Australian Berry Journal - WINTER 2022 - Edition 11

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BLUEBERRY R U ST T R I A L R E S U LTS

RED LEAF DISORDER U P DAT E

CHEMICAL TRIAL SITES NEEDED

Industry

Blueberries

Strawberries

Rubus

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think berries.

The journey for the perfect 'Blueberry' The journey for the perfect started 40 years ago.

This 'Blueberry' pursuit is started 40 years ago.

This pursuit is unrelenting. unrelenting.

Acting small, thinking BIG has taken us Acting thinking BIG has taken us beyond small, just Blueberries. beyond just Blueberries.

Every year we improve. Our berries are Every year we improve.

Our berries are bigger, juicier…better - fulfilling in every bigger, juicier…better - fulfilling in every sense, for growers and consumers. sense, for growers and consumers.

Experience our holistic support across Experience our holistic Strawberries support across Blueberries, Blackberries, and Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries Raspberries. From plantings through and to Raspberries.

From plantings marketing - we're here to help. through to marketing - we're to help.

Think berries, thinkhere Mountain Blue.

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Join us at Berry Quest July 25-28 Join us at Berry Quest July 25-28

mountainblue.com.au mountainblue.com.au

Proud platinum sponsors of Berry Quest International 2022 Proud platinum sponsors of Berry Quest International 2022

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BerryQuest 2022: Program highlights............................................................................................................................... 14 Emerging Leaders Bursaries for BQI22.............................................................................................................................. 16 Performance Management: Why we do it and how to avoid the pitfalls...................................................................... 19 Water in NSW: How it’s managed and what you need to know...................................................................................25 Victorian diagnostics project leads the way in exotic spotted wing drosophila preparedness.................................. 28 PCA Conference Highlights................................................................................................................................................ 32 Cyber security tips for small business................................................................................................................................ 36 Export Hub: Get Export Ready with the new online training course............................................................................. 39 The challenges of reusing and recycling coir substrate................................................................................................... 40

BLUEBERRIES

Improving the spread of beneficial insects........................................................................................................................ 45 Coloured netting for blueberries........................................................................................................................................ 46 Effects of market access treatments on export blueberry quality during storage......................................................... 51 Organic crop protectants for controlling blueberry rust – second trial results............................................................. 55

S T R A W B E R R I E S

Australian Strawberry Breeding Program Update........................................................................................................... 59 Evaluation of Sustainable Fertilisers in Strawberry and other Crops............................................................................. 65 Queensland Berry Pre-season Prep ‘n’ Party event......................................................................................................... 71 Sexy strawberries - the future of strawberry breeding..................................................................................................... 75 Levels of self-pollination and cross-pollination among fruit on a Queensland strawberry farm................................. 78 Do strawberry plants need larger canopies, more flowers, or higher rates of photosynthesis for higher yields?....83 Project Update: Developing knowledge and management of strawberry red leaf disorder..................................... 88

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On farm Chemical Trials – Grower host sites needed..................................................................................................... 93 Australian Raspberries & Blackberries: Marketing Update.............................................................................................97 Profile: Driaan Conradie, Perfection Fresh...................................................................................................................... 100 Biological control of invasive European blackberries: research continues despite COVID-19 related challenges.... 102

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C O N T R I B U TO R S

Jane Richter

Rachel Mackenzie Peter McPherson Simon Dornauf Jonathan Shaw Richard McGruddy Melinda Simpson Dr Angela Atkinson Mark Salter Helen Newman Aileen Reid

TERES Communication 0431 700 258 jane@teres.com.au

A DV E R T I S I N G Jenny Van de Meeberg Maddy Quirk Stephen Farrell Niamh Brady Michelle Paynter Joanna Kristoffersen Simoné Moller Philippa Lyons Cao Dinh Dung Steven Ogbourne

Jen Rowling Monique Emmi Christopher Menzel Jay Anderson Ella Rogers John Golding James Freriechs Mark Bullot Madeline Kavanagh Penta Pristijono

Baogang Wang Dr Raelene Kwong Jodi Neale Katie O’Connor David Riches Scott Mattner Ian Porter Wiebke Kämper Helen Wallace Stephen Trueman

For all Advertising & Partnership Enquiries Wendy Morris | 0491 751 123 | admin@berries.net.au All advertising and advertorial material is subject to review and approval prior to publication.

DESIGN Sama Creative www.samacreative.com.au

Wherever you see this logo, the initiative is part of the Hort Innovation Blueberry, Strawberry and Raspberry and Blackberry Fund. Like this publication itself, it has been funded by Hort Innovation using the Blueberry, Strawberry and Raspberry and Blackberry R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.

