Realise the difference. Spray early. · Gerard is a third-generation orchardist who started working in the family business from an early age. His vision is to offer a consistent,

To produce wonderful Pome and Stone fruit, it pays to start early with Altacor® Hort insecticide. By targeting the first generation of Oriental fruit moth and Codling moth, it gets on top of the problem – before it gets on top of you. Altacor® Hort works to control Codling moth in the egg, as they hatch and any larvae that emerge, while remaining friendly to key beneficials.

Visit www.fmccrop.com.au for more information.

Realise the difference. Spray early.

Altacor® Hortnow registered in Almonds to control Carob moth.

ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL DIRECTIONS. Copyright © 2018. All rights reserved. Altacor® Hort is a registered trademark of FMC Corporation or its affiliates.

03www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER August/September 2018

CON T EN T S

Wherever you see this logo, the initiative is part of the Hort Innovation Apple and Pear Fund. Like this publication itself, it has been funded by Hort Innovation using the apple and pear levy and, in thecase of R&D, with contributions from the Australian Government. Some projects also involve fundingfrom additional sources.

Edition Booking and editorial copy deadline Ad material deadline

Oct/Nov 2018 22 August 2018 5 September 2018

Dec 2018/Jan 2019 24 October 2018 7 November 2018

Australian Fruitgrower

PublisherApple and Pear Australia Limited (APAL) is

a not-for-profit organisation that supports and provides services to Australia’s commercial

apple and pear growers.

Suite G01, 128 Jolimont Road, East Melbourne VIC 3002

t: (03) 9329 3511 f: (03) 9329 3522w: www.apal.org.au

Managing EditorCurrie Communicationse: [email protected]

Technical EditorAngus Crawford

e: [email protected]

AdvertisingThe publisher accepts no responsibility for the

contents of advertisements. All advertisements areaccepted in good faith and the liability of advertising

content is the responsibility of the advertiser.

Pulse Hubm: 0429 699 553 | e: [email protected]

Graphic DesignVale Graphics

e: [email protected]

CopyrightAll material in Australian Fruitgrower is copyright. NOmaterial can be reproduced in whole or in part without

the permission of the publisher.

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

DisclaimerHorticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation)and APAL make no representations and expressly disclaimall warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about theaccuracy, completeness, or currency of information inAustralian Fruitgrower. Reliance on any information

provided by Hort Innovation and APAL is entirely at yourown risk. Hort Innovation and APAL are not responsiblefor, and will not be liable for, any loss, damage, claim,expense, cost (including legal costs) or other liability arising in any way, including from any Hort Innovation,

APAL or other person’s negligence or otherwise from youruse or non-use of Australian Fruitgrower, or from reliance

on information contained in the material or that HortInnovation or APAL provide to you by any other means.

ISSN 1447-5618

APAL’s CEO report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

HORT CONNECTIONSHort Connections wrap . . . . . . . . . . . .5

APAL Awards for Excellence . . . . . . . .6

Growth in diversification . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Variety Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

OUR COVER: Scott Stevenson, Tasmania (see pg 20).

MARKETINGHort Innovation marketing update . . .12

Consumer attitudes and behaviours . .14

State Roundup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

PROFILENew varieties provide inspiration . . . .20

ORCHARD MANAGEMENTWhat do packouts tell us? . . . . . . . . .24

Pear Masterclass gives global insights .29

06

R&DPlanting systems for blush pears . . . .32

Speed Updating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

R&D update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

Quiz and crossword . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

29

32

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSAPAL would like to thank our partners who provide uswith funding and support.

AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER August/September 2018 www.apal.org.au04

It was good to see so many of you at Hort Connections for aninteresting few days covering new technology and research.

My congratulations go to our APAL Awards for Excellence 2018recipients. Notably, researchers Dr Sally Bound and DavidWilliams, Pomewest Project Manager Susie Murphy-White,Exporter of the Year Montague, Grower of the Year GerardAlampi, and Rising Star Nathan Barolli.

In particular I would like to congratulate Lifetime AchievementAward recipients David Williams, Agriculture Victoria, and RayMontague, Montague Group, for their tireless work advancingthe productivity and profitability of apple and pear businesses.

At the conference APAL shared our work on new market researchto understand consumers’ attitudes to apple and pear price andquality. We have now presented the research to major retailers.

F R O M T H E C E O

We will use its findings – that fruit quality, rather than price, isthe primary purchase driver – to work with vendors and retailerson a consumer focussed-strategy to build the category.

Asia Fruit Logistica in Hong Kong in September will be anopportunity for industry to engage with buyers and retailers inour region who are interested in Australian apples and pears,including new varieties. With export a key industry priority, I ampleased to report that APAL has been awarded the tender forthe new Hort Innovation project, Export readiness and marketaccess for the Australian apple and pear industry. Stay tunedfor more information.

I urge you to attend the upcoming Future Orchards® walks onmanaging crop load to deliver fruit consistency and fruit quality.They are an excellent opportunity to hear from experts andsee practical demonstrations. :afg

By Phil TurnbullCEO, APAL

Gearing up for a busy Spring

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

• Alvina GalaA on M26, and M9• Granny Smith on M26 and MM106

Also growing the tree variety ANABP 01A on MM106, M9 and 109

CALL NOW FORAPPLES AVAILABLE TOPLANT WINTER 2018

APAL Industry dinner sponsored by

From lt: Phil Turnbull, Susie Murphy White,Nardia Stacy, Terry Martella, Carol Martella,Steele Jacob and Paul Good.

HOR T CONN EC T I ON S


Hort Connections attracted almost 3,000 delegates to the BrisbaneConvention and Exhibition Centre over the three-day conference, withnearly 150 apple and pear industry members in attendance from Sunday,17 June through to Wednesday, 20 June.

The Sunday night social event, sponsored byWoolworths, was a great way to start the conferenceand provided an opportunity for attendees to catchup with colleagues and friends they may not have seensince the last combined industry conference in 2016.

To build on the momentum of Sunday night and setthe scene for the APAL sessions, the apple and pearindustry Awards for Excellence were announced (page6) during breakfast on the opening day. The awardsare an opportunity to recognise the achievements of some of the incredible people in our industry.

After the awards, Speed Updating, APAL’s annualevent offering quick information updates aboutwhat’s happening in the local and internationaldevelopment space, was held (see page 35).

Trade Show

The APAL booth became a hub of activity not just asa meeting point for apple and pear industry membersbut also as a great place for business to be done.

Each of the varieties and value-added products fromthe Variety Showcase were on display in the TradeShow to ensure greater exposure to the wider HortConnections participants.

Negotiating for Success

Preparation is key to any negotiation session however,there are other elements that can be taken into consideration when looking to reach an agreement.Participants in this session received an insight intotheir negotiation style using the dominance, influence,conscientiousness and steadiness (DISC) method,which can help understand both your needs and thoseof the people you’re negotiating with.

If you’re interested in taking the DISC test visit:www.123test.com/disc-personality-test/

2019 and beyond

Hort Connections 2019 will be held at the MelbourneConvention and Exhibition Centre, 24-26 June. APALwill again co-host the event to build on the benefit of combined industry networking and learning.

We would love to know what information you’d liketo hear about and who you would like to see at thisevent, whether from the apple and pear, broader horticultural, or international industries. To share yourideas or to discuss opportunities in 2019 contact APALManager Events & Sponsorship, Richelle Zealley,[email protected] or 0438 364 728.

Ross Wilson (lt) and Scott Price (rt).Kevin Dodds talking to delegates.

The apple and pear 2018 Awards for Excellencerecipients were announced during the APALsessions at Hort Connections on Monday, 18 June.

APAL Chair Michele Allan presented theawards and said the quality and number ofnominations was impressive. “The calibre ofnominations makes me extremely proud to

be part of this growing industry and I lookforward to hearing about the great feats eachof our recipients, nominees and other industrymembers continue to achieve,” Michele said.

Each recipient received a framed certificate,glass award and a travel voucher thanks tothe Awards’ generous sponsors.

Excellence Award: Dr Sally Bound, TasmanianInstitute of Agriculture, TasmaniaSponsored by AgriTrading

Sally is a well-known researcherand advocate of Australia’s fruitindustries. She provides technicalinformation and advice toorchardists and industry groupsthroughout Australia and regularlyconducts workshops, seminars,orchard walks and training coursesacross the country to help industrymembers make the most of cutting-edge horticultural research. Sallyhas authored more than 70 articlesfor industry magazines and regularly contributes to apple,pear and cherry production guides.This award is new for 2018 andrecognises Sally as an outstandingmember of the industry.

Exporter of the Year: Montague, VictoriaSponsored by Adama

Montague is a family business thathas been growing fruit for almost70 years. They are passionate abouttheir people, customer service andquality fresh produce, and havealso achieved success in exports.They’re an industry leader, creatingnew market opportunities for pomeand other fruit products.

Women in Horticulture: Susie Murphy White,Pomewest, Western AustraliaSponsored by AgroFresh

Susie has demonstrated an outstanding ability in her roles as Future Orchards® Front LineAdvisor and Industry ProjectManager for Pomewest and is thego-to person for technical adviceand assistance for WA growers.She is pro-active in leading successful initiatives for the WAindustry as demonstrated whenshe recently led a Young GrowersStudy Tour to New Zealand. Threeout of the nine participants werefemale which is testament to thework she is doing to mentor andencourage female growers.



AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

Recipient list

From lt: Andrew Skinner (Adama); Dr Michele Allan (APAL); Montague's ClaireFitchett, Scott Montague and Gavin Wylie;and Phil Tunbull (APAL).



AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

Grower of the Year: Gerard Alampi, Prima Fresh,VictoriaSponsored by E.E. Muir & Sons

Gerard is a third-generationorchardist who started working in the family business from anearly age. His vision is to offer aconsistent, premium brand with a12-month supply delivered throughconsolidation. Today, his brandPrima Fresh operates as anexpanding broad-spectrum business with retail, market andexport opportunities. This awardrecognises Gerard’s outstandingcontribution across all aspects offruit production including growing,environmental management, staffmanagement and product quality.

Lifetime Achievement Award:David Williams, AgricultureVictoria, VictoriaSponsored by E.E. Muir & Sons

David has 40 yearsexperience inorchard pestmanagement.He has constantlydemonstratedexcellence inthe apple andpear industry

and is well known in the research,development and extension space.He currently leads the secondphase of the PIPS Integrated Pestand Disease Management projectwhere the codling moth parasitoid,Mastrus ridens, is to be releasedand evaluated in Qld, NSW, Vic,SA, and Tas.

Lifetime Achievement Award:Ray Montague, Montague,VictoriaSponsored by BE Travel and APAL

Ray is anindustry leaderwho is knownfor conductingbusiness withintegrity, dedication anddistinction; heis a motivatedand inspirational leader who iswell respected by his team andthe wider industry. He’s beendescribed as having a lifelong loveaffair with apples and this passionhas seen him travel to many partsof the globe in pursuit of appleperfection.

Rising Star: Nathan Barolli, BarolliOrchards, VictoriaSponsored by AgroFresh

Nathan is a passionate third-generation orchardist workingalongside his brother and parentsin their expanding business whichincludes: pears, apples and plums;five orchards and two cool storagefacilities in the Goulburn Valley;and another orchard and coolstore in Batlow. In total, theorchards cover 140 hectares andthe coolstores comprise 12,000bins. This award recognisesNathan as an up-and-comingindustry leader.

Combined horticulturalindustry National Awardsfor Excellence

APAL would like to congratulateall the winners of the combinedhorticultural industry NationalAwards for Excellence that werealso announced at Hort Connections.These awards are run in parallel toAPAL’s Award for Excellence andapple and pear industry membersare also eligible for them.

Winners:

Women in HorticultureRachel Mackenzie, Growcom

Environmental AwardFrank & Dianne Sciacca

Industry Impact AwardDanyang Ying

Researcher of the YearJessica Page

Young Grower of the YearChris McLoghlin

Grower of the YearScott Samuel, EastbrookVegetable Farms

Community Stewardship Award East Gippsland VegetableInnovation Days

Exporter of the Year Dicky Bill Australia

Innovation partnerTerry Martella

A special congratulations to applegrower Terry Martella from SantaRita Orchard, WA, for receivingthe Innovation Partner Award.

Terry has been at the forefront ofdriving innovation and taking on thechallenge to try something new anddifferent. He’s been implementingan intensive 2D training system forblocks that are under net to makethem robot-ready; he is also graftingolder varieties to newer varietiesand netting a substantial amountof the orchard.

