fruitgrower - Apple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL)apal.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/AFG_DEC_JAN-13_fruitgrowe… · Pears - travel broadens the mind! ... 39 O’Connell Street

T H E O F F I C I A L M A G A Z I N E F O R A P P L E A N D P E A R G R O W E R S I N A U S T R A L I A

fruitgrowerV O L 6 / I S S U E N O . 1 1 D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 3

w w w . a p a l . o r g . a u

Pears - travel broadens the mind!Storage fruit rotsDining boom, not just a mining boom

AFG_DEC/JAN 13_fruitgrower 4/12/12 7:37 AM Page 1


Australian FruitgrowerApple & Pear Australia Ltd(APAL) is the peak industry body representing the interestsof commercial apple and pear growers in Australia in mattersof national importance includingregulation, legislation, marketing,research and development.

Australian Fruitgrower will be published monthly, except for combined issues in December–January.

PublishersApple & Pear Australia Ltd39 O’Connell StreetNorth Melbourne VIC 3051t: (03) 9329 3511f: (03) 9329 3522e: [email protected]: www.apal.org.auProduced for APAL by KonzeptVZ

EditorJohn Fitzsimmons DipAgScim: 0418 552 541e: [email protected]

Managing EditorSarah Kulman, CommunicationsManager, APAL

Technical EditorJesse Reader e: [email protected]

Technical AdviserDr Gordon Brownt: (03) 6239 [email protected]

AdvertisingThe publishers accept no responsibility for the contents ofadvertisements. All advertisementsare accepted in good faith and theliability of advertising content isthe responsibility of the advertiser.

Enquiries: Hyde Mediat: (03) 9870 4161e: [email protected]

Annual SubscriptionAustralia: $110 (including gst)Overseas: AUD $159

Contact: John Fitzsimmons m: 0418 552 541e: [email protected]

EditorialOpinions expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher.

CopyrightAll material in Australian Fruitgrower is copyright. No material to be reproduced in whole or in part without thepermission of the publisher.While every effort is made toensure the accuracy of contents,APAL and KonzeptVZ accept noliability for the information.

Contributions All editorial enquiries regardingcontributions should be addressedto the editor. Articles, letters,notes, etc, from any apple andpear growers are welcome. Contributions are preferred asMS Word documents delivered byemail as a separate attachment.Photos, maps, etc, should besubmitted as separate files andsaved as either a TIF, PDF orJPG at a resolution greater than300 dpi. The editor reserves the right to reject, revise andchange text editorially.

Photographs Cover photograph submissionsshould preferably be digitaltaken at a resolution greaterthan 300 dpi. Web resolutionimages and colour prints (unlessexceptional) are not of sufficientquality for full colour printing.Colour transparencies are alsoacceptable.

ISSN 1447-5618

table ofcontentsEditorial ..........................................................3APAL Chairman’s report..................................4

NEWSAPAL news........................................................6

State roundup ..................................................8

Keeping Australia’s beekeepers ‘postered’

on Varroa mite ................................................17

Weather, industry information and quiz ..............30

GROWER PROFILETo say that Orange-based grower Fiona Hall is taking

‘two bites of the cherry’ when it comes to growing

her business would be a fair statement.

Sarah Kulman reports.......................................24

IN THE ORCHARDPears – travel broadens the mind! ......................12

Irrigation for fruit trees: Drip or sprinkler? ..........22

POSTHARVESTStorage fruit rots ............................................18

SPECIAL REPORTSQuarantine matters: protecting growers

from plant disease ..........................................16

Market insights – China ....................................26

RESEARCH NOTESInternational apple and pear R&D ......................28

Our cover: Innovative pear production in

Europe – Super spindle pear trees.

Edition 2012 Booking deadline Editorial copy deadline Ad material deadlineFebruary No. 1 3rd January 10th January 11th January

March No.2 1st February 11th February 15th February

April No. 3 4th March 11th March 1st April

May No. 4 5th April 12th April 6th May

This publication was facilitated by HAL in partnership withApple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) and it was fundedby the apple and pear levy. The Australian Government provides matched funding for all HAL’s R&D activities.

Jesse ReaderTechnical Editor APAL

John FitzsimmonsEditor

EditorialAs we all so often ask, ‘just where did the year go?’ But here

we are at the end of one calendar and facing another harvest.

It’s not a time of year when many at the production end of our

industry consider a holiday. And yet, in this issue, ‘travel’ seems

well to the fore. US grower Karen Lewis travelled to Australia

from Washington State to share with growers her experiences

and perspectives on the Future Orchards™ orchard walks,

some of which are shared in this issue of Australian Fruitgrower.

Likewise, in this issue Agfirst’s Steven Spark tells how ‘travel

broadens the mind’ – especially when it comes to pears.

He argues it really does pay to be aware of the trends in pear

growing, especially as they relate to varieties around the world.

And industry representatives – including an energetic APAL

team – keep knocking on China’s door and probing the market

potential for Australian apples. Notably our reputation for clean,

quality fruit is one of our most powerful selling features, so we

should not let our standards slip in this regard. On that score

there is also a report in this issue on a Tasmanian-based

organisation – TQA – which is now celebrating 15 years of

business in a field which is not always universally understood or

appreciated. Notably TQA is now diversifying its services and

consultancies to growers and industries.

So, as you choose and trim your Christmas trees, and maybe

contemplate a holiday post-harvest, put next year’s industry

conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast in your diary (see Page

5 for details), then consider the lessons of ‘travel’ in this issue

of Australian Fruitgrower.

In the New Year Australian Fruitgrower will begin its 7th year (!)

looking a little different. But at our core (sorry) will be the same

mission of keeping growers informed. Until then, please have a

safe and peaceful Christmas, and a prosperous New Year.

Cheers

w w w . a p a l . o r g . a u D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 – A U S T R A L I A N F R U I T G R O W E R 3


A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower

APAL Chairman’s Report

4 A U S T R A L I A N F R U I T G R O W E R – D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 2 w w w . a p a l . o r g . a u

John Lawrenson

With much talk in the media on how Australia’s

agriculture industry could play a major role in

suppling food to Asia’s growing middle class

population – almost 700 million predicted by

2030 – this brings with it the possibility to

make up for lost ground.

These export opportunities were outlined in the

recent Australian Government’s Asian Century

White Paper. The Paper asserts that we will be

globally competitive and that we will be recognised

globally as innovative and reliable producers of

agricultural products to Asia - the ‘food bowl’

of Asia the Prime Minister trumpeted earlier

this year. These opportunities are on our doorstep

and one which Australian apple and pear

growers must seriously look at playing a role in.

APAL has long considered our minimal profile

in the export market and a lacklustre export

culture to be a major strategic weakness for

the industry. Combine this with the potential

for imports to take a 20 per cent slice of the

domestic market and we must look for other

opportunities to remain viable.

Turning this around has been a focus for APAL.

Already we have made headway in securing

access in key export markets and providing

apple and pear growers with the knowhow to

successfully compete in international markets.

The reality is if we don’t work towards grabbing

these opportunities now there are plenty of

other countries that will.

We still have some inherent impediments to

achieving all that Asia could offer – the major

hurdles being Australia’s high cost of labour,

faltering productivity and the high Australian

dollar. At the HAL Forum last month two

frightening statistics jumped out at me:

Australia has the fourth highest wages in the

world (relative to buying power), and the second

fastest wages growth in the 1997-2010 period.

Just recently, celebrity chef and food producer

Maggie Beer discussed with The Age newspaper

the labour issues Australian farmers face. She

said while we live in a competitive global

market our local farmers just can’t compete

when it comes to the cost of labour – which is

approximately 50 per cent of a grower’s cost!

And while competition is healthy in fostering

innovation and new ways of thinking, our

Government’s current investment in agriculture

is significantly lacking and doesn’t support its

‘food bowl’ goals. This reality is something APAL

has continued to communicate to government.

And despite the Government’s step in the right

direction in contributing to the White Paper,

there’s nothing indicating they will come to the

party with additional funding. Now more than

ever the time is right for the Government to

assist horticulture to become a major player in

the ‘Asian Century’. We miss this opportunity

at our own peril.

If you think about it the current state of

horticulture is no different to the car industry

however the car industry has received

additional government funding. Horticulture

is just as important to Australia’s economy.

It makes up 18 per cent of the gross value of

Australian agriculture and provides more than

60,000 jobs for Australians across all its industries

– with another 10,000 also employed in

processing. With no additional investment in

agriculture as a whole we could expect to see

major job losses in not just the immediate

industry but in the communities they operate.

APAL is not prepared to wait for the government

to see the light and we have been investing in

market development to secure access into

countries such as Thailand, Taiwan and China.

I believe that if we seize these emerging

opportunities in Asia it would see the industry

in a better position and almost certainly secure

its future. We can no longer continue to put

exportation in the too hard basket when the

price of a basket of fruit is 31 per cent lower

than it was last year. This drop in price isn’t

absorbed by the major retailers - it comes

directly out of grower’s pockets.

This fact was reinforced in a comment made by

the Macquarie Bank recently on the ongoing

profit transfer from suppliers to retailers. In the

article (also appeared in The Age newspaper)

Macquarie said the transfer of profits from

companies that supply products to the major

retailers are the biggest contributors to profit

growth. Macquarie went on to say that ‘the big

two have crunched supplier profit margins by

6 per cent over the last five years in what is

described as the ongoing transfer from suppliers

to retailers’.

Against this background IBISWorld published

a report that looked at the risk factors in the

apple and pear industry. The report listed the

industry’s growth risk forecast to be at a

medium-high level over the outlook period.

IBISWorld expects that industry revenue will

decrease by 0.2 per cent in 2012-13 and

revenue growth will be challenged by stagnant

consumption, the gradual introduction of com-

peting imports, both in the fresh and processed

markets, and a lack of strong export markets.

While this information is nothing new, it

reinforces the challenges we must face and the

importance of looking beyond our own borders

to secure the future of our industry. A big part

of ensuring our future will come down to the

ability for the industry as a whole to become

more innovative. It’s time to start investing

more in finding the game-changer our industry

needs in order to become market leaders in

exporting quality products.

On a lighter note, while many of us are

preparing to get ‘bogged down’ in work and

preparing for Christmas...I took this phrase

literally on a recent Future Orchards™ orchard

walk in Warragul last month. In trying to find

an ‘innovative’ way to drive my car through

the orchard I quickly found myself bogged.

While I had the best intentions unfortunately

I didn’t have the right tools to succeed.

Having the right tools, whether it is the right

wheels or knowledge, is critical for growers to

No doubt there are many growers counting down the days until theycan finally put this year behind them. The year that was has taken atoll on most in the industry and many of you will be looking for signsthat next year will be better.

▼Continued on page 8...


SAVE THE DATE1 7 — 1 9 J U L Y 2 0 1 3 , G O L D C O A S T

INNOVATE OR REAL-ESTATE

Fru i t I ndust ry Conference

AFG_DEC/JAN 13_fruitgrower 4/12/12 6:23 PM Page 5

Dining boom, not just a mining boom

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


Australian agriculture must become single voice

That the agricultural sector needs to

become a ‘single voice’ was a clear message

communicated at last month’s Australian

Agriculture Roundtable Conference in Brisbane.

APAL Communications Manager Sarah

Kulman attended the conference and said

many speakers stressed the need for the

industry to be open to exploring new market

opportunities and work together to sell the idea

of a career in farming to the next generation.

“The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and

Forestry, Joe Ludwig, said more collaboration

is needed to ensure secure future industry

success. He added that it’s time for industry

to move past the ‘doom and gloom’ stories

and focus on communicating all the positives

the industry delivers,” Sarah said.

“While this may seem a bitter pill to swallow

for many growers who are doing it tough,

it is important we start selling the idea of

farming to the next generation as a good

career option”, she said.

