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03www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER NOVEMBER 2013

C O N T E N T S

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

Jesse ReaderTechnical EditorAustralian Apple and Pear

Edition 2013 Booking deadline Editorial copy deadline Ad material deadline

Dec/Jan No. 11 1st November 2013 8th November 2013 8th November 2013

Feb No. 12 2014 10th January 2014 16th January 2014 16th January 2014

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

09 3017

Vol. 7 Issue No. 10 November 2013

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

e: [email protected]: www.apal.org.au

Produced for APAL by KonzeptVZ

EditorJohn Fitzsimmons DipAgSci

m: 0418 552 541e: [email protected]

Managing EditorJohn Dollisson,

Chief Executive Officer, APALe: [email protected]

Technical EditorJesse Reader

t: (03) 9329 3511e: [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]

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 and KonzeptVZ accept 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

The sayings are well worn but have worn well – ‘you never stop learning’ and ‘travel broadens the

mind’. This is clearly borne out in this issue of AustralianFruitgrower with reports on an export study tour to SouthEast Asia, a special focus on our export potential to ournear neighbour Indonesia, a report on the opportunitiesfor technical collaboration and exports to India, and areport on how our American compatriots in Washington

state continue to set high standards. Simply, the summary seems to be ‘we do haveopportunities’ and ‘we can do this’. It’s an optimistic message.

With bushfires already having made their presence felt our thoughts inevitably turn to summer as AgFirst’s Steve Spark points out the five most important tools for youngtree growth are “water, water, water, nutrition/pest and disease/soil fumigation/training/weed control/crop load, and ... water”! It’s a good thing most of our regional reportssuggest we are coming out of winter with storages in a relatively good state.

Last month we considered cultivar options. This month we report on some of theincreasingly complex legal-commercial frameworks surrounding plant breeding and cultivar availability. It might be challenging but it’s also interesting.

John Fitzsimmons

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

APAL CEO’s comment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

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

State roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Getting technical with Jesse . . . . . . . . . .28

International apple and pear R&D update . .36

Weather, Greg’s Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

GROWER PROFILETeam Reid: Helping the industry open

doors. Sarah Kulman interviews Tim Reid,

Managing Director of Reid Fruits,

Tasmania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

ARTICLESFuture Orchards® Focus Orchard update:

More water for increased tree growth . .18

PIPS: Improving pear and apple scab

infection risk management . . . . . . . . . . .22

Cripps Pink mutations and the Pink Lady

business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Resistance to apple and pear scab under

the microscope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Asia study tour report – helping to develop

an export culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

Allergens in apples: Part 1 . . . . . . . . . . .35

OUR COVERTim Reid of Reid Fruits.

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

AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER NOVEMBER 2013 www.apal.org.au04

It seems to be the season for goodbyes. At the September APAL Board meeting wefarewelled outgoing Managing Director Jon Durham and welcomed new APAL ChiefExecutive John Dollisson. At this same meeting South Australian Director MichaelStafford announced his intention to step down from his position on the Board beforeour next meeting.

By John LawrensonChairman, APAL

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

Michael has been deputyChairman and a very valuablecontributor to the APAL Board

and to the wider industry. I’m sure we’llsee Michael involved on industry roles inthe future.

At the same meeting we welcomed AndyMcDonald who is the Managing Directorof APAL’s United Kingdom (UK) subsidiaryCoregeo. Andy attended the meeting toupdate the Board on the remarkable successand expansion of Pink Lady™ apple sales.He explained that in the last 10 yearsannual sales of Pink Lady apples have risenfrom 675,000 cartons in 2002 to 3.5 million in 2012 – a remarkable increase!

This increase, which comes at the expenseof varieties such as ‘Gala’, ‘Braeburn’ and ‘Granny Smith’, has placed Pink Ladyapples third in the UK by value. In addition,Pink Lady apples have the highest top-of-mind recall among women of any applevariety. Andy sees further scope to increasePink Lady sales in the UK – maybe thechallenge is to match the Australian market where Pink Lady sales account for upwards of 30 per cent of the mar-ket. Nothing like aiming high!

Having just returned from a meeting of Pink Lady master licensees (under theauspices International Pink Lady Alliance)I was able to see firsthand the popularityof Pink Lady overseas. These licensees areresponsible for managing the Pink Ladytrade marks in export and import territoriesaround the world and I was comforted to

hear the use of the brand continues togrow. More significantly there are majoropportunities in new markets and togrow market share in existing ones,which is again very promising.

And why is it so important to Australianapple and pear growers? All of theseactivities both in the UK and from international master licencees provideAPAL with the finance that underpins itsoperations. These additional funds allowAPAL to provide industry with greaterservices and leadership to the industry.

Andy McDonald

And now one more goodbye… APALCommunications Manager Sarah Kulmanleft us this month after almost two yearsin the role. Sarah has contributed to amajor overhaul of the communicationsarea. This included a brand refresh, newAPAL website, increased communicationsto growers, a new look AustralianFruitgrower magazine and the delivery ofthe Innovate or Real-Estate conference! Iwill be sorry to see Sarah go, but pleasedthat she will not be lost to agriculture andI wish her all the best in her new role. :afg

By John DollissonCEO, APAL

F R O M T H E C E O


Need for current andaccurate data

The industry needs accurate and timelydata. This is one of the key messages I’mhearing from those I have met on my tourof the growing regions.

Whether you operate a large business such asGeoffrey Thompson Fruit Packing Co Pty Ltd inShepparton like Gary Parker, or smaller businesses

such as Barney Hyams from Guevgeli Orchards in Batlow – themessage remains the same – the industry needs more accurateand timely data on crop forecasts, preferably by variety andcoolstore quantities (also by variety).

Why is it so important? If we could obtain accurate data on atimely basis we – the industry – would have much greater scopeof matching supply of apples and pears with the demand forour product. We could avoid an oversupply and a drop in priceor, worse still, make the hard decision to leave the product torot and go to waste! Relevant data can only improve industryprofitability and its future outlook.

Basic Economics 101 says the price we obtain for a product isthe crossing of the supply and demand curves (equilibrium point).If we, as an industry, manage this, we control the price (outsideof acts of God) rather than being in the hands of wholesalebuyers and retailers.

All good business decisions are based on good quality data. Forexample, Toyota supplies cars based on detailed analysis on thedemand for its cars. It makes key business adjustments accordingto what its data is telling it. We should be no different.

As a statistician, it makes economic sense to me to prioritise the collection of data to increase industry foresight. I know forsmaller growers who are time poor this can be an impost butthe half an hour it takes to log data may save thousands of dollars in the long run.

This will not be an easy task and will take commitment from all of industry to work together. It will take collaboration todefine these data requirements and find simple solutions on itscollection, in addition to a lot of effort. So when the request fordata comes through I encourage you to remember the biggerpicture – that is building a solid foundation for our industry andyour profitability. :afg

6

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5040302010

QUANTITY

PRICE

Supply & Demand

60Q*0

Equilibrium

Surplus

Shortage

Demand Supply

John Dollisson I e: [email protected]


A PA L N EW S

Australian Madeon the rise

Opportunities tosave on exportdevelopment costs

Growers looking to developexport market opportunities can apply to the Australian

Government for funds to cover theirexport development expenses.

The funding is administered as an ExportMarket Development Grant (EMDG) withreimbursements of up to 50 per centavailable for eligible expenses above$10,000 – providing total expenses are

at least $20,000. Expenses can includeattending international trade fairs, providing samples for a promotion, marketing consultants and bringing buyers to Australia.

Applications for the 2012-2013 grant yearclose Monday, 2 December. For moreinformation visit the Austrade website:www.austrade.com.au.

Gaining access to emerging exportmarkets is high on his list of issues to discuss with Federal AgriculturalMinister Barnaby Joyce, according to new APAL Chief Executive OfficerJohn Dollisson.

John featured in rural newspaper TheWeekly Times recently stating: “Probablythe area we need greatest help on ismarket access into Asian markets, particularly China.

Recent figures released by Roy

Morgan Research show more

Australian consumers are prepared

to buy Australian-made than they were a

year ago.

The results revealed that 12 per cent of

consumers were less concerned with

price when it came to choosing Australian

made products.

FarewellSarah

Now consumers will find it easier to buy Australian with the launch of thenew Australian Made Campaign website:www.australianmade.com.au.

The site features more than 10,000 products from thousands of Australianmanufacturers, processors and producers.The information will enable consumers to quickly and easily find locally made,grown or caught products (i.e. seafood).

Market access is a chief issueAPAL Communications ManagerSarah Kulman recentlystepped down from her

role to take up a post with the RoyalAgricultural Society of Victoria (RASV).

Sarah, who joined the team almosttwo years ago, was an integral partof the organisation and helped reinvigorate APAL’s communicationsand deliver a successful conference.

The excellent work Sarah undertookon the new look AustralianFruitgrower, upgrading and updatingthe APAL website and the recentconference leaves her mark on the industry.

Her new role as Manager – IndustryEngagement will ensure she won’tstray too far from the orchard as shecontinues to build a profile forAustralian agriculture.

Sarah finished up late last month.The APAL team wishes her all thebest in her new role.

“What we need to think about is wherethe apple and pear industry should bein five years, what varieties we shouldbe growing, who is going to beimporting and who is going to beexporting,” he said.

John is looking forward to workingwith and learning more about theAustralian apple and pear industry andhopes to meet with Minister Joyce inthe coming months.


A PA L N EW S

Supermarkets:the focus of government review

The price war between the nation’s big twosupermarket chains could hurt consumersin the long run if food suppliers don’t havemoney to invest in their businesses, WAToday reported recently.

The report said, with competition policy unchanged inmore than 20 years, the federal government is pushingahead with a ‘root and branch’ review of how it applies

to the food industry. Small Business Minister Bruce Billsonreportedly said that while intense competition between Colesand Woolworths has led to lower grocery prices there are concerns this has happened at the expense of suppliers.

“Some of the alleged behaviour of supermarkets may not necessarily breach the competition laws as they are today,” Mr Billson told a recent food industry conference in Canberra.

“But at the same time, it doesn’t mean that the status quo isnecessarily delivering the most efficient or optimal outcomes forthe market, our economy and for our consumers.”

Mr Billson described Section 46 of the policy governing the misuse of market power as a ‘hunting dog that won’t leave theporch’. “It looks fantastic, it may growl, but it rarely bites,” hetold the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) gathering.

The review’s terms of reference will be released by the end of this year, ahead of the examination in 2014 by an independentpanel of business people, competition law experts and representatives of consumer groups.

Independent South Australian Senator Nick Xenophon said it’sgenuinely frightening that Coles and Woolworths hold about 80 per cent of the dry grocery market. In the United Kingdom,four separate chains hold a similar percentage of the market,and the largest chain in the United States can only hold about20 per cent due to laws that limit market share.

“We need similar laws here in Australia. Whatever the outcomesof the federal government’s ‘root and branch’ review…ourcourts need to have the power to break up a company thatabuses its market power,” Senator Xenophon said.

Scholarshipsfor agriculture

A Federal Government scholarship that aims to attractschool leavers into agriculture-related universitydegrees is now accepting applications.

The Horizon Scholarship, an initiative of the Rural IndustriesResearch and Development Corporation (RIRDC) – in partnershipwith industry sponsors – provides $5,000 per year for theduration of a student’s university degree.

The Horizon Scholarship also offers students annual industrywork placements that give them firsthand exposure to modernagricultural practices, access to industry leaders, professionaldevelopment workshops and opportunities to network andgain knowledge at a range of industry events.

RIRDC Managing Director Craig Burns said the HorizonScholarship has been developed to support the next generationof agricultural leaders who will take up the challenge of farmingfor the future.

Further information: RIRDC t: (02) 6271 4132.

Gen Y 1985-2004 – the industry’s future

Members of Generation Y, born 1985 to 2004,are tending to choose fresh fruit over junkfood, becoming the apple grower of the

future’s best friends – according to Ken Gronbach, ademographer from the United States (US).

Speaking at the 2013 Apple Crop Outlook & MarketingConference earlier this year, Ken said Generation Yunderstand nutrition and will demand transparency.

“They will be hard to brand. They speak cyber as theirfirst language. Meat counters will disappear because theywon’t touch raw meat. But they will change the wayapples are marketed and consumed,” he said.

He sees a massive US domestic market for apples amongAfrican Americans, Hispanics and the growing number ofGeneration Y and Z people (born after 1985), all ofwhom are choosing fresh fruit as a healthful snack over“stuff we call junk food”. He thinks the apple industryshould specifically target them with advertising.