DISCLAIMER: Whilst every care has been taken in the preparation of this journal, the information contained is necessarily of a general nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific advice. The advice and opinions in the articles published in Australian Berry Journal are essentially those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Berries Australia or the Editor. The advice is at the reader’s own risk, and no responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the material presented. Inclusion of an advertisement in this publication does not necessarily imply endorsement of the product, company or service by Berries Australia or the Editor. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) makes no representations and expressly disclaims all warranties (to the extent permitted by law) about the accuracy, completeness, or currency of information in Australian Berry Journal. Reliance on any information provided by Hort Innovation is entirely at your own risk. Hort Innovation is not responsible for, 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 or other person’s negligence or otherwise from your use or non-use of Australian Berry Journal or from reliance on information contained in the material or that Hort Innovation provides to you by any other means. Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2022 Copyright subsists in Australian Berry Journal. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) owns the copyright, other than as permitted under the Copyright ACT 1968 (Cth). Australian Berry Journal (in part or as a whole) cannot be reproduced, published, communicated or adapted without the prior written consent of Hort Innovation. Any request or enquiry to use the Australian Berry Journal should be addressed to: Communications Manager, Hort Innovation, Level 7 | 141 Walker Street, North Sydney 2060, Australia | E: communications@horticulture.com.au | P: 02 8295 2300

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Executive Director's Report Rachel Mackenzie | 0408 796 199 | rachelmackenzie@berries.net.au Similarly, supply chain companies and their shareholders, markets and investors are seeking evidence of high standards of product safety, workplace ethics and environmental care.

I write this article in the aftermath of a profound political shift across Australia.

Anthony Albanese is being sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister. Whilst at this stage it is unclear as to whether we have a majority Labor government or a minority government, the Coalition will not be the dominant political force in this country for the first time in a decade.

As we seek to increase our export footprint and domestic consumption, we cannot ignore the conversation around sustainability and rely on the fact that we are food producers to absolve us from community expectations in this arena. This doesn’t mean we have to dance to the tune of poorly informed eco-warriors looking to scapegoat the industry, but it does mean we have to scrutinise our practice, identify what can be done better and look at how we can communicate the good news stories back to our customers both here and overseas.

This election result highlights one of the fundamental principles of any industry association that seeks to advocate on behalf of its members, it is absolutely vital that we are scrupulously apolitical. This means that we support policies not politicians and that our policy positions are based on evidence and good consultation.

The UN has set the ambitious goal of increasing sustainable food production systems and implementing resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding and other disasters and that progressively improve land and soil quality.

I think the Australian berry industry is already making a significant contribution to these outcomes and with the help of the Sustainability Framework which provides a shared language to communicate our efforts, we can take our customers and neighbours on the journey with us.

For me the message for agriculture that has come out of this election is that our customers care about sustainability and climate change and therefore we need to develop a shared understanding with those customers as to what that means. Hort Innovation recently launched a Sustainability Framework for Horticulture which defines a sustainable horticulture sector as one that is ‘vibrant and prosperous, produces food to nourish and plants to nurture people and communities worldwide, provides fulfilling employment and protects our environment now and for future generations’.

The Sustainability Framework will be the focus of a session at BerryQuest and I strongly encourage you to be part of this conversation. I look forward to meeting many of you at BerryQuest. I am certain that the program will be both useful to your business now and help us navigate the challenges of the future together.

There are some really important words in that definition including the word ‘prosperous’. The industry cannot be sustainable in any meaningful way if the business of growing is not profitable. That said, in the globalised supply chain, consumers are showing an increasing interest in understanding more about where their food comes from and how it is produced.

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Chairman's Report Peter McPherson | 0418 666 651 | peter.mcpherson@costagroup.com.au The company, which originated in Chile, is now a global berry powerhouse. HortiFrut's successful business model is based on global strategic alliances, uniting the best in the Southern Hemisphere with the best in the Northern Hemisphere, on commercial platforms and with its own brand, integrated from genetics to the end customer. For more than 35 years, HortiFrut has been producing and marketing fresh berries in different regions of the world, delivering its products to North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia.

Welcome to the last edition of the Australian Berry Journal before BerryQuest 2022.

This will be the first BerryQuest since the official formation of Berries Australia in 2018. As an industry it certainly has been an eventful few years, so it will be good to get everyone back together and reflect on progress and the future of the berry industry.

I am fortunate to have known both men personally for many years and I am sure that all Australian berry growers will benefit greatly from the opportunity to hear firsthand from the world’s two leading berry businesses on the same stage.

One of the big steps forward is that we have all become much more comfortable with digital technology, which means we are able to bring in international speakers of very high calibre. We feel extremely privileged to have three international keynote speakers sharing their knowledge with us; Soren Bjorn, President of Driscoll’s America, Juan Ignacio Allende, CEO of HortiFrut SA and well known international speaker on the global food industry Professor David Hughes.

Our final keynote speaker, Professor David Hughes is a well-known expert on global food trends and will share with us his constantly evolving informed view on global food industry developments – from consumer, grocery retail and food service towards one end of the value chain right up to life science companies at the other, and everything in-between. David is an entertaining speaker. I have seen him in action at many international conferences over the years, and each time I learn something new. David will be presenting in-person at BerryQuest.

Soren Bjorn has been President of Driscoll’s America since 2017, after working for the company for more than a decade. He served as the company’s first Senior Vice President of International Business and was responsible for oversight of Driscoll’s European, Middle Eastern, and African businesses; a key player in setting up Driscoll’s Australia, and a new start-up venture in China. Bjorn has also led Driscoll’s global research and breeding programs, which focus on developing proprietary seedlings in order to deliver consistently great-tasting berries for consumers around the globe.

Whilst the final version of the program is still in development the calibre of speakers across the conference is very high and covers off on issues ranging from labour to pest and disease management. I have no doubt this will be an excellent event and I encourage you to register as soon as possible and take advantage of the Association discounts that are available to members.