“If we don’t start attracting young growers

into the industry ready to invest –

not just apple and pear – we may not have

an entrepreneurial workforce ready to invest

and take on these emerging opportunities.”

In addition, The Minister for Trade, Craig

Emerson, discussed his belief that Asia

will provide Australian agriculture with a

major market boost.

“Minister Emerson said, by the end of

this decade, the number of middle-class people

in Asia will be greater than the combined

population of Europe and North America.

He believes this will create an opportunity to

shift agriculture as a whole from the current

and established old economy into an era of

a new economy of exports,” Sarah said.

“He added that these opportunities could

prove a ‘once in a lifetime’ opportunity to

revive regional and rural communities through

the increase in agricultural production.”

“Regardless of these sentiments, agriculture

won’t be able to take advantage of these

emerging opportunities unless our Government

steps up and provides additional funding

support,” she said. ■

{“Where will funds for investment come from?” was a common question posed by attendees at the National Farmer’s Federation annual congress held in Canberra recently.

Worldwide economists are forecasting Brazil,

Russia, India and China (BRIC) and other Asian

economies will grow rapidly over the next 20

years. This will provide Australian agriculture

with an opportunity to step in and fill the

needs of an increase in population the growth

is expected to bring.

APAL Industry Services Manager Annie Farrow,

who attended the session, said, according to

Steve Howard from the Global Foundation,

Australia will need to quadruple its agricultural

output to meet the growing demand from Asia.

“While this comes as great news to the

sustainability of Australia’s fresh produce

industry, it just raises more question on where

growers will fund the capital to be able to

meet such demands,” Annie said.

“How will growers and the supply chain find

the capital to fund such an expansion when

Australia’s land, soil, water and climatic

resources are under challenge?

Mr Howard also argued that Australia must also:

• nurture stronger working relationships and

co-operation across the food supply chain

• sustainably manage the Australian farming

landscape, soils and water to enable both

increased productivity and sustainability

• support farming as a great profession and

encourage the further development of

viable farming enterprises

• facilitate the significant expansion in

Australia of a globally competitive food

manufacturing sector

• fix supply chain and infrastructure

inefficiencies, and

• create a strong and consistent food brand

message at home and abroad.

He also suggested that Australia needed to

shape the international agenda on global food

security, export our knowhow and expertise

(helping others to grow more and learn from

that), and provide international leadership on

trade and investment in food and agriculture -

to encourage international openness and

fairness for food industry growth.

“Mr Howard said a critical requirement for

Australia to ride the ‘dining boom’ is to

encourage both national and international

investment in the agriculture sector. This

echoes APAL’s continued push for government

support, including securing $22 million in

additional funding for the industry’s Apple

Accord package – to assist apple and pear

growers become world-class,” Annie said.

She said a number of delegates noted there is

significant community concern around foreign

companies investing in Australian agriculture –

especially by foreign state owned enterprises.

“The Minister for Trade, Craig Emerson, reported

foreign ownership of land in Australia has not

changed since 1984 – around six per cent. He

said no tax concessions were granted to foreign

companies seeking ownership of agricultural

land and indicated those wanting to invest here

were more interested in selling product on

global markets rather than dedicating production

for ‘home’ markets.”

In addition, delegates voiced concern that the

Australian government isn’t doing enough to

invest in agricultural R&D. Professor Andrew

Campbell (Charles Darwin University) suggested

that R&D funding was divided too much along

commodity lines and with not enough across

commodities, while Snow Barlow (University of

Melbourne) suggested R&D funding needed be

at least double the current level.

Paul Morris (ABARES - Australian Bureau of

Agricultural and Resource Economics and

Sciences) suggested that a greater focus on

adoption was required to close the gap between

median and top agricultural business performers

and indicated that the National Food Plan, scheduled

for release early next year, would recommend

strategies to boost future R&D funding.

“While the National Food Plan is a start, there

are many impediments blocking Australia’s

competitiveness and the industry won’t be

able to meet the demands of future market

opportunities should the government continue

to refuse to provide additional funding,”

Annie said. ■



APAL working to advance market access to China

Representatives from Citrus Australia, Cherry

Growers Australia, Summerfruit Australia and

the Australian Table Grape Association joined

APAL in meetings with key fruit importers and

retailers in Shanghai and Beijing. The meetings

will help the industry to better understand importer

and consumer demands of Australian fruit.

APAL Market Development Manager, Claire

Fitchett, said a highlight of the Shanghai

program was a visit to Yangshan port.

Apple & Pear Australia Limited (APAL) representatives travelled toChina last month to engage with Chinese government officials in a continued bid to advance market access and development for Australian fruit into China.

“This is the world’s largest container shipping

port – currently handling 30 million containers

per year! In comparison, the port of Melbourne

handles less than one tenth that with only

three million containers per year,” she said.

“The enormous port is built on an island and

reclaimed land approximately 32 kilometres off

the coast and is accessed by the world’s second

longest bridge! Expansion plans over the next

10 years will double the size of the port, bring-

ing its total capacity to 100 million containers.”

Claire said it is expected that all fruit imports

to China will be processed at Yangshan.

“The size and scope, not to mention the

speed at which development happens in

China, is staggering. It reinforces the changing

demographics in China including urbanisation

and a greater demand for imported food products

to feed a burgeoning middle class which is

expected to increase to 700 million by 2030.”

The group also spent time in Beijing to take

part in discussions with Chinese government

officials and participate in the China Fruit &

Vegetable Fair. Read more on China’s market

on page 26. ■

Industry collaboration will bring new apple variety to market

The new variety category is set to capture a

new demographic of consumers and provide

greater choice in the market – providing a

boost to the industry.

The marketers came together recently to

create IFORED, an international consortium

that will test, select and commercialise the

red flesh apple varieties.

IFORED will be responsible for developing

these promising varieties, and marketers are

getting trees ready for planting in preparation

to begin commercial production in the next

few years.

Twelve leading fruit marketers from five continents are joining forces toperfect red flesh apples and bring the new varieties to market.

Ray Montague, Managing Director of Montague

Fresh, was selected as one of five Directors on

the IFORED global board with Rowan Little

(General Manager of Montague Fresh) elected

to the IFORED technical and marketing advisory

committees. Ray said the ability to share

technical and marketing expertise with global

partners will assist Australian growers to

maximise the potential of these new varieties.

“Over the next decade we will see these

commercialised in Australia. It is important for

industry to continue to develop new varieties

for our retail partners, consumers and future

generations of orchardists,” Ray said.

“These new red-fleshed varieties will bring

excitement to the apple category for Australian

consumers and go some way to increasing

Australian’s apple consumption - lower than

that of Europe.”

The red flesh varieties are being developed

using natural horticultural techniques. They

have a distinct appearance and superior taste

with about 30 per cent pink flesh to those with

full and intense red coloration. Skin colours

include red, orange, yellow and bi-coloured

and flavours range from very sweet to tangy.

Harvest times range from before ‘Gala’ through

‘Cripps Pink’.

Visit www.ifo-fruit.com for further information

on these varieties. ■

Agribusiness needs to improve its Asian capabilities

According to the Chairman of Asialink, Sid

Myer, it won’t be sufficient to just have a

competitive product in the market; relationship

building and being market savvy in Asian

markets will be an important factor to success.

Australian agribusinesses needed to increase its knowledge of Asianmarkets to better understand Asia’s operating environment if they areto take advantage of the approaching ‘dining boom’.

APAL Industry Services Manager Annie Farrow

said these concerns are being addressed by the

current direction of levy funded research and

development for the apple and pear industry.

“DPI Victoria has been contracted to research

and prioritise Asian markets to assist the

industry to better understand variety and

product specifications, access issues, the scope

of competition and structure of markets,” she

said. “APAL’s Market Development Manager

Claire Fitchett is already playing a key role in

developing a collaborative approach to exports

through Team Australia by providing market

intelligence and developing export readiness

tools to improve the industry’s export

competence.” ■


Tasmania

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


November was a busy month for the fruit industry

with worrying weather events, a variety of

industry events and the usual end of year

activities. Unseasonal frosts, frequent hail events,

and even a tornado, threatened the Tasmanian

fruit industry but fortunately there were no

reports of any serious commercial damage.

The 5th Tasmanian Fruits Farm Gate Guide was

launched in mid-November on the North West

coast of Tasmania and featured 43 farm gate

businesses. 30,000 copies of the guide will be

distributed across the state through tourism

outlets, farm gate growers, restaurants, cafes,

and other relevant outlets.

November saw the launch of three new

Tasmanian cider brands in the market which

are the inspiration of three fresh apple

producers in the state. The launches coincide

nicely with summer festivities including Taste

of Tasmania, Festivale and Beerfest. It is great

to see Tasmanian producers value adding

whilst producing some inspiring and iconic

products.

More recently the annual Christmas golf day

and BBQ was held in the Coal River Valley with

more than 60 golfers participating. With some

fantastic prizes on offer and catering sponsored

by Visy and more, the growers had a great

afternoon and a nice way to celebrate the

end of year.

Fruit Growers Tasmania attended the China

World Fruit & Vegetable Fair in Beijing in early

November. Surprisingly, the awareness of

Tasmania and Tasmanian fruit is very strong

within the wholesale and import sector however,

from a consumer’s perspective, there is still a

significant amount of work to be done.

Lucy GreggFruit Growers Tasmania

November also saw the launchof three new Tasmanian cider

brands in the market which arethe inspiration of three freshapple producers in the state.

▼

▼

Optimistic has to be the key word for growers

in all New South Wales regions. The weather

has been kind to us and thinning programs

have worked well. In some cases there is a

little apprehension that they may have worked

too well but by the end of December those

blocks shall probably be just right. Crop, in

general, in all districts is excellent – hence

the optimism.

The continued dry and hot weather has been

excellent in the lead up to the cherry harvest

and here’s hoping it will continue into the New

Year. Irrigation water supplies are at a good

level for the apples, with most growers finding

the system maintenance an issue as they have

not been needed over the last two years.

The future export meeting with DPI Victoria

held at Batlow highlighted the need for a renewed

commitment to export - especially if the

Australian dollar drifts back to a more

reasonable level. Not much has changed in

the domestic market with renewed competition

for apples from mangoes, bananas and stone

fruit all at reasonable prices, so here’s hoping

for not too big of a carryover into 2013 and a

fresh start at better prices.

David Gartrell

Crop, in general, in all districts is excellent, and irrigation water

supplies are at a good level –hence optimism.

New South Wales

Continued...

APAL Chairman’s Reportbuild a successful business. This is why APAL

continues to invest in the Future Orchards

program which has for the past six years

been up-skilling growers and exposing them

to innovative ways to reduce labour costs and

in turn, helping growers become internationally

competitive. Looking for new ways to do

business will be key to developing the

industry’s continued success. This is why

APAL has partnered with summerfruit and

nashi industries to deliver next year’s conference.

The program, to focus on innovation, will be

held on the Gold Coast during the July school

holidays (for most states). It represents an

opportunity for growers and the supply chain

to not only network and learn from each other

but hear leading keynote speakers. By

collaborating with ‘like industries’, especially

those which have crossovers among apple

and pear growers, APAL will be able to deliver a

more rounded and relevant program. I strongly

encourage you all to take time out to attend

the conference next year. Its location and

timing provides an opportunity to bring the

family along for a holiday. I know all of you

deserve. Look out for more information in

the coming months.

Well that’s it from me for another year - it

certainly has been a challenging one. Season’s

greetings from me and I hope that 2013

proves to be a much more satisfying and

rewarding year. ■


The major apple related event of the past

month was the Future Orchards orchard walk

held on 8 November at Trent Vedelago’s orchard.

