australian fruitgrower

03www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER JUNE 2014

C O N T E N T S

APAL would like to thank our partners who provide us with funding and support.

Edition Booking and Editorial copy deadline Ad material deadline

August 2014 7th July 2014 18th July 2014

September 2014 8th August 2014 18th August 2014

F R O M T H E E D I T O R

Vol. 8 Issue No. 6 July 2014

Australian FruitgrowerApple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) is thepeak industry body representing the interests of commercial apple and pear growers in Australia inmatters of national importance including regulation,legislation, marketing, research and development.

Australian Fruitgrower will be published monthly,except for combined issues in December–January,to bring industry news to orchardists in Australia.

PublishersApple and Pear Australia Limited

39 O’Connell Street, North Melbourne VIC 3051t: (03) 9329 3511 f: (03) 9329 3522

w: www.apal.org.au

Managing EditorSophie Clayton

Communications Manager, APALe: [email protected]

Technical EditorJesse Reader

e: [email protected]

AdvertisingThe publishers accept no responsibility for the

contents of advertisements. All advertisements areaccepted in good faith and the liability of advertisingcontent is the responsibility of the advertiser.

Enquiries: Hyde Mediat: (03) 5792 1314

e: [email protected]

Graphic DesignVale Graphics

t: 0409 887 706e: [email protected]

CopyrightAll material in Australian Fruitgrower is copyright.NO material can be reproduced in whole or inpart without the permission of the publisher.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracyof contents, APAL accepts no liability for the information.

DisclaimerAustralian Fruitgrower’s content is intended forgeneral informational purposes only and may not be suitable for your particular purposes. In particular, APAL is not responsible for any

information which is supplied from external sources.You should obtain independent expert advice ifyou are considering relying on any informationpublished in Australian Fruitgrower. APAL is notresponsible for any loss, damage, cost or expenseincurred by you or any other person as a result ofany error, omission or misrepresentation in the

contents of Australian Fruitgrower.

ISSN 1447-5618

APAL Chairman’s report . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

APAL CEO’s report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

APAL news . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

State Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

R&D update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Weather and Greg’s Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . .35

ARTICLES

EVENTS

Deconstructing China . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Pink Lady™ buyer visit . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Upcoming events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

SPECIAL FEATURE

N&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

GROWER PROFILE

Cutting energy costs in packhouses . .18

ORCHARD AND PACKHOUSE MANAGEMENT

Refrigeration for fruit storage . . . . . . .21

Prepare for spring frost . . . . . . . . . . .22

Topwork to establish new varieties . . .26

R&D

Soil carbon in orchards . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Effects of recent warm weather . . . . .32

Now’s the time to consider orchard changes andGordon Brown gives us some ideas on topworking

to establish new varieties while the Future Orchards team prepare us for spring frosts. APAL staff report on thevisit of Pink Lady™ importers from Asia and how we can re-envisage China – in smaller parts – as a more practicalway to consider exporting there.

We have a special focus on cutting energy costs in packhouses in the lead-up to our saving energy walks

taking place in July – be sure you come along to those. Bonny Glen Fruit and the energyaudit done in their packhouse are featured as an example of how energy use can bereduced and Minus40 explains the importance of upgrading refrigeration in cool stores.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone at the Apple and Pear Industry Summit 23-25July and don’t forget to give us feedback on what you want to see in Australian Fruitgrower.

Sophie Clayton

OUR COVER: Bernardand Fiona Hall andtheir family in Orange,NSW (see pg 18).

F R O M T H E C H A I R M A N

AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER JULY 2014 www.apal.org.au04

The APAL Board met at the end of May and approved the preliminary APAL 5-yearStrategic Plan. This is the first plan we have prepared for APAL itself, as opposed to awhole-of-industry plan. The Plan outlines how APAL will forge its future over the nextfive years and deliver the best outcomes it can for the industry. We will roll it out withgrowers over the coming months to further shape it and I look forward to gettingplenty of input from you on it.

By John LawrensonChairman, APAL

It is an ambitious plan and the introduction gives a very good statistical analysis of the industry – a much betteranalysis than we have ever had before. For that we have to

thank John Dollisson who started his career as a statistician withthe Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The objectives of the Plan are based around the three themes ofgrowth, profitability and sustainability. Some specific objectives areto increase production, domestic consumption and exports; shareindustry data to help growers make sound business decisions; makesure R&D is relevant and outcomes are communicated; protectthe industry against foreign pests and diseases; and grow ourinvestments in the Australian industry by advancing our IP interests.

As part of the APAL Board meeting we also met with the PrevarBoard. It has been two years since we met with them and it provided a very useful exchange of information and ideas. It wasgood to hear how the new varieties are progressing and theirplans for the coming years. Prevar will also hold a consultationmeeting with growers in Melbourne on 14-15 August – somake sure you attend if you want to contribute, have questionsor want to hear more from them.

We’re also seeing progress on the review of HAL. All PeakIndustry Bodies, including APAL, have officially endorsed the recommendation that HAL transition to an organisation ownedby growers rather than owned by the industry bodies. We expectthe proposed changes at HAL will proceed fairly rapidly, but therewill be a fair amount of work to be done after the new organisationhas been formed. We will continue to stress the role APAL canplay in connecting with apple and pear growers and we want to ensure those means of communication, support and input toindustry R&D plans remain at the level they are at the moment.

One recommendation from the HAL review is that industry bodiesbe given the opportunity to manage their own marketing that is undertaken using levies paid by growers. These levies are notmatched by government, unlike the R&D component. Marketingis central to the industry’s success and APAL’s activities. We wouldlike this recommendation to be adopted by HAL and if it is wehope to assume marketing responsibilities in the future.

As we head towards our Apple and Pear Industry Summit, which incorporates our AGM, it has been good to see our newconstitution that was endorsed last year come into play. Ouramended constitution has meant changes for the selection ofnew APAL Board Directors. Two positions became vacant thisyear – for NSW and Victoria. The selection committee togetherwith the relevant state associations – Fruit Growers Victoria andNSW Farmers Association – recommended that Kevin Sanders andGreg Mouat be reappointed for Victoria and NSW respectively. I am delighted that they will be reappointed and that they willserve on the Board for another 3 years. The amended constitutionensures this information is communicated to members in the relevant state and it allows for any other member to nominateoutside the selection process if they wish, although this year noone else was nominated.

Anti-dumping is an important issue for Australian apple andpear growers, but proving imported product is dumped hasalways been fraught with difficulties in the past. We are currentlyawaiting for the Australian Government to introduce aggressivenew anti-dumping legislation. It is particularly relevant for ourindustry in relation to processed fruit and apple juice concentrateso we are imploring the government to go as far as it can withthis legislation so it becomes easier for industries to act whenevera case of dumping may arise.

I’ve also been watching two stories emerge from the UK. Britishsupermarket chain ASDA is planning to store fruit in an Italiancave – a natural cold storage. It’s presumably cost-effective andhas a smaller carbon footprint. Another UK supermarket, Waitrose,is planning to sell and market ‘blemished’ fruit alongside its regular lines. This is designed to curb the large levels of foodwastage and can only be seen as a good development. This fruit will find its own price level and will likely appeal to someconsumers and not others. It will be very interesting to see howthese novel approaches work. :afg

John Lawrenson I m: 0417 391 786 I e: [email protected]

F R O M T H E C E O

05www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER JULY 2014

John Dollisson | t: (03) 9329 3511 | e: [email protected]

Time to recharge our batteriesand think of the season ahead

By John DollissonCEO, APAL

Now that we have harvested the 2013/14 crop its time to recharge our batteries. As Ernest Hemingway said “I still need more healthy rest in order to work at

my best. My health is the main capital I have and I want to administer it intelligently.”

While taking that rest, let’s think about the season past, theunpredictable weather including frosts, hail and excessive heat,the bird and bat infestation, and the consequential reducedcrop, particularly the early season varieties.

For me this raises two questions. Firstly, do we have the appropriate risk mitigation strategies in place to reduce theimpact of nature and ensure a predictable crop. Hail/bird netting,evaporative cooling and other protective measures are costly and need to be weighed up against the risk of crop destruction.However, with climate change and greater government protectionof birds, natural challenges may increasingly become issues for

0415 663 413email [email protected]

CONTACT MICHAEL CUNIAL ON

Don't leave it to late to Order your Drape Net

Drape Net This Season?

In the last 10 years we have had some extreme weather events.

A good sales point is that in most cases Drape Net customers order more Drape Net the next year for exposed blocks. If you have uncovered blocks It may be worth your while to think of using Drape Net as a form of income protection.

our industry. Secondly, it raises the opportunity for exportbecause the smaller supply of early season fruit had a positiveeffect on pricing in the market. In good years, this could be puttoward export programs so that you benefit from income fromdomestic and export sales.

To assist us in our thinking, APAL through Horticulture AustraliaLimited have appointed a contractor to undertake a major dataproject on the 2013/14 crop. It will include, for the first time, a detailed crop forecast delivered in November so that we canconsider (barring inclement weather, birds etc.) the likely crop by variety for apples and pears and the most profitable marketsfor our produce.

I look forward to seeing you on our grower visits and discussingthis and other issues to improve the industry profitability. :afg


A PA L N EW S

Apple and pear growers are invitedto attend Asia Fruit Logistica,Hong Kong — Asia’s leading

fresh produce trade show. A full day conference program is organised forTuesday, 2 September 2014 and will befollowed by the three-day trade show.

APAL Market Development ManagerClaire Fitchett will be in attendance againthis year to represent the Australian appleand pear industry.

“Asia Fruit Logistica is an opportunity tomeet with buyers from across the globeand learn about new products, ideas andtechnologies,” says Claire.

Claire Fitchett serving a selection of Australianapples and pears at Asia Fruit Logistica – agreat place to connect with Asian buyers.

APAL has participated in the trade showfor several years and encourages growersinterested in export to make the trip.

“The trade show provides an invaluableopportunity for apple and pear growersto meet with Asian buyers in a face-to-face environment,” says Claire. “Attendeesare exposed to international export ideasand insights along with numerous networking opportunities.

“The feedback I’ve received fromAustralian apple and pear growers whohave attended in the past has been reallypositive. They are impressed by the broadrange of international buyers who are

“”

Asia Fruit Logistica is

an opportunity to meet

with buyers from across

the globe and learn

about new products,

ideas and technologies

ready to do business. What can takemonths of email correspondence betweengrower and buyers who have never met,can be quickly resolved in face to facemeeting, resulting in actual sales.”

Apple and pear growers attending theevent are invited to share stand spacewith APAL in the ‘Australia Fresh’ sectionof the trade show. The stand will showcasefresh, Australian produce by AustraliaFresh member organisations includingapples, pears, table grapes, avocados,summerfruit, lychees, cherries and otherhorticulture industries.

“The stand is a great way to promote ourproducts to attendees,” says Claire. “Thereis an opportunity for growers and exportersto promote their product and companybrochures. Growers who wish to participatewould be required to assist on the stand,provide sampling product to buyers andact as a contact point for the industry.”

For more information or to register yourattendance contact Claire [email protected] or 03 9329 3511.Depending on numbers, there may be asmall fee to cover costs. :afg

Growers invited to Hong Kong for fruit show


A PA L N EW S

Apple and pearindustry summit2014

APAL members and apple and pear levy-payers are invited toattend the Apple and Pear

Industry Summit 2014 in Shepparton,Victoria, 23-25 July 2014. The summit will encompass APAL’s AGM, the AnnualLevy Payers Meeting, industry dinner, keystakeholders’ roundtable and a ‘savingenergy’ farm walk.

“I encourage all our growers to make theeffort to come along to the activities ofour Apple and Pear Industry Summit,” saysJohn Lawrenson, APAL Chair. “It is anotheropportunity for APAL members to meetand interact with the APAL Board and staffand get involved to support our industry.There will be plenty of opportunity fordiscussion and questions.”