Juan Ignacio Allende is the CEO of HortiFrut SA, the largest blueberry producer and marketer at a global level, and the second largest in the whole berry category.

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President's Report Jonathan Shaw | 0418 758 268 | president@abga.com.au A more detailed overview of the marketing campaign will feature in the next edition of the journal. I would like to thank the chair of the marketing sub-committee Christian Parsons from Costa and Luke Gibson, Marketing Manager from Perfection Fresh for all their efforts in re-focusing our marketing activities.

Whilst the Australian blueberry industry continues to deliver high quality blueberries 52 weeks a year to the domestic market, the 2021/22 season was not without its challenges. The ferocity of the February and March 2021 storms and floods had a significant impact on the growers on the NSW North Coast. This region produces more than 75% of Australian blueberries so the impact of these weather events had industry-wide significance and saw an overall reduction in production of 10% across the industry.

The other main area of focus for the ABGA to increase profitability for growers is to expand export opportunities. To ensure that we are positioned to take advantage of export opportunities, the ABGA has committed to investments of more than $1 million to fast-track important market access research to underpin fruit fly protocols.

Both the marketing campaign and the export investments are clear examples of how your levy money is driving benefits directly back to growers.

As President of the ABGA, I am proud of the advances we are making and call on you to make sure you continue to pay levies and support your future.

COVID-19 also affected supply chains in terms of distribution of produce, access to workers and increased the cost of inputs such as fertiliser. COVID-19 lockdowns and changed shopping habits also saw a reduction in consumption by nearly 2% of blueberries as more shoppers moved to online shopping or shopping less frequently.

On a less positive note, Blueberry Rust has now been found in WA. At this stage the government is still working to determine how widespread it is, and we have a range of resources on our website to help growers understand how to identify and manage rust.

The wet conditions have remained through to this year and whilst COVID-19 lockdowns appear to be in the past, online shopping will remain a reality. In response, the Australian Blueberry Growers’ Association is increasing their investment in the domestic marketing campaign for the 2022 season and will focus more on media spend to ensure blueberries are front of mind for consumers. The objectives of the marketing campaign will be to increase market penetration and increase purchase frequency without dropping price. To achieve this, the focus will be on increasing demand, particularly in peak season by positioning blueberries as the ‘Superfood for Superheroes’.

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I look forward to seeing you on the Gold Coast in July for BerryQuest. As a membership benefit for ABGA members, we are offering eight registrations including accommodation at the Sea World Resort for emerging leaders in the blueberry industry. This opportunity is open to ABGA members, or their staff aged under 35 and will include participation in our Emerging Leaders workshop session at BerryQuest. SEE PAGE 16 for information on how to apply.

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President's Report Richard McGruddy | 0408 763 804 | richard@berryq.com.au

As I write this the Rubus levy amendment voting documents have finally been sent to all Rubus growers and hopefully by the time you read this we will have a decisive outcome.

That said, any changes will take time to work through the government systems, but it feels good to be moving forward on this.

Berries Australia Export Manager Jenny Van de Meeberg has now completed the market access strategy for Rubus. The report acknowledges that Rubus pricing in Australia is currently good, however the market needs to future-proof itself by finding ways to remove excess fruit from the Australian market.

Some of the key takeouts from the report are that there is still quite a lot of outstanding R&D required for access to protocol markets and we need to better understand the opportunity in non-protocol markets such as UK/Europe, Singapore, Hong Kong, Qatar and Kuwait. Export is all about the long game, so it is good that we are getting started on this now.

The northern season has been characterised by rain, rain and more rain which seems ironic considering the drought conditions of a few years ago. Increased rainfall means increased pest and disease pressure and challenges with maintaining spray regimes. Hopefully no-one has suffered major infrastructure damage, unlike during the Coffs Harbour floods of 2021. It is important that anyone who has suffered damage takes the time to make a report to your state government so that you can access the support that is on offer.

For Queensland growers, visit https://bit.ly/QLD-floods and for NSW growers visit https://bit.ly/NSW-Floods

RUBUS EXPORT ACTION PLAN: Priorities-on-a-page 2022

It was great to meet Rubus Industry Development Officer Mark Salter from Fruit Growers Tasmania at the PCA Conference in Coffs Harbour recently. For those of you who have not met Mark he is very down-to-earth with lots of practical knowledge on Rubus production. One of the key areas he is focusing on is reviewing the current state of chemical availability for the Rubus industry and working with the rest of the IDOs to identify gaps. That, along with a Rubus Hort Innovation IPM project which is currently out to tender, should improve the industry position in terms of pest and disease management.

You can access the Rubus Export Strategy via the Export Hub on

berries.net.au

Finally, along with the other berry Peak Industry Bodies, RABA is offering bursaries to emerging leaders within the industry to attend BerryQuest. The Bursary will cover accommodation and a full conference registration for eight Rubus growers or members of their team.