One of the highlights of the orchard walk was

the very informative presentation by University

of Queensland PhD student, Dalphy Harteveld,

on her work identifying the Alternaria species

responsible for fruit and leaf disease symptoms,

and in determining the Alternaria disease cycle

in apple orchards. Another of the highlights was


South AustraliaThe November round of the Future Orchards™

program proved again to be popular with a

good turnout on a beautiful spring afternoon.

Plenty of questioning and discussion around

the guest presentations kept proceedings

running well into the evening with good

interest also shown in the orchard walk on

Flavell’s Focus Orchard.

A very dry spring with rainfall less than half

the average has seen most growers putting on

early irrigations, or at least out busy fertigating

and checking irrigation systems in preparation.

The good subsoil moisture reserves built up

over winter are rapidly declining with trees

beginning to pull plenty of moisture out of

the ground. While there is plenty of long grass

around still through many orchards, another

round of mowing will see growth slow

substantially from now on as things dry out.

Most water storages were filled over winter,

but not all, so growers will be managing their

water carefully with the early start to ensure

they have enough to get them through what is

shaping up to be a long, dry season.

Fruit set appears to have been quite good on

the whole, with early signs of a good crop.

Overall the fruit is sizing well and trees have

finished shedding. ‘Cripps Pink’ shed quite

heavily while ‘Fuji’ is quite patchy.

Dry spring weather conditions have meant that

most growers have managed to keep on top

of disease pressures, with only a few small

outbreaks of Black spot.

South Australian pears have been showcased

across the Advantage SA regional awards

through the month of November, with beautiful

glass-blown pear trophies presented to all the

winners in seven different regions across the

state. A fresh pear featured on every plate as

part of the table settings and sparkling apple

and pear juice was also served. The best of the

best will be presented with a gold pear trophy

at the grand finale at the end of the month;

a great promotion linking quality produce

with exceptional individual and business

performances.

Susie GreenAPGA of SA

▼

QueenslandIn general, there appears to be agood crop set, which is relativelyclean, and without any pest or

disease issues of particular note.

A very dry spring with rainfall less than half the average hasseen growers putting on earlyirrigations, or at least out busy

fertigating and checking irrigationsystems. Good subsoil moisturereserves built up over winter arerapidly declining but there are

early signs of a good crop.

▼Continued over...

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the presentation by Karen Lewis of Washington

State University (US) on their progress toward

labour use efficiency, through the use of

mechanical aids.

I was also quite interested to see the labour

efficiency analysis presented by Craig Hornblow

of AgFirst, particularly in terms of the relative

efficiencies of Australian growers compared

with New Zealand growers and how ‘upper

quartile’ as opposed to ‘average’ growers

allocate orchard labour.

John WilkieDAFF

The Stanthorpe apple growing district was

basically undamaged following severe storms

that came through the southern part of the

state on 17 November. The district did, however,

get the benefit of the approximately 20mm of

rain that the weather system brought in over

that weekend. The rain was very much welcomed

in the district, which has remained reasonably

dry throughout the spring, following on from a

dry later part of the winter.

Comments from local industry indicate that, in

general, there appears to be a good crop set,

which is relatively clean, and without any pest

or disease issues of particular note.


A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


Continued...

Victoria

▼ After two wet seasons and last season’s higher

apple crop, this year’s will definitely be lighter

in most apple varieties, Pears looks to be a

moderate to heavy crop, Williams pears look

especially heavy although a more accurate

summation will come post-November and

December drop. No major frost event has

been encountered in the Goulburn Valley this

season other than some early isolated frosts

that effected apricots.

In southern Victoria, apple scab has already

shown up on leaves as well as on fruit in high

inoculum blocks and most regions in the south

will be reaching the end of primary infections.

High incidences of tree death from Phytophthora

and wet feet is also showing up this season

after taking hold in the past two seasons.

Trials and focus blocks for the APAL/HAL-funded

Future Orchards™ project have been set up

earlier this season; a series of measurements

and data collection will kick off in December

and will continue until harvest. Two focus

orchards in Victoria (Lenne’s and Battunga)

opened their door to other orchardists as part

of the round of orchard walks for Future

Orchards. Guest speakers included Karen Lewis

from Washington State University (US) and

Stanthorpe-based consultant Stephen Tancred.

Topics covered were pest and diseases, labour

management and labour efficiency.

As of 14 November, no final decision had

been taken in regards to Queensland fruit fly

management in Victoria. Goulburn Valley

growers still need to meet ICA or P.S.

arrangements for moving fruit into fruit fly

sensitive areas. Southern Victorian growers

are worried that market access may be

reduced if the state is declared endemic.

John WilsonFruit Growers Victoria

No final decision had been taken in regards to Queenslandfruit fly management in Victoria.

Southern Victorian growers are worried that market accessmay be reduced if the state is

declared endemic.

November was a busy month of APAL activity

with the Future Orchards™ orchard walk and

export/Prevar/PIPS /promotion information

session. Fruit West would like to thank APAL

and its associates for making the trip over to

WA and growers for taking the time to attend

the session.

The orchard walk in Manjimup was well

attended with growers taking away useful

information on mealy bug, powdery mildew

and Alternaria management. In the field there

was some great discussion on thinning, drip

irrigation and the fertigation demonstration.

Our Apple Leadership Group meeting in

November discussed a number of issues and

new projects.

Graham Mcalpine, Fruit West Quality Manager,

presented all the maturity testing results for

apples over the past 12 months. The results

are quite varied with apple pressures (77.67

per cent) performing at a lower percentage

than brix (88.62 per cent). The group agreed

we need to lift those percentages into the mid

to high 90s to make sure we give our eating

customers the best experience possible.

James Dee (DAFWA), Martine Combret

(DAFWA) and new Water Use Efficiency IDO

Dave Williams outlined the ‘More Dollars Per

Drop’ water efficiency program. The program

includes trials under netting to compare pro-

duction, microclimate and water use. There

should be some very useful information coming

out as the program progresses. There is a lot

to get excited about in terms of trials and

demonstrations. Growers are encouraged to

join the Apple Leadership Group to be able to

hear this information first and be part of the

decision making processes to move the WA

industry forward into the future. To be part

of the group, please contact Fruit West.

I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all

growers a safe and happy Christmas and great

start to the season.

Stephanie FaggetterFruit West

The Future Orchards walk, an APAL information session, anApple Leadership Group meeting

discussing fruit quality, and an introduction to the ‘More Dollars

Per Drop’ irrigation efficiency program marked a busy month

in Western Australia.

Western Australia

The Future Orchards™ team has just completed its November orchard

walk series in the southern and northern growing regions.

The walks provided growers with an opportunity to come together and

learn from some of the world's best, including guest speakers Karen Lewis,

Stephen Tancred, Craig Hornblow and Kevin Manning. Topics discussed

included optimising labour efficiency with mechanisation, modern production

systems and managing pest and disease to optimise packouts.

Washington State (US) local Karen Lewis spent time talking to growers

on the northern loop of orchard walks. She discussed the need for

mechanisation to reduce labour cost and increase productivity on the

orchard. "Harvesting fruit is 50 per cent of our labour costs in the state

of Washington; therefore this is the most logical place to invest in core

technologies that will increase efficiencies," Karen said.

"Add to this a predicted ongoing labour shortage into the future and

mechanisation has to be at the top

of a growers list for future research

and development funding." ■

Future Orchards completes its November orchard walks


When only the best will do.

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• Excellent fruit fi nish enhances quality at pack-out.

• Two active ingredients working in tandem to control apple & pear diseases.

• Introduces unique chemistry (Group 7) to invigorate fungicide programs.

• One novel fungicide with orchard winning attributes for both apples and pears.

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NOW

REGISTERED

FOR

ALTERNARIA

CONTROL

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NEW REGISTRATIONFOR PEARS


It’s not hard to think that pears have missed

out on all the innovation that has engulfed the

apple industry. Have pears really flown under

the ‘innovation radar’ and missed out on all the

latest technological advancements that have

been made in apples? To me, the answer is ‘no’

and those growers who have travelled would

also say no.

‘Plant pears for your heirs’ was one of the first

phrases I was introduced to when I started

working as an advisor some three decades ago.

Not any more. Pear innovation has quietly gone

forward for those interested enough to look for

it. Travel has helped many Australian growers

learn new ideas and implement new planting

systems. The Australian pipfruit industry has

certainly benefited from encouraging growers

to travel overseas to learn new and innovative

practises. And travelling is always worthwhile

if you have an open mind and ask the right

questions.

In this article I would like to share some

innovative pear production systems that some

Australian growers have been fortunate enough

to see by travelling overseas. The first three

examples come from the successful 2008

APAL European grower tour organised by Alma

Reynolds. Twenty-eight growers took part in

this tour which started in Italy and concluded

in Belgium.

The first example of innovative pear production

was a super spindle production system where

pear trees were planted anywhere from 5,000

to 7,500 trees per hectare. Row spacing ranged

from 2.7-3.0 metres and trees 30-80 centimetres

apart. Some blocks utilised twin stems to save

on tree cost and to better control tree vigour.

Trees in the super spindle system were often

planted late to reduce shoot growth and to

encourage early flower bud development.

Planting trees at these high densities is geared

around achieving early production of around

60t/ha in year three - truly amazing, since most

traditional pear plantings take a lot longer to

reach this yield. Of course these planting

densities come with their own problems - the

high cost of establishment and how to control tree

vigour in a light cropping year. Good pollination

and frost control are critical to make this system

work long term. I wonder how these blocks

faired this year when it was reported many

European pipfruit growing areas suffered big

fruit production losses from frosts. But then,

most systems have their drawbacks, if risk is

not managed properly.

The next example of innovation came from the

Dutch ‘V’ trellis with a modified table top system.

Growing pears on a V trellis is not new to

Australians. However, the Dutch V trellis involves

growing four leaders up a V trellis and, to assist

with increasing early fruit production, four or

five additional lower branches are trained

horizontally onto wires underneath the trellis

at about 1.2m, forming a table top appearance.

Most fruiting wood is less than three years

old and renewal pruning systems are mostly

followed. Fruit production on spurs was

discouraged as spur quality quickly deteriorated

from excessive shading as the trees get older.

Many of these blocks observed had strong

vigour in the centre of the V trellis and

controlling this was proving costly.

Fruit tonnage were reported around 50t/ha

with the better blocks producing closer to

60t/ha. This system was reasonably labour

intensive and because of the increased vigour

from renewal pruning and keeping the tree

in shape, fruit storage disorders were evident

in some varieties.

The third example of a high producing pear

orchard in Belgium incorporated a more

Pears - travel broadens the mind! By Steven Spark, Agfirst Consultants

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


In some areas one might think that not much has changed in the pear industry over the years. Older pear plantings still make up mostof the established pear production in Australia. The vast majority of pear varieties are more than 100 years old. In the meantime, appledevelopment and variety choice seems to have raced ahead withmodern high density planted orchards appearing everywhere.

▼

Super spindle pear trees


traditional growing system. The trees were at

a tree spacing of 5.0m by 3.0m and were very

tall by European standards, up to 4.0m high.

What was interesting, was this grower was

considered by the tour consultant to be one of

the most successful pear growers in that region

and his traditional orchard constantly achieved

yields of 60t/ha most years.

He considered these larger trees to be less

affected by frosts compared to the smaller,

more intensive dwarfing type trees. This

grower did not use the renewal pruning

system like so many of his fellow growers,

but instead preferred to use a long pruning

regime that promoted fruiting on spurs.

To help him with these taller pear trees he

utilised a self-propelled mobile platform that

could raise and lower to any height required.

This simple technology helped him overcome

the handicap of such large trees.

Another feature of this orchard was that the

grower felt his use of spur pruning had helped

his orchard to rarely suffer from biennial

bearing which had been frequently observed

in other intensive orcharding systems.