The Martella family has beengrowing fruit since 1933 and theycurrently grow apples, pears andstone fruit on their 30ha orchardin Kirup.

From lt: Chris Fairless, Dr Michele Allan,Nathan Barolli, Nadije Barolli and PhilTurnbull.



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VARIETY SHOWCASE

Australian Pome Fruit Improvement Program (APFIP)Operations Manager Mark Hankin said it had been agreat way to share new, key varieties in the pipe line.

“Industry is fast heading in the direction of managedvarieties, so growers need to be active in knowingand understanding what’s out there,” said Mark.

“The Variety Showcase, now in its fourth year, is agreat way to form alliances and get the conversationstarted between variety licensees and growers to helpunderstand the opportunities involved in growing amanaged variety.

“Feedback from attendants shows the showcase is successful; it’s become one of the main highlightsof the conference and many of the variety licenseescontinue to be involved every year. This year weextended the invitation to include businesses offering value-added products to helping identifyalternative markets for fruit that doesn’t quite makethe first-grade cut.”

The Variety Showcase is a deliverable in the Hort Innovation funded APFIP project and is anopportunity for growers to get exposure to newproducts in the pipeline. Growers can also meet andform alliances with licensees and they can see thefruit coming into the market.

The session was first introduced to apple and pearindustry members in 2013 at the Innovate or Real-Estate conference at QT Hotel, Gold Coast. It wasalso offered at the National Horticulture Conventionin both 2015 and 2016.

Thank you to all businesses who participated in theVariety Showcase.

Libby Fleming, Graham’s Factree. One of the new pears on display: ANP0131. Louise Wood, Freshmax, Piqa®Boo®pears.

The Variety Showcase is an opportunity for participants to see, touch and taste new varietiesof apples and pears recently –or soon to be –commercially available in Australia. Representativesfrom nurseries, variety licensees and businesses offering value-added products participatedin the event.

Gavin Porter, ANFIC. The new apple Kalei, managed by APAL. Mark Hankin, APFIP

There are currently four generations of Mocks livingon the 20-hectare property. Neville’s daughterSheryn Mock notes that every year the business isgetting stronger.

“Our farm is located on a good spot on the mainroad and we have had our farm gate shop since 1995,”Sheryn said. The shop has seen some peaks andtroughs and is about to undergo a revamp, but theMock family feel they are heading in the right direction.

The local district has been successful in registeringMornington Peninsula Produce (MPP) as a provenancebrand, similar to the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) provenance in Italy. Sheryn hasbeen invited to sit on the MPP committee and saysthis is an exciting opportunity for the business as it will hopefully mean MPP members can sell eachother’s produce. “No one’s big enough to have theirown stand-alone shop but if we can work togetherand sell our produce under one ‘registration’ thereare some great opportunities,” she said.

The Mock Red Hill value added offering also includesan organic apple cider vinegar, a range of cider andsparkling juice. They currently grow organic apples,pears, cherries and have recently made the moveinto growing avocadoes.

Many thanks to Neville and Sheryn Mock for sharingtheir journey and experience with us.



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GROWTH IN DIVERSIFICATION

The Mock family has been growing fruit since 1960 (L-R back row: Sheryn Mock, Mardi-Claire Mock, Neville Mock , Allan Mock,Andrew Mock, Hari Nujula. L-R front row: Demeter Mock, MichaelMock and Leni the dog).

Mock Hill’s Georgia Beavan cutting apples in preparation forfreeze-drying.

The Mock family has been growing fruit at their picturesque Red Hill orchard in Victoria since 1960.They converted to organic in 1974 and owner NevilleMock says if they didn’t go organic, or biodynamic,they would have likely gone out of business years ago.

“In the ’80s it got really tough so we started to lookat additional ways to add value,” Neville said.

And so, 20 years ago they started playing withfreeze-drying methods.

“Our first attempt was to use an old beer keg; then we moved to a proper design; then introducedcomputers; and as the process became bigger wekept evolving,” he said.

Each week they process 10 tonnes of fresh fruit toproduce 1 tonne of finished freeze dried product,which weighs just 10 per cent of its fresh counterpart.This is then sold under their brand Totally Pure Fruitsand includes freeze dried apples, pears, strawberries,bananas and ‘bush food’.

Freeze-drying is an expensive process that involveswashing and cutting the fruit, then freezing it withinfive minutes to change all moisture to a solid andensure the nutrients and colour are preserved. The fruit then goes into a vacuum chamber wherethe pressure is reduced and the moisture vaporises.On average the process takes 100 hours per batch.

“Because the moisture level is so low, the fruit sliceshave a long shelf life – once packaged in foil they willkeep for two years without preservatives,” Neville said.

Image by Renee Johnson

Image by Renee Johnson



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VARIETY SHOWCASE

KaleiManaged by [email protected]

• Deep red, block colour

• Delicate sweetness

• Queensland breeding program

• Variety – freely availablethrough various nurseries

• 45,000 trees in ground – yearon year growth

Redlove®

Managed by Lenswood [email protected]

• First red fleshed apple commercialised in Australia

• Redness intensifies duringcooking and maintains crunch

• Won’t oxidise once cut

• High antioxidant levels

MiApple®Managed by Lenswood [email protected]

• Sweet, block red colour

• Crisp dense flesh

• Early maturing apple

• Only two picks, yields welland easy to manage

Bravo™Managed by [email protected]

• Dark burgundy skin andvibrant white flesh

• Sweet juicy flavour

• Bred for Australian conditions

• Trees available for planting –freely available

• Export opportunities

RS103-110Managed by [email protected]*Brand currently in development

• Deep red, full colour

• Balanced, sweet flavour

• Queensland breeding program

• Scab resistant

• Export opportunities

Kanzi®Managed by Giston [email protected]

• Red skin with a touch of yellow-green colour

• Crunchy, juicy fruit with atangy sweet and sour flavour

Yello®

Managed by [email protected]

• Golden, yellow apple

• Firm, sweet and crunchy

• Bred at the University ofNagano, Japan

• Trials currently in Gippsland

• Different to any yellow apple previously on the market

Rockit®

Managed by Lenswood [email protected]

• Sweet, red, compact applewith a small core –popularamong children

• First miniature apple in Australia

• Grown throughout Australia

Apples



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VARIETY SHOWCASE

ANP0131 formerly knownas Deliza®

Managed by [email protected] *Brand currently in development

• Red brown blush over greenbackground

• First commercial crop grownin 2018

• Export opportunities and already positivelytested in Asian markets

ANFIC, Qldanfic.com.au [email protected]

• Provides intellectual property management andcommercialisation services

• Supply trees to orchardistsand home gardeners

• New varieties: WA38A CosmicCrisp; Snap Dragon; RubyFrost; and some red fleshedapples coming into trial inAustralia

Totally Pure Fruitstotallypurefruits.com.au Mock Red Hill, Vic

• Organic freeze-dried applesand pears with no preservatives,artificial colours or flavours

• Freeze-drying for 20 years andproduce 8,000 tonne a week

• Supply Bellamy’s organic babyfood with freeze-dried product

• Sell through farm gate shop and online

ANP0118 formerly knownas Lanya®

Managed by [email protected] *Brand currently in development

• Bright pink blush over yellow-green background

• First commercial crop availablein 2020

• Export opportunities already positively tested in Asian markets

Graham’s Factree, Vicfactree.com.au [email protected]

• Wholesale nursery for commercial fruit industry

• Offer a range of cultivars androotstocks and introducedGeneva rootstocks into Australiaso growers can combine acultivar with a rootstock wellsuited to the Australian industry

Ashton Valley Freshashtonvalleyfresh.com.au Ceravolo orchards, SA

• Premium quality fruit juice withno added flavours, colours,sugars and concentrates

• Juicing for 10 years and produce2-3 million litres of juice annually

• Supply wholesale juice toother Australian companies tomake their own products

• Sell through local SA retailersand Coles

Piqa®Boo®

Managed by [email protected]

• Block red colour and smallbrown lenticels

• Crisp, juicy texture andrefreshing flavour

• Combines characteristics fromEuropean, Japanese andChinese pears

• Premium line with commercial and export opportunities

Tangara Nursery, [email protected]

• Supply top quality fruit treesand rootstocks hand deliveredto commercial orchardiststhroughout Australia

• A range of varieties are currentlyavailable with many more intesting to be announced shortly

• Huon Valley climate well suitedto growing nursery trees

Pears

Value-added products

Nurseries


MARK E T I N G

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Hort Innovation’s Apple and Pear Marketing Manager Olivia Grey presented a marketing levyupdate for apples and pears at Hort Connections 2018 as part of APAL’s Speed Updating sessionsin Brisbane in June.

As part of the presentation she recapped the 2017 activity for apples and pears, shared the resultsof each of the campaigns and gave an overview of the 2018 activity.

Speed marketing update: looking back at 2017 and forwards through 2018

Apple activityIn 2017 the key objective for AussieApples was to re-establish apples asthe healthy, on-the-go snack.

A key performance indicator (KPI) wasto get apples back onto the consumer’slist of their top five favourite snacks. In March 2017 apples were ranked atnumber six as a preferred snack accordingto research conducted by marketresearch agency Edentify. A year later,apples had overtaken biscuits and nutsto tie for position number three – ahuge achievement.

Another KPI is purchase intent. Whenthe Aussie Apples campaign waslaunched in March 2017, 80 per cent of consumers said they would be ‘very’or ‘quite likely’ to purchase apples inthe next fortnight. In May 2018 theresponse to this question had increasedto 89 per cent.

the Aussie Apples advertising campaign.Millennials in their 20s and 30s are nowthe largest spending group in the economy, but they purchase only fourper cent of apples by value, accordingto Nielsen Homescan data (MovingAnnual Total [MAT] to 21/04/2018). To capture the spend of this lucrativedemographic, Aussie Apples advertisingwill now appear on YouTube and Spotify;it will continue to air on catch-up TV toreach the broader target audiencebeyond Millennials.

The first eight-week burst of digitaladvertising concluded in June.

All facets of the digital campaignachieved an above-benchmark resultduring this period.

Across digital video ad placement, theoverall ‘completion rate’ (the percentageof people exposed to the ad whowatched it through to completion without skipping or stopping it) was 88 per cent, exceeding the benchmarkof 70 per cent.

Spotify had an audio ‘completion rate’ of91 per cent across more than 176,000impressions (the number of times content is displayed to the audience),targeting people mid-morning and mid-afternoon, which are key snack times.

YouTube served more than 4,258,000six-second ad impressions, with a 93per cent ‘completion rate’.

The next round of digital advertising isrunning over seven weeks from the endof June until the end of August.

Hort Innovation’s Olivia Grey provides anupdate on apple and pear marketing at HortConnections 2018.

Finally, the number of consumers whoremembered seeing the Aussies Applesadvertisement increased from five per centin March 2017 to 18 per cent in March2018, exceeding the KPI of 12 per cent.

With most Australian householdsalready purchasing apples, the focus for2018 is on getting people to buy applesmore frequently by prioritising themover other snack alternatives.

This means constantly reminding peopleto Get Your Crunch On – the campaignmotto – so that apples remain top-of-mind,as well as targeting the right people inplaces that are contextually relevant tothem, and at the right time, such as duringsnack times and when they’re on thego. Basically, more crunch, more often.

TVIn 2018 Aussies Apples’ Get YourCrunch On ad is appearing on TV overeight weeks.

The first four weeks of advertising onTV ran from April through to June.There were 10 million grocery buyersaged 25-54 years who saw the ad acrossmetro and regional markets, with adsappearing during high-rating shows suchas MasterChef and The Voice.

The next four weeks of TV advertisingwill air in July to August.

DigitalDigital advertising that incorporates ads across websites and mobile applications, such as YouTube and themusic service Spotify, is also central to

Therefore, the 2018 campaign is centred on educating consumers onhow to choose, ripen and use pears,through a content partnership with Food Corp (News Corp Australia’s fooddivision) educating consumers on ripening techniques and different pearvarieties through features in TasteMagazine, Delicious and Super FoodIdeas, reaching almost two million people. This will be complemented by pear advertising across digital media,public relations activities and in-storesampling to keep pears top-of-mind atthe point of purchase.