The bursary is only open to members of RABA and their staff, and is a way of saying thank you to those growers who support us through their membership. Find out more and register your interest in a bursary at

During our conversations with Hort Innovation about chemical access it was raised that one of the barriers is getting growers to participate in trials. Whilst it can be time consuming, the trial process is a vital part of getting access to new chemistry and I strongly encourage any of you to participate if you can. Find out more about the current trial opportunities on PAGE 93.

berries.net.au/bqi2022/emerging-leaders-bursary I hope to see many of you at BerryQuest in July.

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Chairman's Report Simon Dornauf | 0408 681 206 | simon@hillwoodberries.com.au Communication between fruit growers and propagators has been negatively impacted in recent times and this Council is a step towards acknowledging the importance of both parties for the national industry with the goal of working together cohesively to resolve issues. The goals of the group are to enhance trust and confidence between fruit growers and propagators through supporting each other through challenges which may affect the delivery of healthy plants such as pest and disease issues, water supply, an effective and consistent workforce, biosecurity issues and other business matters.

Greetings from Tasmania where we are just wrapping up our season. We feel very fortunate to have avoided the extreme weather conditions experienced by the rest of the country, but like everyone else, have had our challenges with COVID–19 and labour in particular.

Strawberries Australia met in mid-May to discuss a number of issues, but foremost of these was the significant reduction in levy funds available within Hort Innovation. There appears to be some decline in levy income, and we are investigating possible leakage, but the bigger issue seems that there was an issue with forecasting and the fund has been over committed.

We are working with Hort Innovation to manage this situation and hope that the new system of advice provision will overcome these issues in the future.

It was disappointing that not all propagators attended the first official meeting, but the discussion was productive and focused on issues such as chemical access across the whole cropping cycle and the possibility of developing industry standards. I am hopeful that once the SPC gains some momentum it will become a valued aspect of the Australian strawberry industry.

The first meeting of the Strawberry Propagators Council (SPC) was also held in conjunction with the Strawberries Australia meeting. The SPC is a working group of Strawberries Australia Inc. (SAI) and represents both the plant producers (propagators) and the fruit producers (fruit growers) of the Australian strawberry industry.

Finally, I am very much looking forward to BerryQuest being held at Sea World Resort & Conference Centre in July on the Gold Coast. It will be great to get off the farm and mingle with berry growers from across the country.

The Launceston BerryQuest was extremely successful, and this year’s program is looking even better.

The Council has been set up to assist with the development of a strong communication link between fruit growers and propagators at a national level to work through specific issues faced by both parties in relation to the supply of healthy runners / plug plants to the industry.

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As a thank you to those who join our state associations, Strawberries Australia is also offering the opportunity for eight emerging leaders to attend BerryQuest and will pay for their accommodation and full conference registration.

Find out more and apply for one of these bursaries at

berries.net.au/bqi2022/emerging-leaders-bursary

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New South Wales Melinda Simpson, Berry Industry Development Officer 0447 081 765 | melinda.simpson@dpi.nsw.gov.au

I wish I could say that the weather has improved since the last Australian Berry Journal, unfortunately this has not been the case. Up until the middle of May, Coffs Harbour had already received 1661mm of rain for 2022; to put this in perspective the average annual rainfall for Coffs Harbour is 1260mm. High rainfall coupled with very few sunshine days has made it very difficult for growers to get onto their farms and carry out everyday production practices.

The NSW DPI Clean Coastal Catchments team ran a nutrient management workshop and farm tour on 12 May. This workshop covered several topics ranging from the effects of seasonal conditions on blueberry nutrient uptake; how soil types affect water infiltration and nutrition; bioreactors; and how they monitor water quality on the NSW North Coast. The workshop was accompanied by a trip to one of the Clean Coastal Catchments demo sites to view a closed loop recirculation system implemented on a 1 ha blackberry site. Some initial lessons learnt from implementing this kind of system is that you need a good layout to be able to collect drainage, i.e., a slight slope (approx. 6%); have your mounds with a flat top and allow time for them to settle; set up with a pot that allows for collection like the Galuku Plantlogic pots; and install filters on the end of drain lines to stop blockages.

It’s definitely one of the wettest and hardest years that I’ve experienced since working in this role. I’m sure everyone is also aware of the ‘unprecedented’ floods that inundated the New South Wales town of Lismore not once but twice, and the widespread rainfall that impacted so many towns along the NSW North Coast.

As a local, it is devastating to see how destructive the damage was to the area; my heart goes out to everyone who has been impacted. The NSW and Australian Governments have announced Special Disaster Grants of up to $75,000 for primary producers who have been impacted by severe weather and flooding from February 2022 onwards. You can access these grants at

www.raa.nsw.gov.au/disaster-assistance/storm-andflood-programs/sdg-february-2022

IPM for the Berry Industry Workshop Photo credit: Matthew Plunkett, PCA

The 2022 PCA Conference was held at the Pacific Bay Resort in Coffs Harbour from 28-31 March. Prior to the event itself commencing, NSW DPI hosted a standalone training event for local growers. The session covered ‘IPM for the Berry Industry’ and was delivered

by Stuart Doyle. As with all conferences, there was a huge range of speakers that allowed delegates to pick and choose areas of interest. The official conference dinner was held on the Tuesday evening complete with fire twirling dancers and awards. Of note was Nicky Mann being recognised with the Outstanding Industry Contribution Award as well as life membership of PCA - a great effort and congratulations. A summary of the PCA conference can be found on PAGE 32.