Olea Nurseries Pty Ltd82 Mitchelldean Rd, Yanmah via Manjimup WA 6258T: 08 9772 1207 F: 08 9772 1333E: [email protected]. W: www.oleanurseries.com.au

Still looking for Stonefruit to

plant?

Call for your last minute requests.

Book now Both John Lawrenson and APAL CEO JohnDollisson will give presentations at theAPAL AGM. The AGM will include reportson the year’s activities and all the usualstatutory functions such as financial statements and director appointments.

At the apple and pear Annual Levy PayersMeeting, Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL)will report on the marketing and researchand development levy investments for2013/14. HAL representatives will alsooutline the industry Strategic InvestmentPlan and future proposed investments.

APAL’s AGM will be held at 4pm on 24 Julyfollowed by the Annual Levy Payers Meetingat 5pm and industry dinner at 6.30pm. Moreinfo available at www.apal.org.au/eventsor contact APAL on [email protected] or03 9329 3511. :afg

for APAL industry dinner, 24 July, Shepparton

www.tinyurl.com/apaldinner2014

Cider tasting, dinner and entertainment

– all welcome.


E X P O R T

Deconstructing China as an export destination

By Annie Farrow

On a recent trip to China, APAL Industry Services ManagerAnnie Farrow attended Asiafruit Market Insight 2014conference. Here she shares what she found out aboutChina as a market for Australian apples and pears andhow thinking of it in smaller parts may be more helpfulfor exporters.

Export potential of Yangtze River DeltaThe enormous potential of the Yangtze River Delta was the subject of the AsiafruitMarket Insight 2014 conference in China.

The Yangtze River Delta is the hinterland of Shanghai and includes a cluster of around60 cities with a combined population of 130 million. Accounting for 20% of China’s GDP,the area assumes the top position for gross retail sales and import-export value for China.Although purchasing power falls away further from Shanghai, almost all cities enjoyhousehold incomes well above the national average. Metrics around prosperity bode wellfor fruit sales and imported fruit consumption across the cities of the Yangtze River Delta.

Speakers like James Sinclair from InterChina noted that whilst there is continued strong growth in food sales through modern retail outlets, the retail segment remainsfragmented. For example while Carrefour, Walmart, and CR Vanguard have multiplesites across major cities their share in overall grocery sales remains small individually and collectively. There are a large number of local retailers that operate within only one citywhich complicates the ability of fresh fruit exporters to extend their promotional andmarketing efforts. This is complicated further, with the purchasing and promotionaldecisions of the major chains often operating on an individual basis rather thanthrough central HQ co-ordination.

Nevertheless, hypermarkets have grown considerably, up from 30% of grocery sales in2003 to a current share of 50%. Traditional outlets like wet markets, Ma and Pa storesand mini-marts now account for only 50% of grocery sales, down from 70% a decadeearlier, and this trend will continue.

But the surge in e-commerce has many China commentators and fruit traders scrutinisingthe new phenomenon. James Sinclair estimates that one-quarter of households purchasedgroceries online in 2012, up 35% on a year earlier. Brand building, both of premiumlocal products and imported products is accompanying the growth in online sales.

Sinclair also noted that in-store marketing remains key to building brand presence. He said that one cannot rely on the distribution channel to perform this as they lackthe expertise and resources. He indicated that effective campaigns include point of sale material, targeted product merchandising displays and packaging backed up within-store sampling. :afg

Annie Farrow, Industry Service Manager, APALt: (03) 9329 3511 | e: [email protected]

Target‘Tier Two’ Cities

Fruitday.com’s Loren Zhao, thefirst importer to take Tasmanianapples into China, reported that

Tier 2 cities can offer more opportunitiesthan Tier 1 cities (Beijing, Shanghai,Guangzhou and Shenzhen) wherecompetition is fierce. While there is noofficial definition of a Tier 2 city, theyare generally classed as the next biggestcities in terms of population and wealth,may include large provincial capitalslike Chengdu, Xi’an and Nanjing.

Speaking at the Asiafruit MarketInsight 2014 conference, Zhao saidthat housing prices and other livingcosts are generally lower in the Tier 2cities and hence their populations havemore disposable income. Life is alsoless pressured, people are more “family”oriented and have considerably moreleisure time.

Zhao says that Tier 2 consumers arequicker in making purchasing decisions(3 days) than their Tier 1 cousins (oneweek). He also believes that Tier 2households watch more TV than theirTier 1 counterparts. No doubt Zhaowill take advantage of that by retailingpremium imported fruit through his TVshopping channel.

But understanding the regional differences is critical to successfullymarketing fruit into Tier 2 citiesaccording to Zhao. Climate and cultureand taste drive different purchasingpatterns across the Tier 2 cities. Hesaid, for example, that Pink Lady™apples are more popular in some cities than others. Likewise, fruit sizepreferences differed across regions(large fruit is important in the Northand for gift giving around festivals).

He also suggested that the names ofsome fruit differed across the country,not only for domestically grown fruitbut also imported product. Because of these regional differences Zhao cautioned that one should avoid copyingthe Tier 1 city approach to marketingand promoting fruit and research thetargeted Tier 2 city well.


E X P O R T

“Pink Lady is now the most popular apple in the Australian market and its attractive appearance should also help it toappeal to the Asian consumer,” said Howard.

In Melbourne, APAL ran a briefing session for the buyers on thebenefits and characteristics of Australian Pink Lady apples. Therewas a lot of interesting discussion with the buyers keen to learnfrom each other about their experience in handling and sellingPink Lady apples. All buyers reiterated that promotion andadvertising were key to launching and marketing a new apple inAsia. Whilst Pink Lady is not a new apple brand, it is just startingto gain popularity in Asian markets.

Similarly, the buyers stressed that given Pink Lady has a differenttaste profile to other apples it’s important to run taste testing in supermarkets to let consumers try before they buy. APAL-coordinated promotions of Australian Pink Lady apples in Malaysialast year proved this was correct, with sampling and promotionskey to selling 5 containers of apples in a few weeks.

The delegation visited the Melbourne Wholesale Market as wellas the impressive new Nine Mile Fresh packing shed in Tynong,an hour from Melbourne. The highly automated and sophisticatedtechnology at Nine Mile Fresh certainly left a positive impressionin the minds of the buyers that the Australian apple industry isopen and ready for business! A visit to Montague’s orchards inNarre Warren was also a hit, with buyers able to pick and tastetheir own Pink Lady apples. Montague Fresh have been successfully exporting premium Pink Lady apples to the UK and Asia for several years.

Debbie Koay from Chop Tong Guan (recipient of the 2013AsiaFruit ‘Importer of the Year’ award) said she could instantlysee and taste the difference of Australia’s Pink Lady apples.

“The colour is exceptional and really appeals to our customers,”said Debbie. “Whilst the flavour profile of a Pink Lady is differentto other varieties in the market there is demand for something a bit unique and Pink Lady fills that space. However, the pricemust also be right in order for us to order bigger volumes. There

For the second year in a row APAL hosted a group of tenPink Lady™ apple importers and retailers from Asia. Thedelegates represented companies from Thailand, Malaysia,

Singapore and China. All the buyers are currently importing, orare keen to start importing, Australian Pink Lady apples. Manyalso have experience handling Pink Lady apples from other markets, including France, South Africa and the USA.

After the success we had last year with the inaugural Asian PinkLady visiting delegation, this was a great opportunity to invitemore buyers to Australia to see the fruit being harvested andpacked, meet the growers and exporters and learn more aboutwhat Australia has to offer. This significantly increases buyers’appreciation of the product and the likelihood of purchasing.After all, this is the home of the world-famous Pink Lady appleand buyers are keen to really understand what makes AustralianPink Lady apples so great. The Australian product can be moreexpensive than Pink Lady apples from other markets but oncebuyers see the product for themselves they understand that the higher colour, sweeter-tasting premium Australian fruit will command a stronger retail price in Asia. Quality is ultimatelywhat sells more fruit, not price.

Before the official program started, I took half of the group toTasmania where we saw Pink Lady and other apple varieties forexport. Buyers from China were especially keen to talk to BadenRibbon, Marketing Manager from Hansen Orchards about supplying Tasmanian apples. Hansen Orchards is one of just afew Tasmanian packing sheds registered to export fruit to China.

“Following the success we had with the first airfreight shipmentof Royal Gala apples to China in April, we are keen to see ourexports to China grow,” said Baden. “The opportunities thereare enormous and buyers are keen to focus on the uniqueTasmanian story in promoting fruit to consumers.”

Howard Hansen, owner of Hansen Orchards added, “These visitingdelegations are really useful for us to make connections with theright people. We are also very keen to try to develop exportmarkets for Pink Lady.”

APAL’s Claire Fitchett helped host a visit of Pink Lady™ apple importers from Asiarecently and explores here the future opportunities in the region to increase exportsof Australia’s leading apple.

By Claire Fitchett

Asian Pink Lady™ buyersvisit Australia


E X P O R T

Asian fruit buyers inspect apples at the Melbourne Wholesale markets, from left to right, Debbie Koay(Chop Tong Guan, Malaysia), Wongduean Sama-Arphut (Siam Markro, Thailand), and Siti Ramlan,(Giant supermarket, Malaysia).

is a lot of competition in the apple category in Malaysia so Australian Pink Lady applesmust offer consumers something special.”

The group then visited Lenswood Co-operative in the Adelaide Hills. CEO JamesWalters led the group on a tour through the packing shed and spoke to the buyersabout their export focus. Whilst harvest had already finished, the buyers were able to try some of Lenswood’s export grade apples and found them sweet and crunchy – both imperative in the eyes of Asian buyers.

“We supplied fruit to Cold Storage supermarkets in Malaysia last year and the colourand flavour of our Pink Lady apples was critical in driving sales,” said James.

Retail buyer Siti Ramlan from Dairy Farm Group in Kuala Lumpur (which includes Giant,Cold Storage and Jason’s brands) participated in the visit as she wanted to gain a betterunderstanding of the quality characteristics and origin of the apples.

“We loved the apples we sold last year from Lenswood and we’re keen to grow ourorders this season if the price and quality are right,” said Ms Ramlan.

Pink Lady represents more than a third of our nation’s crop. And for good reason. It isa premium, delicious apple that has a strong consumer following and generally attractsa high retail price domestically. With more Pink Lady tree plantings and grafting occurringin most growing regions it is important to think about the future of this apple – wherewill we sell it all and how can we get the best value out of it?

Asian markets are keen to try new apples to supplement the familiar Fuji apples thatdominate shelves. Not to mention the power of a good brand in Asia. Pink Lady isunique in that it is one of just a few branded horticulture products – we should exploitthis opportunity to grow our exports. It seems the opportunities in Asia are there forthe picking.

Don’t forget, Pink Lady apples must be handled by a licenced Pink Lady exporter andimporter. Talk to one of the current Australian licence holders if you would like toexport Pink Lady apples (www.pinkladyapples.com/about/Exporters.asp.)