With a bumper pear crop, increasingexports is vital to help protect growerprofitability. This includes marketingactivity through Taste Australia in HongKong and the export co-promotion program, which helps to fund marketingactivities in export markets to promotethe sale of pears. :afg

www.apal.org.au AUSTRALIAN FRUITGROWER August/September 2018 13

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AcknowledgementThese industry marketing initiatives aremanaged by Hort Innovation and are fundedby the apple and pear marketing levy. Thiscontent has been prepared by the HortInnovation apple and pear team. Growersare welcome to contact Apple and PearMarketing Manager Olivia Grey([email protected] or 02 8295 2387) with any questions relatingto the marketing program.

MARK E T I N G

RadioSomething new for Aussie Apples in2018 is radio ad placement, targetingpeople with the ‘crunch’ sound on the wayto and from work, school and the shops.

The radio ads were aired across theeastern seaboard over five weeks in Apriland May, reaching almost two milliongrocery buyers aged 25-54 years. Theads contained messages about health,seasonality and varieties.

The next round of radio ads are being airedin July and August over another five weeks.

CinemaFor four weeks in April the Aussie Applesad was shown in cinemas, reaching 1.4million people. Ads were placed beforetop-grossing movies such as Avengers:Infinity War, and across digilite panels incinema foyers.

OtherThe Get Your Crunch On message willcontinue as the foundation of AussieApples messaging, complemented bymessaging on varieties and health, andwill be amplified through social media,public relations activities, events and in-store sampling.

Finally, Hort Innovation will conduct a thorough consumer research pieceexploring Aussie Apples to learn thetriggers and barriers to purchase, brandpreference and purchase hierarchy. Thisstudy will be informed by recent researchcommissioned by APAL which is yet tobe completed and released, and willalso be conducted on pears.

ExportApples will continue to have representation at key trade shows inexport markets, including Asia FruitLogistica on 5-7 September. This will be complemented by the Taste Australiaretail program in Hong Kong with activitysuch as in-store sampling. And the exportco-promotion program will continue to provide support to growers to helpincrease apple exports. This program hasalready provided support to help growersto target export markets including theUnited Kingdom, the Middle East, HongKong, Thailand and the Netherlands.

Pear activityThe main objective of the 2017Australian Pears marketing campaignwas to increase snacking and cookingoccasions for pears. Following the campaign, Edentify’s consumer trackingdata revealed an increase in pear consumption during the snacking timesof mid-morning and mid-afternoon, aswell as at lunch time. There has alsobeen an increase in consumers usingpears on a range of different occasions,including incidences of consumerssnacking on pears whole and using themfor lunch and in smoothies and dessert.

While these are some great wins, the consumer data reveals that a majorbarrier to purchase is not knowing if a pear is ripe. This has come through in consumer feedback during in-store sampling sessions and consumer tracking,where almost one in two consumersclaimed they would buy more pears ifthey knew how to judge their ripeness.


MARK E T I N G

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Consumer attitudes and behaviours

Freshlogic are food market analysts with expertise in fresh and prepared foods. Specialising ininterpreting market conditions, Managing Director Martin Kneebone analyses prevailing consumerattitudes that are impacting apple and pear buyer behaviour including the trend towards moresnacking, the influence of new channels to the consumers, demand for health and wellness, aninterest in food provenance, and an aversion to waste.

More influences affect food choicesThe dynamics that influence what food consumers buy andthen include in their regular household menus continues toevolve. The pathway to reach consumers was once dominatedby the prerequisite to first gaining shelf space of the majorretailers. While this remains a key platform to reaching thelargest distributors in retail, it is no longer the only option toinfluence consumers.

It is now possible for most, if not all, participants in a supplychain to engage directly with consumers. This is enabledthrough a combination of the digital capacity and new age media.It has drawn activity and content from several participantsthat broadly fall into the following three groups:

1. Organisations with direct commercial food interests, e.g.growers, manufacturers, retailers, and food service operators.

2. Organisations with indirect food commercial interests andor formal training, e.g. dieticians, nutritionists, chefs,health and wellness experts, and finance experts.

3. Other social commentators with media or business interests,e.g. health and wellness influencers, finance influencers,television personalities, foodies, and bloggers.

This activity has generated more content and led to consumersbecoming more informed, or at the least, being able to answermore detailed questions more easily. The breadth of availableinformation has elevated the gatekeeper role of those withskills or capacity to influence internet search engine rankingsand fuelled the level of investment in online advertising. Inshort, as more information has drawn more interest, it hasbeen followed by more investment to ensure selected contentis ranked higher following certain internet searches.

Changing food valuesThis increased access to information has coincided with shiftsin the attributes consumers value and are prepared to pay morefor. In terms of health, the base desire to eat well and behealthy has broadened to encompass many elements.

This is reflected in what is now termed a ‘health and wellness’ set of priorities, which has evolved into a lifestyle,

Today’s lifestyle patterns reflect more time pressure andhousehold eating patterns that continue to shift away fromtraditional structured meals towards more snacking and grazing.The total Australian retail snack food market is now valued at$9.4 billion and contributes a substantial 11 per cent of thetotal food and grocery retail market value.

More snackingConsumers consider ‘healthy snacks’ to include yoghurt,muesli bars, nuts and fresh fruit. These products combine to contribute 40 per cent of the total snack food market and generate annual retail sales of $3.75 billion. Fresh fruitdominates this group of healthy snacks by contributing 53 per cent, or $2 billion. All indications are that this demand is supported by fresh fruits’ portion size, portability, nutritionand minimal preparation requirements.

This level of market share confirms that fresh fruit enjoysstrong demand in the snack food market despite the competitionfrom other snacks that are often supported by high profileconsumer brands. Buying and use patterns reflect that many consumers buy snacks with the grocery shopping forconsumption ‘in the home’ and for transporting to ‘out of the home’ locations such as work, school or the gym, or forconsumption on the go. The robust portability of fresh applesmakes them well suited to this usage pattern.

By Martin Kneebone

bode well for apples and pears

…fresh fruit enjoys strong demand in the snack food

market despite the competitionfrom other snacks


MARK E T I N G

About the author:Martin Kneebone, Freshlogic,

t: 03 9818 1588 | e: [email protected]

u restrictive, and because of the implementation of a range ofpublic and corporate initiatives to support reduced waste, suchas the ban on single use plastic bags by major food retailers.

The concern around sustainability and waste minimisation isexpanding to include not only food waste, but also packagingwaste. This trend is influencing how consumers shop bystrengthening demand for small portions which allow consumersto reduce home food waste, as well as fuelling demand forrecipe kit meals where the exact portions required are provided.

The concern around packaging waste is complex, as there are also clear advantages of packaging for consumers and the supply chain, such as the convenience of grab-and-goproducts, reduced in-store waste, assured product identification,and efficient home storage solutions e.g. resealable bags.Packaging also provides an effective way to communicateimportant product features and attributes which the consumeris seeking.

The waste concerns have been elevated by changes in therecycling systems that have closed the bulk exporting of ourplastic waste. This has rapidly drawn the spotlight onto whatis generating waste and sparked action from retailers on thehighly visible single use plastic bags. Fast and complete solutions to waste recycling will take time, as they are likelyto require changes to recycling systems. However, whilethese changes evolve, all indications are that the advocates for the waste-minimisation cause, enabled by their social mediareach, are highly likely to find and focus on food packaging.

The price look-up (PLU or databar) sticker identification systemnow in use in Australia for loose apples and pears could proveto be an advantage in these conditions by helping to maintainretail range depth and minimise packaging.

Apples and pears at an advantageApples and pears are well placed to benefit from the prevailingconsumer attitudes and trends in buyer behaviour, includingincreased snacking, new channels to the consumer, a desireto eat well and feel good, an interest in food provenance, andan aversion to food and packaging waste.

Being a familiar and versatile fruit with year-round availability,and widely recognised as a convenient and healthy snack,apples and pears naturally possess many of the attributes that consumers say they are willing to pay for.

While there are new and emerging channels to communicateand influence household menus, the space is crowded. Theproliferation of information, range of influences and influencers,and the ease of access to this information all point to theimportance of having a clear and easy to understand marketingmessage that will cut through to consumers. :afg

and is centred on long-term health and overall wellbeing. The attention has changed from being reactive – in responseto a specific condition – to being proactive. This approachincorporates not only physical wellbeing, but also mental or emotional health. This has been influenced by increasedawareness of the link between what we eat, and how we‘feel’, with food now more widely viewed as medicine.

With easy access to information and the impact of influencersdriving particular issues, consumers are more informed andaware of their own dietary needs and want to be able to customise their diet to support their own personal goals. They are now buying food for the health and wellness benefitsthat they believe their food will provide, and they seek andare prepared to pay for attributes that suit their needs. Forexample, half of all Freshlogic Mealpulse™ (a consumerresearch panel focussed on food) households indicate they arewilling to pay more for healthier food, and 70 per cent reportthey have changed their eating habits towards a healthier dietin the last year.

However, while food remains central to healthy outcomes, itis now sharing the delivery of health and wellness with otherthings. For example, while many public health initiatives werefocused largely on diet (e.g. Go for 2&5 ), there has been amove towards programs aimed at exercise and keeping active,as well as promotion of activities to improve mental health.

Food stories add valueAlong with an interest in wellness, consumers have a desireto understand the story behind their food, including where it has been farmed, the farming systems used, and how it has been processed. This interest is anchored on broad goalscentred around personal and corporate responsibility and sustainable management of resources. These views areshared by many, but are stronger among younger households,which reflects the elevation of environmental and socialissues in educational content over the last 20 years.

The level of commitment is reflected in a willingness to pay more for products that have attributes that align with theconsumer’s values and lifestyle. This propensity is reflected inthe value associated with food produced in systems like organicsand also extends to products supplied from local growers. Forexample, 44 per cent of Freshlogic Mealpulse™ householdsreport a willingness to pay more for local products in 2017 (upfrom 40 per cent in 2014), and 24 per cent report a willingnessto pay more for organic products (up from 20 per cent). However,the level of willingness to pay may vary across categories andcan be influenced by the trade-off consumers make withother product attributes such as value and convenience.

Waste reduction mattersIn line with the elevation of environmental and social issues,consumers are expressing an increasing aversion to waste –both at a corporate level and in the home. The waste issuehas increased in profile recently because options that previouslyallowed Australia to export waste overseas are now more


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Queensland

concentration for orchardistsin the next few months. Theorchard walks have becomea fruitful platform for criticaldebate and dialogue over theissues growers are facing.

A quiet point of concern forproducers is the change instandard working week hourswhich will create an increased

The end of the 2017–18season can be described as a lower-yielding seasonand generally an ‘off’ cropcompared to previous seasons for the area. Thereduced figures are generallyranging between 10 and 30per cent. Better yields canthus be expected in theupcoming season, all thingsbeing well.

The past few months havebeen extremely dry, with a lot of dust and browninggrass being the standardlandscape scene. May wasrecorded as the driest Mayon record for the Applethorpeweather station. Withoutrain in the coming months,

water security, and frugal use of this resource, is goingto be the order of the day for the next season’s crop.

Taking all methods of measurement into account, thechill received until the end ofJune is either on average orgreater than average. Morningfrosts started at a later timethan usual for the area, leading to a pleasant surprisein that chill accumulation is ingood stead.

The autumn Future Orchards®

walk was well attended, withthe focus being on optimisingfruit quality, as well as discussions around pruning,which becomes the area of

challenge in controllingcosts and maintaining workerutility. No doubt this will bean area spoken about morerigorously in the comingmonths.

Deon KirsteinTechnical Manager,Ausfarm Fresh OperationsPty Ltd

Ross Wilson explains pruning requirements.

Victoria

on [email protected] or 0490 381 999.

Both winter APAL FutureOrchards® walks were huge successes, with great numbers attending MontagueOrchards at Narre Warren andSciacca Orchards at Merrigum.

The Victorian Governmenthas passed a new labour hire licensing bill throughParliament. What this meansfor growers is uncertain nowand FGVL will be seeking

FGVL’s inaugural conferencepreparations are in full swing.FGVL is really pleased withthe support from local andnational sponsors. The keynow is to get as many growerdelegates as possible toattend from not just interstatebut also locally. Registrationand the program is availableon the FGVL website. Theconference will be held 16-17August at the EastbankCentre in Shepparton.

Many pear growers in theGoulburn Valley have beenfaced with the question ofwhether to prune their pearsfor next season or bulldozethem out. As of 25 June,35,000 Williams pear treeshave been removed. The keyfor growers is to continue to export and stay firm ondomestic prices so that peargrowers can survive foranother season.