Attendees at the Clean Coastal Catchments nutrient management workshop Photo credit: Meg Strang, NSW DPI

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Victoria & South Australia Victorian Strawberry Industry Development Committee

Dr Angela Atkinson, Berry Industry Development Officer 0408 416 538 | ido@vicstrawberry.com.au

By the time this edition of the journal is published, the berry season in Victoria and South Australia will have drawn to a close, much to everyone’s relief I’m sure.

The last couple of years have been challenging for all growers, and this last season has seen the problems with labour shortages and spiralling costs amplified.

Production data collected can help to shape industry priorities, and support industry and government in policy decisions. All data collected as part of the pilot program is completely anonymous and de-identified, so participating businesses are protected. Engagement with government and other stakeholders over the last couple of years of the pandemic has highlighted the need for industry to have good data around production costs and labour requirements. It is hoped that this pilot project may lead to an ongoing program for horticulture industries.

The southern states managed to avoid the effects of La Niña which brought such devastating weather to NSW and Qld, with lower than average rainfall in South Australia and the south and west of Victoria for much of autumn, although temperatures have generally been above average. The north east of Victoria did receive above average rainfall, though not on the same level as our northern neighbours.

On 15 March, a farm walk was held at the Wandin Research Station with Jodi Neale giving an update on new temperate varieties from the breeding program, and an opportunity for growers to see the latest plants, taste the fruit, and give feedback on the program. This was followed by a BBQ and meeting attended by the Victorian Farmer’s Federation to discuss the changes to piece rates. It was the first opportunity for the industry to get together for quite a while due to COVID-19 restrictions.

Victorian and South Australian berry growers will soon be able to access part of a $35 million Australian Government grant program to install horticultural netting to protect their crops. Each state has been allocated a portion of this funding, and have developed their own programs to distribute the funds. Grants are already open in South Australia, with farms able to access 50% of the costs for permanent and throwover netting up to a total of $300,000. For more /pir.sa.gov.au/ information and to apply go to https:/ major_programs/horticulture-netting-grants. At the time of writing, Victoria has signed the agreement with the Commonwealth government, but guidelines have not been published and the grants are not yet open.

As soon as this information is available I will let Victorian growers know. The grants are open until June 30, 2025, or until all funds are allocated.

After being cancelled twice due to the pandemic, the Victorian Strawberry Grower’s Association 32nd Annual Strawberry Ball has again been postponed.

However, the Victorian Strawberry Industry Development Committee Women in Industry Dinner which has also been on hold during the pandemic, is planned to go ahead this year before the start of the 2022/23 season; details will be available soon.

I am planning a biosecurity field day for the end of the season in conjunction with VSICA Research, which will showcase recent R&D in biosecurity preparedness and practices, and pest and disease management.

The Victorian strawberry industry, as well as apples and pears, cherries and the summer fruit industry, is working with Agriculture Victoria on a short pilot project based on the long running Farm Monitor Programs in the dairy and livestock industries. The Horticulture Farm Monitor Pilot (HFMP bit.ly/AgVic-study) aims to collect industry data which can be used by growers to benchmark their business performance against industry standards, identify critical variables in the production process, and help inform on-farm decision making.

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Finally, I’d like to encourage everyone to register for BerryQuest International if you haven’t already.

The program is jam-packed with great presenters and a wide range of topics - there will be something for everyone!

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Tasmania Mark Salter, Berry Industry Development Officer 0400 100 593 | berryido@fruitgrowerstas.org.au

The season for Tasmanian berry growers is reaching the tail end. Feedback indicates prices have been good for all the berry categories, particularly for the later part of the season.

Other presentations included a very informative talk from Stuart Doyle on blueberry diseases including Botrytis and Botryosphaeria (Cane Blight). Stuart explained that these two diseases are having a greater effect on plant health and fruit quality than most growers realise.

Lastly, Michael Tarbath from Fruit Growers Tasmania outlined a tracking App proposal which is being developed to help blueberry growers track people and workers as they move from farm to farm.

Events With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, grower events are back on the cards. A field day held at Hillwood Berries on 24 March enabled growers to view the latest in Artificial Intelligence technology from Bitwise Agronomy. The event was well attended and was a great opportunity for growers to get together.

I recently attended the annual Protected Cropping Australia (PCA) conference in Coffs Harbour from 29-31 March. Attendances were down slightly because of COVID-19 and the heavy rain events in Southeast Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Overall, there were numerous informative presentations.

Unfortunately, the field day was cancelled due to the heavy rain, but luckily Melinda Simpson (Berry IDO NSW) stepped in to organise farm visits to the OzGroup packhouse in Coffs Harbour, Costa Exchange berry farm and a young blueberry and Rubus grower who is utilising the latest irrigation and fertigation recycling technology on his farm.

In late March, three workshops were held in each of the Northwest, North and the South regions of the state to assist growers to understand the changes to the Horticulture Award. The changes to the operation of piece rates, and the introduction of a minimum hourly rate, took effect on 28 April this year. The events dovetailed with the webinars on the same subject held by Berries Australia’s Executive Director Rachel Mackenzie. It is hoped these events provided growers with enough information and resources to tackle these complex changes.