This inbound delegation was partially funded by HAL project AP11023, a joint initiativeof APAL and the Department of Environment and Primary Industries, Victoria, to increasethe exports of Australian apples and pears to Asia. :afg

Wassailing festivalHuon Valley, TAS19 Jul 2014

Farm walks – saving energy:

Yarra Valley, VIC21 Jul 2014

Swan Hill, VIC22 Jul 2014

Shepparton, VIC23 Jul 2014

Apple and Pear Industry Summit2014: Shepparton, VIC

APAL AGM, levy payers annual meeting,stakeholders’ roundtable and industrydinner24 Jul 2014

APAL Board meeting25 July 2014


Hobart, TAS5 Aug 2014

Adelaide Hills, SA7 Aug 2014

Manjimup, WA13 Aug 2014

Prevar: Pome fruit products workshopMelbourne, VIC14-15 Aug 2014

International Horticultural CongressBrisbane, QLD17-22 Aug 2014


Batlow, NSW19 Aug 2014

Orange, NSW20 Aug 2014

Young, NSW21 Aug 2014

Stanthorpe, QLD27 Aug 2014

Asia Fruit LogisticaHong Kong3-5 Sep 2014

UPCOMINGEVENTS

More event info:apal.org.au/eventsClaire Fitchett, Market Development Manager, APAL

t: (03) 9329 3511 I e: [email protected]


S TAT E R O U N D U P

State Associations

WESTERN AUSTRALIAFruit West

t: (08) 9368 3869www.fruitwest.org.au

NEW SOUTH WALESNSW Farmers Association

t: (02) 8251 1700www.nswfarmers.org.au

QUEENSLANDGrowcom

t: (07) 3620 3844www.growcom.com.au

SOUTH AUSTRALIASA Apple & Pear Growers

Associationt: (08) 8389 8300

[email protected]

TASMANIAFruit Growers Tasmania Inc

t: (03) 6231 1944www.fruitgrowerstas.com.au

VICTORIAFruit Growers Victoria,

t: (03) 5825 3700www.fgv.com.au/

www.apal.org.au/about-apal/our-partners

South Australia’s apple andpear growers came togetherat the Botanic Gardens ofAdelaide to celebrate the endof the season with a fascinatingdirector’s tour of a rare collection of apple and pearmodels at the Santos Museumof Economic Botany. Made inGermany the incredibly life-likepapier-mâché fruit modelswere collected during the1860s–1890s as a means toeducate farmers on establishingcrops in that era. The collectionincludes 192 different varietiesof apples and 129 varieties ofpears. Adelaide's collection isone of the largest collectionsto survive and the only oneknown to exist outside of

Europe. It is well worth a visitif you are passing throughAdelaide. Growers were treatedto the history of this collectionfrom museum curator TonyKanellos and it provided arelaxing way to unwind andreflect on our history withmodern fruit cultivation.

Growers have been makingthe most of the generally mild autumn to clear blocks,undertake soil preparation and get on top of all the otherorchard activities. There havebeen some reasonable autumnrains but growers are hopingfor a cold, wet winter to fillthe soil profile and bring onsome much needed winter chill.Despite the very challenging

South AustraliaGrowers prepare orchards for new plantingsand think about netting to prevent birddamage, while an exhibition of papier-mâchéfruit models is held in Adelaide.

season, particularly for theearlier varieties, we are seeingsome buoyancy in the industryas prices remain strongerthan they have been for thepast two years. There areplans for new plantings asgrowers look to new vari-eties and some blocks thathave been left vacant inrecent times will be planted.There is also however, someconsolidation occurring, withowners of some smaller andageing enterprises choosingto retire from the industry.

Netting is of interest and highon the agenda for severalgrowers after the severe birddamage suffered this year.Water allocations continue toroll out through the AdelaideHills, with most water licencesin place, although it will takesome time for this process tobe completed.

Susie GreenCEO SA Apple and Pear GrowersAssociation

New South WalesDavid Gartrell hands the NSW reportingreins to Guy Gaeta who notes that pricesand demand for processing fruit are up,as growers ask for help against fruitbats and query biosecurity action.

As the fine weather continuesto shine pruning has becomeenjoyable for a change.Some heavy rain would be welcomed to top up our damlevels in anticipation for awarmer spring and summerahead. Although crop yieldshave been down this year

and pack outs have also seen

a reduced volume, one good

thing is that we have witnessed

firm fruit prices. Demand for

processing fruit has also been

very high.

Batlow and Orange are in

the process of submitting a

proposal to the StateGovernment in relation to flying foxes requesting a 50%subsidy for crop protection.This is viewed as a positivestep forward in protecting bothour crops and the flying foxes.

The Australian Governmenthas announced $20 million to build a stronger biosecurityand quarantine system. Cherrygrowers in NSW have beenadvised of the little cherryvirus (LCV) in Tasmania. Theyhave not found any LCV inany of the cherry growing districts in the mainland. Yet, Biosecurity Australia has announced that LCV isendemic to the whole ofAustralia. The question needs

to be asked…is that howthey protect us from exoticdiseases?

Happy pruning, until nexttime.

Guy GaetaCommunications OfficerNSW Farmers Association

www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER JULY 2014 13

S TAT E R O U N D U P

Stanthorpe apple growershave faced a challengingseason with a hot dry summer leading to qualityconcerns with ‘Gala’ and‘Red Delicious’. Fortunately a relatively mild autumncombined with above averagerainfall in the last threemonths (209mm comparedwith the usual 152mm atApplethorpe) have producedsuperior quality Pink Lady™,

‘Granny Smith’ and

Sundowner™ crops.

The autumn rainfall, while

providing welcome assistance

in getting this year’s apple

crop through to harvest, has

done little for the capacity of

the Stanthorpe district water

storages. Most growers are

concerned that while sufficient

water will be available to start

the season, an El Nino weather

Queensland pattern is expected to set infor the late winter, spring andearly summer. This, in allprobability, will mean waterwill become a very limitingfactor next season.

Stanthorpe apple growers willbe looking for colder weatherduring June and July as todate chilling accumulation has been minimal due to verymild overnight temperaturesand warm days during May.

Cold room operators arereporting some spare capacityon the back of good earlyfruit sales. Fruit has becomeharder to move in recentweeks with prices easing backafter a promising start.

APAL CEO John Dollisson,APAL Technical ManagerAngus Crawford and APALDirector for Queensland RosieSavio, have visited Stanthorpe

apple growers to talk aboutissues the growers are facingon their own orchards andobtain feedback on the performance of APAL as it continues the work of supporting the apple industryAustralia-wide.

Peter NimmoResearch Station Leader,Applethorpe ResearchStation Department of Agriculture,Fisheries and Forestry,Queensland

Superior quality apples this season for Queensland have resulted in somespare storage capacity, but growers are concerned about water availability andlack of chill for the upcoming season.

Contact PeterT: (03) or 0408 125 734E: [email protected]

ROOTSTOCKOrders taken for 2014 /2015

Pear• Quince C• D 6 Seedling

Orchards in Queensland have experienced warm conditions so far and growers are hoping forcolder weather to help apple production.


S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

A market can be a competitive place. An estimated 2.5 million tonnes of fresh produce worth around $3 billion goes through the Sydney Markets each year.

Much of this is handled by 120-odd wholesalers. So, as awholesaler, how do you carve out a position? You can competeon quality, or price, or value, and/or integrity and reliability. Of course you must ultimately be able to supply what yourcustomers expect or demand; securing supply by becoming agrower contributes to a sound foundation, as well as helpingyou understand your other grower-suppliers’ perspectives.

In the Sydney Markets N&A Group carries a name representinga market history going back to Neiley & Alderton who tradedin both Sydney and Melbourne from 1892. The Cathels familybought into the business in 1956 when David Cathels togetherwith his father – a solicitor practising near Sydney’s Haymarket

Dealings between growers and wholesalers range across the spectrum from productivepartnerships to reluctant relationships. The question is often asked as to just whatwholesalers contribute to their side of the equation. Presumably if they don’t contributesomething they won’t be around for long. However N&A Group, based in the Sydney Markets,is grower, packer, marketer and exporter, and carries a name that has been around morethan 100 years. It’s a business that is clear about just what it adds to the value chain.

with client links to the famous site – bought a share of thebusiness then owned by Alfred Moss. He later took ownershipof the balance remaining.

Through the wholesale market David Cathels became friendlywith Batlow fruitgrower Bob Heatley at a time when growingwas more rewarding than wholesale trading. Cathels had likedthe Batlow district, the people, and the quality of what hasbecome an iconic fruit product such that, in 1964, he purchasedan orchard there – now known as Ardrossan Batlow Apples.N&A still does business with the Heatley family today andArdrossan Batlow remains an integral part of N&A Group’snow greatly expanded and diversified business.

David’s sons Rob and Ian Cathels joined the business in 1987.Ian currently manages the Batlow orchards and Rob steersN&A Group from the Sydney Markets head office.

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N&A Group was somewhat ahead of the contemporary trend tovertical integration. What was, initially, probably seen as a goodinvestment with supply-side benefits, is now a key element in abusiness positioned as delivering innovation to the supply chainand engaging new offerings across the marketing spectrum.

What could have entered the new millenium as “just” anothermarket wholesaler is now forging ahead as a broadly basedbusiness focusing on quality and strong and enduring workingrelationships embracing fruit production, marketing, exporting,pre-packing and a specialist organics division. This ‘whole ofsupply chain’ approach is perhaps best represented by N&AGroup’s active role in the front row for new apples Kanzi® andGreenstar® as a grower, packer and marketer.

“While the industry and the company grew in ‘fits and starts’ over50 years, the last decade has seen the good business modelssurvive and shown our early establishment of vertical integrationas a key,” Rob Cathels observed.

ORCHARDINGFrom a modest start with a block of young ‘Granny Smith’ theArdrossan Batlow Apples enterprise has expanded to more than150,000 trees including ‘Fuji’, all strains of high-colour ‘Gala’and ‘Cripps Pink’, ‘Granny Smith’, Red Delicious, and ‘CrippsRed’, plus the emerging new lines Kanzi® and Greenstar®.Supply from N&A Group’s own plantings is supplemented byfruit from selected other local growers.

Under Ian Cathels’ management close attention is paid to treepruning and trellising, crop loads and all other tree managementfactors on a site-by-site basis to ensure the maximum yield andpackout of fruit to the group’s own high quality standards on allfour sites in the Batlow district.

Typical planting densities are now about 3000 trees/hectare. All trees are protected by netting. While much use is made ofunstructured hail netting to minimise crop damage, some trees

are under structured netting which is the subject of carefullyconsidered cost-benefit analysis.

Fruit is held at Batlow under Controlled Atmosphere conditionswith nitrogen generators and nitrogen flushing of coolrooms,before being transported daily to Sydney for marketing. Packingfacilities at Batlow employ more than 20 full time staff. Fruit ispacked on a daily basis using modern equipment. N&A Group hasone of the largest areas of sales floor and warehousing in theSydney Markets – about 8000 square metres – of which abouthalf is devoted to state of the art storage and fruit ripening capacity.

Ardrossan Batlow Apples, under Ian Cathels’ management, is a key element in the vertically integrated N&A Group business producing established apple varieties plus the emerging new lines Kanzi and Greenstar.

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uTechnology in the market. N&A Group’s Rob Cathels with touchscreen inventory and sales technology at their Sydney Markets site.OPPOSITE PAGE: Brothers Ian Cathels (left) and Rob Cathels (right).

16 AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER JULY 2014 www.apal.org.au

u KANZI AND GREENSTARInnovation is a powerful driver in the retail market and N&AGroup has invested significantly in the new apples Kanzi andGreenstar trialled in Batlow

“We liked the result – it was included in all trials and provedsuperior to existing apple varieties – a winner had emerged,”Rob said. The first plantings were made in 2010 and they nowhave more than 30,000 Kanzi® trees in the ground; there arenow more than 200,000 Kanzi trees growing across Australiamanaged by more than 40 licensed growers. Small quantities ofcommercial fruit have already hit the markets and sold quickly.

At Batlow increasing plantings of Kanzi are slowly replacingareas of ordinary ‘Gala’, ordinary ‘Cripps Pink’ and Red Delicious.

Kanzi (a ‘Gala’ and ‘Braeburn’ cross) is described as having arefreshing, crunchy bite with an intense apple flavour – a perfectbalance of sweet and tart. European production is now largescale involving more than 1000 growers and 2100ha. Some65,000 tonnes are expected to be sold in Europe this season.

Rob Cathels commented, “Kanzi has a particularly intense andattractive flavour. It never fails to impress in taste trials.”

