of Excellence share an update on the ‘Profitable
Pear Systems’ project at Tatura looking at pear rootstocks for red-blushed pears.
T
rees within the rootstock experiment
at the Victorian Department of
Economic Development, Jobs,
Transport and Resources (DEDJTR), Tatura,
are entering their third leaf this season.
Initial results indicate significant differences
between cultivars and rootstocks in terms
of tree establishment and flowering.
Rootstock and cultivar selection is a major
consideration in any production system
but will be of particular importance in
high density and trellis systems where
precocity and sustained yields will be
needed to recoup establishment costs.
D6 is well known as a vigorous rootstock
while Quince A has performed well with
traditional scions in local demonstration
sites, as reported in the article ‘Rootstocks
for intensive pear production’ in
Australian Fruitgrower (Nov 2014) .
However, tree performance is not entirely
predictable based on rootstock alone, as
scion can interact with rootstock. For
example, in a pear rootstock trial in Israel,
quince rootstocks were shown to perform
well compared to Pyrus betulaefolia with
regard to yield when grown with Spandon
Estiva scions, but poorly when the scion
was Corsica, Bartlett Sport or Beurre Superfin.
Additionally, location and tree management
can influence rootstock effects on tree
performance and potentially mitigate or
enhance differences between rootstocks.
Rootstock experiment
The influence of rootstock on the
performance of three promising new pear
selections from the Australian National
Pear Breeding Program is being evaluated
in the Pear Field Laboratory at the
Department’s Tatura site. The primary aim
of this experiment is to determine which
rootstocks are most appropriate for use
with each cultivar, based on tree growth,
precocity and yield.
In this article we present preliminary
results for the most vigorous (ANP-0131,
which will be marketed as Deliza®) and
least vigorous (ANP-0534) of the three
cultivars.
As expected, D6 produced the most
vigorous rootstock-scion combination,
with leader height, leader diameter and
pruning weights in the 2014-2015 season
(second leaf) exceeding those of other
treatments. There was no significant
difference between Quince A and Quince
C (with Beurre Hardy interstems) and BP1
rootstocks in terms of vegetative growth,
although BP1 tended to be less vigorous.
ANP-0131 (left) and ANP-0534 (right) cultivars on D6 rootstocks grown as four-leader trees on an Open-Tatura trellis. Leaders are 50 cm apart.
Photographs were taken in November 2015 when trees were entering third leaf.
32
www.apal.org.au
u
R&D
u
Flower clusters per tree
160
140
ANP-0131
ANP-0534
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
D6
D6-Nijisseiki
This season (2015-2016), flower number
(flower clusters per tree) and flowering
intensity (flower clusters per metre of tree
height) were significantly higher for ANP0131 on Quince A-Beurre Hardy than for
other rootstock-scion combinations.
Despite a large range in the number of
flower clusters on ANP-0534, differences
between rootstocks were not significant.
This reflects variable flowering intensity in
young trees. Although differences were not
significant for ANP-0534, Quince C-Beurre
Hardy was the most promising rootstock
in terms of flower number and intensity.
BP1
QA–Beurre Hardy
QA–Beurre Hardy
Using a Nijisseiki interstem with D6 rootstock
decreased vegetative growth in the initial
seasons but did not affect cluster number
or flowering intensity, compared to D6. It
is known that Nijisseiki material is widely
infected with virus in Australia. Comparison
of the D6-Nijisseiki treatment with a D6virus treatment (trees budded with infected
material in 2014) will allow the effects of
interstem and virus to be separated.
Fruit set, yield and fruit quality will be
assessed later this season (2015-2016).
:afg
The ANP-0131 pear variety that will be marketed
as Deliza® is one of the promising new redblushed pears bred by Victorian Government
researchers in Tatura.
About the authors:
Lexie McClymont, Ian Goodwin,
David Cornwall, Dave Haberfield
and Wendy Sessions are horticultural
researchers at DEDJTR. Susanna
Turpin is a private consultant, TDI
Select Fruits, Tatura.