I N D U S T R Y D I V E R S I F I C AT I O N

DPI Development Officer KevinDodds said the growing ciderboom represents an opportunity

for value adding and diversification in theapple industry.

“Cider production offers local applegrowers a potential market for fruit whichis deemed unsuitable for the fresh market,”Mr Dodds said. “Typically 10 to 20 percent of the fresh market crop goes tojuice processors for crushing and pressingto produce apple juice and apple juiceconcentrate.

“For many growers juicing does not coverthe cost of production but growth in the

Australian cider and perry (pear cider)market means that there is an increasingdemand for locally produced juice. Asdemand increases we can expect to seethe development of a new market forAustralian juice fruit which should lead toan increase in the market price for juice.”

Mr Dodds said opportunities for growersexist in the potential for diversificationand value-adding with growers directlyinvolved in the cider and perry business.

“The Batlow Premium cider brand is a good example of growers forming apartnership to diversify and add value totheir produce, “he said.

With local ciders winning the top awards for the first time in

the Australian Cider Awards, the New South Wales Department

of Primary Industries (DPI) congratulates the winners and

remains committed to its support of the apple industry.

NSW DPI’s in cider support

ABOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Nyall Condon, David Pickering, James Kendell and Gail Kendell.

“During judging recently for the AustralianCider Awards at the Orange AgriculturalInstitute, I had the opportunity to taste arange of ciders from six Australian states,France, England, Ireland, New Zealand,Belgium and Germany. This educationalexperience gave me a better appreciationfor the range of flavours and aromas produced by the different apple and pearvarieties and we predict that futuredevelopment will see the growth of amarket for traditional cider varieties. Justas winegrapes are best suited to wineproduction, cider apples and pears arebest suited to cider production.

“Local consumers have an appreciationof different wine styles and grape varieties and, as consumers develop anunderstanding of and taste for cider, it isanticipated that there will be a growingdemand for cider apple and pear varieties.”

DPI has researched and documentedcider production and apple varieties inAustralia, for more information visit theirwebsite: www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/horticulture/pomes/cider.

For the list of prize winners from the2013 Australian Cider Awards, includinga trophy winning cider from Orange, visit the cider industry website: www.cideraustralia.org.au.

www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER NOVEMBER 2013 09

I N D U S T R Y D I V E R S I F I C AT I O N

Aussie cider

APAL CEO John Dollisson (centre) pictured with Jeff Adams and Sam Reid from Willie Smith’s Organic Cider.

flowsAustralian cider was flowing at the recent Cider Festival held in Manly, NewSouth Wales, where at least 10 of the 14 major exhibitors were using home-grownfruit in their products.

APAL Director Michael Stafford andwife Leonie were at the festivalshowcasing their Cloudy ‘Lobo’ Cider.

APAL Chief Executive Officer JohnDollisson attended the annualevent last month and said he

enjoyed tasting the variety of cider availableand meeting with people interested inmaximising the use of Australian grownapples and pears.

“Cider and perry making is a great way touse apples and pears that don’t make thegrocery shelves and therefore contributingto Australian fruit sales,” John said.

“It was fantastic to see the majority ofbeverages on display making use of ourquality, home grown product.

“As I’ve only been at APAL a short time, thefestival was an opportunity to meet withmembers of the Australian cider community

– including Cider Australia – to determinewhere and how Australian producers aresourcing their fruit,” John said.

The event was hosted by Cider Australiaand John had the opportunity to meetand discuss future industry opportunitieswith President James Kendall, VicePresident Sam Reid and Policy AdvisorJane Anderson.

“APAL is working with Cider Australia toencourage Australian cider producers touse locally sourced fruit in their productsinstead of international counterparts,”John said.

The use of Aussie Apples in locally madecider will become more detectable withthe introduction of the ‘made with

Aussie Apples’ logo (pictured above). The logo will be included on the label ofproducts using 100 per cent Australianapples and that are licenced throughHorticulture Australia Limited (HAL). The licensing agreement ensuresAustralian fruit is used to the requiredlevel and standard.

Apple and pear levy payers producingAustralian cider are entitled to use thelogos free of charge upon signing alicence agreement. For more informationabout the licence agreement contact HALMarketing Manager Luke Westley e: [email protected]; t: (02) 8295 2375.


S TAT E R O U N D U P

State Association

Contacts

WESTERN AUSTRALIANardia Shaw

e: [email protected] Fruit WestPost address:

PO Box 7198 Karawara, Western Australia 6152 Ph: (08) 9368 3869Mob: 0437 429 198

NEW SOUTH WALESJustin Crosby

e: [email protected] 25,

66 Goulburn Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2000

Ph: (02) 8251 1700

QUEENSLANDe: [email protected]

Growcom68 Anderson Street,

Fortitude Valley, Queensland 4006Ph: (07) 3620 3844

SOUTH AUSTRALIASusie Green

e: [email protected] & Pear Growers

Association of SA1655 Lobethal Road Lenswood,

South Australia 5240Ph: (08) 8389 8300

TASMANIALucy Gregg

e: [email protected] Growers Tasmania Inc262 Argyle Street Hobart,

Tasmania, 7000Ph: (03) 6231 1944

VICTORIAJohn Wilson

e: [email protected] Growers Victoria,

2 Rumbalara Road, Mooroopna, Victoria 3629

Ph: (03) 5825 3700

New South WalesBushfires have affected the Bilpin area while variable weather is makingmanagement decisions awkward. Littlerain has been received so irrigation will probably start early.

At the time of writing,orchardists in the Bilpin areaare under siege from a majorbushfire that has run fromLithgow through to Bilpinover the previous few days.

Our thoughts are with thesegrowers at the moment andwe all hope for a major windchange and significant rain.

With the state on New SouthWales experiencing bushfiresfar earlier in spring than previous years, one cannothelp but to reflect on the significance of climate change.

The weather in the growingregions has been very variableto say the least, some days

10ºC above the norm andother nights down to -2ºC.

Growers are very apprehensiveas to just what the effects ofthinners shall be, and whetheror not to continue applyingsecondary thinners.

While the temperatures havebeen variable the one constanthas been the dry. Little rainhas fallen in all growingregions over the last monthand an early commencementof irrigation looks to be onthe cards.

Cherries have set a mediumcrop which points to a goodsize on a more buoyant marketthan last year.

Apple prices have lifted a lit-tle over the last month withthe best returns, on average, so far this year going to the‘Gala’ variety.

The growing regions arelooking forward to meetingAPAL’s new CEO JohnDollisson during the monthahead as he travels the districts.

New South Wales Farmershave organised a meeting in Sydney with some of thegrowers and processors to tryto find ways to invigorate theailing processing industry andimprove processing prices.

David Gartrell

Last minute news: Great news – none of the Bilpin growers wereadversely affected by the fires.

A dry and very warm springis ideal for the developmentof insect pests on the GraniteBelt. Codling moth eggs are hatching up to a weekearlier than usual, as rapidaccumulation of heat unitscombines with an early biofix(first consistent trap catch) tomatch the forwardness of

the district’s apple trees. Earlypopulations of European redmite and larger numbers ofQueensland fruit fly are beingobserved this season. On theother hand, well into October,only one apple scab infectionperiod has been recorded onmost orchards.

QueenslandDry and warm conditions have led toseveral pest alerts. There has been littleor no rain of late but water storages are reasonable.

Most orchards in the GraniteBelt have had little or no rainsince the middle of Septemberbut water storages still havereasonable capacity.

Fruit set across the district ismuch reduced on last seasonwith ‘Red Delicious’ the mostaffected variety.

Cold store operators reportfruit moving reasonably wellafter slow winter sales. Galaapples are close to sold outwith ‘Red Delicious’ and to alesser extent Pink Lady® theonly disappointing productlines.

Peter NimmoDAFF Queensland



Spring has well and trulysprung with flowering prettymuch complete in all areas.With a mild winter andextremely variable weatherthrough flowering, growers

are now waiting to see howthe fruit has set. The weatherhas been particularly frustrating,with very few windows ofopportunity providing conditionssuitable for spraying.

South AustraliaThe weather has been frustrating – providing few suitable opportunities forspraying. As South Australia is now theonly mainland state to be free of fruitfly, discussions are being held with government to maintain that status. Co-funding is a topic of discussion.

Growers will be undertakingany planting activities shortly,with some planting of newvarieties going in.

Fruit sales have been steadyand there have been someexport shipments from theLenswood Cooperative whichhas been a positive for thelocal industry.

Industry has been in ongoingdiscussions with the SouthAustralian government andBiosecurity SA around preventionof fruit fly outbreaks.

South Australia is now theonly mainland state to be free of fruit fly and there isconsiderable interest to keep itthis way. The state governmenthas indicated a willingness to

maintain detection and education programs in place,but has asked industry forsome co-contribution, theform of which is yet to bedetermined.

With significant levels ofinterception of fruit at roadblocks and detection of maggots, it is critical thattravellers are made aware ofthe potential risks to industryof bringing fruit into the state.

Susie GreenAPGA of SA

by growers, including non-eligibility of exports forsubsidy under the TasmanianFreight Equalisation Scheme.

Recently an export registrationand training day was held,with five apple growers and four apple packhousesregistering for next season’sexports to protocol countriesincluding Taiwan, Japan andChina.

Lucy Gregg has departed FGTafter five years as BusinessDevelopment Manager, moving back into a marketingand business development rolewith Reid Fruits. FGT thanksLucy for her dedication overthe past five years and wewish her well in her new role.

Phil PykeFruit Growers Tasmania

TasmaniaThe genetically modified organism (GMO)debate has returned with a moratoriumscheduled for review by the state government, and the government-fundedFreight Logistics Coordination Team saysTasmania’s freight system – especiallyshipping costs across Bass Strait – is notmeeting the needs of internationalexporters or small to medium producers.

In September Fruit Growers

Tasmania (FGT) attended

Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong

Kong for the sixth consecutive

year. The Tasmanian stand –

which was also visited by the

state’s Premier – showcased

cherries, apples, stone fruit

and berries, attracting strong

interest from importers from

many different countries.

The success of the trade showwas sadly over-shadowed bythe sudden passing of cherryand apple grower, RichardHarvey of Glenburn Orchards.Attending Logistica for the firsttime, Richard was a well-knownand respected member of theTasmanian fruit industry.

The genetically modifiedorganism (GMO) debate has

been a hot topic in the islandstate as the moratorium isagain up for review by theTasmanian Parliament inNovember 2014. Submissionswere drawn from all sectors,including agriculture, with theFGT submission supporting theretention of the moratoriumin the immediate term, whilealways remaining cognisant ofpotential future advancementsin gene technology.

Freight is also back on theParliamentary agenda withthe first public report intoTasmania’s freight challengeshighlighting the high costsfaced by exporters in crossingBass Strait. In a public discussion paper released inearly October, the government-funded Freight LogisticsCoordination Team saidTasmania’s freight system isnot meeting the needs ofinternational exporters orsmall to medium producers.

FGT will prepare a submissionoutlining the issues faced


Australian authorities responsible for safeguard measuresand anti-dumping duties have found no grounds forimplementing provisional safeguard duties on South

African canned-fruit producers, following a preliminary investigation, according to a report on www.freshplaza.com.

International trade law expert Rian Geldenhuys was reported in South Africa as saying he remains positive about the finaloutcome, despite affected parties still having time to submitsupplementary information before the final recommendations.

Mr Geldenhuys – an international trade and commercial lawyerwith Trade Law Chambers who represents South African producers– said the Australian Productivity Commission found the

requirements for introducing provisional safeguard measures interms of World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules had not been met.

Australia earlier this year announced that it wanted a total banon all canned-fruit products produced abroad – a move thatwould have hit South Africa’s fruit industry, which supplies 40per cent of the total processed fruit market in that country. Theproducts include canned citrus fruit, apricots, peaches, pears,mixed fruits, and canned tomatoes.

Mr Geldenhuys said Australian Anti-dumping Commission officials visited South African canners and found no evidence ofdumping. It recommended the termination of the investigation.

Australia – no action on South African canned fruit?


Western AustraliaWeather has frustrated spring spraying programs.

Damp conditions have persisted,interrupting spring spraying programs. Orchardists appear tohave heralded orchard hygienemessages over the winter withcommunity awareness programsnow focusing on small landholdersand backyarders to improve theirfruit fly management.

Congratulations to the HillsOrchard Improvement Group on a very successful Karragullen Expothis year.