Greenstar (a cross between ‘Delbarestival’ and ‘Granny Smith’) is described as an incredibly sweet and crisp apple with a bright,white flesh that stays white long after cutting. This feature isdue to a high vitamin C level in the flesh, moreso than in theskin, which acts as an anti-oxidant. This apple’s non-browningfeature (even after 24 hours) – making it ideal as a garnish, insalads and on cheese platters – will underpin local marketing.There are about 30,000 Greenstar trees now in Australian soilwith most in Batlow and Orange (NSW), Manjimup (WA), andthe Adelaide Hills (SA).

These new varieties were introduced to Australia from Belgiumby Des Muir, Giston Consulting. Des Muir is Group Head ofGreenstar Kanzi Marketing Group (including growers, packersand marketers). N&A Group is represented on the marketingcommittee and N&A Group’s Cassia Ferguson is the marketingrepresentative for the group.

“The supply chain is looking for innovation – that edge toincrease consumption, and some older varieties may have todrop off over time,” says Rob.

Supermarkets here prefer to focus on fruit ‘attributes’ – forexample the best looking fruit in the fruit bowl or Greenstar’snon-browning feature.

MARKETING IN SYDNEYRob Cathels emphasises the need, as a wholesaler and marketer,for good, strong, long term and ongoing relationships – withgrower-suppliers and customers.

“Unless you’re doing the job for them you won’t have a business.We have to be an efficient operator,” Rob commented.

“This is a family business based on longstanding trust, providingquality, variety and continuity of supply.”

A feature of the N&A Group team is youth and professionalism.The company employs key account managers for each majorretailer, and for each major produce category (including apples,


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New apple Kanzi has “a crunchy bite with an intense apple flavour”. Pacific Fruit Brokers has a substantial pre-packing operation on-site atSydney Markets.



avocado, summerfruit, mangoes and citrus), enabling every market to be optimised.

PRE-PACKS EXPANDINGUnder the banner of Pacific Fruit Brokers N&A Group has a substantial pre-packing operation on-site at Sydney Markets.This division offers customised pre-pack options to customersstarting with sourcing of appropriate lines and ranging throughbagged, netted, cling-wrapped, flow-wrapped and punnetedproduce with individual labelling, tagging, bagging and packprinting. Apples, citrus, avocado, summerfruit, mangoes andmultiple vegetable lines are packed in large volumes here. Thisdivision aims to work with clients to meet their individual productpresentation needs to maximise sales and profitability.

GROWING ORGANICSThe organic fresh produce market has its own unique characteristics of supply and demand. Since 2001 N&A Group hascatered for this market with its own specialist division – OrganicsDirect Produce – located on a separate site along ParramattaRoad close to the Sydney Markets.

Division General Manager Matt Parker explained that supply of certified organic produce is limited, demand always exceedssupply, and the market is highly seasonal – organic consumershave a clear preference for seasonal lines.

“Because supply is so crucial we take a ‘whole of crop’ purchasingapproach with growers. This helps build a long term relationship– growers have a reliable market and we have a reliable supply,”says Matt.

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N&A Group stand at Sydney Markets.

There can be significant competition for quality supplies, a factnot always appreciated by some customers who expect the organicproduce supply chain to be as flexible and consistent as that forconventional produce.

EXPORT – THE OTHER MARKETInternational markets have access to N&A Group’s full suite ofsourcing, pre-packing and marketing expertise through the AFPCExports division. Preparing fresh produce for export by air or sea24/7, this division, also located within the Sydney Markets, alsohas the advantage of immediate access to N&A Group’s 4000square metres on-site coolstores and ripening rooms, daily procurement and N&A Group’s broad based longstanding supply relationships.

With the current increased interest in exports of fresh fruit, this division further illustrates the broad-based foresight andcommitment to the long term vision that N&A Group hasdemonstrated over decades. :afg

N&A Group organic Division Manager Matt Parker: “Demand alwaysexceeds supply”.


It’s no surprise for anyone managing a fruit packing shed that energy costscan be a huge chunk of annual

expenditure. A grower survey done forthe Watt’s in Your Business project, whichaims to find ways to reduce energy-usecosts in Australia’s pome fruit, stone fruitand cherry industries, showed the same.And it’s no different for fruit growersFiona and Bernard Hall who manageBonny Glen Fruit in Orange, NSW.

They are one of 30 businesses Australia-wide that have had an energy audit donein their packhouse as part of Watt’s inYour Business. Undertaken by KMH

Fruit producers Fiona and Bernard Hall are considering what steps to take after an energy audit in their packhouse showedthey could save nearly $10,000 a year if theyinvested in energy-saving opportunities.

in to design a better and more efficientway of cooling. These old machines areprobably 60 years old, so you can imaginethe amount of power they are dragging.”

While the cool rooms are the first thingthey want to start looking at upgrading,the audit report also identified a range ofsmaller, lower cost investments that couldalso help the Halls save energy and cutcosts. The added advantage was thatsome of these involved a relatively smallcapital investment and a payback periodof 2-4 years.

Amanda Booth, Environmental Consultantwith KMH Environmental, conducted the energy audits at Bonny Glen Fruit in January 2014 and looked at all facetsof the business including chasing all thedetails of usage and costs from the electricity provider.

“One of the best opportunities for BonnyGlen Fruit to reduce electricity consumptionwould be to implement head pressurereduction on their refrigeration plant, particularly during the cooler months,”says Amanda. “This opportunity is simpleto implement and has an estimated electricity costs savings of $1,075 and a simple payback period of 1.9 years.”

The audit identifies a range of other energysaving initiatives that would be effectiveat Bonny Glen Fruit as shown in Table 1.

Cutting energy costs in packhouses

G R OW E R P R O F I L E

By Sophie Clayton

Environmental, the audits aimed to findthe most effective ways at cutting energyuse and costs in packhouses that incurredthe shortest ‘payback’ period. A shortpayback period makes it more realistic forgrowers to adopt energy-saving measuresand justify any initial capital investment.

At Bonny Glen Fruit, the biggest consumerof energy (at 35%) is cool room storage.This was no surprise to the Halls who hadalready flagged the need to update theircool rooms.

“Our biggest cost is the cool rooms becausethey are so antiquated,” says Bernard.“At some stage we’ll need to get someone

Bonny Glen Fruit markets their apples and cherries under theBiteRiot! brand.

Perfectly dried apples coming out of the Jet Tech dryer that has helped cut energy use at in theBonny Glen Fruit packhouse.

Compressors35%

Grading equipment 14%

Irrigation pumps10%

Air compressor7%

Evaporative fans6%

Condensors6%

Lighting4%

Other3%

Controlled Atmosphere (CA)

1%

Refridgeration pumps

2%

Solar PV System-12%

Energy use breakdown at Bonny Glen Fruit packhouse



However, prior to the audit, the Halls had already invested in solar panels fortwo of their packhouses. A governmentscheme offering rebates made the prospectattractive enough for them to give it a try.

“We’ve got to start looking at doingmore and more of these energy-savingprograms, the solar panels were a goodopportunity to do that,” Fiona says.

The solar panel in the main packhouse nowprovides 12% of its energy needs. Sowhile it was a big outlay, it is contributingto reducing the amount spent on energy.

“The Halls have been aware of the risingenergy costs and have been proactive inreducing their energy consumption, bothelectricity and LPG, by installing a 10kWsolar PV system and upgrading the appledryer for their grader to a new Jet Techsystem,” says Amanda.

As reported in the Australian FruitgrowerMay 2014 article ‘Graders not the key toreducing energy costs’, it is difficult to makebig cuts in the energy costs associatedwith grading equipment, but there aresome opportunities. At Bonny Glen Fruit,grading equipment has been recently

Bernard has already done this on themain cool room in the packhouse and hasput a remote control button for the dooron the forklift so that the operator doesn’twaste any time getting off and on, whichalso means the doors are open for ashorter time. A smart initiative.

Fiona explains that these initiatives arepart of their long term commitment totheir business.

“We’re not intending to get out of theindustry and even hope the kids mightcome back into it,” says Fiona. “So youhave to keep reinvesting into it if youintend to stay in business.”

“The audit showed where we can saveenergy and when the money is available

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“ ”We’ve got to startlooking at doingmore and more ofthese energy-saving

programs…

Grower: Fiona and Bernard Hall

Company: Bonny Glen Fruit andCaernarvon Cherry Co.

Position: Business owners and managers.

Where: Orange, NSW

Fruit grown: Apples (‘Royal Gala’, Fiero®,Red Delicisou, Kanzi®, ‘Fuji’, Pink Lady™and Sundowner™) and cherries.

upgraded and now uses around 16% ofthe energy consumed.

“I’ve saved what I can already with thegraders,” says Bernard “I used to havetwo gas rockets blowing flat out whetherit was summer or winter to dry the waxon the fruit in the drying tunnel. Now it ison a thermostat that I can adjust dependingon the air temperature, so that the applesdon’t come out warm or sticky, just perfectly dried.

“I think we’ve made that as efficient aspossible, so now we can move onto otherthings to reduce energy costs.”

Another recommendation from the auditreport is automating the cool room doorsby installing electronic sliding doors.

Table 1. Electricity audit summary of opportunities to reduceenergy use and costs at Bonny Glen Fruit

Shaded out opportunity highlights additional possible solution that has not

Description of Annual Annual Capital Simple Percentopportunity Electricity Electricity Cost $ Payback reduction

savings kWh cost period of totalp.a. savings electricity use

Head pressure reduction 4,300 $1,075 $2,000 1.9 2.2%

Variable Speed Drive (VSD) 5,863 $1,466 $3,500 2.4 3.0%11kW Pump

LED replacement for Packhouse 6,624 $2,120 $5,600 2.6 3.4%High Bay lighting (200W)

T5 replacement for T8 lighting 696 $223 $616 2.8 0.4%

LED replacement for Packhouse 10,237 $3,491 $11,200 3.2 5.3%High Bay lighting (90W)

Cool room door automation 5,500 $1,760 $6,250 3.6 2.8%option 1 – electronic sliding doors

5kW solar photovoltaic (PV) 7,000 $2,240 $8,750 3.9 3.6%system expansion

LED replacement for T8 lighting 1,043 $334 $1,400 4.2 0.5%

Cool room door automation 5,500 $1,760 $16,000 9.1 2.8%option 2 – rapid roller doors

Compressor motor relacements 2,800 $700 $7,500 10.7 1.4%

TOTAL 32,783 $9,584 $34,216 3.6 16.8%


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we can start doing these things. It’s goingto pay off in the long run, but you stillneed the capital outlay.”

With rising costs of production includinghigher electricity costs, but also wagesand fuels, the margins for production aregetting tighter. But Fiona notes that withmore markets opening, she thinks theindustry will get better, but to stay in ityou will have to be efficient, competitiveand innovative.

Aside from investing in their new applegrader they have also invested in a cherrygrader and are exporting their cherries toSingapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia andeven a few to Dubai under their brand‘BiteRiot!’. They also see an opportunityto export their apples to their existinginternational cherry customers.

Finding new markets like these potentialnew export markets for their apples, is an essential ingredient to ensure there is enough money to invest in upgradingequipment and infrastructure. This is allpart of the Hall’s plan to continue to progressively make their business moreenergy-efficient and more profitable.

Sophie Clayton, Communications Manager, APALt: (03) 9329 3511 | e: [email protected]

‘Watts in Your Business’ is managed byAPAL, undertaken with SummerfruitAustralia Limited and Cherry GrowersAustralia Inc., and funded under theAustralian Government’s Energy EfficiencyInformation Grants program. KMHEnvironmental have completed the auditsand are preparing the reports with theassistance of Michael Bellstedt and AnanthArkal of Minus 40, and Sam Birrell ofNetafim.

Bernard shows the remote control button he has placed on the forklift that opens the coolroom door in their packhouse to help save energy.

“ ”The audit showedwhere we can save

energy …

But they will do it bit by bit as capitalbecomes available, while making surereturns on investment are clear.

The audit report done at Bonny Glen Fruitprovides a lot of the essential informationrequired to make sensible business decisionsthat reduce energy costs, which couldimprove the profitability of the business.