For more information contact Lexie on:
e: Lexie.McClymont@ecodev.vic.gov.au
t: 03 5833 5260
LOOKING FOR
A SUCKER?
KEEP LOOKING...
Apple dimpling bug, mealybug and wooly apple aphids
can suck the profitability right out of your crop.
That’s why switched on growers have been turning to
Transform™ insecticide as part of a strategic Integrated
Pest Management program.
Transform controls a range of sucking pests while proving
soft on beneficials such as A. Mali. Because of its unique
Mode of Action, Transform can control insects that are
resistant to other insecticides.
For more
more in
formation call 1800 700 096
For
information
www
.dowagrosciences.com.au
www.dowagrosciences.com.au
Trademark
off The Do
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(“Dow”)
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rademark o
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www.apal.org.au
33
R&D
International apple and
pear research update
Compiled by Dr Gordon Brown
Research snippets are sourced from abstracts of published scientific papers collated in the CAB direct database. To get the
abstract related to any snippet please contact Gordon Brown on gordon@scientifichorticulture.com.au or 03 6239 6411.
Nurseries and
genetics
Red flesh association
China: Genetic analysis of red
fleshed Fuji apple trees found
22 upregulated genes for
flavonoid synthesis and 68 for
stress responses indicating an
association between red flesh
colour and tree stress.
Photography identifies
stress
France: Aerial photography
and image analysis of apple
trees in a drought stressed
orchard can be used to rapidly
select apple clones tolerant to
water stress.
Promising rootstock
Brazil: Based on cumulative
yield, compared to M9 and
M111, G.213 (dwarfing) and
G.210 (semi-dwarfing) are the
most promising rootstocks for
both Gala and Fuji apples.
Production
Winter chill and budding
India: After low winter chill
conditions of 300 hours it
takes 50 days for bud break
to occur compared to 13 days
after 1,500 hours of chill.
Nutrients for fruit quality
China: An extensive survey has
identified that excessive nitrogen
application reduces fruit quality
and phosphorus, potassium,
calcium and boron are key
elements for fruit quality.
34
Pear bloom thinners
Australia: Trials have shown
that ammonium thiosulphate
at 25% and 80% bloom is
an effective bloom thinner for
Packham pears although there
was a slight increase in skin
russet.
Optimal irrigation
France: In apple trials,
compared to overhead
irrigation, drip irrigation
increased yield by 54% and
reduced water usage by 70%
and 2 to 4 automated drip
irrigations per day was optimal.
More microbial activity
South Africa: Long term
continuous application of
straw mulch or compost in
pear orchards improved soil
microbial activity and chemical
properties but had no effect
on tree performance.
Pests and
diseases
Intercropping pears
China: Intercropping a pear
orchard with Trifolium repens
and Platycodon grandiflorum
increased the predator
population of O. minutes
which reduced the population
of pear psylla compared to
cultivated soil and pesticides.
Reducing scale
Chile: Sulfoxaflor or
spirotetramat applied against
San Jose scale significantly
reduced the number of first
generation nymphs in the trees.
Iron sprays
Egypt: A study of different
nutrient iron spray applications
to pear identified Fe-EDTA and
FeSO4 as the optimal materials.
of rats changes muscle fibre
composition leading to
improved muscle endurance.
Post-harvest
Better muscle endurance
Japan: Eight weeks of 5%
apple polyphenols in the diet
India: Three isolates of
Pseudomonas, with high rates
of plant hormone production
and antifungal activity, were
inoculated onto tree roots
which stimulated tree growth
in the presence of apple
replant disease.
Helpful predatory mites
UK: Predatory mites in apple
orchards eliminate the need
for 1-2 miticide sprays while
earwigs eliminate the need
for 2-3 insecticide sprays
and ant exclusion improves
predator control of aphids.
rots than fruit stored with
potassium permanganate.