The weather turned on a lovely dayand attendance was reportedlythe best in a number of years.Fruit West combined our effortswith the Department of Agricultureand Food WA, SmartFresh andOrganic Farming Systems to providean information filled tent coveringfruit fly and our latest acquisition– a DA meter (a non-destructivefruit quality control tester usingnear-infrared spectrometer – NIRS).

We are working on a number ofproject proposals at the momentincorporating the DA meter

into our Quality ManagementProgram. We are looking forwardto demonstrating the DA meter’suses to growers both in field andpostharvest.

It was encouraging to speak to a number of small landholdersduring the expo who were makinggreat efforts to control fruit fly ontheir properties. Fruit West alsosponsored the Best HorticulturalMachinery Display and I Love WAFruit children’s colouring competition.

At the Expo, Harry Morgan waspresented with the Service toIndustry Award. He delivered aninspiring speech on his pride inbeing associated with WA horticulture for such a long timeand the importance for the publicto continually support WA grownproduce. He reminded the audiencethat WA produces world classfruit and people need to seek that out first.

Stephanie FaggetterFruit West

FGV welcomessupermarket decision

Fruit Growers Victoria General ManagerJohn Wilson has said the decision bysupermarket chain Coles to source more

of its generic tinned fruit from Goulburn Valleycannery SPC Ardmona (SPCA) from early 2014was “an excellent outcome”.

Woolworths announced a similar deal inSeptember with 100 per cent of Woolworths’brand canned peaches, pears and apricots setto be sourced from local producers. Both supermarkets had been heavily criticised bylocal growers for sourcing fruit from SouthAfrica in their generic canned products.

“Certainly the pendulum is swinging in theright direction again whereas it was going savagely the wrong way just six months ago,”John said on ABC radio.

“Consumers have responded with a clear message that they want to buy Australian fruitbecause it’s good, clean and the best in theworld. The supermarkets have seen that it’sgood business sense to come on board andtake that fruit.”

Mr Wilson said the deal would add value toboth SPCA and the growers supplying it.

“But we’ve got to be mindful that we’re still only talking in peaches and pears approximately 26,000 tonnes of fruit going into the cannery whereas a few years ago there were 50,000 tonnes.”


LandmarkHarcourts.com.au

Family Owned & Operated since 1966

• Located 16km from Tumbarumba, 28km to Batlow & 115km to Wagga Wagga

• 392 ac on 3 titles in Tumbarumba Shire• Approx 33,500 trees, fully irrigated,

majority hail netted, fixed & drape• Estab orchard area 107 ac on 2 sites• Orana 201.5 ac with 49.4 ac estab

approx 15,000 trees• Blue Hills - 190.5 ac with 58 ac estab

approx 18,500 trees• Blue Hills has further 110 ac suitable for

future plantings• Water security - 4 large storage dams

supply irrigation to both orchards• Extensive plantings of new varieties

including Rosey Glow & Kanzi• Packing & storage shed 200x96 with

coolrooms for up to 1200 bins on site• Orchard & Packing P& E included• Batlow Co-op shares 2040 bin space incInspection by appointment with agent!

TUMBARUMBA NSW158.6 ha - 392 ac

Apple Orchard for sale by Expressions of Interest

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Friday 13 December, 2013 - 12pm

Sally Douglas 0428 826 [email protected] WAGGA (02) 6933 5426

Web�ID:�LWG2388

Amateur and professional photographersare encouraged to get their cameras outand start snapping all things food.

People of all ages are invited to submit their food photography images to become the winner of Pink Lady®

Food Photographer of the Year 2014 – an internationalcompetition showcasing the best of food photography fromaround the world.

Australian food stylist, author and magazine editor Donna Hay isone of the 2014 judges and said before she decided on a careerin food she had toyed with the idea of becoming a photographer.

“I loved the thought of capturing images that inspire people. In the end I played to my strengths – cooking and styling! –

instead and feel blessed to have worked with some truly amazing photographers in my time,” she said.

The competition received more than 5,500 images from aroundthe globe in 2013 and amateur photographer AlexandrinaPaduretu won the award – presented by former APAL ManagingDirector Jon Durham – for a beautiful and endearing shot of hergrandfather eating an apple.

Thursday, 14 November marked International Food PhotographyDay and is a great opportunity to start snapping! Photographerof the year entries close Friday 31 January 2014.

Information: w: www.pinkladyfoodphotographeroftheyear.com

ZOOM INand photograph allthings food for PinkLady award

Tim Reid – or Reidy as many know him – has beendescribed as someone who can bounce back fromadversity with the cards in his favour. A wearerof many hats, Tim has worked hard to turn thenegatives of fruit trading into positives. He hasmade the most of every opportunity presented –all with the support of his (family and) team.


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

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Grower: Tim Reid

Position: Managing Director of Reid Fruits

Where: Reid Fruits, Derwent Valley, Tasmania

Varieties: 100 hectares of cherries (60% in production and 40% over the next 3 years) and 20 hectares of apples – ‘Royal Gala’



A fifth generation grower, Tim’s family has been growingfruit in Tasmania since 1856 and is now one of thebiggest cherry growers in Australia. His vast experience

working with exports has seen him called upon to help the horticulture sector gain access to numerous international markets. He has been awarded an Order of Australia, named an ‘Export Hero’ by the Australian Institute of Export and henow can add Farmer of the Year to his list of accolades.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR FARMER OF THE YEAR AWARD! HOW DID YOUBECOME NOMINATED?“I was nominated by David O’Byrne who is the TasmanianMinister for Economic Development. There are 11 categoriesthat make up the overall award (Farmer of the Year) and Davidoriginally nominated me for Rural Leader of the Year Award.

“When I found out I had been short-listed for the award Ithought it would be a bit of fun for my wife and I to go to thedinner and mix with other nominees. I never expected to win mycategory – and was even more surprised when I was one-of-threecalled to the stage in the running for the overall Farmer of theYear Award. And to win it…well it’s truly humbling!

“Now that I am over the shock, I’m extremely honoured to winsuch a prestigious award. The judges are all specialists in theirfield across many sectors and for them to pick me out of animpressive bunch of potential winners is unbelievable.

“I was convinced the winner would be someone from one ofthe bigger industries. But to have a representative of horticulturewin is testament to our sector’s value in Australian agriculture.

“Since the announcement, I think I have been contacted by atleast 300 people wanting to congratulate me – both local andinternational. I have personally responded to all of them.”

TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS?“My great-great grandfather started the business 150 years ago but it was my grandfather Steve Reid who really built thebusiness up during the 1950s. He was a very progressiveorchardist and was one of the first growers to set up a centralpacking shed. By the 1960s my grandfather, along with my fatherand an uncle, were packing and marketing for 30 other growers.

“When I entered the business we were growing older varietyapples such as ‘Sturmer Pippin’, ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘Jonathan’apple varieties which were exported mainly into the UnitedKingdom, Europe and Scandinavia.

“We did quite well on the export front but this all changed inthe 1970s when England joined the European Common Market– known today as the European Union. We were forced to compete against lower cost countries such as France and Italywho could supply controlled atmosphere stored apples in ourtraditional marketing window.

“But this wasn’t the only issue we had to overcome. Englandjoining the European Common Market coincided with a hugeincrease in the value of the Australian dollar against the EnglishPound and war in the Arabian Gulf drove up oil prices causing abig increase in sea freight costs.

“If this wasn’t enough to deal with at that time there was a lot ofindustrial disputation on the waterfront. So even if you could affordto export product ship owners were too afraid to dock in Australiain case they became stranded during the extended disputes.

SO HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THESE HURDLES?“We had to change our focus away from the UK to Asia. Thismeant changing our production from the older varieties to thenewer ‘Red Delicious’, particularly the ‘Hi Early’ strain.

“Many growers in Tasmania weren’t in a financial position tomake the change and the industry went from 1,300 growers to 300 almost overnight!“ ”…(do) not discount bringing

investors into the business…

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16 AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER NOVEMBER 2013 www.apal.org.au


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“For the next 25 years we survived supplying fruit to Asia before lower cost countriessuch as China and Chile turned up. This set in motion another change to the industryand grower numbers dropped from 300 to 50. This second change forced us to furtherre-evaluate our business focus.

“It was at this time – in the mid-1990s when my wife Debra and I had taken overmanaging the business – we made the decision to diversify and focus on growing cherries.”

HOW HARD WAS IT TO TRANSITION FROM A FOCUS ONAPPLES TO CHERRIES?“We knew that (at the time) we couldn’t compete in the world market any moreagainst the same product from another country. We needed to produce somethingthat still had the advantage of seasonality. The hardest part wasn’t deciding to focuson cherries; the hardest part was the affect of this decision which brought about therestructure and relocation of the business.

“My grandfather once said to me ‘don’t get attached to your assets’. So after morethan 150 years in the same location, farmed by the previous four generations, wemade (what was a traumatic) decision to move our production from the Huon Valley(Geeveston) to an area that posed less climatic risk – Plenty, in the Derwent Valley.

“At the time the restructure was beyond our financial means so we sold 35 per cent of the business to investors. This not only introduced a higher level of discipline to thebusiness and lifted our corporate governance; it was easier than dealing with financialinstitutions. We now have a Board of Directors (from a range of specialist backgrounds)and our structure has put us in a strong position to further expand the business.

“We still grow some apples – we have 20 hectares of ‘Gala’. I expect we will have torestructure at some time in the future and still having a strong sentimental interest inthe apple industry, I hope our future will include more apples.”

IS IT FAIR TO SAY YOU HAVE BEEN INSTRUMENTAL IN SETTING UP TASMANIA’S EXPORT INDUSTRY?“I wouldn’t go as far as saying that, but I have been part of a team that has had quitea lot of success in international market access.

“The first project was an intensive seven-year campaign to gain access for Tasmanian‘Fuji’ apples to Japan in 1999. This was a monumental event for Australian agricultureas the industry had been trying unsuccessfully to gain access to that market since theearly 1920s. I was told it couldn’t be done!

“The achievement was compared to Japan allowing market access for Australian riceand attracted international attention. The Ambassador of the day, Ashton Calvert, saidgaining access to Japan for Tassie ‘Fuji’ apples was ‘a highly symbolic breakthrough inthe development of agricultural trade between Australia and Japan’.

“Before that first access project began I knew very little about international tradenegotiation. However, by the end of the process we had developed a working modelwhich we could apply to other negotiations.”

Since 1999 Tim has been involved with eight significant trade outcomes for theTasmanian fruit industry. He was also involved in HAL setting up the Office of HorticulturalMarket Access (OHMA) and was the Inaugural Chair. The Office has the role of providingadvice on the allocation of government resources and prioritising which industries arefirst in line for market access.

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Team Reid:Helping the industryopen doors continued…


In addition, Tim has been the head of several industry associationsand companies. He was the President of TAPGA (TasmanianApple and Pear Growers Association) prior to the merger withthe Tasmanian Stone Fruit Association to form Fruit GrowersTasmania (FGT) of which he became the Founding Chair. Timrecently served two years as President of Cherry GrowersAustralia (CGA), and has been a member of several governmentand community advisory committees including the University ofTasmania to establish the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.

HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO WORK INHORTICULTURE?“All I ever wanted to do was work on the farm. I used to getout of school when I was younger to come and help dad withharvest. So I guess he wasn’t surprised when I left school at 16to work in the business full-time.

“However, even though I left school early, I put a lot of weighton education. I have worked hard to educate myself in all areas of the business and travelled extensively – nationally andinternationally – to do so. My wife Debra and I have also learneda lot from off-farm investments and community involvementincluding my 10 year stint in local government and as a memberof various government boards and committees.

“At one stage, we tried our hand at running a small hardwarestore. We ended up owning two Mitre 10 stores in the Huon Valley.The business was quite successful but consumed much of our time.We decided to give it up after three years due to our orchardingbusiness and travel commitments on behalf of the fruit industry.”

SO...ANY ADVICE FOR THOSE SEEKINGMARKET ACCESS?“No one person can gain access for a whole industry. It takes ateam of people willing to put in the hard yards to work alongsidegovernment, industry and with international networks.

“You need to spend a lot of time addressing the quarantineconcerns of the country you are trying to gain access to but alsoallaying the fears of your potential competitors in the new market.

For example, when we were working to gain access for cherriesto Japan in 2005, the greenhouse strawberry industry was worriedthat our inclusion would affect their industry’s growth. We hadto put a lot of effort in to quashing these fears. In addition, it’simportant to recruit political networks keen to import your productwho will lobby on your behalf.”