In 2011, at a Future Orchards presentation

in Shepparton, I was interested to learn from

an Australian pear grower who also uses spur

pruning in his pear trees and was achieving

similar results to those we saw in Belgium.

Pear production for him was more consistent

from year to year and easier than using

renewal pruning. What we know about spur

pruning is to keep spurs in the light with long

pruning techniques. Spurs also require careful

pruning to thin the spurs as the numbers increase

overtime. This will be covered in more detail at

a future Focus Orchard presentation.


▼


Twin stem super spindle pear trees Dutch V trellis with table top Inside the Dutch V trellis

Older traditional pear trees Modern angelys semi-intensive orchard


Continued...

Pears - travel broadens the mind!

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


Another opportunity for Australian growers

to travel see pear innovation was a lot closer

to home and involved less travel. Michael

Crisera of Fruit Growers Victoria (FGV) organised

a short tour to New Zealand in February

2011 (same day as the Christchurch earthquake)

for a dozen dedicated Shepparton apple and

pear growers.

Modern plantings in Nelson are mostly of the

newer varieties. ‘Angelys’ pear is a new club

variety that has been introduced into New

Zealand from Europe. Several growers had

taken up the opportunity to grow this variety

and did not want the old pear saying of ‘plant

pears for your heirs’ to come true.

Planting densities of 3.5m row spacing and

1.5m between trees (or approximately 2000

trees per hectare) on Quince C rootstocks were

mostly used. Most of these newer plantings

have adopted a semi-intensive, free-standing

planting system similar to those used in apples.

Pear tree growth was fast tracked with ample

water and nutrition. Early fruit production was

sacrificed as the aim was to fill the allotted tree

space as quickly as possible.

Flower and fruit thinners such as ammonium

thiosulphate (ATS) and benzyladenine (BA)

were used to reduce fruit numbers early on

and lessen the risk from biennial bearing.

To date these plantings have proved very

successful and early tonnages in year three

range from 38-45t/ha, year four 55-60t/ha

and year five 70t/ha.

A subtle variation to these intensive free-standing

pear planting systems was to include a table

top type horizontal wire structure in the bottom

of the tree so that young branches could be

supported and cropped heavier in the early

years. Fruit quality was also improved as there

is less limb and branch rub marks on the fruit

from these supported branches.

Fruit is thinned harder in the tops of the

trees where the branches are smaller and

less able to support excessive fruit numbers.

The disadvantage of these horizontal wires in

the bottom of the trees is that it makes ladder

access into the tree difficult. However, mobile

platforms and Hydra ladders have overcome

this. Long pruning and spur cropping are an

integral part in both these growing systems.

The next orchard the growers saw was a 2D

pear orchard based on a similar concept to that

used for apples. Pears are grown on branches

trained down to eight horizontal wires in a

fence like system.

2D trees have to date proven easy to manage

and early fruit production has increased as all

branches are supported. This system isn’t for

everyone, but those growers, in either apple

or pears, who have mastered it, are achieving

very satisfying results. Future vigour control

strategies will become important.

However, this is no different than most intensive

pear growing systems. Root pruning and summer

tree management, along with prudent nutritional

and irrigation management should assist keeping

these trees calm and under control. So will con-

sistent crops, which these systems can deliver.

Perhaps the most innovative pear growing

system the growers saw, which is still in its

infancy, is a modified 2D system. The modified

2D system came about because an enthusiastic

Nelson grower had learned from his earlier

orcharding experiences that, before big

tonnages of fruit can be produced, you must

first grow a tree worthy of such yields.

After planting, these pear trees had minimal

cutting so that they grew as many branches

and leaves as possible to help promote faster

tree growth. Nutrition, irrigation, weed and

pest control were optimised to ensure nothing

limited tree growth early on.

At the end of the first growing season, instead

of removing surplus branches, as originally

intended, this grower wanted to utilise as

many of the branches as possible. To do this

he decided to train as many branches as

possible onto horizontal wires. In a traditional

2D system, eight wires are spaced evenly in

a single vertical wall. In this modified system,

five of the lower wires are doubled by adding

another parallel wire 30cm apart. Now there

are five double wires in the bottom of the tree

and three single wires in the top. The total

number of wires is now 13 and this has increased

the fruiting wood area by nearly 40 per cent.

Both ‘Packham’s Triumph’ and ‘Winter Nellis’

varieties are growing and performing well on

this system. He wanted to utilise the trees’

▼

▼

Lower branches trained. 2D orchard



vigour and turn that into fruit. To date he has

been very successful. In year three, this block

produced 55t/ha. His expectation is 100t/ha in

year five. Not bad considering he is also aiming

for a larger fruit size around 200 grams.

This system costs more to establish because

of the extra labour to train down the one year

old shoots onto the wires. But this has been

repaid by the increased production. This is a

lesson most growers have heeded at one time

or another: “sometimes it costs more to

produce more”.

The end results are very pleasing and as

the canopy continues to develop in the top of

the structure, yields are expected to increase

towards his 100t/ha goal.

How long this system, or any of the other

systems, can continue to perform will depend

on many factors. To learn the answer to this,

you might have to travel to find out. I am sure

those Australian growers who have travelled to

look at new and innovative ideas have been

well rewarded for their efforts.

Pear innovation is alive and well, sometimes

you just need to go out and look for it. ■

▼

2D on 13 wire

There’s always better value at CRT.www.crt.com.au

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Your CRT Local Bloke can show you how to protect your apples and pears.

For all round quality protection, Pristine is a must for all pome fruit growers as it provides:

• Excellent fruit fi nish, enhances quality at pack-out

• Two active ingredients working in tandem to control apple and pear diseases

• Introduces unique chemistry (Group 7) to invigorate fungicide programs

• Now registered for Alternaria control in apples

• New 14 day withholding period

Talk to your CRT Local Bloke listed oremail [email protected] andfi nd out how Pristine can benefi t you.

® Pristine is a registered trademark of BASF used under license by Nufarm Australia Limited.

QUEENSLANDSTANTHORPE 07 4681 2055

SOUTH AUSTRALIAMCLAREN VALE 08 8323 8339 MT GAMBIER EAST 08 8723 3744NARACOORTE 08 8762 0266PENOLA 08 8737 3333

TASMANIAHOBART 03 6235 1444LAUNCESTON 03 6337 1555ULVERSTONE 03 6425 2188

VICTORIASHEPPARTON 03 5821 6900MELTON 03 9743 5644

We know Horticulture

Pristine®


Quarantine matters: Protecting growers from plant disease

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


The industry-based quarantine consultative

committees were established as a result of

the Nairn Review of quarantine, completed in

November 1996 (Australian Quarantine ashared responsibility). PEPICC’s role is to:

• act as the peak industry consultative

group between the Department of

Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF)

and the plant importing and exporting industry

on operational, policy and strategic issues

• consider and provide advice to DAFF on

relevant matters in the plant importing

and exporting industry

• ensure the Committee acts as an effective

conduit for information exchange between

the plant importing and exporting

industry and DAFF.

Access to new varieties from overseas is very

important to the Australian industry. New

varieties offer growers with opportunities to

expand and invest in the industry. However,

pome fruit budwood imports are classified as

high risk and, as such, can only be imported

via the commonwealth quarantine stations or

accredited state government stations.

Improvements to the import protocols were

completed in 2002 and the time spent in

quarantine was reduced from three to four

years to 15-18 months. This means growers

can take advantage of new varieties sooner

and be assured that the budwood they have

purchased poses a limited (if any) risk to

their current orchard.

Reviews of quarantine are completed on a

regular basis with the most recent being the

Beale review of Biosecurity, which was completed

during 2009. This review followed the Callinan

inquiry into the Equine influenza outbreak

completed in 2008 of which the location

and operation of quarantine stations by the

Commonwealth Government was a key issue

of both.

Due to its involvement in the PEPICC, APFIP

was able to provide direct input into the Beale

review on behalf of the pome fruit industry.

The issues that were raised are reflected in the

recommendations of the Beale report (page

171) related to plant quarantine were:

61 The Commonwealth should own and operate specialised quarantine facilities wheremonopoly rents might be charged if such facilities were operated privately.

62 The Commonwealth should immediatelyclarify its intentions with respect to the futureownership, management and operation of the quarantine facilities currently located atEastern Creek and Knoxfield.

63 All quarantine stations that manage equivalent risks should have their performanceaccredited and audited to equivalent standards,irrespective of whether the quarantine stationis privately or publicly owned and operated.

64 The effectiveness of the anti-smugglingsubsidy for plant material should be reviewed,with other avenues explored for improvingcompliance with biosecurity requirements, including a review of smuggling penalties.

As a result, the future of two Commonwealth

plant quarantine stations (Eastern Creek, New

South Wales and Knoxfield, Victoria) is currently

being resolved by DAFF. The leases for these

stations expire in 2015 and 2016 respectively

and there is no opportunity to extend these

leases. The government has decided to

consolidate these stations into one new

modern facility that will be able to handle the

current work load of Knoxfield and Eastern

Creek with room for future expansion.

The initial design work for the new Post Entry

Quarantine Station facility has since been

completed and was presented to the PEPICC

committee on 30 October 2012. It is anticipated

that these plans will be uploaded to the DAFF

website for viewing.

Land has been purchased in Victoria for the

new facility - a block of 144 hectares on the

Donnybrook Road on the northern outskirts of

Melbourne. The design work should be completed

by mid-2013 with construction to start later

that year. The construction and commissioning

of each section will be facilitated around the

closure timeframes of the other two stations.

The location and requirements of the new Post

Entry Quarantine Station is a key interest of

the apple and pear industry. In addition, staff

transition to the new site will be a major issue.

Currently a high level of staff expertise exists

in the area of virus indexing and exotic pest

identification which would pose a significant

setback should this be lost due to the transition

into the new site.

Also discussed at the recent PEPICC

meeting was:

• DAFF is looking at a fee review due to

increased level of imports of all material

and a reduction in Government funding.

• DAFF is reviewing how material entering

Australia should be packaged.

• DAFF is currently looking at the possibilities

of having an offshore post-entry quarantine

system for some types of material. Under

this scheme DAFF would accredit companies

offshore to do post-entry assessments

for Australia.

• The Quarantine Act of 1908 is under review.

If you have

any questions

regarding the

above information

contact APFIP

T: (03) 6264 1540

or W:

www.apfip.com.au.

■

The Australian Pome Fruit Improvement Program (APFIP) has beenworking for more than 15 years to ensure growers have access theright information and tools to make educated purchasing decisionswhen it comes to buying rootstock and imported budwood. Part ofAPFIP’s role also includes being part of the Post Entry Plant IndustryConsultive Committee (PEPICC) of which APFIP has been an industryrepresentative of for almost 15 years.

Australian Pome Fruit Improvement Program Ltd



Keeping Australia's beekeepers‘postered’ on Varroa miteBeekeepers are the front line for biosecurity,

when it comes to protecting the honey industry

and all the food crops that depend on bees for

pollination. To help them identify one of the

greatest threats, the Varroa mite, a poster has

been sent to all registered beekeepers across the

country in a mailout which also contains a manual

on how best to look after the health of their hives.

Chairman of the Pollination Program R&D Advisory

Committee, Gerald Martin, said it’s vital to

identify and report Varroa mite immediately, as

it has the potential to devastate the industry.

“Approximately 65 per cent of horticultural and

agricultural crops produced in Australia require

pollination services from honey bees. While

we’re lucky to have a huge population of

escaped European honey bees which currently

provide these services free, that could end

abruptly if Varroa arrives,” he said.

“When the first mites were reported in New

Zealand, it was estimated they’d been there for

up to three years, so there was little chance of

eradicating them. We don’t want that to happen

here, and every beekeeper needs to play their part.