Winter chill plays an importantpart in setting up for nextyear’s crop. The APFIP website provides data on chillunits: weather.apfip.com.au.Growers will monitor winterchill until dormancy breaksfor each variety. SouthernVictorian growers are reportinggood levels of chill to date.

Growers in the Yarra Valleyrecently met to rally supportfor a sterile fruit fly releasethis spring, as part of theeradication process for anypossible overwinteringQueensland fruit fly (Qfly)from the incursion last autumn.Voluntary contributionstowards an area-wide management grid are encouraged. For more information about Qfly in the Yarra Valley contact theregional Qfly coordinator,Bronwyn Koll fromAgribusiness Yarra Valley,

information from the government as to how the labour hire licensingcommission will work tobenefit rather than hindergrowers. The new laws willbe take effect in November2019.

Michael CriseraGrower Services Manager,Fruit Growers Victoria Ltd(FGVL)

Attendance was high at Victoria's winter Future Orchards® walks.


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Western AustraliaHarvest for 2018 is well andtruly done, and growers arehoping for better results inthe retail market this year.We have been fortunatethis year with no eventfulweather conditions affectingcrop yields. We are only tooaware of our counterparts’devastating experiences inother states of extremeheat, hail and storms.

In WA we have seen fairly decent-sized applesharvested with sound colourdevelopment. That meansthere is a quite a high volumeof fruit available on the localmarket. Unfortunately, returnsprior to this season launchhave not been matching production costs so developing new markets isnecessary to stay in front.

As we get better at increasingproduction, we will need tolook further than the localmarket and find sustainablepaths to export markets anda commitment and ability tosupply consistent volumes.

We are looking forward tosome solid precipitation andchill over the winter months tonicely set up the 2019 season.

The Future Orchards® walktook place at Newtons’ StarkieOrchard in Manjimup attendedby 39 apple and pear growersand industry representatives.Paul Good, APAL’s WADirector, provided an updateon the Horticulture Award.Changes are set to increasewages and the overall cost ofproduction. This adds furtherconcern to an industry that is

already faced with returnsbelow the cost of production.

Guest speaker Prof StefanoMusacchi (Washington StateUniversity) told growers theway light was distributed inthe tree canopy could play animportant role in quality. SteveSpark (AgFirst) endorsed thefact that increased apple consumption would increasedemand for high-quality fruit.

Attendees also saw ademonstration of a recentlypurchased Zucal apple platform system. Newtons’staff were conveniently pruning at the time of the walkso growers saw first-handthe equipment’s functionalityfor pruning, thinning andpicking in the orchard.

Growers Wayne Ghilarducci,Mark Wilkinson, Paul Good,Terry and Carol Martella joinedthe Pomewest and Bravo™team for the Hort Connections

2018 conference inBrisbane, 18–22 June.

This event was againextremely professional andthe APAL Speed Updatingday was a feature for the pome industry. Theinformation presented wasa good balance of technicaland market-based content,while the trade show andnetworking provided a greatopportunity to develop andbuild relationships.

Terry Martella, an applegrower at Kirup, WA, wonthe Innovative Partner Awardand Susie Murphy White,Project Manager ofPomewest, was the APALwinner for Women inHorticulture. Congratulationson two well-deserved winsgo to these amazing people.

Nardia StacyExecutive Manager,Pomewest


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TasmaniaTasmania had a warm, drysummer that was ideal forfruit production resulting in above average fruit sizeand quality. Crop productionis estimated to be 25 per cent above average, withfruit-packing companies inmany regions experiencinga very high proportion ofClass 1 fruit.

More than 240 growers and agronomists attendedFGT’s conference held inMay in Devonport to hearresearchers, governmentand industry leaders speakabout biosecurity, technologyand innovation in the fruitindustry. Apple growerswere particularly interestedin Andrew Hooke’s (APAL)presentation about the PinkLady® global developmentprogram, as well as Dr Penny Measham’s (HortInnovation) and Dr MaxSuckling’s (Plant & Food NZ)presentations on sterileinsect technology forQueensland fruit fly (Qfly)and codling moth eradication.

On the topic of biosecurity,the fruit fly control zones

remain in place acrossTasmania’s north, prohibitingthe movement of fruit fromthe control zone. These controlzones were introduced following detections of Qflyadults and larvae in Januaryand early February. TheTasmanian Government hasannounced that the controlarea restrictions will remainin place until Tasmania canbe declared Qfly-free.

Biosecurity Tasmania trappingand inspection programs arecurrently on hold due to thefly’s winter dormancy but willresume in the warmer springmonths. If these measuresare successful Tasmania mayhave its control zonesremoved and statewide areafreedom status reinstated byas early as late December.

Growers and agronomistsalso turned out in high numbers for APAL’s FutureOrchards® walk in Grove on5 June. Those attending learntfirst-hand about optimisingpruning and fruit quality inapple and pear orchards fromProf Stefano Musacchi (WSU)and Steve Spark (AgFirst).

The project team for the Australian apple export manual and post-harvest guide includes (from left) Dr Rajendra Adhikari, Ian Cover and Dr Sally Bound (absent: Dr Robert Nissen).

FGT and the TasmanianInstitute of Agriculture alsorecently finished a 14-monthnational project to help growersdevelop export opportunitiesfor their fruit. This government-funded project saw information guides producedto help apple growers navigateexport processes and regulations and maximisepost-harvest fruit quality.Copies of these were presented to growers atregional export workshopsand are available via FGT.

Lastly, FGT is pleased toannounce the appointment ofStuart Burgess as its first CEO.Stuart has been engaged

with Australian horticulturefor more than 30 years, during which he has workedacross 15 different industries.In this time he has providedleadership, strategic advice,policy development, investment planning andevaluation for whole-of-industry and multi-industryoutcomes.

Ian CoverIndustry DevelopmentOfficer, Fruit GrowersTasmania Inc (FGT)

South Australia each year with many thousands of people gettingthe opportunity to interact withthe orchardists and gain agreater understanding of howtheir fruit is grown. It is justfantastic to see the numberof families and young childreneating apples with enjoyment,and the participating growersall report that the best thingthey get out of it is seeingthe looks on the faces ofyoung children as they crunchinto a fresh apple straightfrom the tree.

In the previous issue I commented on the long,warm and dry autumn period.Fortunately, since then wehave gone into more of awinter pattern, with the coldweather arriving and veryfrosty mornings and colddays bringing on some goodwinter chill. Some promisingopening rains greeted us inearly June; however, we

have not seen much since andwe will be looking for morerain in the coming months.

Pick a Pink Lady® Weekendcontinues to be a successfulpromotion for the industry in the Adelaide Hills, with ever-increasing interest inopportunities for consumersto pick their own fruit. Thenumbers of visitors increase

It was also a great opportunitythis year to reinforce themessaging behind theHailstorm Heroes campaign,with visitors not being at alldeterred by the idea of pickingand eating hail-marked fruit.

We hope everyone is able totake a break over the wintermonths before re-setting fornext season.

Susie GreenApple and Pear GrowersAssociation of SA(APGASA)


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season, and the messagewas repeated by visitingNew Zealand grower MarkEricksen in the most recentround of meetings. Their aimis to have full (or close to full)canopy establishment by thethird leaf in the high-densitydwarf trellised blocks. AtOrange and Batlow many of our new blocks are takingmore like five or six years tofill the productive canopyspace. The cost of a two- to three-year delay in production is too significantto ignore.

Keys to rapid canopy establishment include but are not limited to: optimumsite preparation (includingprofessional fumigation of re-plant ground); irrigationavailability (and good soilmoisture monitoring) from theday of planting; appropriatefertilisation; early tree training

New South WalesAttendance and engagementat the June Future Orchards®

walks at both Orange andBatlow were excellent. AtOrange, local representationwas strong and there werequite a few who had travelledfrom Bilpin, Blackheath andO’Connell.

It was great to see someyounger faces at the Batlowwalk, with a mix of owners,managers and staff attending.I left this orchard walk witha feeling that there is youthful enthusiasm buildingin the industry. I’d like toencourage growers to continue to take their keyorchard staff to orchard walksin the future as they can add a fresh and ‘hands-on’perspective while gainingskills and knowledge that can benefit your business.

The June orchard walksmarked the changeoverpoint for the FutureOrchards® Focus Orchards.I sincerely thank Fiona andBernard Hall of Bonny GlenFruits, Orange, and Donnaand Ian Robson of Mount

View Orchards, Batlow, for their involvement andcontributions as the outgoingFocus Orchard growers. It’sgreat to have such industry-minded people as collaboratorswho have been willing tosupport local trial/demonstrations and welcomeother growers onto theirproperties.

We welcome our new FocusOrchard growers Prue andIan Pearce of StoneleighOrchard, Orange, and Carolineand Domenic Pisciuneri (withorchard manager DarrylWatkins) of Seven Springs,Batlow. The June orchardwalks were hosted at the newFocus Orchards.

A vital message that is coming through repeatedly at the orchard walks relatesto speed of new canopyestablishment. Because ofthe huge capital cost ofestablishing new blocks,growers can no longer afford to accept slow canopydevelopment. Tom Auvil(United States) said it duringhis visit in November last

and strategic pruning toencourage the right type ofwood in the right place; andflower/crop removal for atleast the first two (or maybethree) seasons.

Keep an eye out for detailsof the September orchardwalks at Orange andBatlow. These will include acoordinated tasting sessionfeaturing locally grownCripps Pink of various harvest maturities.

Note: Due to a publishingerror the NSW State Reportfor June–July was not printedin the previous issue ofAustralian Fruitgrower, but itis available on APAL’s website.

Kevin DoddsDevelopment Officer(Temperate Fruits), NSWDepartment of PrimaryIndustries

Good attendances at the Orange and Batlow Orchard Walks inJune were very encouraging.

Contact PeterT: (03) 6266 4094 | M: 0408 125 734E: [email protected]

ROOTSTOCKSOrders taken for 2018 & 2019

Apple Pear Cherry• M27 • Quince C • Stallion• Bud 9 • Quince A • F12/1• M9 • D6 • M26 • MM102 Stone fruit • MM106 • St Julian A• MM111• M793

P RO F I L E

Father and son laugh about this. Scott is quick to explain it wasn’t a wilful filial revolt against his dad’s old-fashionednotions, just a mark of how much the industry had changedover the years.

While Red Delicious were very popular in the 1980s, thevariety has fallen from consumer favour and – according tothe latest National Apple and Pear Crop Estimate releasedearlier this year – now accounts for barely five per cent ofnational production.

The bare block will be replanted to one of the new breed of managed varieties, the New Zealand-bred early seasonvariety PremA17 (marketed as Smitten™ and managed inAustralia by Montague), as Scott works to maximise returnsper bin from the small eight-hectare orchard at the head of apicturesque valley at Mountain River in Tasmania’s premiumHuon Valley growing region.

“The Red Delicious returns just weren’t there,” Scott said.“Something had to give to get the new varieties in.”

Managed varieties the way forwardScott sees the managed varieties, with their premium and consistent quality, and controlled volumes, backed bysubstantial brand marketing, as the way forward and has beenexperimenting with Smitten’s sister variety Scilate (marketedas Envy™ and also managed by Montague) on differentorchard systems to see what performs best on the site.

The results are promising.

“We produce around 1100 bins, with 1.5 hectares of thetrees still non-bearing,” he said. “Based on what we haveseen from Envy so far we would only have to grow 300 binsto get the same return.”

Scott and Adrian have replanted five blocks in the past fouryears, all to Scilate, and the best results have come fromthe most recently planted block, which was fumigated firstand planted at high density to Scilate trees grown on theorchard and cut back to 600 millimetres in their first year on the block.

The block was fumigated first with Chloropicrin at a cost ofapproximately $1.85 per metre prior to planting to controlapple replant disease and Scott said the increased vigourand uniform tree sizing had repaid the investment already.

“It is our worst soil but in the first 12 months it is alreadyproducing the best trees we have,” he said.

Scott decided to try fumigation after seeing other localgrowers’ results from fumigated land.

“When we planted the first three Envy blocks I didn’t think there was much benefit in fumigating prior to planting,but since seeing the results on the latest block I can see the point.

inspiration and returnBy Alison Barber

The first block of trees Huon Valley fifth-generation apple grower Scott Stevenson pushed outafter taking over the family orchard business last July was the same block his father Adrianfirst planted when he in his own turn began running the business 38 years earlier.

New varieties provide


uScott and his father Adrian on the property in the Huon Valley, Tasmania.