Across all the energy audits done in themajor fruit growing regions Australia-wide,KMH Environmental found that an averageof 17% of electricity costs could be savedwhen targeted, cost effective investmentswith a payback period of six years weremade. Average short payback cost savingsper orchard were between $2,600 and$147,590 per annum.

APAL’s findings from the audits will bereported at the regional Watts in yourBusiness orchard and packhouse walks inJuly and August this year. At these walks,growers will see where the biggest energyand cost savings can be made. For moreinformation on the walks please contactRussell Soderlund on 03 5968 3599 [email protected]. :afg

Timetable and locations for the farm/packhouse walks:

2014 Dates Region/State

21st July Yarra ValleyBrad Fankhauser

22nd July Swan HillRocky Varapodio

23rd July SheppartonJolene Williams

5th August Hobart region/TasmaniaAndrew Scott

7th August Adelaide Hills/South AustraliaGlyndon Flavell

13th August Manjimup/Western AustraliaNewton Brothers

19h August Batlow/New South WalesTo be advised

20th August Orange/New South WalesFiona Hall

21st August Young/New South WalesMichael Batinich

27th August Stanthorpe/QueenslandTo be advised


S T O R A G E

Minus40 offers help to select modern refrigerants for fruit cool stores.

Impending phase-downs of commonrefrigerants will also render much of the current equipment obsolete.

Limited options to upgrade to alternativerefrigerants are hastening the need forfull replacement of many of the systemscurrently in use. This seems like a lot ofbad news that no one wants to hear.

The good news for fruit store owners inall of this is that there is a whole newworld out there in terms of refrigerationand related technology that can significantlyreduce the operating and maintenancecosts. But the old stuff is still being sold,so buyer beware – don’t buy a VHSrecorder in the age of internet streaming.

R22 was the refrigerant of choice for fruitstorage during the 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s.

However, it is the last of the remainingozone-depleting gases, and the finalphase-down of imports of this gas willoccur at the end of 2015. R22 costs arealready escalating rapidly. Many othersynthetic gases have been used instead ofR22 (R404a, R134a, SP34, R407C, R410A),but all of these will soon be subject to thenext wave of phase-downs.

Fortunately we have a choice of newlong-term refrigerants and several othertechnologies can be combined with these new systems to achieve a long term integrated solution for any size of fruit store.

Medium/large stores should considerupgrading to ammonia systems. Smallerstores should consider glycol systems in

A review of the refrigeration systems on 30 fruit storagefacilities conducted by Minus40 as part of the ‘Watts inyour Business’ project has shown that most are out of date,energy inefficient and costly to operate and maintain.

The future of refrigerationof a changing climate

By Michael Bellstedt

About the author: Michael Bellstedtis the Managing Director of Minus40t: 02 8850 4811e: [email protected]

combination with HFO or HC refrigerants.Solar panels on fruit store roofs convenientlyoffset summertime peak power costs andearn the owner a handy income at othertimes. Variable speed compressor motors,and condenser and evaporator fans, coupled with smart controls and LEDlighting reduce the power bills whilstimproving the quality of fruit storage.

To make it even better, there are manyinnovative options to finance this newtechnology, so you may even be able toget the new gear without spending toomuch of your cash, and some state government programmes can help fundthe analysis and design work needed toget the optimal solution for the specificsite needs.

Minus40 has a team of engineers withmany decades of combined experience in designing innovative and integratedrefrigeration systems for fruit storage systems – contact us on (02) 8850 4811or via www.minus40.com.au and we cantake it from there. :afg

Solar panels can be installed on packing shedsto help provide energy needs.

Overcoming the effects of spring frost

F U T U R E O R C H A R D S


By Steve Spark, AgFirst

Steve Spark summarises the tools available to growers to reduce the risk of springfrosts and how to use Focus Orchard trial results to reduce the impact of spring frost

this year and next.

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Last spring many growers across the country were severelyaffected by spring frost damage, particularly in theBatlow and Orange areas. Frosts are not uncommon in

Australia and Tasmania was badly affected in 2006. In ourreport, ‘Simple pruning rules improve Royal Gala performance’,Kevin Dodds (DPI NSW) and I showed that in ‘Jilba Orchard’, aFocus Orchard in Batlow, NSW, adopting simple pruning rulescould significantly enhance fruit quality and colour leading to an $18,000 increase in fruit return per hectare. This year it was planned to continue this trial with more simple pruningdemostrations, however the orchard suffered severe fruit lossfrom spring frosts.

In 2007, Craig Hornblow presented a talk and notes on ‘Frostrisk monitoring and protection measures’ at the SeptemberFuture Orchards walk. In these notes he highglighted that thedamage caused by frost often depends on the growth stageunderway at the time of the frost event and the severity of thefrost (Table 1). As the trees move from dormant towards flowering,they become more susceptible to frost damage.

Fruit are still susceptible to frost damage after flowering. Frostrings are a result of late frost damage.

Prepare herbicide strip before a frost There are many ways to reduce frost risk to your orchard. Theseinclude keeping the grass sward mown short, especially leadinginto tight cluster and over fruit set. The next most obvious measure to take is to ensure the strip underneath the trees isweed free. Optimum weed control at this sensitive time of yearwould be to ensure no green weed matter is visible and preferablythe herbicide has been on long enough to ensure only brownclean soil is present. To do this you need to be well organised inearly spring and have your weed spray applied in plenty of timefor it to act and be at its optimum over this risky period.

Table 1. Critical temperatures for a 10% killfrom frost at various pipfruit growth stages.

‘Gala’ apple trees affected by frost.

Development stage Temperature

Green Tip minus 7.5° C

Tight cluster minus 3.9° C

First pink minus 2.8° C

Full pink minus 2.7° C

First bloom minus 2.3° C

Full bloom minus 3.9° C

Post bloom minus 2.3° C



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At the Batlow orchard walk in November 2013, there was a verygraphic example of this at work. Large ‘Royal Gala’ trees that hadnot had time for the weed spray to take effect had little or nofruit on them, whereas the trees directly alongside the middleaccess alleyway, that was literally bare brown earth, were full ofapples. The bare earth had trapped the sun’s warmth during thedaytime and then radiated it back at night to provide enoughprotection to the trees to set plenty of fruit. A lesson for everyonethat was there at the time.

Another important tool is utilising water for frost protection, ifyou have it. This can be in the form of overhead sprinklers thatprovide water over the top of the trees during a frost event. Onemillimetre of water will provide one degree of frost protectionfor overhead sprinklers. Usually overhead sprinklers can provideprotection to -5°C if water application rates are high enough.The principle behind overhead water application is that whenwater freezes it changes from liquid to a solid giving off heat tothe tissue it is freezing around. This is called latent heat of fusionand can provide a considerable amount of heat. In New Zealand,this system is used widely in Otago orchards.

A variation to the overhead sprinkler is to utilise the undertreesprinklers which offer less protection than overhead but can provide some protection for frosts up to -1.5°C. Unlike overheadsprinklers, which coat the senstive tissue in ice, the under treesprinkler can provide moderate temperature lift from heatreleased by the cooling of water droplets.

Check frost protection systems work properly Before spring, frost protection systems should be run to ensurethey are working properly and pressure flow rates measured.Flush main lines and sub-laterals to get rid of any debris thatmight be in them from the last time they were turned on. It is

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Frost rings – a result of frost damage after flowering.

often desirable to leave the system running long enough to checkall the sprinklers are working properly and none are blocked.

If your frost protection system suffers from low pressure thereare several methods that can be employed to get around this situation. One involves adding an additional pump to the line to boost pressure. Not always easy to do but I have seen it done effectively. The second involves pulsing the frost protectionsystem by turning on one block of orchard sprinklers for a shorttime and running it for anywhere between 2 to 5 minutes.Then turn this block off and start the next block, alternatingbetween these blocks. Repeat this cycle until the frost risk hasgone. The danger with pulsing water frost protection systems isthat if the temperatures are too severe, or the pulsing intervalstoo long, sprinklers can freeze and the problem has now got awhole lot worse. Be wary of pulsing under very cold conditions.Sometimes it is better to provide water to fight frost in only themost profitable orchard blocks if your frost system doesn’t havesufficient capacity or water to protect all the blocks at one time.

The forming ice should always remain clear, which indicates it is still making heat. Once the ice becomes cloudy, this is oftenassociated with no more heat being produced and then freezingof the sensitive tissue occurs. This situation should be avoided as more damage can be done. Turn overhead frost protectionsystems on early to avoid freezing and blockages. Always ensureplenty of water is available to maintain the heat exchangeprocess for the duration of the frost event. Once temperaturesrise above freezing and the ice starts melting from the warmingmorning, the frost protection system can then be turned off.However this may not be the end of the risk and temperaturesthroughout the morning still require monitoring as temperaturescan warm up, then freeze again.



If using water for overhead frost protection, ensure the trees havea suitable and sturdy support structure because once the waterturns into ice, this can place a lot of additional weight on thetrees and sometimes tree breakages will occur.

Another method that offers limited protection from frost damageis to apply a foliar spray of Low Biuret Urea at 0.5kg/100 litres ofwater at 1,000 litres per hectare immediately before a frost event.Other products may also provide protection, but trialling wouldbe benefical beforehand.

Other frost mitigation strategies could include the removal ofshelter belts, boundary trees or trees obstructing airflow acrossthe block, particularly on the downward side of the orchard.This can improve frost drainage. The installation of frost fans can also provide good protection but are often expensive. It is common in the viticulture industry to use helicopters which,although expensive, can provide a high level of protection, butonly if an inversion layer is present on the night of the frost. Beorganised early.

Finally, once you have prepared your frost protection strategy,make sure you have a good forecast and follow it closely. Frostsare often readily forecastable.

Save your crop following severe frost damageFrost damage can often lead to the start of a biennial bearingproblem. Again, there have been some really good Focus Orchardtrials on how to overcome this problem. The main points are toset as much of the remaining fruit as possible and slow treevigour down. There are a number of tools available.

To increase fruit set immediately after a frost event, reduce the use of chemical thinners as much as possible, increasing pollination and fruit set of the remaining flowers. Sometimesbringing in supplementary bee hives may help.

There are many options to slow tree vigour down. The ‘Rootpruning’? report on the trial carried out in Batlow by Kevin Doddsand his Batlow community group highlighted the benefits ofroot pruning either on one side of the tree (single) or both sidesof the tree compared to the control (nothing).

Root pruning on one side of the ‘Red Fuji’ trees resulted in a 19%reduction in shoot numbers and a 13% reduction in shoot lengthcompared to the control. Whereas root pruning to both sides ofthe tree resulted in a 26% reduction in shoot numbers and 22%reduction in total shoot length compared to the control trees.

This trial highlighted that root pruning on both sides of the treewas more effective at reducing vegetative tree growth comparedto both the control and single side root pruning. This trial is beingrepeated again this year to determine how the trees respond totwo years of root pruning strategies.

In some areas of Australia, root pruning is not a viable optiondue to soil borne diseases that may enter the tree through theroot wounds, therefore other tools are required. One option isto apply Regalis® early to reduce ‘Gala’ shoot growth, whichgives better control than late applications, as reported byStephen Tancred (Orchard Services), in ‘How critical is timing of the first Regalis?’.

Another treatment is to limit irrigation to reduce vigour in an off year.

Getting back to normal the next yearThe first winter after a major spring frost event, growers havemore tools available to break the biennial cycle. The best placeto start is to be aggressive with winter pruning. Sometimes thiscan be difficult, especially when a block had no fruit the previousseason and you are keen to get as much fruit this year as possible.This is made easier if you have already put in place remedies to reduce the risk of frost this spring. This can be the start ofbiennial bearing if pruning is too light, so a strong conviction to prune well is required.

Start with simple pruning rules. The Batlow Focus Orchard trial showed simple pruning rules can improve fruit quality and marketable yields. Remove surplus bud numbers as some varietiesrequire no more than 1.1 or 1.2 winter buds per fruit (‘Gala’). u

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Well prepared herbicide strip and grass mown to reduce frost risk.