“If Varroa reaches Australian shores and become

entrenched it’s expected to cost $72.3 million

per year over 30 years,” Mr Martin said. Any

sightings of Varroa or other pests and diseases

should be immediately reported to the Exotic

Plant Pest Hotline - 1800 084 881. This is a

free call from anywhere in Australia.

“Regular inspections are a key part of maintaining

hive health, and with early detection and good

management, Australia’s honey and pollination

industries can continue to prosper,” Mr Martin said.

“Even if mites are not visible there are signs

to be aware of, and the poster outlines these

in detail.”

You can download a copy of the Varroa poster

from the publication section at

www.rirdc.gov.au/pollination ■

There’s always better value at CRT.www.crt.com.au

We know Horticulture

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VICTORIA MELTON 03 9743 5644 SHEPPARTON 03 5821 6900

TASMANIA HOBART 03 6235 1444 LAUNCESTON - ROBERTS 03 6344 8322

ULVERSTONE 03 6425 2188

SOUTH AUSTRALIA MCLAREN VALE 08 8323 8339 MT GAMBIER EAST 08 8723 3744 NARACOORTE 08 8762 0266 PENOLA 08 8737 3333

Regalis®

Regalis Plant Growth regulator is a foliar

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Storage fruit rotsBy Dr Gordon Brown

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


In 2003 Washington and Collins reported that

there are a number of fungi that cause postharvest

rot problems in Australian pome fruit. They

identified the four common rots are Blue mould

- caused by species of Penicillium, Mucor rot -

caused by Mucor piriformis, Anthracnose rots

(including Bitter rot, Target rot and Ripe spot)

caused by several fungi, and Grey mould rot

caused by Botrytis cinerea.

Blue mould (Penicillium expansium)

Snowdon (1990), Little and Holmes (2000)

and Beattie et al (1989) report this is one of

the most destructive rots of stored apples and

pears. The first symptoms are soft, watery pale

to dark brown spots which rapidly enlarge at

room temperature. A feature of this infection is

that there is a clear margin between the soft,

rotting flesh and the healthy fruit flesh and this

rotting area can be easily separated from the

healthy tissue. The affected tissue penetrates

deeply into the flesh of the fruit.

Infection occurs through wounds such as

punctures, bruises and limb rubs, although

Holmes (2010) and TFREC (2005) report that

infection can also occur through lenticels in

over-mature fruit as the natural fruit resistance

breaks down. Snowdon (1990) reports that

fruit damaged by hail prior to harvest are very

prone to infection. As the rot progresses, a

white fungal growth may appear at breaks in

the skin and, later, these may produce blue

or blue-green tufts of powdery spores. In the

absence of spores Penicillium can be identified

by its musty or earthy pungent smell.

While Penicillium growth is rapid at room

temperature, its growth in cold storage is slow

(Beattie et al 1989). It commonly appears

after grading and during transport to markets

when the fruit is allowed to warm.

In the orchard, Penicillium spp. survives in

organic debris on the orchard floor and in the

soil. Conidia are also present in the air and on

the surface of fruit. In the packhouse, drench

solutions and dump-tank water are common

sources of Penicillium fruit infection during the

handling and packing processes.

Mucor rot (Mucor piriformis)Holmes (2010) reports that, in Australia, Mucor

rot has only relatively recently been recognised

as a serious problem in storage of pome fruit.

In some seasons considerable losses have

occurred, especially in CA-stored fruit for both

local and export markets. Spread within a

packing shed can be rapid, as healthy fruit can

be contaminated and infected during postharvest

dipping, and during sorting and grading operations.

A feature of Mucor rots is that most other fruit

rot fungi it can develop rapidly at cold storage

temperatures, so it continues to develop during

fruit storage.

With Mucor rot the decayed flesh of the fruit

is soft and wet and varies in colour from clear

to pale brown, although Snowdon (1990)

reports the affected skin is dark brown and

parchment like. Like Blue mould, there

is a clear margin between affected and healthy

tissue (TFREC 2005).

In a humid atmosphere there is a profuse

production of mould strands, where breaks

in the fruit skin occur. These white, whiskery

fungal growths may appear bearing black

spore masses the size of pin heads. If fungal

spores have not developed Mucor rot can be

identified from Blue mould by the sweet smell

as opposed to the musty, earthy smell of Blue

mould.

Mucor piriformis is a soil-borne pathogen and

survives in the orchard soil. The pathogen enters

the storage and packing facilities through soil

or organic debris adhering to field bins. Mucor

rot originates primarily from infection of wounds

on the skin of fruit although it can also infect

through the stem end or through the calyx.

If it gains entry to the seed cavity through the

calyx it can develop into a wet core rot.

Mucor rot does not normally penetrate directly

through the skin or lenticels of healthy apples

or pears.

Grey mould (Botrytis cinerea)

Snowdon (1990) reports that this fungus survives

in the orchard on plant debris. During wet and

windy weather the conidia can infect the dying

blossoms and the fungus can remain quietly on

the calyx of the fruit and invade the fruit as it

matures when its natural resistance to infection

fades. Little and Holmes (2000) report this

fungus can invade the fruit directly through

the fruit skin, although most primary infection

occurs through the calyx and through wounds

on the skin.

In calyx end rot the first visible symptom is

a slight reddening of the skin surrounding the

eye. A dark dry lesion may appear and this

may stabilise to a dry eye rot or spread to the

entire fruit surface. Infections through skin

wounds do not have a clear boundary between

infected and healthy tissue and initially the

affected areas are watery and pale brown.

As the rot develops the area becomes firm,

dark brown and often becomes wrinkled. Given

enough time the infection emits a fermented

aroma. Spores are not normally produced in a

cold room although grey tufts of hyphae may

occur through breaks in the fruit skin.

This fungus is capable of growing at -1°C so it

will continue to develop in cold storage at a

faster rate than Blue mould. Postharvest

infections can occur within storage rooms as

hyphae from an infected fruit can spread to

adjacent fruit and infect them directly through

the skin. This leads to nests of infected fruit

in the storage bins.

▼

In the September 2012 issue of Australian Fruitgrower I wrote an articleon core rots in response to problems that I have observed in recenttimes with stored fruit. In addition to these, I have also been providingadvice on problems associated with postharvest rots of apples andpears. As this is the December issue of Australian Fruitgrower, withonly one more issue before harvest commences, it is timely to presentinformation on the common fruit rots of apples and pears encounteredin Australia. This should allow enough time to prepare for harvest byensuring the shed and equipment is clean and sanitised.



Anthracnose rotsThese are a group of inter-related fungi and postharvest rots which

cause lenticel rot, target rot, bitter rot and ripe spot by fungi such as

Pezicula, Glomerella, Phlyctaema, Cryptospoiopsis, Colletrotrichum and

Gloesporium. Holmes (2000) reports that these fungi over-winter in the

bark of trees and on the fruiting spurs. Infection of fruit can occur at

any stage of development and infection is mainly through the lenticels

although it can also occur through fruit damage, russet and through the

calyx where they can develop into core rot. Field infections are not no-

ticed and they only become obvious when the fruit becomes less resistant

as it matures during storage and subsequent marketing activities.

The rot develops slowly in cold storage but it can become rapid when

the fruit are removed from storage and marketed (Beattie et al 1989).

There is no spread from diseased fruit to healthy fruit during storage.

The lesions of these rots are small, brown sunken spots about three

millimetres in diameter and they are associated with the lenticels

(Figure 1). Sometimes the lesions are surrounded by a red halo and

there are usually multiple infection sites on an individual fruit. Eventually

the lesions will expand and join other lesions and cover a large percentage

of the fruit surface. These lesions are fairly dry and pale brown in

colour. They penetrate into the flesh of the fruit in a cone shaped area

and concentric growth rings may be observed within the lesions.

Pustules may eventually appear on the fruit surface and these commonly

secrete a cream or pink coloured ooze. The affected tissue has a bitter

flavour and this flavour will often extend into apparently healthy tissue.

Control of storage rotsAll postharvest rots originate from the orchard although many can also

contaminate fruit storage facilities.

Most over-winter and spread from rotting leaves and fruit in the orchard

or in corners of the packing sheds and harvesting equipment. Orchard,

shed and equipment hygiene is critical for reducing the level of inoculum

that can infect the fruit and thorough cleaning of the shed and picking

equipment should occur prior to the harvest season.

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Figure 1. stored apples with lenticel spot.



Continued...

Storage fruit rots

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


Many conditions in the orchard and postharvest

environments have an influence on the

incidence of rots. Washington and Collins

(2003) summarised these:

• the number of spores in the drench liquid

(can be reduced by minimising leaf litter

and other debris and by using clean bins)

• the susceptibility of the fruit tissue to fungal

attack which is in turn greatly influenced by

fruit maturity, nutritional status and rough

handling

• the storage duration, temperature and

atmosphere

• varietal characteristics of the apples or pears

• fruit shape and drenching practices

• the effectiveness of fungicidal treatments,

both pre- and postharvest

• wet weather before harvest and harvesting

fruit when wet

• contamination of fruit bins with orchard soil

There are a few chemicals that can be used as

postharvest dips against postharvest rots as

outlined in Table 2. This list has reduced in size

in recent years and it can be seen that no

chemicals are registered for Mucor rots and

this may explain the observed increase in this

postharvest disease in recent times.

There are also no chemicals registered for a

range of the anthracnose species or other

minor postharvest diseases such as Alternaria.

In addition resistant strains of postharvest

fungi have been identified in Australia and

these will potentially compromise the perform-

ance of the available postharvest dips.

Hence orchard hygiene has become a priority

for reducing postharvest losses to fungi and

Holmes (2010) makes the following points

about avoiding initial infection of fruit:

• “Careful picking and handling fruit to avoid

injuries to the skin is most important.

Rough areas in the grading and packing

line, including dust and debris which could

abrade fruit, must be eliminated.

• Clean all picking bins pre-season, and avoid

soil build-up on their undersides during

picking. Do not pick wet fruit, and avoid

picking-up fruit that has fallen to the ground,

as this may introduce soil and infected fruit

directly into the fruit bin.

• Avoid orchard soil being transferred to

handling and storage areas on machinery

tyres.

• Minimise the contamination of pre-storage

drenches, dips or sprays by washing fruit

and bins in fresh or sanitised water before

further treatment. Bins can also be

decontaminated with moist heat, hot water

or steam before harvest.

• Minimise the contamination of flumes and

dump tanks by appropriate filtration, water

sanitation and regular changes of water.

• Rollers, brushes and belts must not become

contaminated with spores or decayed fruit

debris, and should be thoroughly cleaned

as necessary.

• Rinsing fruit in fresh or sanitized water

after fruit with rots have been removed

on the sorting table, will help to minimise

further contamination and infection”.

Conclusions

▼

▼

Blue mould Mucor rot Grey mould Anthracnose

(Lenticel rot,

target rot, bitter

rot etc.)

Fungus Penicillium Mucor piriformis Botrytis cinerea Pezicula,expansum Glomerella,

Colletrotrichum etc.Lesion Texture Soft and watery Very soft and juicy Young infections Dry and sunken

are wet, old spots initially

infections are but spreading in

spongy or firm concentric rings

3mm in diameter

Lesion margin Sharp and lesion Sharp Not clear where Not clear and often

completely infected tissue have a red halo

separable from begins around the lesion

healthy tissue

Lesion colour Light to dark brown Clear to pale Initially pale brown, Brown but often

brown flesh with later dark brown with pustules with

dark brown skin cream or pink ooze

Odor / Taste Earthy, musty Sweet Fermented Bitter taste

Primary

Infection site Wounds Wounds and calyx Wounds and calyx Lenticels

Capable of through Capable of directly

lenticels with through the skin

overmature fruit

Growth in

Coolroom Slow Fast Moderate Slow

Identification of postharvest rotsTable 1. Visual identification of postharvest rot fungi

Active Fungicide Group Crop Postharvest diseases Comments

Fludioxonil 12 Pome fruit Blue mould Maintain agitation

Grey mould and do not let

stand overnight

Imazalil 3 Apples Blue mould Fruit need to be

Pears dry prior to storage

Iprodione 2 Apples Blue mould

Pears Grey mould

GloeosporiumThiabendazole 1 Apples Blue mould

Pears Grey mould

Gloeosporium

Table 2. Registered fungicides for the postharvest dipping of pome fruit



Postharvest rots - either the surface affecting

ones discussed here or core rots - have potential

to cause major fruit losses during the storage

and marketing of fruit. As these losses occur

after all production costs have been incurred,

as well as harvest and storage costs, and

potentially grading and packing costs,

this has a big impact on orchard viability.