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE GROWERS TODAY?“I would have to give the same advice I had once been given bymy grandfather – don’t get attached to your asset! This soundpiece of advice not only assisted my decision to relocate ourorchards from the Huon Valley to Plenty, it has turned out to bepivotal in the success of our business. In some cases, it may bebetter to get out of the business and reinvest in something else.You have to do what is best for the health and wellbeing of yourfamily and yourself. Don’t let emotion overrule commonsense!

“I would also encourage all farmers to not discount bringinginvestors into the business – including foreign. If you are thinkingof potentially expanding your farm to maintain viability, newequity could just be the opportunity to find the capital you need (however, speak to a financial advisor first). In addition, by introducing foreign investment you could well be buying intoa ready-made market. Growers shouldn’t be xenophobic on wherethey may receive additional capital but should focus on gettingthe right partner!” :afg

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“ ”You have to do what is best for the health and wellbeing of your family and yourself.Don’t let emotion overrule

commonsense!


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

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Upon reviewing these trials, and after visiting some of these sites, many treatments had limited success. In some cases the most limiting factor was that not

enough irrigation water was applied to the trees, either at theright time or in the right quantity, to sustain satisfactory treecanopy growth.

Water is the most important tool available to growers for maximisingtree canopy growth, whether in a young or older tree.

Any water stress to a young tree (even for a short duration) canbe enough to provide the tree with a growth check that cannoteasily be undone. Often the tree may only start growing againthe following spring. Craig Hornblow and I wrote a list of thefive most important tools required to maximise young treegrowth and they are:

1) Water

2) Water

3) Water

4) Nutrition/pest and disease/soil fumigation/training/weed control/crop load*

5) Water

Clearly we rate water highly as a critical success factor for treegrowth (whether young or old).

The reason there are several factors listed at number four* highlights that on any particular orchard, any one of these couldbe the next limiting factor to tree growth, behind water. But wateris by far the most important.

What is satisfactory young tree canopy growth?OrchardNet® provides a pretty good insight into what someAustralian growers have achieved. Fifty centimetres-plus ofleader growth in one year is acceptable to some. Anything lesscan be disappointing. However, we are aware of some growersachieving 80cm of leader growth which is fantastic.

How much water is required?In the ‘Guidelines for irrigation management for Apple and Peargrowers’ it states “the amount of water that should be appliedto an orchard in each irrigation will depend on the wetted rootvolume and soil type. The wetted root volume is the volume ofroots that are wet by the irrigation system. These are the effectiveroots that provide water to the tree. The soil type will determinehow much water is readily available to the tree. The maximumamount of water to apply in one irrigation will be the differencebetween the readily available water in the root zone, and the“full point” for that soil type.”

Early on in the life of a newly planted orchard, the effective rootzone of the young tree is about the size of a 10 litre bucket atplanting. This means that the tree will acquire the majority of itswater from this area (bucket) only.

As the tree grows, then its effective rooted area will increase,and therefore increase the soil area it can draw water from. Inthis situation, sprinklers throwing water in a 2.5 metre diametermay only be applying effective water to a very small area (bucketsized) accessible to the new tree. Often growers think they areapplying plenty of water, but in reality 70-80 per cent is notaccessible to the young tree because there are no tree roots inthat wetted zone to uptake this water. So the amount of waterapplied per hectare can be misleading.

The better question to ask is how much water is applied to theeffective root zone of the young tree? Ignore the water that isgoing everywhere else.

Over time, the water in the sprinkler wetted zone will be betterutilised as the tree grows and the roots spread further out into it,but not initially (providing the tree roots have not been checkedby drought).

In my experience, no matter what you think the right amount of water to apply is, increase it to 150 per cent. In fact, I have a saying that you should irrigate until you see ‘ducks landing in

Hopefully by now you have had a chance to read many of the Focus Orchards (FO) reportsposted on the APAL website about last year’s trials across the districts. Quite a number ofthese FO trials investigated ways to increase canopy growth of newly planted trees andhow to get older trees, which have stalled, growing again.

Focus Orchard update:More water for increased tree growthBy Steven Spark, AgFirst Consultants



your orchard’. Only then do we stop (for a day only). Of course,this is assuming unlimited water is available. Plants can suck outthe first drop of water much more easily than the last drop.

There are many examples across orchards of how effectiveunlimited water is for increasing tree growth. Take a look acrossan undulating block of young trees and look at how much tallerthe trees are in the hollows than those growing outside the hollows. This increase in tree growth is often because, when the irrigation is turned off, water left in the pipe runs backdown into the hollows and provides additional water to thosetrees. It might also reflect the increased soil moisture holdingcapacity of the soil in hollows. Either way, more available waterequals more tree growth.

Also, some of the best years for achieving good tree growth are when a wet spring is followed by a wet early summer period.The trick is to replicate these conditions in a not so wet spring/early summer. The best way is to irrigate often and extensively.

Many of the new plantings now are on dwarf rootstocks suchas M9 and M26 which do not like the roots drying out, even for a short period. This characteristic can be useful once thetrees are older, because deficit irrigation can be used to slowtree growth down, without impacting adversely on fruit size.

We have found that once dwarf roots become dry, the resultanttree growth will also stop and it is very difficult to start again –often that is all the growth you will get until next spring. It canbe difficult, even if conditions improve later to restart somedwarfing root stocks once they have dried out, even for a shortperiod. Not impossible, but difficult. Therefore to maximisecanopy growth, never let your trees dry out for a moment.

The older, more vigorous rootstocks most growers are familiarwith, such as MM106 and MM116, tend to have a larger root

area and strong growth habit that can often draw water from afar greater soil area, therefore are less affected by short periodsof water deficit. The difference is they can usually be restartedgrowing again by simply applying more water. Dwarf trees havea smaller root area and this is a lot more difficult to do.

MonitoringGrowers are making more and more use of soil monitoringdevices that capture the soil moisture levels. Care must be takenwhen interpreting these as they are only a guide and can providefalse hope. Let me explain. Many monitoring devices are oftenplaced midway between trees. In the early stages of young treegrowth, sometimes no roots are anywhere near the soil moisturemonitoring device measuring zone (especially if trees are plantedat wider in-row spacings). This can mean the soil moisture monitoring device may only be measuring the soil moisturewhich is lost to evaporation or leaching from the soil.

They are often not accurately measuring the moisture removedfrom the soil by the tree, which is greater than moisture lostsolely from evaporation or leaching. When irrigating solelyaccording to your soil moisture monitoring device, a young tree can quickly come under a moisture deficit if the monitoringdevice is not situated correctly and this results in a reduction intree growth.

As root growth increases, it will often be matched by an increasein tree canopy growth and vice versa. The irrigation strategyshould always be concentrated on keeping the effective rootzone of the tree well supplied with water and never left to dryout once shoot growth has commenced.

Dripper irrigation systems under the right soil conditions can supplyadequate water to young trees to ensure satisfactory tree growth,but they too need careful management to get the best results.

Figure 1 & 2: Before and after flowers and shoots removed to encourage apical dominance

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Figure 1 Figure 2



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Often we see more blocks performing poorly when irrigated withdrippers than those irrigated with sprinklers. The main reasonbeing that sprinklers can provide a lot more water faster; therefore problems can be averted quickly – not always easywith drippers.

In lighter soils, irrigation timing and frequency must be carefullymanaged. Sandy or gravelly loam soils with low organic matterusually have a very low water holding capacity and often watercan run quickly straight down out of the soil profile into the subsoil.

Managing drippers becomes so much more critical on lightersoils. Little and often, more frequent applications of three or fourtimes a day or more. Every day may best suit some orchard’s soils.

The biggest mistake I have seen with drippers is only irrigatingtwice a week on light granite soils. If trees dry out even for ashort interval between water events, that could be the end ofthis year’s shoot growth. To understand what’s happening underyour drippers and how the irrigation water is moving in the soil,get a spade and dig to check if your tree roots are wet. Theycannot be allowed to dry out.

Drippers are often best on heavy soils that have better waterholding capacity that can spread the water outwards in the soil like a big football. This increases the soil area wetted andtherefore as long as young tree roots are active in this wettedarea, more water will be utilised by the tree and this will promotetree canopy growth.

Remembering that a newly planted tree has an effective rootarea the size of a bucket, you should be concerned with howmuch water from the drippers is going into that bucket (youngtree rooting zone). In some cases, if drippers are spaced too faraway from the tree, they may simply not be providing enoughwater to the tree roots.

Again, the volume of water supplied per hectare is less importantthan the volume of water supplied to the tree roots.

Checking irrigation effectivenessWhether using drippers or mini-sprinklers, get a spade and dig a small trench down alongside the new tree and see how theirrigation water is being dispersed in the tree’s root zone.

Figure 3: Weeds will greatly restrict tree growth.

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Focus Orchard update:More water for increased tree growthcontinued…


Figure 4: Trees in background with increased shoot growth byremoving fruit early. Photo: Orchard Services

I won’t go into irrigation system design and its efficiency, butchecking sprinklers or drippers by placing a measuring jug underthem for a set period of time and measuring flow rates can beequally important. Not all systems are delivering the desiredamount of water or delivering it evenly across a block.

Improving soil organic matter, or supplying additional soil mulchto newly planted trees, will help conserve soil moisture and mayassist with the water spreading outwards to create a larger wettedzone. Soils low in organic matter and with poor water holdingcapabilities often act as a pipe and can run water straight outthe bottom of the soil.

Organic matter can be improved by side throwing mowers thatallow cut grass to be distributed onto the herbicide strip closeto the tree. As this green mulch breaks down, soil biology andearth worms become more active, thus improving soil organicmatter. Additional mulch can also be introduced but this shouldbe done in late winter/early spring so it can conserve soil moisture.

The importance water plays in young tree growth can start evenbefore a tree is planted. Rehydrating trees before planting, byplacing the roots in a dam or pond of water for several hoursbefore planting, will assist the trees to better handle plantingstress and provide some cover while the irrigation is being installed.

Before a tree is planted, make sure the irrigation componentsare onsite and ready to roll out as soon as the trees are planted.The most important job after planting is not to install posts andwire, or apply fertiliser, but to get the irrigation system up andworking quickly, preferably no longer than three to five daysafter planting – the sooner the better. Then turn it on. Sometimesthis interval can be extended out to seven days if Mother Natureis kind and has provided 25-30mm of rain shortly after planting.But this shouldn’t be relied on.

Reducing tree stress as soon as possibleOnce you have the irrigation sorted, removing stress from youngor older trees as soon as possible is important to realising increasedtree canopy growth. Flowers should be removed as early as possible– either by hand or chemically thinned with a spray that will notinduce more stress on the tree. A well timed ATS application withlow water volume and with Gro-Wet® can do this.

Rubbing out shoot tips early on the leader, and on any brancheswhere you want to promote more growth, will help assist apicaldominance which also promotes canopy growth. With oldertrees, removing fruit early and possibly sacrificing a crop for oneyear has proved moderately successful for a Queensland FOblock and another Victorian block.

Apply fertiliser little and often; mostly nitrogen will also encouragetree growth. Keep a good pest and disease spray program upand maintain a weed-free herbicide strip. Only use sprays that

are recommended. Make these tasks a priority and completeearly whenever possible as these will assist tree growth but theirimpact can be greatly reduced if the water management is notoptimum all the time.

I know water resources in many Australian pipfruit growing districts can be limited and often expensive and no one likes towaste it. But so too are trees that don’t grow or produce fruitquickly enough. An investment to develop a new block of intensiveapples or pears can cost upwards of $50,000/ha. It’s not cheapand therefore, applying more water than you have in the pastto young trees to enable a quicker return on this investment can be very worthwhile. :afg

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ReferencesSoil water handbook. A basic guide for calculating soil watercontent and preparing water budgets. L.G.Livingstone.

Guidelines for irrigation management for apple and peargrowers, HAL, APAL.

Futures Orchard trials

Young Kanzi Growth, Paul James. Lenswood,

Field Demonstration WA Report, Martine Combret1, LisaStarkie1, Stephanie Faggetter2.

1 Department of Agriculture and Food, WA, 2 Fruit West.

Can growth of Gala on M26 be kick-started, StephenTancred, Orchard Services.

Alternative treatment to reach full canopy. Virginnie Greoire,Victoria Fruit Growers.

Water Budgeting, Ross Wilson, Agfirst.

Can fumigation improve young tree growth, Stephen Tancred,Orchard Services.