Fruit Growers Tasmania will hold its annual Conference in Hobart on 26-27 May at the Wrest Point Hotel Casino in Hobart. No doubt attendees are looking forward to meeting face-to-face again.

On 6 April, a Blueberry Growers Post Season Workshop was held at Campbell Town with 21 growers attending.

Biosecurity Tasmania presented the latest Blueberry Rust (BBR) Status and Containment Plan update.

Growers were given the opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions. They were asked if there was support for the Containment Plan continuing, most were undecided at the meeting and as a result FGT will survey growers, to gauge support for the continuation of the plan. Kara Barry and Michele Buntain from Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture presented the latest Blueberry Rust R&D results from previous trials.

Michele also outlined a new Blueberry Rust R&D project titled ‘On Farm Strategies for BBR Prevention & Management’, the project will help growers deal with the ongoing rust problem on their farms.

I am hoping to program several pre-season webinars and field days over the next few months to help growers prepare for the upcoming season.

Plastic Recycling Scott Price (current Fruit Gowers Tasmania President) and I recently visited Mitchell Plastic Welding (MPW) in the Huon Valley to discuss the progress with their proposed plastic recycling plant. We met with John Meehan from MPW who outlined preparations are well advanced for the new plant which will be built at Brighton in Southern Tasmania. Once in operation, the plant will have the ability to process both dirty and clean plastic. Great news for Tasmania berry producers.

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Western Australia Aileen Reid & Helen Newman, Industry Development Team, Agricultural Produce Commission

Climate

Planting of new-season strawberries commenced in late March in the Perth region. Most were in by the end of April except for small plantings of later varieties like Albion. There were significant replants this season with some growers experiencing unusually high losses (around 30%). Growers in the southern region will continue to plant into May.

Summer 2021–22 was the hottest on record across the greater Perth growing region with mean maximum daily temperatures of 33.3°C (2.5°C above average) and mean daily minimums of 18.8°C (1.2°C above average).

The summer of 2012–13 was the next hottest on record.

The region recorded 13 days with maximum temperatures of least 40°C, almost double the previous summer record, and there were six consecutive days with maximum temperatures of 37°C and above in both the greater Perth region and Pemberton to the south.

Green snail baiting and surveys commenced in April for strawberry growers requiring twice-yearly bait inspections for the South Australian market.

Information on the new baiting requirements is available in English and Vietnamese.

Above average temperatures continued into March along with below average rainfall. April brought some relief, with above average rainfall in most berry growing regions and close to average maximum temperatures.

April night-time temperatures were above average along the west coast but slightly below average in the south.

Industry events The Horticulture Award, piece rates, managing with COVID-19, strawberry exports, and blueberry rust have dominated electronic communications, industry meetings and webinars this quarter.

The crop

• B erries Australia offered two national webinars on the Horticulture Award changes which were attended by WA growers.

Blueberry and Rubus crops are three to four weeks behind their normal schedule in the Perth region coming into May, delayed by the very high summer temperatures and a warm March. Crops are more on track in the lower-southwest and great southern.

Very good fruit quality is expected, particularly for raspberries and blackberries.

• W A’s rapidly changing COVID rules have been communicated via email and the Berries Australia website.

• A collaborative on-farm meeting was held with Vegetables WA to update Vietnamese growers on the new Ag Visa, COVID management, and wet-weather disease management.

Harvest of strawberries is slowing in the southern growing regions with most finishing up in April/May, except for in Pemberton, which has achieved almost year-round production. Harvest of second-year strawberries in the Perth region is gaining momentum, having commenced in early May. Second year fruit is in short supply, following heavy plant losses during the extreme heat events in summer, so prices are good. Chili thrips were also a problem on second-year strawberry crops this season. New season fruit from the Perth region is expected in late May on earlyplanted runners that established well.

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• S trawberry industry representatives have participated in discussions with the State Government on export airfreight and supply chain issues alongside other perishable export commodities.

• B lueberry rust experts from across the country came together to provide the WA Blueberry Rust Incident Management Team insight into the disease (a BIG thank you to all involved). Another meeting was later held to update the WA industry on the situation and planned way forward.

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Blueberry rust in WA

As the disease progresses, the lesions become red to brown in colour and may increase in size, merging when disease is severe (Figure 2). Lesions develop on ripening fruit when disease pressure is high - it is likely that this infection takes place during flowering (Figure 3).

Blueberry rust (Thekopsora minima) was detected for the first time in Western Australia in April 2022.

It has since been found in multiple locations including the Perth metropolitan area, Manjimup and Swan View.

Suspect detections in Bunbury, Busselton, and Kalgoorlie have also been reported. All detections to date have been in the nursery sector and in home gardens; blueberry rust has not been found in commercial orchards.

Due to its spread, high dispersal potential, and other factors, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in consultation with industry considers it is not technically feasible to eradicate blueberry rust from WA.

a

b

In accordance with national and international biosecurity agreements, the status of blueberry rust in WA will be updated to ‘present’ and its declared pest status will be revoked.

c

What this means for industry Removal of import and quarantine restrictions

Figure 1 (a, b, c). Photo credit: Rosalie Daniel

Where a pest is present and not under eradication or official control, there is no justification for import restrictions. Import restrictions on blueberry rust host plant material and agricultural machinery used in association with hosts will be removed.