It is easy to lose sight of the fact that apples

and pears are a perishable commodity and that

storing them for many months is an inherently

risky activity. Historically, pesticides and the

development of sound storage systems have

led to excellent outturns in most seasons and

an attitude that long term storage is the norm

has become widespread.

Fungicides being applied in the field have

changed, however, and we have moved from

broad spectrum fungicides such as captan and

mancozeb to newer and possibly more specific

materials that may not control postharvest dis-

eases to the same extent. This, in combination

with changes in postharvest fungicides that are

allowed or accepted in the market, may have

again increased the chances of encountering

postharvest diseases. This means that the risk

of encountering postharvest rots is increasing

and makes the few tools we have at our disposal

more important to apply.

Start by deciding on what postharvest dips

(if any) that you are going to use and then

ensure that late season fungicide orchard

sprays are a different fungicide group.

Before the season make sure that all storage

facilities have been cleaned and sanitised as

much as possible. Make sure that picking bags

and bins are clean and sanitised prior to use.

Make sure that pickers do not pick up fruit

lying on the ground and try and use a system

where picking bins do not sit on the soil in

field operations.

Ensure that systems that guarantee any

postharvest water dumps have sterile water

in them are functional.

Pick fruit at the correct stage of maturity and

then treat them as quickly as possible after

harvest and get them into the coolroom as

rapidly as possible.

After harvest, consider using nitrogen sprays

to defoliate the orchard and speed up leaf and

fallen fruit breakdown, eliminating potential

inoculum for next season. Monitor postharvest

rots in the coolroom as much as possible.

Clean and sanitise the grading line regularly and

especially after running a rotten line of fruit.

ReferencesBeattie, McGlasson and Wade (1989) Postharvestdiseases of Horticultural Produce Vol 1: Temperate Fruit. CSIRO publications.

Holmes (2010). Blue mould of pome fruit.

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/plant-diseases/fruit-diseases/pome-fruit-diseases/ag0164-blue-mould-of-pome-fruit, accessed 8 November 2012

Holmes (2010). Mucor rot of pome fruit.

http://www.dpi.vic.gov.au/agriculture/pests-diseases-and-weeds/plant-diseases/fruit-diseases/pome-fruit-diseases/ag0166-mucor-rot-of-pome-fruit, accessed 8 November 2012

Little and Holmes (2000). Storage technology

for apples and pears. Department of Natural

Resources and Environment, Victoria. pp 162-165.

Snowdon (1990). A Colour Atlas of Post-Harvestdiseases and Disorders of Fruit and Vegetables.Volume 1: General Introduction and Fruits.Wolfe Scientific.

TFREC (2005) Blue Mould.

http://decay.tfrec.wsu.edu/displayPage.php?id=pathlab&pn=20 accessed 8 November 2012.

Washington and Collins (2003), Guidelines for

postharvest drenching of apples and pears.

http://www.apal.org.au/members/pests-diseases-management.cfm, accessed 7 November 2012.

■

▼

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Irrigation for fruit trees: Drip or sprinkler?By Sam Birrell, Netafim

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


Readers may be interested to know that,

currently in Australia, almost all wine grape

vineyards are irrigated by drip irrigation, yet

orchards are (I would estimate) more likely

to be irrigated by micro-sprinkler.

So which one works better?There are pros and cons for both methods,

and in some circumstances one of the two

methods would be an obvious choice over

the other. Regardless, it is important to make

informed decisions when choosing an irrigation

type. Growers will need to consider ability to

meet the crop water requirement, filtration,

frost control, cover and costs.

Ability to meet the crop water requirementDrip irrigation and micro-sprinkler irrigation

both have the ability to meet the crop water

requirement if the system is designed correctly

and the system is run for the correct amount

of time.

If the crop requires 40 millimetres of water

over the course of one week, the irrigation

system needs to run long enough to apply this.

If the application of the drip irrigation system

is 1.0mm per hour, then 40 hours for that

week is needed. The application rate for a

system can be calculated using this formula:

Micro-sprinklers may put more water on in a

shorter period of time, but this can lead to

wastage, from evaporation and runoff/leaching.

With the lower application rate of drip, some

may assume that you need to run the entire

system for longer, but this is not the case. With

a drip system the flow rate is less and therefore

you can irrigate more acreage at the same time.

FiltrationDrip irrigation generally requires a higher

level of filtration than micro-sprinklers. This is

because particle material must travel through

a narrower pathway in the emitter. However,

the most important filter in any drip irrigation

system is the dripper itself.

The dripper’s design centres on two structures.

Externally on the dripper inlet is a filter that

prevents large particles from entering the dripper.

Internally the pathway creates turbulence in

the water, and this prevents smaller particles

binding together to become blockage risks.

Filtration level is expressed in mesh rating,

which refers to the number of openings per

inch. The higher the mesh number, the smaller

the particle that will be filtered out.

Modern drip irrigation with a flow rate of

between 1.0 to 4 litres per hour requires a

filtration mesh rating of 120. Micro-sprinklers

require a mesh of between 80 and 120,

depending on the flow.

There are three main types of filter: gravel,

disc and screen. The highest level of filtration

is gravel; it is also the most expensive. Disc

filters are very efficient and are satisfactory

for most types of water. Screen filters are the

most inexpensive, but not as efficient as disc

filters. If the mesh selection is correct for the

type of emitters and the water being filtered, all

can be used for micro-sprinkler or drip irrigation.

Frost controlThere is no doubt that micro-sprinkler give the

opportunity to wet up the soil below the trees

quickly to provide some level of frost protection.

It is estimated that 1.0mm applied per hour

gives a 1oC – 1.5oC temperature rise.

Cover cropA inter-row cover crop has a better chance

of being established and maintained with a

micro-sprinkler in a dry climate. However,

this cover crop will also compete for water

and nutrients with the crop.

CostSome approximate costings show that it is more

expensive to set up a block with micro-sprinklers

(15 – 20 per cent), even when factoring in a

more expensive filter for the drip irrigation.

This is partly due to the cost of each micro-

sprinkler, stake and tube. Although there are

more emitters in the drip block, the integral

drip line is cheaper than physically putting and

sprinkler in every two metres.

In addition, the operating costs of micro-sprin-

klers can be higher because of the higher

quantity of water pumped. ■

Drippers or micro-sprinklers? These methods for orchard irrigationwere a topic of discussion at a Future Orchards™ event in November.

System application emitter output rate (mm) = emitter spacing

x lateral spacing

Bonview micro sprinklers

UniRam parts



This change of attitude is partly attributable to

the work of service provider TQA Australia,

which has played a major role in shaping the

on-farm food safety and quality assurance

scene in Australia. TQA Australia was originally

formed as Tasmanian Quality Assured in No-

vember 1997. The Tasmanian Government and

a number of peak industry bodies established

the not for profit organisation to help primary

producers cope with the emergence of quality

assurance and food safety systems.

At that time, TQA Australia claims it was the only

Australian organisation outside of government

that was committed to reducing the quality

assurance and food safety compliance burden

for farmers, and ensuring that those farmers that

were certified, were recognised for their efforts.

Recently farmers, politicians and agribusiness

leaders from around Australia gathered in

Ulverstone - close to where the organisation

is based - on Tasmania’s north west coast to

celebrate TQA Australia’s 15 years of operation.

From the beginning, the organisation’s key

focus has been on reducing the need for

management systems requiring multiple audits.

Australia’s first National On-farm Food Safety

and Quality Assurance Conference, convened

by TQA Australia in 1999, was a turning point.

Working across all states and territories, the

TQA Australia team has built a reputation for

providing training, project management and

consultancy. Whilst still helping farmers deal

with quality assurance and food safety, the

organisation is now providing solutions across

a range of areas including occupational health

and safety, environmental management,

strategic planning and marketing.

When asked how the organisation has remained

an important player for so many years, Chairman

Nick Burrows said: “It’s simple. We talk to

farmers from all parts of Australia every day,

and every day we ask them what it is that

keeps them awake at night. Whether the answer

is occupational health and safety, paperwork,

audits or any other aspect of their business, we

develop a practical and affordable solution that

suits their unique circumstances.”

“Peak industry bodies and government

departments continually ask us to manage

projects, because of this same focus on

practical outcomes, rather than wordy policies,

procedures and reports.” ■

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Service provider celebrates 15th birthdayGone are the bad old days when chemical sheds were only locked onaudit day, and where a year’s worth of quality records would befudged the day before an audit. Australian farmers now accept foodsafety and quality assurance as an important part of doing businessand take their responsibilities very seriously.

Letter to the EditorRe your article in Australian Fruitgrower(October issue) on the effectiveness of a hail cannon, my experience was after beingcompletely wiped out by hail at Invergordon(in the Goulburn Valley) in 1989; we purchased a second hand cannon from Batlow, New South Wales. The reason for the person selling was, although the cannonwas succesful, with the surrounding hills itwas too hard to see the storms coming (so)they were moving to hail mesh. It was a‘must’ to have the cannon turned on at least20 minutes before the storm hit, and run ituntil the storm had passed.

We found, with hail clouds approaching, itwould split the clouds and the storm wouldpass around you. Over time we had hail allaround us but we never had hail again; we sold the orchard in 2007.

Although we never ran the cannon for eighthours straight, we estimated it would burnfive large bottles of acetylene in that time,running it at an explosion every eight seconds.

With no wind it was just possible to hear it 10 kilometres away. The cannon needed littlemaintenance. The cost of hire for 10 bottlesand gas was little (compared with) themoney it saved us over the years.

I do hope my experience helps someone contemplating buying a cannon.

Kevin John GibbsRed Cliffs, Victoria


Fiona Hall: Causing a ‘riot’ in the export market

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


“I wanted to take more control past the farm

gate and not just send the fruit to domestic

market and hope for the best. So we decided

to travel to Asia to start developing key

relationships in the export market with

reputable people and businesses.”

Has it been successful? “We started on a very small scale with a small

shipment to a single customer and from there

we expanded into other markets,” Fiona said.

“Now we are really seeing our cherry business

take off and hope (sooner rather than later)

we will be able to repeat the same success

with our apples when mainland Australia gains

access to China.”

“The biggest challenge with cherries when

exporting is being able to offer consistent and

a reliable product – key for maintaining a level

of trust among the people we supply. So, as a

rule, we don’t export if we can’t guarantee our

product; luckily we have been able to develop

an understanding with our customers,” Fiona

said.

In addition to the orchard and export businesses,

Bonny Glen Orchards pack and market for

another 25 apple and cherry growers in the

region.

“Our packing shed and sales desk operates

for 12 months of the year serving a client base

which includes domestic market wholesalers,

supermarkets, prepackers, export and processing

sales,” Fiona said.

“I enjoy the dynamic nature of the business

which brings new challenges each season.

In my role I am constantly in touch with both

the market and our grower base updating them

on market trends and requirements.”

She said while the consumer drives these

market trends, by taking advantage of social

networking under the BiteRiot brand, coupled

with daily customer contact, they are able to

keep up.