P I P S


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Improving pear andapple scab infectionrisk managementBy Oscar Villalta, DEPI Victoria; Robert Beresford, P&F Research New Zealand;and David Williams, Project Leader PIPS Pest and Disease sub-program

Preventing primary infection by ascospores of Venturia pyrina (pear scab) and V. inaequalis(apple scab) is the main reason fungicides are used intensively by Australian pear andapple growers. Models for predicting the risk of primary infection from over-winteringinoculum (ascospores) have been developed and tested in many regions of the world –including Victoria. However, these models have not been validated in most pome fruitproducing regions of Australia.

Currently the limitations of temperaturedependent (degree day) models are theinaccuracies in predicting the start, maximum release and end of the ascosporerelease season. Most of these models predict ascospore maturation as thecumulative percentage of the season’sascospore total available each day overthe 2-3 month primary infection season(September – November). Degree-daymodels capture the time and temperaturedependence of ascospore maturation.

However, mature ascospores are releasedmostly during daytime by rainfall. In climateswhere spring rainfall events are sporadic,like in many regions of Australia, a highproportion of ascospores can be releasedon a single rainy event following a periodof dry weather. An ascospore modelshould therefore predict both daily amountof ascospores mature and daily release,aiming at identifying the days during the primary infection season which have thegreatest potential to result in scab infections.

The PIPS team (Pest and Disease sub-program) is conducting a modelling studyto determine which ascospore model mostaccurately predicts ascospore maturationand release in different regions of Australia.It is hoped the work will provide anenhanced ascospore prediction model foruse by Australian apple and pear growers.

As a first step, the team reviewed degree-day models available around theworld including Australia for their abilityto predict ascospore maturation underAustralian climatic conditions. The reviewfound that existing degree-day modelsrequired further calibration of key parameters (e.g. determining times of onsetand maximum release) to achieve adequateaccuracy for Australian conditions.

The team then characterised ascosporerelease of V. pyrina and V. inaequalis inAustralia by modelling available data setsfrom Victoria and New South Wales andusing model parameter values to identifyfactors affecting ascospore release patterns,such as region, scab species and tree phenology. The team found there was aneed for additional data sets, especiallyfrom locations where data is not available,to complete evaluation and developmentof a prototype model for Australia. Toachieve this, the team is collecting

ABOVE LEFT & RIGHT: Primary pear scab on young fruit and primary and secondary scab (summer spot) on fruit at harvest.


P I P S

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Ascospore availability is predictedin many apple & pear growingregions using an ascospore maturation model.

ascospore data from several key productionregions in five states during the 2013-14growing season.

Another key finding of the study was theneed to determine accurately the firstrelease of ascospores (biofix) at the start ofthe growing season. This is important toensure growers have accurate informationto start application of fungicide by thetime the first ascospores are releasedwhen susceptible tissue is available aroundgreen tip.

Once a reliable degree-day model is formulated, growers could more accurately

predict the best time of spray applicationand how much fungicide is needed toensure their orchards remain free of appleand pear scab.

The next stage of the research will be tointegrate the ascospore decision supporttool with other orchards factors influencingscab infection risk (i.e. weather, tree growth,time since last spray etc). This is essentialto help growers optimise scab controlwith existing and future limited fungicideand alternative control options. :afg

Getting the ascospore maturation and release right

Predicted cumulative ascospore maturation

Predicted daily ascospore release

Apple & pear scab fungicides aim to prevent ascospore infection in spring

Ascospores mature in fallenleaves on the orchard floorbetween late August (aroundgreen tip) and late November

Ascospores are only released onrainy days

C U LT I V A R S


Cripps Pink mutations and thePink Lady business

The 2010 World Apple Report (Belrose Inc.) ranks CrippsPink 13th in global production (excluding China) and it is forecast to increase its ranking to 9th by 2020. This

forecast will see the variety move from 2.11 per cent of globalproduction (excluding China) to 2.28 per cent in 2020.

Growth in the brand will result from APAL licensing the PinkLady trade mark/s in relation to mutations of the ‘Cripps Pink’variety (Cripps Pink Mutations or CPMs). A mutation happensnaturally when a tree produces a limb that has unique/differentcharacteristics from the rest of the tree.

A number of CPMs have been discovered around the world and these have been protected under plant breeder’s rights andUnited States Plant Patents. This has posed a range of issues forApple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL), the owner of the PinkLady trade mark in more than 80 territories.

These CPMs can only be accepted into the Pink Lady business ifthey add value to the business by way of pomological or productimprovements i.e. increased colouration. The overwhelmingrequirement is that the CPMs must meet the strict quality standards to protect the brand’s success and ensure consumers’expectations are always met.

APAL will, having regard to the potential value to the Pink Ladybrand, decide which (if any) of these CPMs are to be approvedto use the Pink Lady trade mark in the territories where APALowns the trade mark. To facilitate this, APAL developed a processwith which the owners of any given CPM and the product itselfmust comply. This process was developed only after considerableconsultation with those involved with APAL’s business. Two keyelements which will be considered as part of this process are:

• Fruit of CPMs must undergo rigorous consumer evaluation to ensure consumer expectations for Pink Lady quality applesare consistently met. APAL must be satisfied that the CPMspass this test if the CPM is to be accepted into APAL’s PinkLady business.

The Pink Lady™ brand, which was originally only licensed by Apple and Pear Australia

Limited (APAL), for use in relation to the ‘Cripps Pink’ apple variety, has been a global success.

The brand’s unique model ensures that only the highest quality apples can be sold under

the brand – ultimately providing a higher return to growers in the market place.

• Recognition of any applicable Intellectial Property rights of theowner of the ‘Cripps Pink’ variety.

The CPMs ‘Rosy Glow’ and ‘Lady in Red’ (discovered in ‘CrippsPink’ orchards in South Australia and New Zealand respectively)have demonstrated these elements and have both receivedapproval from APAL to use the Pink Lady trade mark on harvestedfruit that meets the Pink Lady quality standards in territorieswhere APAL owns the Pink Lady trade mark.

APAL is aware of at least two earlier maturing CPMs. Althoughthey have not been fully independently assessed, early consumerresearch completed has indicated these CPMs did not meet consumer expectations. Many consumers involved in thisresearch reported that the fruit was less crisp than their usualPink Lady branded apple – an important aspect of a Pink Ladybrand apple eating experience.

A challenge for the brand is that APAL does not own the Pink Lady trade marks in all the territories, such as the UnitedStates of America or Mexico. Brandt’s Fruit Trees, which ownsthe brand in the USA and Mexico, recently announced it hasintroduced an early maturing CPM as a Pink Lady branded variety.These comments and statements relate only to the USA andMexico and have nothing to do with the territories managed by APAL. APAL was not asked to assess this variety for inclusionin its global Pink Lady brand business

It is highly likely that additional CPMs will be approved for inclusion in APAL’s Pink Lady business in the future but onlyafter all the parameters of its protocol have been achieved.

APAL will continue to develop its global Pink Lady brand in thebest interests of its business partners, stakeholders and mostimportantly the consumers of high quality Pink Lady brandedapples. :afg

Further information: Garry Langford e: [email protected]

By Garry Langford, APAL


This makes ANFIC the sole representative of PICO’s varietiesin Australia. Apples, berries and cherries, born from Canada’sAgri-Food Research breeding programs, imported into

Australia will now be made available through the licensedANFIC nurseries.

ANFIC is a not-for-profit intellectual property management andcommercialisation company for new fruit varieties and rootstockswith access to a network of twelve progressive nursery members.The company has worked with new fruit varieties for Australianfruit industries since 1983. The company’s goal is to undertake,promote and further the improvement, import and export offruit varieties and rootstocks to the horticultural industry.

PICO is a Canadian variety rights management company thatlicenses new varieties of tree fruits and berries domestically and internationally. PICO has exclusive evaluation, distribution,propagation and commercialisation rights from the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for plant materialdeveloped in the apple, cherry, berry and soft fruits breedingprograms PARC at both Summerland and Agassiz, BritishColumbia, Canada.

The best known PICO fruit varieties currently in Australia wouldbe cherry varieties including ‘Samba’ and ‘Skeena’. Other PICOfruit varieties to be developed in future through other marketingarrangements include the ‘Ambrosia’ apple variety.

Growers wishing to order PICO varieties should contact theirpreferred ANFIC Nursery.

Further information: ANFIC CEO Dr Gavin Porter, t: (07) 3491 9905; e: [email protected]; w: www.anfic.com.au

New masterlicensee forCanadian trees

The Australian Nurserymen's FruitImprovement Company (ANFIC) Ltd andOkanagan Plant Improvement Corporation(PICO) has announced that ANFIC is thenew PICO Master Licensee in Australia.

C U LT I V A R S

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

For 2014 Springbud Orders secure your

rootstocks now

Choose from:

• Nemaguard

• Elberta

• GF677

• Cadaman® (c.v. ‘Avimag’) PBR

• H29C

• GF8-1

• Krymsk™ (Kuban) 86

The International Association of Horticultural Producers(AIPH) has called for changes to International Unionfor the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV)

rules to prevent the stifling of innovation in ornamentalhorticulture.

“The current UPOV rules on ‘Essentially Derived Varieties’(EDV) are reducing the access that growers have to newvarieties and an alternative solution is required for thefuture,” Mia Buma, secretary of the AIPH StandingCommittee for Novelty Protection, brought to the UPOVseminar on EDV being held in Geneva recently.

The EDV provision defines that, if a breeder brings a newvariety onto the market that is not significantly differentfrom its parent variety, he can apply for a breeders right butstill needs permission from the owner of the already existingprotected variety, if he wants to exploit his new variety.

In practice the rules are complicated to implement. Discussionrevolves around how to prove relatedness or otherwise.

Call to stop ‘stifling’ ofhorticultural innovation

Resistance to appleand pear scab underthe microscope

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A team of researchers led by Dr Kim Plummer, Head of Botany at La Trobe University isexploring the natural plant defences found in Asian pears to potentially fight Applescab (Venturia inaequalis) and Pear scab (Venturia pirina) fungi in Australian orchards.

Based at AgriBio, Bundoora, Victoria,Dr Plummer’s team is researchingthe Asian pears’ natural immunity

to V. pirina and V. inaequalis to identifytransferable traits or markers to assist withidentification of durable scab resistance.The aim is to identify the basis of theimmunity which could be transferred intonew cultivars for Australian apple and peargrowers to produce scab resistant fruit.

This research complements current APAL-funded breeding programs that are creating scab-resistant pome fruit.

Dr Plummer reports that scab (Black spot)diseases of pome fruit are caused by threedistinct fungal species in the genus Venturia.Venturia inaequalis causes scab on apple,however pear scab is caused by two distinctspecies – V. pirina and V. nashicola,depending on the type of pear.

“Venturia pirina is found in pear-growingregions worldwide, but it can only infectEuropean pears (Pyrus communis) such as‘Packham’s Triumph’ and ‘Williams’ BonChrétien’,” Dr Plummer said. “However,Asian pears such as ‘Nijisseiki’ (Pyrus pyrifolia)and ‘Ya’ (P. bretschneideri) are infectedby V. nashicola, a fungus found only inAsia (V. nashicola is a biosecurity threatspecies currently absent in Australia).

“Little is known about degree of resistanceto V. nashicola in elite interspecific pearhybrids (Asian x European pear) developedin Australia and this is a concern!”

Dr Plummer’s group is developing toolsfor rapid diagnoses of apple and pear scabfungi. Already the team, with the help ofinternational scab research collaborators,have determined the whole genomesequences of the three Venturia species

u(Pear photos courtesy of Richard Browne).

that infect pome fruit. This finding willnot only aid in identifying diagnostic targets, but also help in the search forthe factors that determine the specifichost ranges (apple, European or Asianpear) of these fungi.

Dr Plummer said: “This research has provided a platform to accelerate ourunderstanding of the scab fungi, howthey interact with their host plants, aswell as the identification and selection ofsuitable hosts for breeding cultivars withdurable scab resistance. For example, sinceAsian pears are immune to infection by V. pirina and V. inaequalis, this immunitymakes Asian pears a rich source of resistance for breeding scab-resistanceand may hold the key to significantlyreducing the occurrence of the disease in Australian orchards.”

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(Photos courtesy of Joshua Conolly).

u How will this work?Asian pears can be crossed with Europeanpears to produce interspecific hybrids –potentially resistant to both pear scab fungi.This resistance may be already incorporatedinto new commercial interspecific hybridpear cultivars released from Victoria andthe New Zealand Plant & Food Researchbreeding program through Prevar – suchas Crispie™ and Maxie™ – but thenature and the degree of this naturalscab resistance is unknown.