Managed varieties, including this bin of apples thatwill be marketed as Envy, are providing consistentlyhigher returns.


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“The Fujis were hit with a lot of replant disorder. They weretwo-year-old trees out of the nursery and we tried to get fruiton them in the first year. They were replanted and then had togrow roots and apples. That shut the tree down and we learntthe hard way.

“The latest block we cut back at 600mm high on planting outand concentrated on growing the roots and getting the treeestablished before we stressed about fruit.”

The new block is planted at 3700 trees per hectare – a far cryfrom the 400 Jonathan trees/ha pushed out to make way forthe new planting – at 4m-by-0.7m tree spacing and is a bi-axeon a V-trellis system. It was this system Scott said had producedthe best results on the site and he would stick with.

Getting to that system has involved some systematic trials.

Higher-density plantings using a V-trellis are giving better yields.

According to Scott, the cost of fumigating new blocksbefore planting is justified, based on improvements invigour and uniformity in tree size.

Hi Early/Red Delicious have been pushed out to make way for PremA17, (marketedas Smitten™).

The first block of Scilate was grafted onto Jonagold trees on aMM.106 rootstock and in its fourth leaf this year produced 55t/hawith a 96 per cent Class 1 packout on the first colour pick and87 per cent Class 1 packout on the second pick.

Initially established as a traditional vase shape, it is being retrospectively trained back to a V-trellis to support crop loadand better structure for light penetration and reduce limb rub.

“We had to cut the trees back to support the traditional vaseshape,” Scott said. “We could have gained a year and beenup around 80t/ha if we had put them on a trellis at the start.”

The second and third blocks were planted to high-density uprightsystems at 5m-by-1.5 and 4m-by-1.5m respectively. Learningsfrom using this method have seen Scott discontinue the useof high-density upright systems and utilise V-trellis systems tomaximise the tonnage per hectare.


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Do-it-yourself approach cuts costsKeeping costs down is a key focus for a small orchard, withScott and Adrian having grown their own trees for the past 10 years. Managed variety agreements mean some trees willstill need to be bought in.

Young trees are grown for two years in the nursery. On plantingout they are cut back to 600mm, the two leaders are isolatedand the tree is left to grow its ‘engine’ for a year before Scottlooks for a first crop in the third leaf once the trees are to height.

In recent years Scott has also set up a stool bed and begunpropagating his own MM.102 rootstocks, chosen as an all-roundrootstock that is suitable for most varieties.

“We are trying to do as much as we can ourselves,” he said.“For a small business it is a lot harder to pay $10-$15/treewhen planting a high-density system. If we do it ourselves it is just the cost of our labour.”

Not all blocks are new. The orchard still has blocks of 130-year-oldGolden Delicious and Granny Smith planted by Scott’s great-great-grandfather, who established the orchard in the 1860s.

The Granny Smith are still yielding 75t/ha and a GoldenDelicious block grafted onto trees that were originally plantedto produce Pink Lady® apples in the late 1990s this year yielded a record 100t/ha.

“The Goldies have less labour costs as you don’t have tocolour pick or use Extenday,” Scott said. “They are just notpicker-friendly; they are the most sensitive apple we grow.”

Lower costs, high yields and good quality mean the GrannySmith and Golden Delicious are still paying their way. Scottkeeps detailed records of the costs and yields and decisionsare based on returns per bin.

“We have a small area of orchard so we need to make sacrifices and look at the costs and what is making the most.

If it’s not making a profit it’s going,” Scott said. “We have tokeep improving; that’s what inspires us to continue. That’s whywe still have 130-year-old trees here. They’re outperformingthe others.”

As well as Envy and Smitten, Scott plans over the next fewyears to add Ambrosia™ to the mix.

“Hopefully the new club varieties are here for long enough to allow us to replant the older trees,” Scott said. “The clubvarieties deliver a consistently higher return, whereas theolder varieties fluctuate.”

Despite the orchard’s southerly location, its protected position means temperatures have hit 45°C in summer andcan fall as low as -3°C in winter. Wind, hail, frost and snoware not uncommon.

None of the blocks are netted as yet but future blocks may be.

While Extenday has been used in the orchard for more than15 years, Scott has also trialled foil under trees to improve thefruit colour and Class 1 packout. This year he trialled a newExtenday product with a white-and-silver reflective mix which hesaid delivered better colour and was easier to lay and pick up.

“We have to try to get as much Class 1 fruit as possible. Wedon’t have our own coolstores so we have to make sure thatwhat goes out is the best quality and we don’t pay storagecosts on second-grade fruit.”

Being a small orchard, he said using labour as effectively aspossible was also important and had contributed to the decisionto plant the early-season PremA17.

“One of the reasons for going down the Smitten path is we don’t have cherries so we are trying to make the seasonlonger,” he said. “Once we get the labour team in we need to give them continuous work. If there is a week’s gap theywill go somewhere else.

Scott grows his owntrees and rootstocksto supply his newhigh-density blocks.


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u “We would pick Smitten first and then move to Gala, Fiero Fuji,Golden Delicious, the remaining Jonagold, Cox Orange Pippin,Ambrosia, Red Delicious, Brazil Fuji, Granny Smith and Envy.”

Fruit is sent to Hansen Orchards for packing and Scott saidHoward Hansen and Ryan Hankin, in addition to other localgrowers, had been an invaluable source of support and advice.

The sixth generationMaking a living from a small orchard is a challenge but Scottis unperturbed that he is flying in the face of the prevailingview that you have to get bigger to stay in business.

With better varieties, high densities and yields and attentionto detail to minimise costs and maximise Class 1 packouts, heis optimistic there will be an apple-growing future for the sixthgeneration of Stevensons: his sons Jack, now 7, and Max, 4.

“It is an ever-changing industry with new opportunities forvarieties and improvements to growing practices every year,”he said.

“The possibility of handing over a successful business to thenext generation is exciting.” :afg Scott Stevenson in one of his new blocks of apples.

CONTACT MICHAEL CUNIAL | m: 0415 663 413 | e: [email protected] ROSS CALTABIANO | m: 0409 169 520 | e: [email protected]

Drape Net is closing down the ordering season!

www.drapenet.com.au

Don’t miss out. It takes only one hail event to destroy your crop.

Drape Net has lots of benefits apart from hail protection. Sunburn, birds/bats, wind, specific insects (codling moth) & increased water retention are also playing a big part of Drape Net.

Don’t rely on stock on hand – history shows that all popular sizes have been sold out quickly.

Training the new customer in Washington State

August will be the very latest time to order.

Alison Barber, Manager, Communications & Media, APAL | t: (03) 9329 3511 I e: [email protected]


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What do packouts tell us about management?

Compared to similar-income countries in northern continentalEurope which consume between 17kg and 29kg of applesper capita a year, Australia consumes about 8kg per capita ayear. This represents one apple per week eaten by the averageAustralian. This is similar to consumption in the United Statesbut less than in Ireland, Poland, Canada, Russia and theUnited Kingdom.

The French, who are said not to eat apples during the summerwhen there are copious supplies of alternative fruit, still getthrough 24kg of apples per capita per year.

Asia generally has low per-capita apple consumption, with theexception of China, where per-capita fresh apple consumptionapproaches 12kg, South Korea where it is in the range of7.4–11.4kg depending on crop harvest, and Singapore andHong Kong, which are similar to Australia.

Incidentally, Japan – a wealthy nation with a protected applemarket similar to Australia’s – consumes about 4kg of applesper capita. Because apples have to be imported into much ofAsia, consumption tends to track income levels.

Here in New Zealand fresh apple consumption is about 18kgper person.

Apple consumption data from Europe and New Zealand suggeststhere is considerable scope to lift apple consumption in Australia.

If Australian consumers could be persuaded to eat two applesa week instead of only one, the market size would double.

Quality and eating experience arekey to lifting consumptionA study done in Western Australia as part of a vegetable andfruit program which surveyed consumers found that 23 percent of consumers reported lack of variety and poor qualitywere barriers to purchasing fruit.

In the US, apple consumption was in slow decline until recently.In the past three to four years consumption has begun toincrease from a low of about 7kg to about 8.5kg per person.Factors believed to be responsible for this market turnaroundare the introduction of new and better varieties and improvements in storage that deliver a better product.

Not so many years ago the US market was dominated by RedDelicious – a red ‘plastic’ apple with tough skin and mediocreflavour and that was often soft and mealy but which soldlargely on shape and colour because that was the messagethe advertisers were giving the consumer.

In recent years many new apple cultivars have entered theUS market (some, such as Gala and Fuji, have arrived fromoverseas) so there is a much greater variety of apples available.(Incidentally, Gala has now replaced Red Delicious as thenumber one variety, and the relatively new variety Honeycrisp™and other new varieties are creating a high-value apple sectorin the market.)

Advances in storage technology (namely the introduction ofSmartfresh™) and Dynamic Controlled Atmosphere (DCA)have resulted in a superior product coming out of long-termstorage. Apples stored using these technologies hold theirpressure much better and are relatively immune to storagedisorders such as superficial scald. Being chemical free, DCAcan be used for extending the storage life of organic fruit andapples destined for residue-sensitive markets.

The essential ingredient for increasing low consumer apple consumption in Australia is deliveringa high-quality apple. As part of the Hort Innovation-funded Future Orchards® program, AgFirst’sJohn Wilton helps us to understand the myriad factors – from variety choice and maturity at harvestto storage technique – that affect fruit quality, and explains how growers can better manage them.

By John Wilton

ORCHARD MANAGEMEN T

Storage pit losses can be heavy in varieties prone to the disorder, particularly where excessive potassium fertiliser has been applied andthe foliar calcium program has been insufficient. Excess magnesiumcan also be a problem.


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ORCHARD MANAGEMEN T

The fresh market requires fresh, crisp, flavoursome apples.Adoption of these new storage tools has extended apple storage life and is delivering a superior product late in thefruit’s storage life.

These are the reasons the formerly static-to-declining USapple market has begun to show signs of growth in the pastfew years.

One fact of life regarding fruit storage is that, irrespective ofstorage technology, it’s all downhill in regard to quality oncethe fruit is harvested. Modern storage technologies slow downthe process but cannot improve quality if it was not there tobegin with.

Flavour, fruit firmness and crispnessare key consumer demandsSurveys of consumers report that flavour is the number oneattribute for repeat purchase, closely followed by fruit firmnessand crisp or crunchy flesh.

Fruit firmness and a crunchy, juicy eating experience tend tobe universal attributes across all cultivars.

Flavour attributes including sweetness, aroma and acid balance differ markedly among different cultivars, as doesflavour preference among consumers. The key thing aboutflavour is that it must be characteristic of the variety, free of‘off’ flavours and relatively uniform from one fruit to the nextfor a particular line.

Appearance is very important for the initial purchase decisionbut repeat purchase decisions depend on a satisfactory eatingexperience. These attributes are much more important thanprice to discerning consumers.

Advances in storage technology in recent years have improvedthe ability to supply high quality throughout the year in regardto fruit firmness, juiciness and crispness provided the fruit washarvested at an optimum stage of maturity for the intendedstorage regime and storage period.

Flavour behaviour is considerably more fickle to managebecause, firstly, it is hugely dependant on how well the fruitwas grown in the orchard. Secondly, each cultivar has its ownoptimum storage period for maintaining its flavour attributes,after which flavour tends to disappear. And, thirdly, the levelof flavour development at harvest time also affects the flavourat packout.

For really long-term storage, such as is necessary in a marketingplan requiring fruit of a particular variety to be available upuntil the following season’s harvest, the fruit of some varietiesmay have to be picked before it is capable of developing itsfull characteristic flavour. Gala and Fuji are examples of varietiesthat retain their firmness and crispness well but lose theirflavour much sooner.

This is the reason the New Zealand apple industry has verygood Northern Hemisphere markets for these varieties. NewZealand’s apples supply superior eating experiences to whatis available from stored fruit that is already four or five monthsolder than fruit from New Zealand. The strategy is to harvestthese varieties a little later, once their flavour characteristicsare better developed, then stabilise their stage of developmentwith post-harvest management to maintain them in primecondition for the two to four months required for them to be taken to market and then consumed.

When you are in the business of long-term storage (such asfor the Australian domestic market), fruit quality out of storebecomes paramount, as does its behaviour between the storage facility and the consumer.