Domestic market access As WA is not free of blueberry rust, host material sent to sensitive markets will need to meet the import requirements as set by the importing authority.

For more information visit https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/ exporting-animals/quarantine-export-restrictions Figure 2. Photo Credit: Melinda Simpson, NSW DPI

Management of blueberry rust There are many good resources available to help growers navigate blueberry rust surveillance and management.

Please visit bit.ly/BBR-Help or contact Helen Newman.

Identifying blueberry rust Blueberry rust only infects living plant tissues and spores require moisture for germination and infection.

Infection can begin at any plant growth stage from when the leaves first emerge if moisture is present on the leaves. Younger leaves are more susceptible. Rust first appears as small pale-bright yellow lesions on the upper surface of infected leaves which quickly turn to a dark rust colour (Figure 1a). On the underside of the leaf, the fungus erupts through the surface and small pustules containing spores form (Figure 1b and 1c).

Figure 3. Photo Credit: Melinda Simpson, NSW DPI Unsure if you have blueberry rust? Use the MyPestGuide® Reporter app to send a photograph to DPIRD. A specialist will examine your photograph and send you a diagnosis. https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/apps/mypestguide-reporter

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Queensland Jen Rowling, Temporary Berry Industry Development Officer 0448 322 389 | berryido@qldstrawberries.com.au

Following the resignation of Suzette Argent as the Berry Industry Development Officer for Queensland, Jen Rowling (Project & Sponsorship Manager for Berries Australia) will be filling in as IDO on a part time basis.

“Prep n Party”. Held at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort on the Sunshine Coast, the day included a half day workshop featuring a number of presentations on topics that are pertinent to the coming season; find out more on PAGE 71. This was followed by the QSGA AGM and an informal grower dinner providing a muchneeded opportunity to reconnect with fellow growers and relax before the season really kicks off. The event was extremely well received, and a similar program has been planned for 23 June 2022 in Stanthorpe for the Granite Belt region growers. The day in Stanthorpe will also include a field walk of the Applethorpe research facility, with the Australian Strawberry Breeding team showcasing the temperate variety seedling trial.

The current IDO/Communications project (MT18020) is in the last few months of its’ three-year term so Jen will be helping to ensure that all deliverables of the current project are achieved, and a new IDO will be recruited in line with the commencement of the new project. For those who are not aware, Jen was the IDO for the Queensland Strawberry Industry for 8 years prior to joining Rachel Mackenzie at Berries Australia.

The first session of an ongoing series of networking and learning opportunities for the young agronomists and technical farm staff of the industry was held at Queensland Berries in late April. Paul Jones from Bugs for Bugs presented on strawberry plant establishment, plant structure and stages of growth, and Richard McGruddy then conducted a tour of the farm, providing an opportunity for open discussion around various aspects of production. Whilst this first session had a strawberry focus, participation is encouraged from across all berry categories. The aim is to roll out monthly workshops or activities which are relevant to the current stage of the season at the time and provide a forum to build a network of young, like-minded individuals from farms across the region. It is also an opportunity for the industry to learn from them, with facilitated discussion on what support, learning and skills training they feel they might need and their views on where they see the industry heading into the future. If you have anyone on staff who you think would be interested in participating in these sessions, please contact me at jenrowling@berries.net.au or phone 0448 322 389.

The winter production season for the Queensland strawberry industry is underway, albeit under horrendously wet conditions! February saw unprecedented rainfall in the South East Queensland region, as in many other areas of the east coast, causing widespread flooding and playing havoc with ground preparation. Despite some windows of good weather, the rain continues to come and go, keeping everything soaked and making it difficult to get good production established and keep disease pressures under control. The flowers on early planted varieties have been ruined and the potential for enduring mould problems is high, given that there is possibly a lot more rain to come over the next few months.

It will be vitally important to stay on top of crop hygiene as much as possible over these coming months and to ensure that protectant spray programs are optimised.

Raspberry production in Queensland has also been affected by the flooded conditions but this time due to a lack of labour. Workers either don’t want to work in the wet, or simply can’t because they’ve been cut off due to flooding, so significant volumes of fruit are being lost as a result.

And don’t forget to register for BerryQuest International 2022 – the countdown is on and we have a fantastic program planned so don’t miss out!

But on a positive note, February also saw growers invited to a new event on the berry industry calendar,

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BerryQuest International

25–28 July 2022 Sea World Resort & Conference Centre Gold Coast, Queensland

The much-anticipated national conference for the Australian berry industry, BerryQuest International, will take place this July at Sea World Resort and Conference Centre on the Gold Coast.

BQI22 will feature two days of speaker presentations and a trade exhibition, followed by a day of field tours and plenty of family-friendly activities including networking and social functions.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS. PROF DAVI D HUGHE S ( U K) Emeritus Professor of Food Marketing at Imperial College London, and Visiting Professor at the Royal Agricultural University, U.K. “Dr. Food”, is a world-renowned speaker on global food industry issues, particularly consumer and retail trends.