Dr Plummer and her team are putting thisnatural resistance under the microscope todetermine the basis for the scab immunityin Asian pears, as well as investigatingscab resistance in the interspecific hybrids.An improved understanding of scabresistance mechanisms will be useful for breeders to identify and incorporatedurable scab resistance into new cultivarsand for industry to reduce fungicideinput in orchards.

AgriBio is one of Australia’spremier Agribioscience facilities, with a key emphasis

on supporting and protecting Victoria’sA$11.6 billion agricultural sector byfocusing on cutting-edge research to improve productivity, fight disease and reduce environmental impacts.AgriBio is a $288 million joint venturebetween La Trobe University and theVictorian Government’s Departmentof Environment and Primary Industries(DEPI).

Kim Plummer’s scab research group in AgriBio comprises three PhD students (two are funded by the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative ResearchCentre), an Honours student, andseveral undergraduates, all workingon various aspects of apple and pearscab. The group collaborates withother researchers (including pomefruit breeders and bioinformaticians)from: La Trobe Uni; DEPI Vic; TheNew Zealand Institute for Plant &Food Research Limited; WageningenUniversity, The Netherlands; and theNational Institute of Horticultural &Herbal Science Rural DevelopmentAdministration, Republic of Korea, toshed light on scab infection and todetermine how we can use naturalplant defenses to fight the scab fungusand reduce fungicide input inorchards while maintaining fruit quality.

“Leaf responses to various strains of V. pirina will be examined microscopicallyto determine the type or types of resistanceinvolved,” Dr Plummer said. “The microscope images (pictured above) areexamples of some of the different types ofresponses in resistant apple leaves and wewill be looking for similar responses in theresistant pears.”

What will this tell us? By using UV-light microscopy DrPlummer’s team can reveal different typesof responses in resistant apple leaves tospores of the apple scab fungus, Venturiainaequalis (clearly visible in the photoabove). These responses indicate that: the V. inaequalis fungal spores penetrated theapple leaves; that the leaf cells recognisedthe invading fungus, and then respondedby accumulating defence compounds(phenolics, which glow bright yellowunder UV-light), which in turn stoppedthe scab fungus from growing.

“We will test whether the resistanceresponses from Asian pears and the interspecific pear hybrids are similar (ordifferent) to the resistant apple responsesand whether this resistance has potentialto work against all three scab fungi,” she said. “ ”

Asian pears (are) a richsource of resistance for

breeding scab-resistanceand may hold the key tosignificantly reducing the

occurrence of the disease…


u

G E T T I N G T E C H N I C A L W I T H J E S S E

It’s all in the execution:US Study Tour 2013By Jesse ReaderTechnical Manager, APAL

The focus was to embed a mindset change amongst thosetravelling on what’s possible within their business. Thisincludes fruit quality management, tree training and canopy

management and rapid replacement/adoption of new varieties.The goal is to ultimately achieve larger volumes of high qualityfruit in a more efficient manner.

Washington State provided the perfect platform for this with USAgrowers going through a period of strong economic return. Thiswas largely due to the agronomic systems that had been put inplace over the past few years and a renewed focus on quality.

With their varietal mix not dissimilar in many ways to ours – ‘RedDelicious’, ‘Royal Gala’, ‘Granny Smith’, ‘Fuji’, ‘Cripps Pink’ etc.,the Wenatchee and Yakima growing regions provided a suitableand valuable learning scenario for Australian growers in attendance.The Pacific North-West is also in ‘colour upgrade’ mode so toobserve that transition was highly beneficial.

Good friend and Washington State University extension specialistKaren Lewis joined us for two thirds of our tour, providing awelcomed addition of technical, economic and social/communityinsights relative to the region. Karen’s candid but measuredcommentary along the way was a highlight for the group andthe Australian apple and pear industry are indebted to her.

July 27 marked the beginning of another successful APAL study tour – this time to the

United States of America (USA). I was privileged to be asked to facilitate the 11 day tour (with

a little help from friends) for 14 participants through two states – Washington and Oregon.

So what did we see and learn?Due to the great feedback provided by participants and learningsdocumented, I can report on this tour on behalf of all in attendance.Some common themes have emerged from visits to researchstations, orchards, packing sheds, nurseries and retail outlets.These themes were quality, consistency, execution and efficiency.

The overwhelming feeling by the group was the consistency ofthe following approach regardless of who we were talking to –‘plan, manage, execute, fine tune and repeat’. The objectives,goals and understanding of how to achieve them were generallywell thought out and very clear.

For example – a visit to the Auvil Fruit Co. at ‘Vantage’ saw themanager Del Feigel explain how he ‘does what he does’. Hesaid, ”I need to grow 100 tonnes per hectare. The goal is to bein full production by the fourth leaf. This is a four wire systemand to achieve that I need 44 apples per tree. I won’t crop thetree for two years. It will have 50t/ha in the third leaf and100t/ha in the fourth.” Wow!

What I love about his approach is that he does it in reverse tomost people, it’s not about taking a system, growing it and thensaying “currently my best is 65t/ha but I reckon I could get a fewmore”. He is setting the end goal right from the start, choosingthe system that can deliver on that target, breaking it down intokey management goals and executing the plan.

The second major theme was quality. Quality is king. We saw somany examples, from the nursery to the field to the shed, wheredecisions were being made and businesses driven by practicesthat improved quality.

At a nursery level it may have been the use of low tannin treesfor sawdust in the stool beds to ensure maximum root growth,in the orchard – well staked and well supported grafts for anoptimum result early on. In the bearing years it may have beenthe inclusion of Alyssum in orchard floor mixes to attract additionalpredators; whatever the example, they were all quality-drivendecisions and it shone through time and time again.

Intensive planting systems at Allan Bros –Yakima, WA.


Key learnings The tour allowed participants to rub shoulders and learn from thebest of the best in Washington State including Bruce Allen, DaleGoldy, Travis Allan, Mike Robinson, Del Feigal and Brett Drescher.

During group discussions at the end of the tour and after reviewof evaluation forms, many areas of key learning became apparent.As predicted there was much overlap and many common areasof focus shared. I have highlighted the top 10 take home pointsas identified by participants.

1. Consider moving the nursery to the orchard – plant benchgrafts or sleeping eyes. Provide opportunity to minimisetransplant shock, minimise damage during planting and –importantly – build the tree and canopy to suite the systemfrom day one.

2. Focus on SNAP canopies – Simple Narrow AccessibleProductive canopies.

3. Travel broadens the mind. Information transfer with likemindedindividuals both within and outside of the group is a mustfor the modern day, progressive grower.

4. Grow the right ‘target fruit’ for the market you sell to andregion you grow in.

G E T T I N G T E C H N I C A L W I T H J E S S E

5. Growers like to cheat – don’t take shortcuts! Do it right thefirst time.

6. Consider other opportunities to use Extenday® reflectivematting to maximise production and outturn; impressive resultshave been witnessed with the use of Extenday over bloom.

7. Mechanisation and mechanical assist can be adapted to manyorchards but it must be two things – reliable and serviceable.

8. Keep your eyes open to new varieties – there is a lot happening out there now. Continually evaluate what is in the market place in your conditions.

9. Look at the ‘Honey Crisp’ story and take note – the publicwill pay a premium for a great eating experience.

10.Adhere to the ‘Growing Systems Approach’ – when makingyour decision, factor in things such as labour cost, skill andavailability along with climate, water cost and supply. Find a system that limits your exposure to rapid changes to yourcritical resources.

In the words of one of the participants – “I now know it can bedone!” :afg

u

A tour through the Washington Fruit Co. packing facility wasa highlight.

Focus on SNAP canopies – Simple Narrow Accessible Productive.

E X P O R T & M A R K E T I N G


While many in the industry arenot thinking of exporting soon,these key markets will most

likely be a major source of income in thefuture so it’s import that growers are exposedto the ways of doing business there.

Initiatives such as study tours providegrowers and exporters with an opportunityto build direct relationships with relevantpeople in the market — the key to successful business in Asia. Having face-

Mr Swee-Aik Koay, Director of Chop Tong Guan Sdn Bhd – the recent AsiaFruit Importer of The Year. Mr Koay is a significant fruit importer in Malaysia,supplying a range of retailers and wholesalemarkets across the county.

The group then travelled from KL toThailand where they received a briefingwith Austrade and the DAFF AgricultureCounsellor on the new apple and pearThailand export protocols. In addition, they met with Central Food Retail (part of Central Group – Thailand’s secondlargest company!) and saw AustralianPink Lady apples on sale in high endretailer Central World.

This was a particular highlight of mine asI really enjoyed talking to Nick Reitmeierwho is the Vice President of Buying atCentral Food Retail across a range ofcategories – including fresh produce. Nick has almost 30 years’ experience inretail buying, including at Selfridges andHarrods in London. Having spent manyyears in Asia, he is very highly regarded in the industry. The opportunity to talk to Nick and his team was really beneficialfor our group in understanding the localThai dynamic and getting a detailedaccount of what Thai consumers arelooking for. Nick’s advice for Australianexporters was:

• successful relationships are the key tobusiness success in Thailand;

• have a clear vision and strategy andconvince your buyer within 15 minutesof why they should buy YOUR product;and

• understand what it is Thai consumerswant and build an emotional link with them. u

Asia study tour report– helping to develop an export cultureBy Claire Fitchett, Market Development Manager, APAL

to-face time with buyers on their own‘turf’ to really understand what they wantis invaluable. Already those on the studytour have secured – or are in the processof securing – export orders, which is fantastic to see.

During the APAL tour the group also participated in the launch of AustralianPink Lady™ apples in Kuala Lumpur (KL).APAL co-ordinated the pilot trade promotion with leading importer

Asia Study Tour Claire.Fitchett

I recently led a group of Australian apple and pear growersand exporters on a study tour to South East Asia. The purposeof the visit was to give growers a taste of emergingopportunities within export markets and to introducethe group to importers and retailers in three key targetmarkets – Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong.


In addition, the group met with thelargest fresh produce importer in Thailand– Vachamon Foods. Vachamon Foods iswell known for their success with theJazz® apple having increased importsfrom two containers in year one to 200in year three! They now import 15-30containers of apples from a range ofmarkets every week. We were given atour of their distribution facility and wereagain stressed the importance of Australianexporters focusing on quality to competesuccessfully with our main competitorNew Zealand.

The Thai market is much more sophisticated than most people realiseand it’s critical to think about how to workwith retailers to grow Australia’s category.Much as we do here, it’s essential that wesupport retailers in Asia with a programand marketing campaign that will drivesales. A win-win for us, and the retailer!

To conclude the study tour, the group visited Hong Kong for the Asia FruitCongress and Logistica trade fair. Theteam at AsiaFruit put together anothergreat program with insightful speakersand informative topics.

Eleanor Loh from Nature Seal spoke aboutconvenience products in the fresh producespace. It was a real surprise to hear thatthe sliced apple business in the UnitedStates of America is worth $200 millionand growing at 15 per cent each year!This trend is really catching on in Asiathrough chains such as 7/11 and Starbucks.

At the trade fair I managed the Australianapple and pear industry stand. I took lotsof enquiries from importers and retailers

u

Mr Koay is an experiencedimporter who understandsthe apple category. Earlier

this year he visited Australia as part ofthe APAL-hosted Asian Pink Lady™importer tour and was impressed withthe quality of Australian fruit. Despiteinitially being sceptical about the higherprice of Australian fruit compared toother countries, Mr Koay decided to trialone container of Australian Pink Ladyapples to test consumers’ reactions. Thetrial container was used in a four weekAustralian Pink Lady apple promotionduring August and September. The promotion ran in 18 Cold Storagesupermarkets and the flagship Jason’soutlet in Kuala Lumpur, and includedpoint-of-sale material, marketing collateraland giveaway bags for those purchasingthree or more pre-packs. The promotionused Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL)funds to provide Malaysian consumerswith a taste test prior to purchase.

James Walters, CEO of Lenswood Co-op who supplied the fruit for thepromotion said, “We were excited tosend our first container of Pink Ladyapples to Malaysia and see them on sale in the high-end Jason’s store in KL.Promotional support for marketing isreally important for the Australianindustry as it looks to establish a presencein these markets. It’s also important wedeliver a great quality product thatexceeds customer expectations.”

And the verdict? Well it seems the promotion was a success with Mr Koayordering an additional three containersto meet consumer demand.


interested in purchasing Australian fruit, which goes to show there are realopportunities waiting for Australiangrowers to realise. If our industry is seriousabout getting back into export, we needto have a presence at these internationalevents. It’s also a useful meeting point forAustralian growers and buyers to meetand discuss export opportunities. Anygrowers who would like to share a standwith APAL next year would be welcome.