Table 2. Red Fuji root pruning trial results, Batlow Focus Orchard, December 2012.

Red Fuji root pruning Shoot numbers Total shoot length (mm) Average shoot lengthBatlow FO trial compared to control compared to control (mm) reduction

One side root prune -19% -13% -2%

Both sides root prune -26% -26% -22%


Other varieties that suffer more from biennial bearing, such as‘Braeburn’, require as many as three buds per fruit. In an on-year,now is the time to prune hard by removing unwanted branchescausing shading and branches with excessive vigour. Aim toleave enough prominent buds that meet your target. Removebuds that are shaded and growing on the underside of branches(6 o’clock) and also remove buds likely to promote strong vigoursuch as buds located on the top side of branches (12 o’clock).Be selective when pruning and space buds. Counting buds isimportant to ensure the trees haven’t been over pruned or underpruned. Aim for a calm canopy with wood slightly pendant.

In the June 2014 edition of Australian Fruitgrower, John Wiltonwrote ‘Pruning: setting up the tree canopy for future crops’,which is worth another read.

Results of another Focus Orchard trial in the Adelaide Hills wasreported on by Paul James in ‘Do summer applications of NAAand root ripping assist in reducing biennial bearing in MM106Fuji trees’. After the previous year’s yield of 50 tonnes/ha, theuntreated control trees returned 36.9 tonnes/ha compared tothe treated block producing 53.8 tonnes/ha. Overall an excellentresult showing attention to detail will pay dividends.

The November 2013 Orchard Walk report ‘Solving biennial bearing’ by AgFirst shows how the strategic use of chemicalthinners, particularly in the on-year, can be helpful. Excessivecrop loads, particularly when carried well into the on-growingseason tend to cement biennial bearing tendency in place andwill override most of the husbandry practices known to reducethe intensity of the biennial bearing problem. Aim to bring thecrop load down to within 15-20% of the final crop load within6-8 weeks, preferably 6 weeks or less of full bloom in the oncrop year.

u

About the author: Steve Spark is an horticultural professional with AgFirst, New Zealand.

Contact AgFirst:e: [email protected] | t: +64 6 872 7080.

Aggressive chemical thinners include blossom thinning using ATS,ethephon or NAA, which may also be combined. A BA-basedpost-bloom thinner, depending on the cultivar, can haveenhanced thinning effect if used in conjunction with anothersuitable thinner such as NAA.

Once the chemical thinning response has become obvious, starthand thinning in earnest, particularly on the strongly biennialbearing varieties, aiming to get the crop load close to 20%above the final crop load target. This leaves room for thinningout russet and other defects later on if required. The key messageis to use winter pruning and aggressive chemical thinning strategies to get within 15-20% of the final crop loads as soon as possible.

Nutrition has an important part to play in reducing biennialbearing. Ensure in the on-year the trees have adequate nutritionas a bigger than normal crop load will remove much of thenutrients stored in the tree unless these have been replenished.Low nutrition levels can compound biennial bearing the following spring.

There are many tools available to growers from the FocusOrchard archives that can be used to overcome the affects ofsevere spring frosts. These articles can be found in the archivesof the Future Orchards Library on the APAL website:http://apal.org.au/member-login/library/. :afg


Root pruning can reduce tree vigour and increase fruit set.


O R C H A R D M A N A G E M E N T

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To maximise profit in an orchard it is necessary to optimise its varietalstructure. Failure to produce fruit

that is desired by markets and consumerswill ultimately lead to orchard financialfailure. Consumer products are regularlyupdated, so it can be expected that wewill see an ever increasing turnaround inthe desired apple cultivars. This meansthat in progressive orchards each yearbetween 10 and 20% of the orchard will be replaced with the current desiredprofitable cultivar.

The cost of removing the old orchardtrees as well as the trellis and irrigationsystems followed by soil cultivation, hillingup, fumigation and replanting along withinstallation of new trellis and irrigationsystems is expensive. With modern applecultivars costing close to $15 a tree, thisrepresents a cost of around $45,000/hato replant. If costs associated with oldorchard and infrastructure removal and newinfrastructure installation can be avoidedthere are huge cost savings to be madewhen renovating an orchard. Combinedwith extremely rapid production of fruit,profit margins can be dramaticallyincreased and time demands reduced.

Consider topworkingThe simple answer is to consider topworking your current orchard to thenew desired cultivar. This is particularlyapplicable to existing young high densityorchard plantings in a trellised situation.While the rootstock is not replaced in this system, if the current rootstock is toovigorous and not desirable it is still possibleto topwork this orchard incorporating a

Having identified that an orchard block issuitable for topworking it is then necessaryto determine what cultivar it is going tobe converted to and what cultivars youwant to incorporate as pollinator species.Having decided to topwork a block thenumber of trees to be topworked can becounted to determine the quantity ofgraftwood required.

It is then necessary to organise a supplyof graft wood of the desired cultivar. Thedesired cultivar may be a patented varietywith graft wood originating from a nurseryor it may be that the graft wood can becollected from your own orchard or anearby commercial orchard. Always consider plant patents before you collectbudwood from your own orchard or thatof a neighbours. Be careful if collectingwood from another orchard as wood collected from off type trees will produceoff type trees in your new orchard. Thisrisk can be managed by advanced planningand observing the trees from which youare going to gather wood when they arefull of fruit such that fruit can be inspectedand sound trees marked to ensure thatthe graft wood is coming from high qualitytrees. In this manner it is possible to actually select a superior line of the cultivar.This tree inspection at fruiting is part ofthe normal quality assurance process incommercial nurseries such that wood collected by commercial nurseries shouldbe true to type.

If planning to topwork to a patented cultivar it is necessary to contact thepatented owner or their agent to organiseappropriate royalty payments per tree andany other aspects of propagation that

Topworking: rapid and inexpensiveorchard varietal change

Dr Gordon Brown

Topworking, or changing the variety of an established tree by leaving it’s rootstock inplace and grafting a new variety on top, can be a very quick, cost-effective and practicalsolution to establishing new varieties.

dwarfing interstem into the process. If theorchard to be replanted is an old orchardat wide spacings or an orchard on oldrootstocks suffering from root diseases orsevere virus infection then considerationshould be given to total removal andreplacement of these orchards rather thantopworking them. One of the interestingside effects of topworking an orchard isthat it almost totally overcomes the problemof poor tree performance of newly plantedorchards due to specific apple replantdisease. The cost of treating for this isoften equivalent to the value of the landso this represents a major cost saving.

The 1976 report ‘Studies on regraftingfruiting apple trees’ of a trial where nineyear old trees were topworked to ‘GoldenDelicious’ showed that some of the orchardblocks produced higher average yields offruit over the subsequent four seasonsthan the non topworked trees. This wasalso found in China where the report‘Trial on topworking for apple trees on alarge scale’ (2000) shows that topworkedtrees produced fruit in their second seasonand they were out yielding non-topworkedtrees in the fourth season.

Preparation before topworkingThe first step in topworking an orchard isto identify the orchard block where thereis a desire to change the cultivar andassess its suitability to topworking.Characteristics such as rootstock vigour,presence of rootstock diseases, plantingdensity, tree spacing, tree virus status andinfrastructure condition should be takeninto consideration.



u

u they require. If propagating wood fromnon-patented trees then it is also importantto ensure that you are not violating anynon-propagation agreements that you mayhave entered into at the time of purchasingthe original trees. When organising graftwood it is wise to plan on a minimum oftwo grafts per rootstock although youmay only need to pay royalties for eachtree grafted, (final tree royalties do varywith some cultivars so check with thenursery agent during your planning stage).

With topworking it is possible to graftmultiple times into the rootstock stumpand this reduces the risk of unsuccessfultree conversions. As close to the time oftopworking as possible, or no later thanAugust, collect the graft wood and storein a high humidity environment in a coldroom until it is required. One of the common reasons for topworking graftfailure is due to the use of graft woodthat has aged and dried out prior tografting, or the graft wood is exposed to ethylene when stored with fruit.

The first step in the orchard to be topworked is to remove the top of theold trees by cleanly cutting the trees, usually at waist level, and leaving if possiblea few limbs below the cut to act as nurselimbs providing energy for the early seasonrootstock and graft union and growth. Ifthe existing cultivar is to be used as thepollinator, prior to cutting the trees clearlymark the pollinator trees which can beseverely pruned rather than cutting downto waist level.

After removing the tops of the trees,remove the prunings and any weeds fromthe tree line from the orchard and slashthe inter row space close to the ground.This helps to provide easy pedestrianaccess for grafters to the orchard blockand assists in the reduction of the risk of somebody tripping over and injuringthemselves on the very sharp graftingtools that they may carry.

Next, inspect and repair the trellis and irrigation system within the orchard block.Carry out this operation prior to topworking

A topworked ‘Gala’ tree in the third seasonafter topworking.

The cambium is the most important forgrafting and budding because it is involvedin new cell division and these new cellsdifferentiate into new xylem cells on theinside edge and new phloem cells on theoutside. The cambium also produces callus tissue for trunk recovery from damage. It is therefore critical for thecambium layer of the graft stick to be inclose contact for as big a surface area aspossible with the cambium layer of therootstock. This allows for cell division inboth the rootstock and the graft wood to intermingle resulting in normal canopyand rootstock growth and performance.

If the cambium layer of the scion and the cambium layer of the rootstock arephysically separated from each other thenthe callus material from the graft woodand the rootstock will have insufficienttime to intermingle and develop commonxylem and phloem vessels leading to graftfailure. Hence it is absolutely essentialthat the contact of the cambium layersbetween the scion and the rootstock ismaximised. Furthermore it is essential that the scion and the rootstock are heldfirmly together to prevent ripping andseparation of the callus material due tophysical movement.

to avoid the risk of these activities damaging any newly grafted trees. At this point, access to the trellis poles, wiresand irrigation system is uninhibited makingthis activity easier, rapid and less expensive.

The orchard block is now ready to be topworked. This is the time to collect thegraft wood to be used. As soon as possibleafter getting the graft wood the treeshould be topworked.

Undertaking topworkingAt the start of each topworking day, it isessential to ensure that there is sufficienthealthy graft wood for the activity andthat all equipment is in excellent condition.Tools should be sharp and provideextremely clean cuts and grafting knivesshould be surgeon’s scalpel sharp. Thiswill ensure that when cutting the barkand wood of both the graft wood andthe rootstock the cells are cleanly cut with no cell bruising below the cut surface.Bruised cells below the cut surface needto repair themselves before they can continue with normal activity and growthto facilitate rapid graft union and supplyof water and nutrients to the graft shoot.Hence sharp grafting knives lead to rapidwound healing and a more successful grafttake. As grafting knives are excessivelysharp, well stocked first aid kit should be added to the grafting toolbox.

When grafting and budding, rememberthe function of the different structureswithin the tree stem. Looking across thetop of a cut trunk there are four structuralelements. On the very outside of thetrunk there is the epidermis. Inside thislayer there is a layer of fibrous vasculartissue which makes up the phloem of thestem – this transports sugars from theleaves to the roots to provide energy forgrowth and soil nutrient uptake. Underthe phloem there is a very thin layercalled the cambium, which surrounds thebulk of the central wood structure. Thiscentral wood structure is composed ofthe xylem vessels which transport waterfrom the roots to the shoots.



u Identifying the cambium layer

For practical purposes the cambium layerof the scion is located within 1 mm of theexternal surface. For the rootstock, thecambium is located deeper in dependingon the thickness of the phloem vessels.An easy way to visualise the location ofthe cambium layer on a large rootstockstem is to imagine what happens when atrunk of an apple tree is hit by a slasher.Commonly a large chunk of bark is peeledoff exposing the white wood underneath.The bark that is removed is the phloemvessels while the white surface that remainson the wood of the trunk is the surfaceof the cambium.