In recent years fruit storage technology has undergone continual development and refinement to reach the pointwhere it is possible to supply top-quality fruit for a whole-yearmarketing period provided that the fruit quality harvest iscapable of lasting the distance. Not all cultivars were createdequal in this respect, as I have already mentioned. Therefore,a long-term storage program needs to focus on cultivars withlong-term storage potential and on their stage of maturity atthe time of harvest.

The cultivars we grow that have above-average storagepotential include Cripps Pink, Braeburn, Scifresh and GrannySmith. Incidentally, on the New Zealand domestic market, one of our best-quality end-of-season apples happens to be ared strain of Braeburn which, because of its high early colourdevelopment, can be harvested at the commencement ofstarch degradation. Harvesting at this stage of maturity, withsmart storage, together with this variety’s superb sugar-acidbalance and flavour retention, makes long-term storage possiblewithout running into Braeburn’s major weakness of soft mealyfruit that often results when lower-colour strains are harvestedlater once satisfactory colour has developed.

Tree pit showing up before harvest can signal bitter pit problems instorage. It is usually associated with light crops and high tree vigour.


delay colour development and lower eating quality and,because colour is delayed, fruit is likely to be harvested toomature for long-term storage.

Where there are problems with variable taste and eating qualityin lines of fruit coming out of storage, this is indicative of variable crop loads in the orchard.

Uniform crop loading is a key to producing lines of high-qualityfruit coming out of storage. The short-term solution is to overcome biennial-bearing and tree vigour problems. Thereare now many orchard management practices that can beimplemented to reduce variability in the orchard.

Incidentally, remote sensing technology is advancing rapidly inpacking lines and there are now machines capable of sortingfruit for internal defects and brix levels.

Mineral balanceMineral balance in the fruit is implicated in a number of post-harvest disorders.

Nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus have the largest impact,followed by potassium.

In my opinion, when it comes to managing fruit quality, nitrogenis probably most important. The reason for this is that nitrogenstatus has a huge effect on fruit colour development andtherefore harvest maturity. High nitrogen, particularly whenmatched with low phosphorus and potassium, supresses fruitcolour development, leading to over-maturity at harvest.

Compared to leaves, the fruit is a very powerful nitrogen sink.Studies by L Cheng reported in the article ‘When and howmuch nitrogen should be applied to apple orchards’ (New YorkFruit Quarterly, Volume 18 No 4, Winter 2010) on Royal Galain upstate New York found that leaf nitrogen levels doubledfrom 1.5 per cent to 3 per cent when trees were suppliedwith luxury levels of nitrogen but fruit nitrogen contentincreased tenfold. The leaf nitrogen content increased in acurvilinear pattern with the rapid increase up to about 50kgN/ha which brought leaf nitrogen into the optimum range,

ORCHARD MANAGEMEN T

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Stem puncture is a common form of handling damage.

Storage technology today has reached the point where properlymonitored and maintained storage facilities are capable ofdelivering a high-quality product with minimal storage-induceddisorders. This means that most of our quality problems areclosely linked to crop management in the orchard or problemsbetween the orchard and the coolstore.

The main orchard factors that determine fruit quality are:

• Growing-season weather

• Crop load and fruit mineral balance

• Harvest maturity

• Handling damage between the tree and the coolstore

• Adherence to cool chain protocols.

Growing season weatherApples are grown across a wide range of climates in Australia,some of which could be considered marginal, particularly inregard to high summer temperatures which tend to induce a number of potential post-harvest problems. These includesuperficial scald, bitter pit and various forms of sunburn andheat injury.

Water stress, while positive for dry matter accumulation,tends to accentuate sunburn injury and calcium related disorders such as bitter pit and glassy core. Water supplyproblems occur frequently in the Australian climate soorchardists need to develop and use strategies to minimisethe impact of water-stress fruit quality and post-harvest storage behaviour.

Crop loadLow crop load, such as from ‘off’-crop trees and high tree vigour,lead to calcium disorders and other post-harvest problemssuch as senescent breakdown.

Crop load has a huge influence on fruit-ripening and colour-development behaviour. Light-crop trees ripen fruitmuch earlier than trees with a normal crop. Excess crop loads

Lenticel breakdown in stored Fuji was found in this instance to havebeen caused by low fruit calcium.


ORCHARD MANAGEMEN T

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Post-harvest rots can be a problem instorage if fungicide programs during the

growing season are weak.

then a slow increase as more fertiliser nitrogen was applied.Fruit nitrogen content had a straight-line response, rising from0.03 per cent to 0.31 per cent as fertiliser nitrogen increasedto about 250 kilograms per hectare. Once leaf and shootgrowth terminated, total nitrogen fruit content acceleratedrapidly, commencing about 90 days after budbreak.

The key to managing nitrogen status for high fruit quality is tohave adequate supply in spring to drive spur leaf and bourseshoot growth, as well as set the crop, then run nitrogen levelsdown towards the deficiency range by harvest to maximisefruit colour development well ahead of harvest maturity sofruit can be picked at optimum maturity for long-term storage.Then, immediately after harvest, apply nitrogen fertiliser torestore tissue nitrogen to optimum levels. Because most ofthe spring growth’s flush and fruit-set nitrogen requirementcomes from mobilisation of stored reserves within the tree,about two thirds of the fertiliser nitrogen requirement needsto be applied post-harvest. In mature bearing trees springnitrogen applications should not be made after full bloom.

There is some data to indicate that supplication of a solublephosphorus fertiliser around bloom may lift phosphorus statusand increase yields.

Potassium levels need to be adequate but not excessivebecause of the adverse effects potassium can have on fruitcalcium levels. Incidentally, once adequate potassium statusis achieved (usually about 1.2 per cent to 1.4 per cent in the leaf), application of further potassium fertiliser will notimprove fruit colour but will adversely affect calcium and magnesium levels.

BORDEAUX WG CAPTAN 800 WG COPPER SULPHATE COPPOX WP CROP DOC 600

DINON 700 WG DUSTING SULPHURFORTUNA GLOBE

750 WG FRUITCOTE GRAZER GUARD HYDROCOP WG

METMAN MICROSUL WG ELITE MILDEX WG MYCLONIL WG NIMBUS

STARLING TRIBASIC LIQUIDRED COPPER WG

QUALITY PRODUCE STARTS WITH QUALITY CROP PROTECTION.

For full product guide, email [email protected] | for all enquiries 1800 777 068


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ORCHARD MANAGEMEN T

About the author: John Wilton, Horticultural Consultant,AgFirst, New Zealand | t: +64 6872 7080

Harvest maturityHarvest maturity has by far the greatest impact on fruit qualityand determines potential storage life and the fruit’s behaviouronce it moves into the market.

With the exception of the small percentage of the crop thattends to have advanced maturity by the beginning of the harvest window, fruit with the longest potential storage lifewill be that harvested early in the fruit maturation period. This is usually the first main pick. The fruit will have high fruitfirmness, a low starch pattern index (SPI), some brix increaseshowing, and low or nil internal ethylene production.

Where fruit flavour is very important and an ethylene blockersuch as 1-MCP is used, harvest needs to be a little later thanthat is considered optimum for long-term controlled-atmosphere(CA) storage regimes to ensure satisfactory flavour can develop.

Fruit that has been harvested too immature can fail to have acceptable flavour, and for varieties very susceptible to superficial scald, this also lifts the risk of this storage disorder occurring.

Relative to the quality problems fruit harvested at anadvanced stage of maturity suffer, those associated withimmaturity are minor.

Senescent breakdown, lenticel breakdown and core flush areall disorders found in late-harvest fruit.

Late-harvest fruit also suffers quality issues including softfruit, mealy fruit and post-harvest rots – all factors which turnoff consumers.

In the absence of ethylene blocker treatments (for example,1-MCP), fruit removed from CA storage for any length of timequickly deteriorates through softening and an increased rateof ripening.

Handling damageBruising and stem punctures make up the bulk of handlingdamage injury. Often, pickers are blamed for handling damage.Their role in the problem is relatively minor, because every timefruit is moved it is liable to injury. Our experience indicatesthat significant injury (particularly stem punctures) occurs inthe bin and along packing lines.

Rough orchard tracks, careless forklift operators and poorlydesigned packing lines being pushed beyond their capacityare responsible for most of the handling injury.

Harvest maturity is an important factor in the level of handlingdamage. Firm fruit harvested early in the harvest period suffersmuch less injury. Keeping ahead of maturity at harvest is thebest way to minimise handling damage.

ShrivelShrivel is caused by excessive moisture loss during storage.This is often due to low humidity in the store, which can beviewed as a coolstore management problem.

Shrivel is also a problem when fruit with russet is beingstored, because russet areas on fruit lack the waxy cuticlewhich is a moisture barrier that limits fruit moisture losses.Fruit with significant russet levels should be graded out oflines destined for storage and sold first.

Cool chain protocolsMaintaining the correct storage temperatures is critical formaintaining eating quality in stored fruits.

Varieties susceptible to soft scald, low-temperature breakdownand chill injury require step wise cooling to minimise theseparticular disorders.

Further reading

In the 12 years that the Future Orchards® program has beenrunning its library has amassed a number of very good paperson pome fruit quality and storage, including ‘Storage technologyfor apples and pears’, written by Colin R Little and Robert JHolmes and published by the Department of Natural Resourcesand Environment (2000), which covers the fundamentals offruit storage very well. :afg

Apples with significant russet are unsuited to storage because excessive moisture loss through those areas of skin will cause shrivel. They should be graded out and sold quickly.


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Experts with global experience shared advice about orchard management for quality pears at theFuture Orchards® Pear Masterclass in June.

By Laura Griffin

global insights into tree managementPear Masterclass gives growers

About 40 growers travelled to AgricultureVictoria’s Tatura centre to hear fromguest speakers including StefanoMusacchi, Washington State UniversityProfessor and Endowed Chair – TreeFruit Physiology and Management.

Stefano’s work and research in orchardsin Europe and the United States hasshown while there are key aspects ofmanagement that every orchard needsto address, the best-suited variety, rootstock, growing system, pruning technique and more depends on individual circumstances.

He said the simplest thing a growercould do to increase productivity wasincrease their number of trees.

“This is very valuable, but it doesn’tmean you’re increasing your income – that depends on the market,” Stefano said.

He said fruit trees and the whole orchardneeded to be managed to produce qualityfruit while balancing production and fruitsize. Stefano said in Italy the focus hadmoved to prioritising fruit size.

For pears to attract the best price, theyhad to be of good quality and a goodsize (generally 70mm or above).

At the Pear Masterclass, Stefano spokeon six main topics related to choosing,training and pruning trees that helpedgrowers optimise pear tree performance.They were:

• Pruning physiology

• Pear cultivar habit

• Rootstocks

• Nursery products

• Main training systems

• Pruning techniques.

Stefano Musacchi, Washington State UniversityProfessor and Endowed Chair – Tree FruitPhysiology and Management, shares adviceabout orchard management for quality pears.

Stefano Musacchi shows growers a pruning technique in a Tatura research orchard.

ORCHARD MANAGEMEN T

Pruning physiologyStefano describes pruning as a pool ofpractices that allowed the control ofgrowth and maximised the income inthe orchard. He said it modified the tree growth and the balance betweenproduction and growth.

“Pruning is not a cost, in my opinion; itis an investment,” he said.

Pruning could help orchardists balancevegetative and reproductive activity.

He said growers needed to know their varieties well to prune them mosteffectively but a general consideration to make for pears was that they neededvigour to produce adequately sized fruit.

Pear cultivar habitThe world’s main pear-growing regions favour different cultivars.Stefano said which cultivars grew wellin a region and their harvest time andmarket preference all affected whichcultivar dominated.

StefanoMusacchi


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Stefano has worked with many cultivarsand said they all had different habits thatgrowers needed to familiarise themselveswith to get the best production.Examples included different cultivars’fruit-bud models.

RootstocksStefano told the growers at the PearMasterclass about rootstock trends inItaly and the US. Some of the highlightsincluded preliminary information showingthat quince Adams was early-bearing andcharacterised by a low-medium vigour.

He said interstem usage was widespreadto overcome graft-incompatibility betweenquince and pears including Bartlett andAbbé Fetel. Stefano said he had alsofound vertical cuts across the graftunion helped new tissue form in combinations with a medium level of graft-incompatibility with quince rootstocks.

Nursery productsStefano told growers that buying pre-formed trees from the nursery thatsuited their operation could save themat least a year.

“When you are doing a high-densityplanting… you need trees that are pre-formed with feathering from thenursery, with at least six to sevenbranches, otherwise you can easilyloose a few years just to grow thetrees,” he said.