After a busy 10 day study tour acrossthree countries, the group left feelingoptimistic about the opportunities. Hereare some of their comments:

• “The capacity and volume of these Asianoperations is huge. The opportunitydefinitely exists but you need to comemany times to get a real feel for themarket and work out who is who.”

• “It was a real eye opener! We alwayshear we are too expensive for thesemarkets but we’ve seen great examplesof markets that are prepared to pay IFwe supply a premium product.”

• “We need to know what it is that setsAustralian apple and pears apart fromour competitors. The clean-green-safemessage is still critical to our success in Asia. We need to back that up withgood quality product and a consistentand reliable presence in the market.”

Interested in getting involved in export or coming on the next APAL study tourto Asia? Contact Claire Fitchett at APAL;t: 03 9329 3511; e: [email protected]:afg

James Walters Tour group


How long have you been living inIndonesia and what changes have youseen in that time?“I came to Indonesia 15 years ago (in February 1998) to managethe Victorian Government’s business in Indonesia for trade andinvestment. At that time, Mr Soeharto was President of Indonesia,everything was centred on Jakarta and the country was in aneconomic crisis. There have been four presidents since that timeand now the President is democratically elected by the people.In 15 years, there has been enormous change with the introductionof regionalisation (money allocated to the 33 provinces), growthin private education, communication/media (Indonesians are thebiggest Twitter users in Asia and the third biggest Facebookusers in the world) and the rapid expansion in the number ofshopping malls, modern retail outlets to cater for the massiveand growing middle class population.”

Can you tell us about your business,Morelink Asia Pacific, and how long you’vebeen operating? “After 20 years working for the State Government of Victoria(mainly in the agriculture space) in 2012 I started my own consultancy business – Morelink Asia Pacific – to provide marketingand management consultancy services to Australian businessesfrom our Jakarta office. We specialise in looking after the individual needs of Australian businesses that want to enter the Indonesian market by providing market intelligence, businessmatching and management services. We have recently launchedMorefresh Asia Pacific with offices in Jakarta and Singapore toprovide more tailored market representative services toAustralian fresh produce suppliers.”

I understand you’re from an apple growingbackground? “I have a very small ‘Cripps Pink’ apple orchard in Ardmona (nowleased) which I planted in 1997, just before arriving in Indonesia.My father Ron and his brother Lin were large apple and peargrowers, packers and exporters (JD Morey & Sons) in Grahamvaleduring the 1960s to 1980s. My three brothers have all continuedin the horticulture industry either growing apples (Mark atNathalia and Dave at Kialla) or wine grapes (Barry at Beechworth).”

What do you think Indonesian consumersare looking for when it comes to freshproduce?“They look for a wide range of good quality fresh produce. Itmust be sweet and crunchy. With the rapid expansion of themodern retail outlets, Indonesian consumers are now beingexposed to more varieties of fruits from all over the world.Consumers are becoming more health conscious and lookingfor fruits that are being promoted with certain health benefits,e.g. ‘Granny Smith’ apples for dieting and juicing. There is alsoincreased interest in organic produce.”

What opportunities do you see for Australianproduce exporters? And specifically forapples and pears? “Twenty years ago Australia had 25 per cent share of theIndonesian fruit import market – we now have less than 3 percent. And while Australian exports have dropped substantially,the Indonesian market has continued to expand by more than30 per cent each year. The pear market is dominated by Chinese


Indonesia offers fresh opportunitiesBy Claire FitchettMarket Development Manager, APAL

Phillip Morey of Jakarta-based consultancy Morelink Asia Pacific specialises in helpingAustralian businesses enter or expand into Indonesia. With more than 15 years experienceworking within Indonesia’s marketplace, this one time apple grower knows what ittakes to get quality Australian product into the hands of South East Asian consumers.We recently caught up with Phil to get an understanding of how his role can helpAustralian apple and pear growers take advantage of Indonesia’s export market.



varieties of pears however, the Australian Packham pear has a good reputation accordingto importers – it just needs to be promoted! The apple market is dominated by Chinese(‘Fuji’) and United States of America apple varieties (‘Red Delicious’) and some NewZealand apple varieties. There are opportunities to promote the wide range of newAustralian apple varieties in these modern markets.”

How should Australian produce exporters position themselves in Indonesia? “For apples and pears we are niche players in the market. However, we are known forour ‘clean and green’ image and strong food safety standards. We need to be creatingsome excitement in the market with apple and pear promotions based on varieties,freshness, country of origin and ‘naturalness’ (connectivity to the orchard and grower).”

What’s the general attitude towards imported produce in Indonesia and specifically Australian produce? “The Indonesian Government currently has a number of policies that restrict imports of agricultural produce, including fruit. Indonesian consumers are becoming increasinglyaware of the use of chemicals/pesticides by Chinese fruit growers and as a result theIndonesian Government has tightened its food safety regulations on imported produce.However, Australia is well positioned to push its good reputation for freshness andfood safety to take advantage of the opportunities emerging from the 30 million plusmiddle class consumers (who are brand conscious and looking for new imported produce).However, Australians rarely promote this when marketing their produce (except forAustralian beef).”

Any interesting insights into the market?“Indonesian consumers love their fruit but it must be washed then peeled, even grapes!Also, Indonesian consumers are both brand and price conscious. Hence it’s importantfor Australian suppliers to provide smaller pack sizes to meet the price points.”

Are you interested in exporting Australian apples or pears to Indonesia? Be part of our 2014 export campaign to this key market. Contact Claire Fitchett at APAL; t: 03 9329 3511; e: [email protected] :afg

Phil introduced Victorian pear growers to Indonesian importers at Asia Fruit Logisiticain Hong Kong.

Postharvest rot has been detected on threeconsignments of applesfrom New Zealandexported to China.

The rot is caused by the fungusNeofabraea alba and does not poseany food safety risk but has beenidentified as a quarantine pest byChina for plant health reasons.

New Zealand Ministry for PrimaryIndustries Manager Import and ExportPlants Stephen Butcher said: “TheNew Zealand Government and appleindustry are working with Chinesequarantine officials to provide all thetechnical and scientific informationabout N. alba that they have requested.

“In response to the detection,Chinese authorities have identified a small number of production sitesand packhouses in Hawke’s Baywhere these consignments originatedfrom, and have requested that applesfrom those sites be suspended fromexporting to China. This is not targeted at all apple exports toChina. Industry has informed us thatin response to the rot being detected– and considering this (New Zealand)apple export season is almost over –it has voluntarily suspended all appleexports to China for the remainder of the season,” he said.

PostharvestRot endsNZ Chinaexport season


The event saw presentations from both countries across sevenindustries including apples, mangoes,

almonds and vegetables. This initiativecomes after the recent signing of aMemorandum of Understanding (MoU)that will allow Indian government institutesto engage with Australian R&D agenciesfor the first time through HAL.

Jesse said: “The workshop was really fascinating. When we were charged withthe responsibility of coming up with threeto five common research areas by the endof the week I thought we would be luckyto have one – but it quickly emerged thechallenge was short-listing and prioritising.

“From an apple and pear perspective, we both share the challenges of alternatebearing, a high cost of production withthe need to further develop quality metricsand sensory connections to consumerpreference.”

Jesse added that India has some uniquechallenges and is crying out for new varieties, including better genetics withrespect to rootstocks.

“The backbone of their industry is ‘RedDelicious’ from a production perspectivebut I saw firsthand New Zealand, Chineseand American imports of ‘Red Delicious’,‘Braeburn’ and ‘Royal Gala’,” he said.


Emerging India – could collaboration fill the fruit bowl

HAL chairman Selwyn Snell said he wasexcited to move towards doing somethingunique and start building a legacy for our industries – “let’s work hard at it,” hesaid. HAL CEO John Lloyd crystallised the message by saying the industry needs to leverage the opportunity it has in India,listen to one another, discuss strengthsand needs, and work hard to look forpotential collaborations – “let’s seize the opportunity”.

For further information regarding thisworkshop contact Jesse Reader; e: [email protected]

APAL Technical Manager Jesse Reader joined a group of industry representatives inBangalore, India, recently to discuss collaborating in mutually beneficial research. The three day research workshop was conducted in partnership with the Indian Centrefor Agricultural Research and Horticulture Australia Limited (HAL).

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It is estimated that two per cent (Kootstra et al, 2007) ofEuropeans have an allergic reaction to apples, with the mainallergen involved being the same as that found in birch

pollen. The level of allergic responses in non-Europeans – suchas Australians and Asians – has not been measured, however, itis expected to be less, as these populations are not regularlyexposed to extreme levels of birch pollen in the atmosphere,although they will be exposed to other sources of these allergens.

There are four different allergen groups in apples: Mal d1, Mal d2,Mal d3 and Mal d4. In apples, these allergens are controlled bymultiple genes and there are at least 31 different genes involvedin their production located on three chromosomes (Paris et al 2012,Orange Pippin 2013). These are allergens commonly found infruit and include peaches, plums, cherries, celery and carrots, so apples are not the only source of these allergenic substances.

Mal d1, Mal d2 and Mal d4 all stimulate the immune systemthrough their activation of the antibody Immunoglobin E (IgE).In humans, IgE is thought to be important for fighting gut parasites such as parasitic worms and protozoa. There is evensome evidence that IgE is involved in early recognition anddestruction of cancer cells.

IgE specifically recognises an allergen – such as Mal d1, Mal d2and Mal d4 – and, as it has a long life, the body is primed, readyto rapidly release inflammatory chemicals such as histamineswhen these allergens are detected.

In humans, activation of IgE by apples is usually accompanied bya rapid itching and swelling of lips, tongue and throat (Paprsteinet al, 2012; Hovmalm et al, 2004). The response is greater if IgEis already primed due to conditions such as hay fever and asthma(Patelis et al 2012) which also stimulate this antibody. My ownson suffers from this allergenic response and he can tell mewithin seconds of swallowing a mouth full of an allergenic appleif he is having a response to it.

Mal d1 is the most common allergen in apples. While Wikipediasv states that the content of Mal d1 is generally higher in theskin than in the flesh, this is probably related to the cultivar.Hovmalm et al (2004), using ELISA techniques, identified MAL d1in both the flesh and skin of ‘Fuji’ apples but it was present inonly the skin of ‘Pacific Rose’. Twenty genes coding for the Mald1 protein have been identified (Paris et al, 2012).

Allergens in apples: Part 1By Dr Gordon Brown

With the modern consumer focus on consuming healthy foods, and the perceivedhealth benefits of eating apples, it does not hurt to also be aware, as apple growers, of the fact that a small percentage of the population has a mild allergic reaction toapples and other fruit.

Figure 1: Levels of gene activity for 13 Mal d1 allergen genes of‘Gala’ and ‘Gala’ with Vf black spot resistance gene inserted. *=valuesare 10 times larger than displayed.

Figure 2: Mal d1 allergen content (µg/g FW) changes in storage of‘Jonagold’ apples from two locations.

Part 2 to be continued in the December/January issue of AFG.


R & D

Nursery andGeneticsChina A study of the xylem vesselsof columnar apple trees hasfound that they have fewerabnormal xylem cells and thexylem cells are wider. This mayexplain their early floweringand fruiting characteristics.

ItalyMarker assisted breeding usesQTL mapping of the genometo identify seedlings withdesirable traits. A set of QTLsassociated with apple aromahave been identified whichcan be used to predict applearoma in young breeding lines.

RussiaThere are 711 apple genotypesin the Russian apple collectionand 40 have been used effectively in the breedingprogram to develop 72 newcultivars, 44 of which havebeen released and 28 are stillundergoing testing. Elevencultivars have shown exceptionalbreeding value.

ProductionTurkeyThe pollen condition of 4 yearold Jerseymac and GoldenDelicious on M9 was studiedin a tree nutrition trial and itwas concluded that potassiumapplication (50 or 100 gK2O/tree) increased pollenviability, pollen productionand germination rate.

ChinaM26 rootstocks were geneticallymodified to incorporate a vacuolar Na/H anti-porter toinduce soil salt tolerance. Theincorporated gene inducedthe ability of Fuji trees on M26rootstocks to survive and growin saline soil. It also inducedfewer stomata on the leaveswith minimal change inchlorophyll content or rate of photosynthesis.