Apple firmness
Golden Delicious quality
Mexico: The polyphenol
composition of Golden
Delicious apples changes with
harvest date and the antioxidant
activity of the fruit remained
constant during 8 months of
CA storage.
Brazil: Gala trees sprayed
with Retain 28 days before
anticipated harvest (DBAH)
or sprayable 1-MCP, 7 DBAH
reached 7.1kg firmness 12
and 6 days later than control
trees respectively.
Measuring sweetness
3D images for trees
USA: 3D images of trees can
generate a database of tree
branches including length
and spacing which can be
used to aid in developing tree
architecture.
Inoculating tree roots
Detecting Penicillium rot
China: Using image analysis
of photographs taken at 810
and 970 nm wavelengths
apples with early symptoms of
Penicillium rot can be detected
with 97% accuracy.
Post-harvest rots
Iran: Apples stored with zeolite
nano particles had higher
acidity and fewer post-harvest
Italy: NIR used on freshly
harvested or stored Braeburn
and Cripps Pink apples effectively
measured fruit acidity, fructose,
glucose and sucrose.
Predicting storage
potential
China: Visible/NIR
spectroscopy has potential to
predict storage potential of
apples.
www.apal.org.au
W E AT H E R A N D Q U I Z
Temperature and rainfall data
1/10/2015 – 31/10/2015
Ave
Temp
Min
Ave
Temp
Max
Ave
Ave
Humidity Soil
Temp
Ave max
wind
speed
km/h
Evaporation Ave leaf
mils
wetness
for the
per/day
period
Rainfall
for
period
Rainfall
to date
from 1st
Jan 2015
Degree
Total
Days for Degree
the month Days from
1st Sept
Frost Hrs
under
1ºC for
period
Ave
daylight
hr/day
Orange NSW
10
23
60
17
28
100
12
23
803
177
209
0
12
Huon TAS
5
19
67
12
32
67
3
36
633
97
149
9
12
Manjimup WA
11
22
70
18
25
95
0
47
607
168
254
0
12
Batlow NSW
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
n/a
Ardmona
10
27
56
18
30
118
9
8
233
252
339
0
12
Lenswood
9
24
63
17
22
96
23
21
608
180
235
1
12
The data presented here is from APFIP’s upgraded weather stations at evaluation sites only and may not represent the total district.
Degree days are recorded from 1 September to 30 April and is reported per month and as a running total for the period. Degree
days are calculated for the season immediately following collection of data.
A much larger range of data from the new stations is now available online at www.weather.apfip.com.au.
For more information contact: Mark Hankin, 0408 503 528 or mark@apfip.com.au
Greg’s Quiz
QUESTION 1:
QUESTION 4:
(True or False):
Italy produces more pears than
any other country in the world.
A tensiometer is used for
measuring the matric waterholding potential of soils.
For what other task is a
tensiometer used?
QUESTION 2:
By which other common name
is Orchard Grass known?
QUESTION 3:
A: Measuring fluid levels in
lead acid batteries.
B: Measuring surface tension
of fluids.
C: Measuring rope tensile
strength.
D: Measuring the static
tension of rubber.
From what is agricultural lime
made?
QUESTION 5:
A: Paspalum.
B: Canary Grass.
C: Cock’s Foot.
D: Kikuyu.
A: Crushed granite.
B: Crushed lignite or
bituminous coal.
C: Crushed shale.
D: Crushed limestone or chalk.
Crossword
The Black Pear comes from
which county in England.
A: Surrey.
B: Leicestershire.
C: Somerset.
D: Worcestershire.
ANSWERS:
Q 1 – False (China is the biggest pear producer with an annual average
in excess of 13 million tonnes). Q 2 – C: Cock’s Foot. Q 3 – D: Crushed
limestone or chalk. Q 4 – B: Measuring surface tension of fluids.
Q 5 – D: Worcestershire.
www.apal.org.au
35

Australian Fruitgrower

Transcription

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