Girdling can help to promote shoot growth. (Photos supplied by Professor Stefano Musacchi.)

Main training systemsHe said the main goals of orchard trainingsystems and density were early cropping,high yield efficiency and high fruit quality.

Stefano said the many different trainingsystems used worldwide aimed toachieve a high level of light interceptionand even distribution in the canopy,because this led to higher productivityand helped to ensure fruit size and quality was more even and thus easierto market.

He said to achieve this, growers shouldaim for training systems with a higherarea-to-volume ratio.

“There are some rules that are alwaystrue: the small tree usually gives you a much bigger surface compared to volume ratio and this ratio means thetrees receive more light,” Stefano said.

This was also true for narrow canopies,such as in 2D growing systems, if therows all received light.

He said sunlight was extremely importantas leaves that developed in and remainedin the sunlight simply “worked better”.Furthermore, if trees did not receive atleast 30 per cent of the light available inthe canopy, they did not develop flowerbuds, Stefano said.

He said the bi-axis growing system wassuccessful in the orchards he worked inthat had an excess of vigour.


Myriad factors impact pear quality

According to Stefano, some of themany factors that affect pear qualityare light, growth regulators, nutritionand harvest.

At the Pear Masterclass, he told growersthat training systems that made lightexposure consistent were preferableas they limited fruit variability withinthe canopy.

He gave the example of a large open-vase-trained d’Anjou tree whichhe observed had a large canopy volume and fruit mostly in the upper-medium portion. He said it also haddrawbacks in orchard management as mechanisation and fruit sortingwere not possible and different lightexposure caused fruit variability withinthe canopy. Specifically, more fruitwas produced on the top-middle oftree and the smallest pears were inthe lowest zone.

He said he had picked fruit dividing by internal or external canopy positionand studied how they changed in theweeks post-harvest. Stefano said hehad found internal fruits showed slowercolour development and lost weightfaster after three weeks at room temperature than did external fruit.

Stefano described light intensity mapping in a large vase canopy andshowed there was considerable lightvariability, which affected fruit development and maturity at differentheights of the open-vase tree. Thiswas backed up by differences in thephotosystem metabolites and volatilemetabolites that indicated Anjou ripening was influenced by the positionon the tree the fruit grew.

He said fertilising (especially withnitrogen) was important because itsupported yield, fruit quality and storage,and trees’ resilience to pathogens andenvironmental stress.

On harvest, Stefano said using platforms or other equipment to makehandling fruit easier could help to reducelosses and labour costs.

“If you double the number of shoots,the length becomes less – it’s a goodcompromise,” he said.

“But if I have a low vigour situation, Ineed to do things differently, otherwiseI’ll never get the root size I need.”

Pruning techniquesThe most appropriate pruning technique and timing depended on theorchard circumstances – for example,if he pruned a vigorous tree in winter,it only made the situation worse,Stefano said.

During an orchard walk through the new blush pear varieties that havebeen developed at the Tatura researchstation by Dr Ian Goodwin and histeam, Stefano showed the growershow he would decide which methodto use for pruning different trees.Stefano warned that it was difficult to give specific advice without beingfamiliar with a variety and a location.

Some general rules he shared aboutpruning bi-axis systems included:

• If the trunk presents blind areas in the second year, it is possible togirdle the trunk or notch over thedormant buds to induce bud break.In the third year, the tree should fillthe space.

• Click pruning can help to maintainthe cropping zone close to the stem.

• Pruning is required to eliminate theshoots that are too vigorous andremove branches oriented towardsthe inside.

• In the basal zone, eliminate all theshoots that have a diameter 30 percent greater than that of the trunkfrom which they’ve grown.

• It is strongly recommended toleave a stub to avoid producingblind wood.

• It is recommended to renew 20 percent of the structure annually tominimise branches ageing.

On root pruning, Stefano said it couldreduce vigour but needed to be donewith care.

He said before roots were cut it wasimportant to ascertain root density and distribution. Growers could thendetermine the distance from the truck,deepness and angle of the cut. :afg

Click pruning has been used to rejuvenate wood.

About the author: Laura Griffin,Communications Consultant, Currie Communicationst: 03 9670 6599 e: [email protected]

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R &D

Use of dwarfing rootstocks, 2-D trainingsystems and high tree density arewidely seen as the way of the future.Reported benefits include controllingvigour, simplifying pruning and harvest,enabling the use of picking platforms(or robotics) and decreasing the time to full production. However, for pearsthere have been few comparisons withmore traditional orchard designs.

The Planting Systems experiment within the Profitable Pears project wasdesigned to fill this knowledge gap, asa strategic investment of Hort Innovation.A blush cultivar, ANP-0131 (formerlyknown as Deliza™), was bench-graftedto D6, BP1 and Quince A (with BuerreHardy interstem) rootstocks in winter2013 and planted in the pear field laboratory at Agriculture Victoria, Tatura.Twelve training system by tree densitytreatments were compared for vegetative

for blush pearsPlanting systems

Replanting or establishing new orchard blocks is a costly exercise. Decisions regarding cultivar,rootstock, training system and planting density have implications for not just potential profits butalso management options.

By Lexie McClymont and Ian Goodwin

Yield (t/ha equivalent) was consequentlysimilar for trees on Quince A and D6rootstocks. Despite lower crop loads,trees on BP1 produced fruit of similarsize to those on D6. Overall, trees onBP1 suffered a 10–13t/ha yield penalty.

Quince A rootstocks produced moreflowers and set fruit well but the highcrop loads increased the likelihood ofneeding a thinning intervention toensure adequate fruit size. Conversely,in years with low fruit set, trees with D6 rootstock may lose packout yielddue to oversizing of fruit. At this stageof the research, D6 is a preferred rootstock for use with ANP-0131 due to the tendency to set moderate croploads and ability to size fruit. Longer-termstudies are required to confirm this trendand identify appropriate crop loads formature trees.

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ANP-0131 trained as two leaders (vertical,high density), pictured on 16 February 2018.

ANP-0131 trained as central leaders (traditional, moderate density), pictured on 16 February 2018.

growth, yield and fruit quality performance. Row spacings were 4.5m and tree spacings were 0.5–3m in vertical and traditional systems and0.5–2m in the Open Tatura trellis.

Trees were in their fifth leaf in 2017–18with yields ranging 17–74t/ha. So, howdid the different rootstock and plantingsystem combinations perform?

RootstockPotential yield differences were established early in the 2017–18 seasonwith significant differences in both flowerdensity (clusters/metre row) and theproportion of flower clusters that set fruit.Trees on Quince A had a greater flowerdensity than those on BP1 and a greaterproportion of clusters set fruit than intrees on D6 or BP1.

Heavy crop loads on trees with QuinceA rootstock compromised fruit size.

R &D


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Planting densityYield increased with planting density.This corresponded with the developmentof tree structure. Leaders in ‘high’ and‘ultra-high’ treatments reached the topwires (3.8m for vertical and traditionalsystems and 2.5m for the Open Taturasystem) by their second or third leaf,whereas average leader height in the‘low’ density treatments did not beginto reach the top wires until fifth leaf.

There was no yield benefit from increasingplanting density from 2,222 trees/ha to4,444 trees/ha. At low planting densities,trees on Quince A yielded well comparedto those on D6 and BP1.

Training systemYield tended to be highest in the ‘high’-and ‘ultra-high’-density Open Tatura trellis (on D6 and Quince A rootstocks).

Rootstock comparisons

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ANP-0131 trained as an eight-leader Cordon (Open Tatura trellis, low density),pictured on 16 February 2018.

Trees on BP1 performed poorly onOpen Tatura trellis. Cordon and vase(low-density) treatments had low yields.Training cordons with six and eight leadersresulted in delayed tree establishment.Multiple shoots were allowed to growin the first season; two of these werethen selected to create the horizontalcordons and leaders did not begin togrow until the second season. Fasterdevelopment of these systems shouldbe possible by use of two-leader nurserytrees at least 1.8m high so that cordonscan be laid down at planting, removingdownward- and inward-facing buds atgreen tip and cutting back strong verticalleaders close to the trunk in early summer.

There was little difference in blush coverage with the exception of reducedcoverage in Open Tatura systems at ‘ultra-high’ and ‘high’ densities and, to a lesserextent, in vase systems.

Tree density

Training system Low Moderate High Ultra-high

Open Tatura trellis (2-D)8 leader Cordon – 1,111 trees/ha

6 leader Cordon – 1,482 trees/ha

4 leader – 2,222 trees/ha


Vertical (2-D)6 leader Cordon – 741 trees/ha




Traditional (3-D)Vase

– 741 trees/haCentral leader – 1,111 trees/ha

Spindle – 2,222 trees/ha

Slender spindle – 4,444 trees/ha

Note: Density descriptors are relative; ‘ultra-high’ density in Europe can exceed 8,000 trees/ha.

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Acknowledgment

Thanks go to David Cornwall, Wendy Sessions, Dave Haberfield,Madelaine Peavey and Susanna Turpin for technical assistance.

This project is funded through the Productivity Irrigation Pests and Soils(PIPS) program (by DEDJTR) with co-investment from Hort Innovationusing the apple and pear industrylevy from growers and matchingfunds from the AustralianGovernment and co-investment.

About the authors:Lexie McClymont and Dr Ian Goodwin, Department of EconomicDevelopment, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR), Victoria

t: (03) 5833 5240 | e: [email protected]

Yield

More intensive tree management may be required to ensure adequate colour development in Open Tatura systems. It is likely that colour development will become poorer in vase systems as the trees grow and shading of fruit increases.

Growers seeking to maximise yield should consider high-density(around 2,200 trees/ha) plantings on D6 or Quince A rootstocks. For growers wishing to remain with moderate planting densities(1,100–1,400 trees/ha), D6 is so far the most attractive rootstockoption, with moderate crop loads and good fruit size. By contrast, in low-density planting systems (700–1100 trees/ha), crop load andfruit size of trees on Quince A rootstocks in fifth leaf was sufficient to maximise total yield while avoiding oversizing of fruit. :afg

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R &D

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Funded by Hort Innovation as part of theAustralian Apple and Pear Innovationand Adoption Program, this year’s SpeedUpdating was attended by more than130 people.

PIPSThe centrepiece of Hort Innovation’sapple and pear levy-funded R&D programis PIPS – the Productivity, Irrigation,Pests and Soils program. PIPS deliversthe following six research projects:

• Tree structure/artificial spur extinction

• Integrated pest and disease management

• Improved tree and fruit nutrition forthe Australian apple industry

• Profitable pears: maximising productivity and quality of new pearvarieties

• Physiological, metabolic and molecularbasis of biennial bearing in apple

• Independent program coordination.

In addition to these projects, extensionof PIPS and other Australian R&D fundedby Hort Innovation is managed by RossWilson of AgFirst as part of FutureOrchards®.

Biennial bearingPIPS researchers at Speed Updatingincluded German researchers ProfessorJens Wünsche, University of Hohenheim,and Dr Henryk Flachowsky, Julius KühnInstitute. Jens leads the Physiological,metabolic and molecular basis of biennialbearing in apple project along withHenryk and Dr Dario Stefanelli ofAgriculture Victoria.

Biennial bearing is characterised as thetrees ‘on’ and ‘off’ year and refers tothe trees tendency for annual cyclicalchanges to flowering and croppingbehaviour. Biennial bearing is a majorproblem for apple industries worldwide,Australia included, causing millions inlost production every year.

Jens explained that for a bud to becomea floral bud it must go through threespecific phases of development at amolecular level the previous year:

• Phase 1: Induction – molecular andbiochemical changes

• Phase 2: Initiation – morphologicalchanges

• Phase 3: Differentiation – wherethe flower is formed

Once these phases occur in the bud,the flowering bud is ready the followingspring.

The project is seeking to understandmore about what triggers floral budinduction (Phase 1), where otherwise if not triggered will be become a vegetative bud. As Jens explained, floralinduction is triggered by a combinationof environmental factors, phenologicalfactors and cultural intervention.

In June, as part of Hort Connections 2018, APAL ran its annual Speed Updating event whereindustry researchers shared key information for growers about their findings.

Speed Updatinggives growers a fast serve of current R&D

By Angus Crawford

RossWilson

The molecular and physiological control of floral induction is controlled by carbohydrates, cytokinins, gibberellins,auxins and a range of integrator genes,repressor genes and identity genes.