PolandIn trials on the control of willowherb (Epilobium adenocaulon)in a 20 year old apple orchardit was found that glyphosateat 1080g/ha plus adjuvant,composed of ammonia ions,cationic surfactant and pHadjuster, gave equivalent controlto glyphosate alone at 1800g/ha.

PolandA hot air distribution machinewas trialled in an apple orchardfor protection against springfrosts in 2011. Failure toencounter a night sufficientlycold to cause crop damagelimited the test, however flowernumber and crop load wasincreased in the heated orchard.

USAWhen apple crop load isreduced during early fruitdevelopment, when fruitgrowth is primarily due to celldivision (stage 1 of fruit growth),there is a transient increase insorbitol and fructose suppliedto the fruit which stimulate a5 fold increase in expressionof cell division genes andrelated enzymes.

BrazilIn a trial comparing organicwith integrated fruit productionit was found that fruit fromorganic orchards had higherlevels of fruit copper, increasedfruit blush, increased sunburndamage, increased fruit flyinfection, increased fruit sugars,decreased fruit acidity andseed numbers and reducedlevels of skin russet.

RussiaThe yield of 3 apple cultivarsin a high density orchard tovarying fertiliser levels inChechnya over 3 seasonsidentified that the application ofNPK at 120kg each was optimal.

Postharvest &Human HealthFinland12 apple cultivars weredescribed by a sensory panelfor odour, texture, flavour and deterioration on up to 5 occasions during storage for17 weeks at 3°C and it wasfound that most cultivarschanged their sensory propertiesduring storage highlightingthat different consumer segments can be targeted atdifferent times in fruit storage.

IndiaBagged and non-baggedapples were examined and itwas found that bagged fruitscontained higher levels of calcium, polyphenolics, hadhigher antioxidant activity,and had higher levels of fruitsugars and ascorbic acid.

International apple and pear research updateCompiled by Dr Gordon Brown

SpainBy studying Granny Smith applesduring air, CA and ULO storageafter SmartFresh treatment, itwas identified that the rate ofchange in conjugated trienolsduring the first 50 days ofstorage has potential to predictthe subsequent incidence ofsuperficial scald.

ChinaA study of fruit enzymes andgene expression during CAstorage of apples has identifiedthat CA storage enhancessucrose synthesis and reducessucrose and hexose breakdown.

PolandThe decay of a fluquinconazoleand pyrimethanil fungicidemix in apples intended forbaby food was followed on 3apple cultivars and it was foundthat the fungicide should notbe applied within 2 months ofharvest if applied at 1L/ha or3 months if applied at 1.5L/ha.

IranTrials successfully indicatedthat an Artificial NeuralNetwork technique could beused to predict apple bruisingin road transport situations.

ArgentinaIn harvest maturity studies of 3 low chill apple cultivarsderived from Anna apple crossesit was found that the starchindex was the best indicatorof fruit maturity although thestarch pattern at optimal dateof harvest was different foreach of the 3 cultivars.

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R & D

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Pests andDiseasesUSAThe RpoN gene in fire blightwas deliberately mutated andit was found that, withoutthis gene, while fire blighthad a slow growth rate onyoung apple fruit, diseasesymptoms did not appear.

ChileIn a trial in 5 orchards forcodling moth activity, 3 trapcolours and 3 different baitswere compared. It was concluded that clear delta trapswith pear ester plus aceticacid baits provide the optimalmonitoring combination.

IranDifferent formulations forcarrying biocontrol agents of fire blight were studiedand it was concluded thatbagasse was a superior carrier compared to the other products tested.

Czech RepublicA study of apple mosaic virus (ApMV), collected fromdifferent locations and hosts,for their capsid protein genehas identified 2 main ApMVgroups with different capsidproteins potentially affectingthe group host preference(Malus or Prunus).

BrazilTraps were set for Hymenopteraparasitiods in an apple orchardand these caught a total of1249 individuals from 25families. It was found thatmost were caught duringdaylight hours.

CanadaA virus identified as AppleGreen Crinkle associated Virus(AGCaV) was isolated fromAurora Golden Gala appleshowing severe symptoms of

green crinkle virus disease.Genetic analysis of the virusidentified that this virus may inreality be a variant or strain ofApple Stem Pitting Virus (ASPV).

ChinaA study of 255 apple orchards in Shaanxi provincehas identified low technicaland cost efficiency is due to inefficient orchard operationsand poor environmental conditions.

ItalyExperimental releases of thepredatory mite Kampimodromusaberrans were conducted inorganic and conventionalapple orchards in north eastItaly. The predatory mitesfailed to establish in the conventional orchards butthey established in the organicorchards. In the organic orchardswhere the mite established,there was a measurablereduction in the density of the native predatory miteAmblyseius andersoni.

FranceEntomopathogenic nematodes(EPNs) are effective biologicalcontrol agents of a range ofsoil-borne insect pests such aswoolly apple aphid, Eriosomalanigerum or hibernating codlingmoth, Cydia pomonella, however their commercial use has been restricted due to nematode susceptibility toenvironmental extremes in theatmosphere compared to thesoil environments. It has beenfound that their survival canbe extended if they are sprayedonto a straw pallet mulchunder the apple trees.

ItalyResearch has been conductedto explain the reduction ofcodling moth Cydia pomonelladamage to pears when theyare grown under hail netting.

FranceThe use of insect exclusionnetting against codling mothhas proved effective despiteit being known that mothsare able to penetrate the netsand lay eggs, however, testson diapausing larvae collectedfrom under nets where therehas been control failure haveshown that, unlike normalmoth populations, these mothsare able to breed in confinedspaces such that the mothshave developed ‘resistance’to exclusion netting.

ItalyTrials have shown that a newmethod of applying codlingmoth pheromone for matingdisruption, which uses batterypowered puffers that releasepheromone from pressurizedaerosol cans every 30 min for24 hours at 2 puffers/ha,provides reliable control ofcodling moth.

CanadaThe identification of larvae of the lesser appleworm,Grapholita prunivora, and theoriental fruit moth, Grapholitamolesta, feeding in orchardsis difficult and it is necessaryfor laboratories to rear themto adulthood for identificationfor appropriate control measures to be adopted. A newmethod of ‘DNA barcoding’is being developed to providefast and reliable identification.

LatviaAlthough European pear rust,Gymnosporangium sabinae isnot considered as a key prob-lem in commercial pearorchards its occurrence hasbeen increasing and a studyhas identified a correlationbetween disease severity andthe date of first fungicideapplication.

FrancePomace from 4 apple cultivarswhich was left over from juiceproduction was studied fortheir chemical compositionand it was confirmed that the total phenolic and totalflavonoid contents were correlated to the antioxidantactivity confirming that applepomaces are a valuablesource of bioactive molecules.

ChinaRhodotorula spp was isolatedfrom Fuji apple peel andapplied to fresh cut apple slices.Rhodotorula was found todelay slice browning and tissuedeath although it increasedthe rate of slice softening.

ItalyA new instrument, the PTR-ToF-MS, was assessed on 3 different apple cultivarsduring storage and it wasfound the equipment couldaccurately measure 800potential aroma compoundssimultaneously.

UnknownThe use of UV-C, 190-280 nmwavelengths, for the controlof postharvest rots of applesand pears shows promise as anon-chemical control methodand trials showed that thetreatment is very effectiveagainst the light coloured fungisuch as Penicillium expansumand Botrytis cinerea when noton fruit although it was noteffective when used on applesand pears inoculated withthese fungi, presumably dueto shading effects.

ChinaA new method of analysingcarbamate pesticide residuesin apples that concentrate the residue up to 300 timesallowing for detection downto 0.09ng/g(0.00000000009g/g) has beendeveloped.


N EW S

Fenthion use further restricted

GP Graders recently won theGovernor of Victoria ExportAwards 2013 category forManufacturing, then wenton to win the prestigiousoverall Victorian Exporterof the Year 2013.

The awards are a great achievementfor the company which this yearcelebrates its 50th anniversary.

Established in 1963, GP Graders began as a family business manufacturing fruitgrading machinery for Australian orchardistsonly. The company began exporting fruitgrading and packing machinery in the late1990s and has now claims the position ofthe world’s largest manufacturer and theleader in cherry grading and packingtechnology worldwide supplying majorcherry packers in all leading markets.

Its AirJet™ cherry grader uses sophisticatedcamera technology to determine the size,shape, colour and most importantly, qualityof the cherry.

This year the company opened a factoryin the United States to help manage itssales growth in the US by almost 700 percent and satisfy rising global demand.

The company’s Director Stuart Payneaccepted the awards from the Governorof Victoria Alex Chernov AC QC.

Graders firmwins exportaward

While fenthion is no longer approved foruse on peaches and apricots it can nowstill be used on other crops (under permit)until the review of fenthion is complete.

After analysing the latest data providedby industry, the APVMA is not satisfiedthat peaches and apricots sprayed withfenthion would have residue levels safefor eating.

The data only supported the ongoing, butrestricted, use on other crops, includingapples, pears, citrus (Western Australiaonly), grapes, papaya, persimmons, cherries(WA only), nectarines, plums and melons– with some changes to time periods nowrequired between spraying and harvestfor some fruits.

The assessment report on the data provided to the APVMA is available atwww.apvma.gov.au.

The APVMA said it has worked withindustry bodies, state governments andbusiness over the past year to ensureinformation about alternative use patternsand residues information was taken intoaccount when making this decision.APVMA also maintains it worked withstakeholders to better understand theimplications of any proposed action forongoing fruit fly control programs and todiscuss the use of alternative chemicalsand how improved pest managementplans could help growers.

Analysis of new residues data by the AustralianPesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)means fenthion products can no longer be used on peachesand apricots but can still be used on a range of otherfruits and vegetables subject to restrictions.

The APVMA has also issued a number ofpermits for alternative products.

This decision is the latest in the ongoingreview of fenthion which includes consideration of human safety (toxicology),residues in food, worker safety and theenvironment. This decision only relates tothe human safety and residues in foodcomponents of the review.

Assessment of all components of thereview is expected to be completed inmid-2014 with the final decision on theuses of fenthion in Australia expectedsoon after.

There are currently eight registered fenthion products, only two of which are used on food crops and are affectedby the suspension action. The remainderare veterinary and pest control productswhich are unaffected at this stage.

During the assessment period it is open to industry to submit further scientificallyvalid data.

Fenthion is an organophosphorus insecticide which at toxic levels interfereswith the human nervous system. Safetystandards are set well below toxic levelsto protect both the community and theindustry.


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

Greg’s QuizQUESTION 3:Approximately, how manymicroorganisms would onemilligram of garden soil contain?A: 200,000. B: 2 million. C: 200 million. D: 2,000 million.

QUESTION 4: The apple variety ‘Idared’,from Idaho in the USA, is theresult of a cross betweenwhich two apple cultivars. A: Jonathan x Red Delicious. B: Jonathan x Golden Delicious. C: Jonathan x Wagener. D: Jonathan x Rome Beauty.

QUESTION 5: Trunk girdling of apples andpears will achieve optimumregulation of vegetativegrowth if done at what time of the year? A: Between budburst and

flowering. B: Mid-summer. C: Immediately after harvest. D: Mid-winter.

ANSWERS:

Question 1– True, while most ladybirds are predominately predators of other insects, they don'tmind to dine on fungi once in a while.Question 2– B: Buerre Hardy. Question 3– D: 2,000 million.Question 4 – C: Jonathan x Wagener.Question 5– A: Between budburst and flowering.

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

km/h period Jan 2013 1st Sept period

Orange NSW 7 17 56 13 34 108 10 77 696 88 136 4 11.8

Huon TAS 6.6 16 72 11 35 74 23 110 610 69 105 6 11.9

Manjimup WA 8.7 17 79 14 33 79 43 183 981 82 124 0 11.8

Lenswood SA 5.5 19 107 753 114 178

Goulburn VIC 3.5 20.5 8 247 120 176

Batlow NSW

Stanthorpe QLD 7.5 21 29 598 157 210

This Data is from the APFIP evaluation sites only and may not be representative of the total. District Degree Days are now beingreported from our stations for the period 1st September – 30th April. Calculation parameters are 10ºC low point/32ºC high point.

17/9/2013 – 17/10/2013

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 isundergoing 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 navigating thedisplay please contact MarkHankin m: 0408 503 528 or e: [email protected].

QUESTION 1:(True or False): Ladybird beetles feed on mildew fungi.

QUESTION 2:An interstock of this pear variety is commonly used to overcome incompatibilitybetween Quince rootstocksand commercial pear varieties. A: Buerre Clairgeau. B: Buerre Hardy. C: Kieffers Hybrid. D: Charneux.

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