When topworking an apple tree, placethe cambium of the scion wood justunder the bark surface in contact withthe cambium of the rootstock, whichremains attached to the wood of therootstock when the bark is peeled back.This means that with graft unions wherethere is a large diameter differencebetween the rootstock and the graftwood the graft will be placed back fromthe rootstock outer bark to allow for thedifferent bark/phloem thickness when lining up the cambium.

Inserting the scion

A cleft graft can be used on thinner rootstock material up to 3 cm widedepending on how hard the wood is

A one year old topworked 'Gala' apple tree and the fruit on occasional trees in the season after topworking.

The second method of grafting, which is more suited to rootstocks with a largediameter, involves placing a slit throughthe bark and down to the wood in therootstock with this slit extending down for 3 to 4cm from the top of the rootstock.After this slit is made the bark on one sidecan be lifted off the cambium for a smalldistance. The graft wood can be preparedin a similar manner described above forthe cleft graft although it is also acceptablefor the cut on the base of the graft woodto be on one side only. This cut surface on the base of the graft wood exposes anoval of the cambium layer and this surfacecan be slid down against the wood andcambium layer of the rootstock and heldin place by the flap of bark created duringthe rootstock preparation.

Additional slices can be removed from the scion base to allow for neat bark flapcontact on the back of the scion and neatcontact with the unlifted bark on therootstock. This process can be repeatedon the other side of the rootstock or onlarger root stocks in multiple locations. As for the cleft graft, the graft should besecurely held in place and waterproofed.

The number of buds to leave on thefreshly grafted scion will depend on thesituation. The research paper ‘Scion shootlength for frame-working apple trees’from 1978 compared 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10buds and showed that early yield was

to cut. This method involves placing yourvery sharp grafting knife across the cutsurface of the rootstock and then pushingdown to neatly split the rootstock stem for about 5cm. After this split is made, asmooth wedge is cut into the base of thegraft wood. To make a flat smooth wedgeon the base of the graft wood the flat surface of the grafting knife blade is placedagainst the graft wood surface and thenslid to peel excess wood off the base ofthe graft wood. An extremely sharp knifemakes a clean cut on the wood and makescutting the wedge extremely easy.

After the wedge is cut, it is inserted intoone side of the split rootstock lining up thecambium on one side of the graft stickwith the cambium on one side of therootstock. A second graft stick can thenbe inserted into the other side of the splitof the rootstock. These two graft sticksshould be firmly inserted and not prone tofalling out. To ensure continued contact,the rootstock should be tightly bound toprevent further splitting or opening of the graft split with the use of duct tape.

The final process is to waterproof the topto prevent disease infection or dehydration.A specially formulated bituminous plantpaint can be used which should be thicklyapplied to ensure a waterproof membranefor the entire season. Other sealing paints/materials may promote cambium development or have fungicides.


www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER JULY 2014 29

related to a higher number of buds. Thedownside of large scions was that winddamage was more severe so larger scionswill need support.

If the rootstock is of higher vigour thandesired, the tree can be topworked with a dwarfing rootstock such as M9. Theresultant M9 shoot can then be topworked the following season to forman interstem. If you are prepared to takethe risk, the scion can be grafted, by normalwhip and tongue procedures, onto theM9 rootstock prior to its topworking intothe existing rootstock in the one season.This may lead to increased wind damageand as is a high risk approach, however it can provide a rapid orchard turnaroundresulting in earlier financial returns.

After topworkingTop worked trees can grow extremely rapidly leading to a large canopy on anarrow main stem attached to a chunkyrootstock. This tree structure, present forthe first 2 to 3 years after topworking, isvery prone to wind damage with whole

The structural elements of a rootstock that has been topworked.

Why plant certifiednursery trees?Planting certified plant material has been proven around theworld to have benefits over non-certified material. Viruses in non-certified material have a direct impact on the tree’s performanceand its ability to achieve maximum yields and pack outs.

The Australian Pome Fruit Improvement Program (APFIP) hasimplemented a plant certification system in the Australian appleand pear industry. This system provides certified nursery trees(tested negative for known viruses) though the use of its APFIPCertified Nursery Tree Tag. Licenced nurseries propagate certifiedrootstocks and cultivars, and nursery trees carrying the certifiedtree tag are now produced and delivered to growers.

Growers should plan early when thinking of redeveloping orchardblocks and order certified trees well in advance from nurseries. Alist of APFIP licenced nurseries can be found on the APAL website,talk to them today about certified trees and availability.

Dr Gordon Brown | t: 03 6239 6411 | e: [email protected]

limbs being easily blown out of the rootstock. Initially after topworking, it isessential to stabilise the graft which maybe performed by the application of ducttape tightly around the top of the rootstockand over the graft union or alternativelynail the graft to the rootstock. Both theseactivities assist in a tight graft scion/rootstock contact assisting in graft success.

As the trees grow during summer, to furtheravoid wind damage, periodically tie the

graft growths to the trellis system or if notrellis system is installed then on multi-graftrootstocks the growing shoots may betied together to provide mutual support.The nurse limbs that were left on therootstock should remain for the first seasonof growth to ensure healthy rootstockand graft union growth but should beremoved during the late summer/winterafter the first season of active growth.:afg

More info:

APFIPMark HankinM: 0408 503 528 E: [email protected]

P I P S


There is growing interest in determining whether agriculturaland horticultural soils are a source,

or sink, for carbon. The first step is toestablish baseline values for soil carbon.

We have completed a survey of 10Australian apple orchard sites to establishbaseline ranges of soil carbon stocks, soilhealth, and soil microorganism communitycomposition under orchard production inAustralia’s major apple-growing regions.Because carbon is a driver of many soilprocesses and a determinant of soil health,we investigated the relationships betweensoil carbon, soil health indicators, and soilmicroorganism community composition.

Soil carbon and soil healthin apple orchards

The Soils Team of the Productivity, Irrigation, Pests and Soils project (PIPS) has collectedbaseline data on soil carbon across Australian orchards. This is the first step towardunderstanding how orchard management could be used to change soil carbon and soilhealth – knowledge that growers could use to optimise nutrient availability andorchard performance.

By Roberta Gentile, Robert Simpson, Brent Clothier, Carlo van den Dijssel, KarenMason, Dave Cornwall and Marcus Hardie

This information can be used to measurethe impacts of orchard managementpractices on soil carbon and soil healthattributes in the future.

We observed a wide variation in carbonstocks and soil health attributes amongorchards. Labile carbon measurementsserved as strong indicators for microorganism activity and potential soilnutrient supply services. These observationswarrant further analysis with microorganismcommunity composition so we can linkorchard microorganism biodiversity withsoil health, soil functioning and theecosystem services provided by appleorchard soils in Australia.

Map of Australian apple orchard survey sites. Figure 1: Soil carbon stock to 1 m depth in Australian apple orchards.

About the survey The survey incorporated orchard siteslocated in the main pome fruit orchardregions in Australia. These sampling sitesincluded orchard blocks randomly selectedin the following locations for a total of 10 sites:

• Donnybrook and Manjimup, WA

• Adelaide Hills, SA

• Gippsland and Shepparton, VIC

• Batlow and Orange, NSW

• Stanthorpe, QLD

• Tamar and Huonville, TAS

We established a sampling protocol forthe orchard survey to account for the spatially complex system of an orchard,

P I P S


in Batlow to 4.21 mg N/kg soil/day inAdelaide Hills. In general, the orchards in Adelaide Hills, Gippsland and Tamartended to have the highest indicators ofmicroorganism activity, labile carbon andnitrogen mineralisation. Conversely, theDonnybrook, Manjimup, Batlow andStanthorpe orchards tended to have thelowest indicators of microorganism activity,as would befit their coarser textures.

Strong relationships were observedbetween various soil health attributes(Table 2). Labile carbon, microorganismactivity, total nitrogen and nitrogen mineralisation were strongly related withone another. These variables all serve asindicators of microorganism activity andsoil nutrient supply ecosystem services.Greater concentrations of labile or ‘active’carbon, which is carbon readily availableto soil microorganisms, lead to greatermicroorganism activity and this highlightsthe health value of maintaining orenhancing labile soil carbon concentrations.The total organic carbon concentrationswere strongly correlated only with totalnitrogen. This emphasises the utility ofthe labile carbon measure to quantify the pool of carbon that is available to soilmicroorganisms and is active in soil nutrientcycling processes. For example, while theStanthorpe orchard soil had one of thehighest organic carbon concentrations,probably from the presence of charcoal, it had low labile carbon concentrationsand low microorganism activity. Theseobservations imply that the carbon in theStanthorpe soil is structurally complex andis not readily decomposed by most soilmicroorganisms.

both vertically and laterally. Soil sampleswere taken at multiple depth incrementsto estimate soil carbon stocks to 1mdepth. The soil samples collected wereanalysed for soil health parameters oftotal carbon and labile carbon; total andplant available nitrogen; potential nitrogenmineralisation; microorganism activity;and microorganism diversity.

Orchard carbon stocksThe apple orchards exhibited a wide variationin soil carbon (C) stocks to 1m depth.Carbon stocks ranged from 7kg C persquare metre in Shepparton to 26 kg Cper square metre in Stanthorpe (Figure 1).The orchards at Stanthorpe, Gippsland,Manjimup, Donnybrook, and Tamar contained the highest carbon stocks. By observation, these sites also showedindications of a high presence of charcoalin the soil samples, which may have contributed to their high carbon stocks.This charcoal could be historical from theoriginal land clearing, or as a result ofmore recent orchard redevelopment.

The carbon stock measurements from thissurvey provide a database of the magnitudeand variability of carbon stocks in Australianapple orchards and they will be able toserve as a baseline from which the effectsof orchard management on soil carbon canbe monitored at these sites in the future.

Orchard soil health characteristicsA suite of soil chemical and biologicalproperties were measured on the orchardsoils. These soil health metrics were selectedas potential indicators for soil carbon regulation and nutrient supply services.These soil properties were found to declinerapidly with soil profile depth at all theorchard sites. As a result of these analyses,we have established a database of soilhealth properties by profile depth by whichto monitor and benchmark any futurechange in these orchards.

All the soil health properties in the topsoilvaried widely among the orchard sites(Table 1). Labile carbon is the part of thetotal organic carbon that is readily availableto soil microorganisms for decomposition.Total organic carbon concentrations rangedfrom 20.0 g C/kg of soil in the Orangeorchard to 45.0 g C/kg of soil in theGippsland orchard. Nitrogen mineralisationrates varied from 0.32 mg N/kg of soil/day

Soil sampling in an Australian apple orchard near Orange, NSW.

Burning of old orchard trees before redevelopment may account for high amounts of total soilcarbon in some soils.

P I P S


Our results support previous findings that labile carbon may be used as a sensitive indicator of nutrient pools andmicroorganism activity for determiningimpacts of management activities.Furthermore, the change in the labile carbon content can be used an early indicator of any change in the total carbon stock. We recommend that labilecarbon be regularly monitored in standardsoil testing.

Orchard microorganismcommunity compositionA healthy soil microorganism communityis crucial for good soil functioning andhealth. There is clear evidence that healthymicroorganism communities help plants toweather drought and the microorganismscan beneficially change the physical properties of soil. However, the relationshipsbetween soil microorganism diversity andsoil functioning are not yet fully understood.Furthermore, it is increasingly being shownthat changing management of farms andorchards can change both the soilmicroorganism population and the

underlying soil processes. Once clarified,this understanding will then assist development of protocols for maintaininga healthy soil. The first results from ourorchard survey contain new informationthat increases our knowledge of the make-up and functioning of the microorganismcommunities in Australian orchards.Furthermore, these data provide baselineinformation on microorganism biodiversityin the soil against which future changescan be referenced.