To say that Orange-based grower Fiona Hall is taking ‘two bites of the cherry’ when it comes to growing her business would be a fairstatement. Fiona, in conjunction with her husband Bernard andbrother in-law, own and manage Bonny Glen apple orchards and a packing business. Sarah Kulman reports.

But it’s Fiona’s cherry business ‘BiteRiot’ that

is proving to be just as sweet – already making

a positive impact in the markets of Taiwan,

Indonesia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Having grown up on a cattle farm in Braidwood,

New South Wales, it wasn’t a major leap into

growing apples and cherries when she moved

to Orange after meeting her husband Bernard.

“I grew up in Braidwood and as a teenager I

often packed fruit for my cousins who operated

stone fruit orchards in the Araluen Valley.

When I met Bernard I was happy to relocate

to one of the family orchard properties.

“Together we operate a fruit packing and

marketing business. We grow apples and

cherries on 130 hectares south west of

Orange,” Fiona said.

So why venture into cherry exports?“I am motivated to leave my mark in horticulture.

I want to leave an enduring legacy through a

process of change and continuous improvement.

So I guess you could say the future is‘ripe for the picking’?“Absolutely. I see a bright future for quality

producers who are willing to embrace change

and focus on emerging Asian markets,”

she said.

“Growers will need to centralise their packing

and marketing efforts in order to capitalise

on these opportunities and invest in modern

varieties and technologies – this is hard to do

when many are struggling on current prices.

“To remedy this, the Australian Government

needs to be more commercial and urgent in the

development of export market access protocols.”

So what are the challenges you face?“Our business, despite its successes, faces the

same challenges experienced by most Australian

growers. Increasing costs of production, access

to affordable skilled labour (given the close

proximity to a major mine), climatic risks –

predominately rain affecting cherries at harvest

time, and frequent hailstorms at our elevated

growing sites definitely can increase the stress

levels,” Fiona said.

“Add to these the competition we face from low

cost apple producers (including China and New

Zealand who are now able to access our market)

and the unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy,

it makes for a very mixed bag of challenges –

all of which we are trying to find ways to

counteract.

“Still, we just choose to remain positive that

the downward price cycle is just that – a

cycle and the industry will emerge with more

opportunities to be explored in Asia.”

She believes that growers need to try and look

past the current market difficulties (as hard

as it may be) and start talking up a career

in agriculture.

“Unfortunately segments of the older generation

within horticulture tend not encourage their

children to enter the industry,” she said.

“This trend has seen many potential leaders

lost from the industry and left an ageing

workforce scratching their heads as to what

to do with their land/industry. This will not only

add more stress to the future of the industry

but it poses the question as to who will be left ▼



to take advantage of the opportunities that

Asia will provide.

“Hopefully this trend will be reversed and

horticulture will regain some of its lost status.

Bernard and I share the same vision for the

future in that there is definitely a bright future

for young people entering the industry who

are committed to producing high quality fruit,”

she said.

So what do you think you will be doing 10years from now?“Ten years from now...well I hope I can play a

key role in bringing the industry together and

building a strong brand for BiteRiot and apple

exports.”

Fiona Hall is a former CEO of the AustralianNational Field Days held at Borenore – anevent attracting 70,000 visitors and 700

exhibiters each year. She is a NSW CherryGrowers Executive Committee member andsecretary of NSW Farmers. She has made significant contribution to district focused fruit

promotional activities and co-ordinates fruit receivables and dispatch, phytosanitary requirements, export, grower packing andsales returns for her business. ■

▼

Fiona Hall (far right) with husband Bernard (left) and their three children.


Market insights - China By Wayne Prowse, Export Consultant

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


• 61 per cent of Australia’s iron ore exports

go to China

• Iron ore makes up 67 per cent of Australian

exports to China

• Only 1.9 per cent of Australian fruit exports

are to China

• China produces 33,000,000 tonnes of apples

• China imported 77,000 tonnes of apples

in 2011

• There have been 1,048 tonnes of apples

exported from China to Australia since trade

began in 2011

• No Australian apples have been exported

to China

Like Australia, China has strict quarantine

conditions for fresh imported fruit. Even so,

Tasmanian apples have had market access to

China for 10 years yet there has been no trade

to date. Still, it’s important the Australian apple

industry is actively pursuing export opportunities

now to secure the viability of the industry’s future.

So why is China an important market forAussie apples? In 2011 China imported 77,000 tonnes of

apples, of which 98 per cent were from Chile

and the United States, with an average import

value of AU$1.45 per kilogram. This volume

has doubled in five years since 2007.

Although this means that apple imports account

for 0.2 per cent of apple consumption in China,

there is genuine demand for quality imported

apples. Food safety concerns in China in a range

of areas over the past few years have increased

the demand for imported product from countries

that can supply clean, safe and healthy food.

Despite the higher prices of imported product,

there is a significant number of Chinese

consumers prepared to pay a higher price for

the peace of mind that imported produce

brings. Capturing even a small percentage

of the China import market for apples would

Even though China is currently the world’s

largest apple producer, with annual production

of 33 million tonnes, opportunity for Australian

growers still exist at the premium end of the

market.

• 27 per cent of all Australian exports

are destined for China

Pink Lady’s spread health message for International Diabetes DayAustralian Unity’s head office in Melbourne had the support of a few ‘Pink Lady’s’ recently in a

bid to spread the healthy eating message as part of International Diabetes Day. The wellbeing

company, providing health, finance and retirement living options, handed out Pink Lady™ apples

to staff and highlighted the benefits of a healthy diet in preventing Type 2 diabetes. Cate Grindlay,

Clinical and Development Manager for Australian Unity’s preventative health company, Remedy

Healthcare, said: “A healthy lifestyle including daily fruit, veggies and activity is the key to preventing

Type 2 diabetes – it’s so simple and too many Australians struggle to manage their risk factors.”

The Pink Lady apples kindly donated by Montague Fresh were a fun way to convince Australian

Unity staff to increase their apple consumption and spread the apple a day message. ■

China - so much is riding on the expectation that it’s the market of the future, but why wait when the future could be now! With its totalpopulation tipping the scales at 1.3 billion, China spends a whoppingA$1.69 trillion on imported commodities to keep the nation movingand its GDP growth has averaged 9.27 per cent per annum over the last 20 years.

▼China’s Yangshan Port is the world’s largest container shipping port – currently handling 30 million containers per year. In comparison, the port of Melbourne (pictured) handles less than one tenth that with only three million containers per year



be a big win for Australian apple growers. One strategic approach could

be to seek out and service a few high quality retail customers in smaller

cities outside Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. These ‘smaller’ cities

(more than 30) have a population ranging from two to 10 million and

are earmarked by the Chinese government for major growth in next

10 years. It should be possible to generate significant Australian trade –

albeit miniscule in the scale of China.

The key will be to service the customers and meet their need for high

quality fruit that must be a cut above the domestic product already

available. China has very limited cool chain infrastructure and therefore

rapid distribution to meet demand is important. This will provide

additional challenges for Australian exporters who will need to ensure

they choose partners who will help deliver product to market in a timely

manner to maintain product quality.

In addition, forming relationships with customers will be vital in securing

business as it develops trust. These relationships can be forged through

providing a committed and consistent supply, through helping to resolve

problems and by visiting the market to show interest. This all takes time

and may not yield results as favourable as the domestic market in the

short-term. However, it is essential to success, and if we don’t seize these

opportunities our competitors surely will – and indeed are already there!

What is APAL doing about building relationships in China? China’s annual Fruit and Vegetable Fair (FVF) is a meeting place for major

buyers of fresh produce and is supported by China’s quarantine authority

Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ).

APAL participated in this year’s fair held last month (9-11 November) in

Beijing. There was strong interest in Australian apples, including Pink

Lady™ which provides a new taste profile to many Chinese consumers.

Whilst China currently imports Pink Lady apples from France, New Zealand

and Chile, there are still opportunities for Australian growers to supply

the Chinese market with high quality apple products.

APAL Managing Director, Jon Durham, and Market Development Manager,

Claire Fitchett, participated in meetings with AQSIQ and China Inspection

and Quarantine Association (CIQA) to help progress the market access

request for mainland Australian apples to China submitted in 2006.

The current priority listing has apples listed after cherries and summerfruit

which were submitted in 2003. Australia does have access now for

mangoes, citrus and table grapes, and is steadily making progress.

In addition, Jon and Claire met with DAFF’s Agriculture Counsellor and

Austrade staff in Beijing for market briefings. These meetings assisted

APAL to understand current market dynamics in China, the role that Hong

Kong continues to play as a channel for imported fruit, and the importance

of Australia’s application to China for mainland apple market access.

Prior to the FVF trade show in Beijing, APAL participated in a market

visit to Shanghai, co-ordinated by Department of Primary Industries

(DPI) Victoria. This was an opportunity for APAL to develop relationships

with importers in Shanghai and understand the dynamics of this

sophisticated market.

APAL was joined by representatives from the cherry, table grape, citrus

and summer fruit industries and met with importers at the Longwu fruit

wholesale market. The group also visited the Yangshan Port which is the

world’s largest container shipping port – currently handling 30 million

containers per year. In comparison, the port of Melbourne handles less

than one tenth that with only three million containers per year (detailed

on page 7).

The meeting reaffirmed that Australian apple growers are well placed to

capitalise on the opportunities China provides. Growers serious about

serving China will need to be able to prepare consistent high quality

products and develop long-term relationships with importers and retailers

in market.

FAOSTAT 2010 dataFresh Intelligence Consulting provides market and trade information to the fresh produce industry including analysis of import at export trade statistics, market share and strategic market intelligence. For more information contact: [email protected] ■

best roots, best trees

▼


A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower


Breeding, new cultivars and nurseryUnited KingdomIn progeny from crossing dwarfing rootstocks,

the gene map of 324 loci has been constructed

and this will be used to identify traits such as

dwarfing and water use efficiency in rootstock

selection programs.

ChinaIn a study of x-ray dose for mutating Golden

Delicious and Gala apple trees it was found

that 40–80 Gy was the optimal exposure for

mutagenic responses and exposed limb survival.

ProductionUSAA comparison of Braeburn apples grown

conventionally versus those under biologically

enhanced organic (BEO) methods with nutrient

and microbial enhancements found that the

BEO apples had higher phenolic content and

higher consumer acceptance scores.

USAIn pot trials, an apple tree had its roots split

into two different pots that received different

quantities of water. It was found that the levels

of photosynthesis and abscisic acid (ABA) in

the leaves was not related to the level of water

in the dry pot. However, it was related to the

total amount of water in both pots implying

that the rate of photosynthesis and ABA is

responsive to the total soil water in the

growing environment.

PolandIn a study of apple skin temperatures it was

found that fruit skin temperatures on the

sunny side of the tree were higher than the

shady side and that summer pruning the trees

more than doubled the number of fruit with

skin temperatures above 35°C.

SerbiaIn a newly established high density orchard

Golden Delicious apple trees were allowed to

bear 10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 fruit in their second

season and it was found that with more than

40 fruit per tree there was reduced vegetative

vigour and reduced fruiting in the following

season.

CroatiaThere is a need for the apple industry to adopt

change as, when Croatia joins the European

Union, the abolition of tariffs on apples will see

increased competition from imported product

and reduced prices for the local industry.

SloveniaThree different inexpensive GPS devices were

studied, to explore their usefulness for precisely

locating a particular tree in an orchard, for yield

estimation where the same trees need to be

measured in different seasons. The best

instrument could only locate a tree to within

7.5m so these devices are not accurate enough

for individual tree identification.

PostharvestChinaA new method of pesticide detection on apples

has been developed that has dramatically

reduced the limit of detection 300-fold.

FranceThe effect of commercial SmartFresh®

application to pears has been unpredictable,

so studies have been initiated to gain a better

understanding of the treatment to develop a

more predictable result.