Certain genes, such as the TFL1 gene,can be more highly expressed in ‘on’years which may have a repressor effecton the crop load level the following year.On the contrary, the integrator geneswill positively affect floral induction.

The project aims to better understand thephysiological and molecular mechanismsthat lead to biennial bearing. It will lead tothe identification of molecular markersthat can be used to help breed new varieties that don’t have biennial tendencies, and the identification ofspecific compounds that modulate flowering behaviour.

Artificial spur extinctionDr Sally Bound, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, presented her work onthe bud thinning technique artificial spur extinction (ASE). ASE represents aparadigm shift in crop load managementthat can provide a cost-effective meansof setting more precise crop loads.

ProfJens

Wünsche


R &D

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Sally reported that ASE delivered betterconsistency in cropping, improved fruitdry matter, and improved firmness andsoluble solids compared with conventionalchemical thinning-based management.

Nutrition and irrigationDr Nigel Swarts, Tasmanian Institute ofAgriculture, presented on the StrategicIrrigation and Nitrogen Assessment Toolfor Apples (SINATA), which is a decisionsupport tool to help growers optimisenutrition and irrigation management.

The tool will incorporate data on differentsoil physical and hydraulic profiles basedon samples collected from Australianapple regions.

Integrated pest managementAgriculture Victoria’s David Williams is leading the industry’s integrated pestmanagement (IPM) project for biologicalcontrol of codling moth (Cydia pomonella).He reported that a total of 271,000 parasitoid wasps (Mastrus ridens) havebeen released in all major growing regionswhere codling moth occurs includingVictoria, New South Wales, Queensland,South Australia and Tasmania (notWestern Australia because codling mothis absent). David also presented a newproject updating the apple and pear IPM manual and developing further IPMtraining and information resources forthe industry.

Dr NigelSwarts

Blush pearsDr Ian Goodwin, Agriculture Victoria,demonstrated that colour developmentin the new blush pear cultivars is verydynamic. Artificial shading reduces redcolour but once artificial shading isremoved the colour rapidly recovers.

Insect pollination Dr Romina Radar, University of Armidale,presented on research seeking to determine what are the dominant insectpollinator species of apple, how the different species fare in efficiency forpollination and how this affects otheraspects of fruit production, mainly quality.

Romina’s pollination field surveys in the Yarra Valley (Victoria), Stanthorpe(Queensland), Adelaide Hills (SA), andBilpin and Orange (NSW) show thatwhile over 90 per cent of insects

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R &D

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Angus Crawford, Technical Manager, APALt: (03) 9329 3511e: [email protected]

observed visiting apple flowers wereEuropean Honeybee (Apis mellifera),other visiting insects included flies, wild bees, lepidopterans (butterflies andmoths), wasps, beetles, hermipterans(bugs) and ants.

In other research in Stanthorpe, Rominashowed that orchards that were fullynetted during pollination greatly reducedvisitation rates compared with orchardsthat had open/partially retracted nets.The research is also investigating whatnumber of pollen grains and what numberof visitations are actually required to setfruit, as well as what effects cultivar-to-cultivar crossing has on efficiency andfruit quality. Results have shown that different polleniser cultivars can influencefruit quality.

South Africa to the USInternational guests Professor KarenTheron from the University of Stellenboshand HortGro South Africa, and AssistantProfessor Lee Kalcsits of WashingtonState University in the United States ofAmerica also presented at Speed Updatingproviding a very welcome internationaldynamic which was highly valued.

Karen presented an overview of SouthAfrican pome fruit research in the context of the broader strategy specificto the South African apple industry. Sheemphasised that, in South Africa, a constant stream of well-trained peopleand a focus on technology and knowledgecreation are key to increasing the competitiveness of the industry.

Lee presented his research on calciumnutrition and the association of low calcium levels with the apple disorderbitter pit. He explained the fundamentalsof calcium and why there is such aninability to get the non-plant mobile calcium into specific tissues versusother more mobile nutrients such asnitrogen, potassium and magnesium.Lee explained that varieties can havedifferent susceptibility to bitter pit dueto their vascular and cellular structure.Also, varietal differences in how longxylem functions during the season influences the ability to carry calciuminto the fruit.

Other pointsAgriculture Victoria’s John Lopresti provided harvest maturity and storageguidelines to optimise quality and minimisestorage disorders for the new blushpear cultivars – ANP-0118 (formerlyknown as Lanya), ANP-0534 and ANP-0131 (formerly known as Deliza).

Andrew Horsfield, ADAMA, informedparticipants that Brevis® has been submitted for registration as a thinningagent for apples with the AustralianPesticides and Veterinary MedicinesAuthority (APVMA). If registered, it will be available for use in Australiancommercial apple orchards.

Dr Hannah James, AgroFresh, alsoinformed us that the harvest managementtool Harvista® has also been submittedto APVMA for registration in Australia.

Hort Innovation’s Olivia Grey provided a domestic marketing update where astudy showed apples have increased theirplace from number six to number threein a consumer list of favourite snacks.Data on pears showed more pears arebeing consumed as a mid-morning, lunchand mid-afternoon snack (see page 12for more updates on marketing).

Dr Anthony Kachenko, also of HortInnovation, introduced a new agri-technology project led by Swarm Farmin collaboration with ADAMA, Bosch andthe University of New South Wales.

AcknowledgementsThank you to all the speakers for deliveringsuch engaging presentations containingvaluable information for the apple and pearindustry. :afg

JohnLopresti

Attendees of APAL's Speed Updating event at Hort Connections heard from leading Australian and international pome fruit researchers.


Nursery andbreedingInitial productivity in focus

Serbia: Knip nursery treeshad a higher yield in the firstfruit season to budded treesalthough subsequent yieldand fruit quality was identical.

Genetic diversity of Malus

India: Thirty-two Malusspecies, including 12 wildHimalayan apple cultivars,were evaluated for geneticdiversity and potential newuseful rootstocks have beenidentified.

Black spot resistant apples

Belarus: Four apple cultivarsresistant to black spot withmedium vigour, very precociousand high regular yields havebeen released and further newcultivars are being assessed.

Scab resistance trade-off

Slovenia: Eight black spotresistant apple cultivars weremore susceptible to springfrost and some extremelyprone to powdery mildewwhen compared to GoldenDelicious.

ProductionLeaf analysis accuracy

Turkey: With appropriate reference data, accurate foliaranalysis of apple trees fortree nutritional needs can becarried out from two weeksafter full bloom for all elementsexcept iron and copper.

Temperature holds key

Tibet: Data from four growingregions for Golden Deliciousrevealed that high quality fruitproduction is related to coolmean annual temperature.

Training systems forConference pears

Spain: Out of five trainingsystems, Axis 2 was identifiedas the most suitable for earlycropping of Conferencepears as it had intermediateestablishment costs and wasproductive.

Increasing polyamines

China: Polyamines increasewith branch bending (90-110°)causing an increase in flowerbud numbers which can alsobe stimulated by polyaminesprays rather than bending.

Red blush improved

Australia: A single pre-harvest spray application of l-phenylalanine improves redblush development of CrippsPink apples.

Shade for fruit thinning

Germany: Shading of Galaapple trees (90 per cent for77 daylight hours in May) asa form of fruit thinning almostcompletely eliminated fruitfrom the trees by harvest.

Shoot growth from axillary buds

China: The application of 6-BAstimulates natural productionof cytokinin biosynthesis inapple trees promoting shootgrowth from axillary buds.

International apple andpear research updateCompiled by Dr Gordon Brown

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

Black spot control

France: The use of acibenzolar-S-methyl, an inducer of plantdefences, in combinationwith a light integrated pestmanagement program effectively controlled blackspot in an apple orchard.

Flower strips for pestpredation

France: The incorporation of flower strips into an appleorchard encourages pestpredators improving biologicalcontrol of pests in theorchard.

Soil sampling for pestcontrol

Brazil: Sampling of soilbelow fallen fruit has identified an Oscheius nematode which is pathogenicto insect pests of apple and may be developed forbiological control applications.

Post-harvestThyme oil activatesresistance

Italy: Postharvest dipping ofapples in Thyme oil activatespathogen resistance geneswhich enhance fruit resistanceto subsequent grey mouldinfection.

Wind speeds in storage

Germany: A new device hasbeen developed for measuringwind speed between appleswithin a bulk bin in a coolroomto optimise layout for heatremoval from the fruit.

Macronutrient absorption

Spain: Calcium is absorbedand accumulated in applesduring early fruit developmentwhile the other macronutrientsare absorbed later in fruitdevelopment.

Chemicals’ effect on efficiency

India: The foliar applicationof solubor, biozyme and triacontanol to apple treesovercomes the influence ofclimate change and improvescropping efficiency.

RoboticsFinding hidden apples

China: A simple method of detecting apples hiddenbehind other apples or brancheswith 93 per cent accuracyhas been developed to aid inrobotic harvesting of apples.

Robotic harvester

USA: An experimental roboticapple harvester successfullypicked 127 of 150 applesattempted with an average of 6 seconds per fruit.

Pests and diseasesBiological control formildew

Pakistan: The biological control material, Taegro(Bacillus subtilis), providesequivalent protective controlof powdery mildew on appletrees as chemical methodsand has some curative action.

R &D

ACROSS

4. This type of drying is use at Mock Red Hill

6. APAL’s 2018 Exporter of the Year

7. Aussie Apples: Get Your ....... On

DOWN

1. Submitted for registration as a thinning agent for apples

2. An important apple crop nutrient

3. A factor that affects pear quality

4. Do this to avoid replant disease

5. Type of snack preferred by consumers

1

2 3 4

5

6

7

QU I Z & C RO S SWORD

Greg’s QuizQUESTION 4: The fungicide mancozebbelongs to which group ofchemicals?

A: Dithiocarbamates. B: Benzimidazoles. C: Phosphonates. D: Triazoles.

QUESTION 5: Which of these is not a plantmacronutrient?

A: Nitrogen. B: Calcium. C: Sulphur. D: Manganese.

ANSWERS:Q 1– True.Q 2– B: Avocado.Q 3– C: Queensland Fruit Fly.Q 4 –A: Dithiocarbamates.Q 5– D: Manganese (micronutrient only).

QUESTION 1:(True or False): We get the word ‘orange’from the fruit itself, not fromthe colour, which was called‘yellow-red’ before the fruitwas introduced to Europe.

QUESTION 2:‘Bacon’, ‘Lula’ and ‘Oro Negro’are all varieties of what fruit?

A: Grapefruit. B: Avocado. C: Mandarin. D: Pear.

QUESTION 3:Which insect has the scientific name of Bactroceratryone?

A: Woolly Apple Aphid. B: Light Brown Apple Moth C: Queensland Fruit Fly. D: Fullers Rose Weevil.

Crossword

Addressing grey mould

China: Post-harvest dipping ofapples in Salicylic acid inducessynthesis and accumulationof phenolic compounds anddefence enzymes whichenhance fruit resistance to subsequent grey mouldinfection.

Measuring phenolic concentrations

Belgium: NIR of fresh applescan be used to measure fruitphenolic concentrations aswell as dry matter content.

Waxing Bartlett pears

India: Waxing of Bartlettpears reduces weight loss,microbial spoilage, respirationrate and fruit softening during marketing.

ConsumerinterestConsumer preferences

China: Consumer sensorystudies have found a preference for freshlysqueezed apple juice withsour-sweet flavour, goldenyellow colour, moderate clarityand green apple aroma.

Apple’s health benefits

Romania: Apples are asource of polyphenols, vitamins B and C, calcium,potassium phosphorus, andfibre, which reduce the riskof developing tumours,hypertension, diabetes, heartdisease and brain aging.

Melatonin application

China: Melatonin applicationto pears inhibits ethyleneproduction resulting in alower rate of fruit softening.

Bruise size imaging

China: A new imagingmethod of determiningbruise size on apples usingRandom Forest models and675 and 960 nm wavebandsimproves bruise estimationover current methods.

Treatment for bluemould

Brazil: Potassium phosphitedipping of apple fruit is effective against subsequentblue mould infection whilethree other treatments werenot effective.


Up online

Visit APAL’s website tofind the links to originalresearch papers www.apal.org.au/category/rd

European marketinsights

Poland: The European market for fresh apples hastraditionally been driven byprice, but today's market has become more dynamicand consumers are more fastidious.

®™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow.

For more information call 1800 700 096www.dowagrosciences.com.au

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Realise the difference. Spray early. · Gerard is a third-generation orchardist who started working in the family business from an early age. His vision is to offer a consistent,