Microorganism community compositionwas assessed for 8 of the survey orchardsites by measuring the relative abundanceof a number of common soil microorganismgroups and nitrogen cycling genes. Therelative abundances of both the microorganism groups and nitrogencycling genes varied markedly amongorchard sites. Our analysis reveals thewide range of microorganism communitycompositions that exists across Australianorchards. These observations warrant further examination to determine howmeasured biodiversity relates to actualsoil functioning. :afg

About the authors: This article waswritten by Roberta Gentile, RobertSimpson, Brent Clothier, Carlo vanden Dijssel and Karen Mason (Plant &Food Research Limited, New Zealand);Dave Cornwall (Department ofEnvironment and Primary Industries,Victoria); and Marcus Hardie(Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture).

For more information contact:Michele Buntain, Tasmanian Instituteof Agriculturee: [email protected]: 03 6233 6814

Table 2. Correlation coefficients for soil health characteristics in Australian apple orchards.

Table 1. Soil health characteristics at 0-10 cm depth in Australian apple orchards.

AcknowledgementsWe thank Terry Martella, Harvey Gilbert,Michael Stafford, Brad Fankhauser, MauriceSilverstein, Barry McLean (orchard manager),Michael Cunial, Daniel Nicoletti, Brad Ashland,and Howard Hansen for their cooperation withthis research. The PIPS project is funded byHorticulture Australia Ltd using the apple andpear industry levy and voluntary contributionsfrom the Institute for New Zealand Plant &Food Research and matched funds from theAustralian Government.

Organic Labile Total Plant available Microorganismcarbon carbon nitrogen nitrogen activity

Organic carbon -

Labile carbon 0.256 -

Total nitrogen 0.730 0.576 -

Plant available nitrogen -0.088 -0.133 0.180 -

Microorganism activity 0.306 0.710 0.707 0.046 -

Nitrogen mineralisation rate 0.396 0.577 0.653 0.044 0.785

Site Organic Labile Total Plant available Microorganism Nitrogen carbon carbon nitrogen nitrogen activity mineralisation rate

(g C kg-1 soil) (mg C kg-1 soil) (g N kg-1 soil) (mg N kg-1 soil) (mg TPF kg-1 soil d-1) (mg N kg-1 soil d-1)

Donnybrook 26.2 499 1.73 9.24 8.8 0.73

Manjimup 32.8 538 2.15 14.02 17.7 0.65

Adelaide Hills 33.1 964 2.46 4.69 53.7 4.21

Shepparton 22.8 580 2.21 21.83 24.9 0.90

Gippsland 45.0 761 2.95 6.23 28.5 3.39

Batlow 22.3 715 1.78 8.96 10.9 0.32

Orange 20.2 885 1.86 11.84 25.4 1.76

Stanthorpe 43.0 588 1.82 5.26 7.0 0.73

Tamar 32.5 1048 2.59 6.50 44.0 3.44

Huonville 36.3 540 2.68 35.49 27.0 2.02

R & D


The recent autumn warm spell across south-easternAustralia has attracted much attention in terms of breakingclimatological records. Although a delay in winter weather

is pleasant for us, what effect might there be on fruit productionfor the 2014/15 season?

Temperature conditions throughout autumn and winter areimportant for fruit trees and warm conditions can negativelyimpact yields. Over autumn and winter, accumulated exposure tocool temperatures is needed to break trees from winter dormancy.Insufficient exposure to these cool conditions can lead to light,sporadic and/or protracted flowering in spring. This can result inpoor pollination and fruit set and low final yields (see A ChillingYear: Was 2013 a low winter chill year? and A discussion ondormancy — and why it’s worth thinking about in early December).

The effectiveness of temperature regimes in breaking winter dormancy in fruit trees is measured via winter chill models. Toinvestigate the influence of the recent warm spell, we comparedweather data from Tatura, Victoria, from the autumn of 2014with 2013 and 2012 using the Dynamic chill model, which con-verts temperature conditions into chill portions.

Two aspects are clearly different between the autumn of 2014and those of 2013 and 2012. Firstly, chill accumulation beganlate in 2014, 19 days later than 2013 and 23 days later than2012 (Table 1). This late beginning to chill accumulation wasdue to warm weather in March and early April.

Secondly, chill accumulation plateaued throughout the latterhalf of May (Figure 1), due to warm weather over this period.These two effects have resulted in current levels of accumulatedchill being much lower than in previous seasons. Currently,accumulated chill for 2014 is 53% lower than both 2013 and2012 (Table 1).

Whether this deficit in accumulated chill for 2014 will be maintained throughout winter will depend on the temperatureconditions over the coming months. The Bureau of Meteorologyhas predicted that June-August will likely be warmer than normal across south-eastern Australia, particularly for minimumtemperatures. This indicates that it will be difficult for chill accumulation to catch up to 2013 or 2012 values. :afg

Fruit trees unlikelyto warm to recentweatherBy Rebecca Darbyshire

Warm weather across SE Australia couldlimit flowering in apple and pear orchardsif winter temperatures don’t get colderover the coming months.

About the author: Rebecca Darbyshire, Research Fellow University of Melbourne m: 03 5833 5909e: [email protected]

Figure 1: Accumulated chill portions for autumn 2012, 2013 and2014 at Tatura (Vic).

Table 1. The beginning of the chill period, totalaccumulated chill (1st March–31st May) in chillportions and differences between 2014 and2013 and 2012.

Year First chill Total chill Difference portion – 31 May from 2014accumulated (CP) (CP)s

2012 26 March 35.53 +18.86 (+53%)

2013 30 March 35.50 +18.83 (+53%)

2014 18 April 16.67 -

Influence of inadequate chill for cherry trees showing jointflowering, leaf out and the light flowering on the trees.


R & D

Nurseries andNew VarietiesIndiaA study of micro graftingtechniques has identified thatthe vertical slit method has a29% success rate compared to21% success with the horizontalmethod of grafting.

PolandResearch has shown that peartrees grown on Pyrodwarfrootstocks have the largest leafarea and rate of photosynthesis.

United States ofAmericaEuropean pear is being crossedwith other Pyrus species in abreeding program to incorporateresistance to pear psylla intocommercial pear orchards.

ProductionFranceA study of the effects of winter chill on bud burst ofapple trees has shown that a lack of chill hours not onlyaffects the rate of budburstbut has major effect on thedistribution of active budsalong the shoot.

SloveniaResearch has demonstratedthat ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ appletrees growing under black hail net produce heavy fruitwith 1% less sugar whilethere is no effect on fruitfirmness or yield.

CroatiaA study of the soil copper levels has shown that the useof copper based fungicides inthe apple orchard site did notimpose environmental orhuman health risks from copper exposure.

United States ofAmericaRegalis® applied to ‘Anjou’pear trees was effective incontrolling vegetative vigourbut the treatment consistentlyreduced return bloom impactingon return yield.

Germany‘Conference’ pears on QuinceA or Quince C rootstocksplanted on a V trellis systemhave higher yields (average of76 t/ha extra from year to 3to 10) compared to slenderspindle trees.

Postharvest ChinaThe efficacy of cinnamon oilas a postharvest dip or vapourtreatment against grey mouldhas shown this essential oilhas potential as an alternativeto chemical fungicides for thecontrol of this disease.

DenmarkPost-harvest hot water treatment of apples (3 min at 50-52°C) provides an efficacious treatment againstmost storage rots due to heatshock induced antimicrobialresponse in the fruit rather

International apple and pear research updateCompiled by Dr Gordon Brown

Pests andDiseasesNew ZealandIn the research update of theMay edition of AustralianFruitgrower it was reportedthat a New Zealand $65 millioneradication program againstpainted apple moth had commenced. This summary ofthe situation was incorrect andthis should have stated thatthe eradication program hasbeen successfully completed.

AustraliaField trials were conducted tocompare the control of codlingmoth and oriental fruit mothin pears by a pheromone dispenser containing bothpheromones compared to the pheromones in separatedispensers. The results showthat the control of codlingmoth and oriental fruit mothin the combined dispensers is

as effective as individualspecies dispensers under lowpest population densities.

United States ofAmericaIt has been found that thelight brown apple moth inCalifornia has not caused asmuch damage as expectedand a study of resident spidershas identified two huntingspiders (as opposed to webspiders) that consume lightbrown apple moth at allgrowth stages.

IndiaApple replant disease is controlled by soil fumigationwhich also destroys beneficialsoil microorganisms. A trialhas demonstrated that inoculating apple trees with mycorrhizal fungi andbiological control agentsprior to planting improvestree performance after soilfumigation.

Research snippets are sourced from abstracts of published scientific papers collated in the CAB direct database. To get theabstract related to any snippet please contact Gordon Brown on [email protected] or 03 6239 6411.

The method allowed for agrader to accurately deter-mine the area of bruising oneach apple.

BrazilThe volatile aroma compoundsof ‘Gala’ apples stored at oxygen levels between 0.5and 1% for eight months followed by seven days at20°C found that lowering theoxygen levels down to 0.7%does not negatively affecttheir volatile aroma.

than a direct killing of thefungal inoculum.

GermanyA study of fruit nutrients priorto harvest and the appearanceof ‘Braeburn’ browning disorder after storage shows a relationship between fruitpotassium and phosphorus at harvest and the disorder.

IranBruised apples were exposed toUV-A light and photographed.


WE AT H E R A N D Q U I Z

Greg’s QuizQUESTION 3:

Species of blackberries can befound on which continents?A: Asia and Africa. B: Europe and North America.C: North and South America.D: All continents exceptAntartica.

QUESTION 4:

What, in apples and pears, isthe fleshy and edible portionof the fruit derived from? A: The hypanthium tissue. B: The core. C: The pip. D: The epidermis.

QUESTION 5: What of these botanicaldescriptions would best suitgrape vines? A: Tree. B: Sub-shrub. C: Liana D: Epiphyte.

ANSWERS:

Question 1– True.Question 2– B: Non-climeractic. Question 3– D: All continents exceptAntartica. Question 4 – A: The hypanthium tissue.Question 5– C: Liana (as in a woodyclimbing vine)

Ave Ave Ave Ave Ave max Evaporation Ave leaf Rainfall Rainfall Chill Total Frost Hrs Ave Temp Temp Humidity Soil wind mils wetness for to date Units for Chill under daylightMin Max Temp speed for the per/day period from 1st the month Units from 1ºC for hr/day

km/h period Jan 2014 15th May period

Orange NSW 7 15 79 11 23 10 1 4 289 434 434 0 9.7

Huon TAS 5 14 84 10 21 28 47 39 244 378 378 36 8.7

Manjimup WA 10 17 83 14 22 26 2 165 250 56 56 0 9.4

Chill unit data is recorded from 15th May to 15th of August and reported as per month and as a running total for the period, chilling units are calculated for the season immediately following collection of data.

15/5/2014 – 31/8/2014

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

Aboutweather data

The Australian Pome FruitImprovement Program Ltd (APFIP)is undergoing a upgrade of itsevaluation site weather stations.The new stations are live onlineand display a much larger rangeof data. The first three have beencommissioned and are locatedin the Huon Valley, Tasmania;Orange, New South Wales; andManjimup, Western Australia.APFIP hopes to complete theupgrade of the remaining fiveover the next 12 months.

Growers can login to the stationsvia www.apfip.com.au underthe weather data tab at the topof the home page. A Google mapdisplays the station positions;growers then can click on thestation icon and access a numberof live reports and graphs.

Anyone requiring more information or assistance withnavigating the display pleasecontact Mark Hankin m: 0408 503 528 or e: [email protected].

QUESTION 1:(True or False) – The “ArgyleApple” is not a type ofScottish desert apple, but ratheran Australian native tree.

QUESTION 2:All citrus fruits ripen graduallyover weeks or months and areslow to abscise from the tree.What is the term used todescribe this habit? A: Climacteric. B: Non-climeractic. C: Climatic. D: Non-climatic.

APFIP are undergoing an upgrade of its weather stations, above is the new reporting format displaying new data collected fromthe first 3 station upgrades. This Data is from the APFIP evaluation Sites only and may not be representative of the total District.

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