PolandConference and Alexander Lucas pears were

juiced at harvest or after 3 months of storage.

Storing Conference pears reduced the yield

of juice while storing Alexander Lucas pears

increased it.

South AfricaAs South African apple exports have stagnated

over the past 8 years, a project, using

international trade indices, has been conducted

to identify potential new export markets for

South African apples.

SwitzerlandAfter 4 years of storage trials on Cripps Pink

it was found that ULO storage was superior

to SmartFresh to control scald and storage

at greater than 3.5°C was needed to avoid

internal browning.

Republic of Korea Fuji apple fruit were stored for 8 months

and then underwent simulated transport to

export markets and shelf life simulation.

Fruit maintained under constant CA during

storage all out turned well whereas only early

harvested fruit had good out turn with fruit that

were under CA for only the first month of storage

or that had been treated with SmartFresh.

HungaryIn a study of apple red colouration, it was

found that day and night temperatures have

a big effect on fruit sugar, acid and Vitamin C

content as well as colouration. It is proposed

that overhead cooling can be used to optimise

fruit quality at harvest.

ChinaResearch into methods of improving a robotic

apple harvester’s ability to successfully grab

a swaying apple has produced a method that

dramatically increases the rate of successful

fruit harvest.

IranIn order to measure changes in fruit quality the

electrical resistance of apples was measured

during storage and this system may prove to

be a useful measurement of quality in the future.

SloveniaOver 11 years, 13 evaluations of different apple

cultivars have been conducted using university

students aged between 20 and 25. It has been

found that the students prefer large, well coloured

red fruit. Small green fruit did not score well.

For eating quality the students award top ratings

to firm and juicy apples with a balanced acid/

sugar flavour and poor awards were made to

soft fruit without flavour.

ChinaStudies have identified that thiamine (Vitamin

B1) at 100mM effectively controls Alternaria

fruit rot (Alternaria alternata) of pears.

PortugalPear fruit were harvested early and stored

for 7 months in a range of conditions. At the

end of storage the chlorophyll fluorescence

was measured and found to be related to the

superficial scald that later developed during

simulated shelf life conditions.

PortugalWith the increasing use of on-line NIR (near

infra red) for grading apples and pears to

determine grower payments, the accuracy of

the NIR CASE system on Gala apples and

Rocha pears was examined and compared with

destructive testing of more than 300 fruit of

each cultivar for two seasons. The NIR CASE

system provided a good estimate of fruit sugar

and dry matter content although it provided a

poor estimate of fruit firmness.

International apple and pear research updateCompiled by Dr Gordon Brown, Technical Adviser

▼



Czech RepublicIn trials to determine the optimal ULO

conditions for storing new cultivars of apple

it was found that the best results were with

O2 close to 1% although this was poor if CO2was as high as 3%.

CanadaApple fruit were wounded and then treated

with SmartFresh prior to inoculation with blue

mould Penicillium expansum and gray mould

caused by Botrytis cinerea. Fruit were incubated

at room temperature for 20 hours prior to

dipping in new fungicides. After long term CA

storage it was found that while both fungicides

were effective, SmartFresh had no impact on

the appearance of the postharvest rots.

PortugalIn trials on alternatives to chlorine for water

disinfection it was found that electrolyzed

water was as effective as chlorine.

PortugalIt has been found that exposing Rocha pears to

100% oxygen at 5°C for 30 days prior to cutting

into slices delayed slice browning by 7 days and

had no effect on fruit sugars, acidity or firmness.

The treatment reduced the rate of respiration.

BelgiumIn an effort to assist selection of cultivars with

good storage potential, genetic mapping of the

candidate genes involved in fruit softening has

been done and more than 100 cultivars from a

breeding program profiled. ■

Pests and diseasesGermanyThe breakdown of the VF2 gene for black spot resistance was confirmed with genetically modified trees carrying the VF2 gene succumbing to the Vi158 strain of Black spot. A program has begun to mine for more resistance genes that may be used to impart Blackspot resistance on apples.

JordanFive cultivars of apple were infected with olive wilt (Verticilliumdahliae) and grown for a year. Only one cultivar had mild diseasesymptoms indicating that apple orchards can be planted in old olive orchards which have died due to this disease.

Czech RepublicMany Rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are carnivorous buttheir presence in apple orchards has not been studied. In a survey of amature orchard and surrounding grassy areas, a wheat crop and forest,it was found that the population density of rove beetles was highest inthe orchard and the beetles over-wintered in the grassy areas around theorchard. It is considered that these beetles control many orchard pests.

New ZealandThe aroma compounds emitted from healthy apple trees were comparedwith those from trees with light brown apple moth (Epiphyas postvittana)and it was found that infested trees produced an additional 9 aromacompounds. Placing previously infested trees and uninfested trees in a wind tunnel it was found that these additional aroma compounds attracted female parasitoid insects to the trees that had recently hadthe moth on them confirming the aroma compounds produced by thetrees was an attractant signal for predatory insects.

SwitzerlandEuropean agricultural policy dictates that all apple orchards will be IPM(integrated pest management) compliant from 2014. To assist in pestand disease control under IPM, a method called the SustainOS systemhas been developed.

ChinaPear tissue was subjected to different pear diseases and it was foundthat different plant defence enzymes were produced depending on thedisease organism.

IndiaIn a study of European red mite (Panonychus ulmi) population dynamics it was found that the colony population was related to therainfall, humidity and daily minimum temperature but poorly related to the daily maximum temperature.

USAWith the establishment of light brown apple moth in California it is desired to determine the heat tolerance of the pest to identify its eventual geographic range and the impact of climate change. For alllife stages it was found that 50% of the population died after 187hours at 32°C, 68 hours at 34°C, 21 hours at 38°C and 6 hours at 40°C.

USATwenty five isolates of black spot (Venturia inaequalis) were collectedfrom two commercial apple orchards and of these nine were found tobe resistant to strobilurin fungicides of which six were fully resistant.

China126 strains of fungi were collected from mature Fuji tree bark and labtested for efficacy against Valsa canker (Valsa ceratosperma). Goodcontrol was obtained with 24 strains of Alternaria and some were infectedonto canker affected trees and these inhibited the growth of the canker.

Bosnia-Herzegovina.A survey of insect pests in three apple orchards has identified 36 insect pests of which the most important, based on size and frequency, are; Cydia pomonella, Anthonomus pomorum, Aphis pomi,Dysaphis plantaginea, Callisto denticulella, Lithocolletis blancardella, Lithocolletis corylifoliella, Stigmella malella, Leucoptera malifoliella and Lyonetia clerkella.

BrazilGala apple trees with or without Apple stem grooving virus (ASGV) and Apple stem pitting virus (ASPV) were infected with Glomerella leaf spot (GLS) (Glomerella cingulata) and it was found that the growth of the fungal disease was substantially faster in trees that were virus affected.

▼


This data is from the APFIP evaluation sites only and may not be representative of the total district.Degree days are now being recorded from our stations for the period 1st September - 30th of April Calculation parameters are 10° degree low point / 32° degree high point.

State Association Contacts

Answers:Question 1 – Answer: False.Question 2 – Answer: A: American Beauty is a movie.Question 3 – Answer: B: Bacillus thuringiensis.Question 4 – Answer: A: Full bloom.Question 5 – Answer: D: Prunus cerasus.

Quiz supplied by Greg Cramond, SA

Industry information & horticulture quiz APFIP Weather Station Roundup

Temperature and Rain Fall Data: 23/10/2012 - 15/11/2012

Average Average Rainfall Total Degree Total Temp Temp For Rainfall Days For DegreeMinimum Maximum Period From Period Days From

1/1/2012 1/9/2011

Batlow NSW 9 21 10 769 157 306

Huon TAS 3 16 53 545 59 128

Lenswood SA 6 22 7 555 136 299

Manjimup WA 9 20 46 256 N/A N/A

Goulburn VIC 6 24 6 343 165 322

Yarra Valley VIC 8 21 37 704 N/A N/A

Orange NSW 8 21 9 566 138 285

Stanthorpe QLD 9 22 10 476 157 420

State Name E-mail Address Phone

WA Stephanie Faggetter [email protected] Fruit WestPost address: PO Box 7198 Karawara, WA 6152 (08) 9368 3125Office address: 3 Baron-Hay Court South, Perth, WA 6151

NSW Justin Crosby [email protected] Level 25, 66 Goulburn Street, Sydney, NSW 2000 (02) 8251 1700

QLD Michael Cowan [email protected] GrowcomFloor 1, 385 St George Terrace Fortitude Valley, QLD 4006 (07) 3620 3861

SA Susie Green [email protected] Apple & Pear Growers Association of SA1655 Lobethal Road, Lenswood, SA 5240 (08) 8389 8300

TAS Lucy Gregg [email protected] Fruit Growers Tasmania Inc262 Argyle Street Hobart, Tasmania, 7000 (03) 6231 1944

VIC John Wilson [email protected] Fruit Growers Victoria2 Rumbalara Road, Mooroopna, VIC 3629 (03) 5825 3700

Greg’s QuizQuestion 1:True or False: Plum Pox virus is also know as “X Disease”.

Question 2:Which of these is not a cherry variety?

A: American Beauty. B: American Amber. C: American Doctor. D: American Heart.

Question 3:“BT” is a bacterial insecticide; what does BT stand for?

A: Botox. B: Bacillus thuringiensis. C: Bloody toxic. D: Ban totally.

Question 4:At which growth stage are apple buds most susceptible to frost damage?

A: Full bloom. B: Green tip. C: Tight cluster. D: Silver tip.

Question 5:The sweet cherry is Prunus avium: What is the Latin name for the sour cherry?

A: Prunus persica. B: Prunus italica. C: Prunus armeniaca. D: Prunus cerasus.

This project was facilitated by HAL in partnership with Apple & Pear Australia Limited and is funded bythe apple and pear levy. The Australian Governmentprovides matching funding for HAL’s R&D activities.

A U S T R A L I A N

fruitgrower



ReTain ®

ReTain FOR BIGGER, BETTER APPLES, HARVESTED AS NEEDED

‘We obviously use ReTain so we can get the best quality and consistency.

‘We also use it to help with storage. Actually, everything we store gets “ReTained” so we can keep them longer while maintaining the quality.’

James also sees ReTain as a useful tool for delaying harvests to increase fruit size.

‘If I’m struggling for size, say I want 5-7 mil extra in my fruit – to get more money for a premium size – I can hold it back for a couple of weeks, depending on the variety.’

For the full story go to: www.sumitomo-chem.com.au

Or scan the QR Code here:

James GaffneyApple growerBon View OrchardsPakenham Vic

SUMITOMO CHEMICAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD

www.sumitomo-chem.com.au

ReTain® is a registered trademark of Valent BioSciences Corporation, Libertyville, IL, USA.

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Spray early for beautiful fruit.

To produce wonderful Pome and Stone fruit, it pays to start early with DuPont™ Altacor®. • Target the fi rst Codling moth and Oriental fruit moth generation and get on top of the

problem before it gets on top of you. • Control Codling moth in the egg, as they hatch and any larvae that emerge. • Altacor® is also friendly to key beneficials, which do a great job controlling secondary pests.

So this season, aim for crystal clear fruit with DuPont™ Altacor®.

www.cropprotection.dupont.com.auALWAYS REFER TO THE LABEL BEFORE USECopyright © 2011 DuPont. The DuPont Oval Logo, DuPont™, The miracles of science®, Rynaxypyr® and Altacor® are trademarks or registered trademarks of DuPont or its affi liates. Du Pont (Australia) Ltd. 7 Eden Park Drive, Macquarie Park NSW 2113. ACN 000 716 469. All rights reserved. DP1477/AFG/R.


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