PL AT I N U M S P O N S O R

PROGRAM *

highlights TUESDAY — The Business of Berries — a Global View — Berries & the Supply Chain — Concurrent sessions: • Pest & Disease • Optimising Production • Emerging Leaders of the Australian Berry Industry — Workforce Challenges & Opportunities

ERI C SNODG RAS S ( U S A ) Science Fellow and Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions. Over 20 years, "weather wizard" Eric Snodgrass has predicted, and explained, complex weather patterns in a way that makes it digestible and actionable.

His weekly in-depth ag weather forecasts provide invaluable information for thousands of growers across the world.

WEDNESDAY — Export Opportunities — Concurrent sessions: • Pollination • 21st Century Challenges & Opportunities • Traceability & Food Safety • Pest & Disease • Breeding • Managing Off Farm Impacts — The Future for Australian Berries

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Tours

* Subject to change.

REGISTER NOW AT WWW.BERRIES.NET.AU/BQI2022 13

BERRIES AUSTRALIA

I N D U S T R Y

BerryQuest International

25–28 July 2022 Sea World Resort & Conference Centre Gold Coast, Queensland

THE LARGEST CONFERENCE & TRADE EXHIBITION FOR THE AUSTRALIAN BERRY INDUSTRY IS NEXT MONTH! BQI22 delegates will hear from a plethora of local & international speakers over the 2 days of plenary sessions, covering a wide range of topics.

Guests will also be invited to take part in thought-provoking workshops and offsite field days as well as catch up with industry colleagues at several networking functions.

N EW PROGRA M DET HAVE JUST BEAENILS RELEASED!

The BQI22 program will focus on issues affecting the berry industry now and into the future. Topics will include innovations in breeding, pollination, research and production optimisation, sustainability and technology developments, biosecurity concerns, food safety, labour management and marketing.

Costa General Manager and Berries Australia Chair, Peter McPherson will be joined by the biggest movers & shakers in the berry industry including Driscoll’s of the Americas President, Soren Bjorn and Hortifrut S.A CEO, Juan Ignacio Allende to provide a global perspective on the current state of the berry industry.

SPEAKERS AT THE CONFERENCE. SOREN BJORN, PRESIDENT, DRISCOLL’S OF THE AMERICAS In the ten-plus years Bjorn has worked at Driscoll’s, he has successfully led several key business units.

He was responsible for oversight of Driscoll’s European, Middle Eastern, and African businesses; an Australia-based joint venture; and a new start-up venture in China. As well, Bjorn has led Driscoll’s global research and breeding programs, which focus on developing proprietary seedlings in order to deliver consistently great-tasting berries to consumers around the globe.

JUAN IGNACIO ALLENDE, CEO, HORTIFRUT SA Hortifrut was founded in Chile in 1983. The company’s business model is based on strategic alliances, putting together the best partners in the southern hemisphere with the best partners in the northern hemisphere, through commercial platforms, own brands, integrating the business from genetics to the end customer. Today the company has operations in 13 countries and a presence in 37 markets across the globe. Who better to talk about berries in the global context? ©Araya Corvalán

With the prospect of exporting their produce becoming a key priority for many growers, international trade specialist, Jenny Van de Meeberg, will lead a panel of export veterans, including Jeff Scott, CEO of Australian Table Grape Association, Michael Coote, CEO of AUSVEG and Jamie Michael, Director of Ti Produce Marketing, in an exciting and insightful discussion on the increasing export opportunities available to Australian berry growers.

With the environmental, health and economic challenges of the past few years still leaving a mark, BQI22 will end on a high note, focussing on the bright future of the berry industry. Delegates will hear from the CEO of Harvest CROO Robotics, Joe McGee, whose company prides itself on its environmentally friendly, automated harvesting techniques and Fiona Turner, CEO of Bitwise Agronomy whose goal is to merge modern technologies with horticulture to enable farm owners to make better management decisions. Receiving rave reviews after BerryQuest International 2018, respected agricultural and horticultural journalist (and comedian), Ashley Walmsley, makes a welcome return as Master of Ceremonies for BQI22.

The full BerryQuest International 2022 program can be found at berries.net.au/bqi2022/program and tickets to the conference are still available with discounts offered for group bookings (3+ full-conference registrations) and for industry Association members.

Further information, including ticket prices, Sea World Resort accommodation options and FAQs, can be found at berries.net.au/bqi2022

EMERGING LEADERS BQI22 BURSARY PROGRAM. Berries Australia, in partnership with Raspberries and Blackberries Australia (RABA), Strawberries Australia Inc. (SAI) and Australian Blueberry Growers' Association (ABGA), are offering up-and-comers in the berry industry the opportunity to receive funding to attend Australia’s largest berry industry conference.

In addition to the Bursaries there will be a Growing Leader’s Workshop – sponsored by Costa – and a concurrent session focusing on leadership, which is open to all those who consider themselves emerging leaders. We particularly encourage those who participated in the RABA/ABGA leadership program in 2018 to participate in the program.

The BerryQuest Emerging Leaders Bursaries will cover the cost of a full conference registration (including dinners and social activities) and three night’s accommodation at Sea World Resort.

There are 8 grants per berry category available.

TO QUALIFY FOR THE FUNDING, NOMINEES MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

— Be aged 35 or under (at July 25, 2022) — Currently work as an Australian berry grower or for a berry-growing business who is a member of either the ABGA, RABA, or a state based strawberry association — Commit to attending the leadership sessions at BerryQuest Individuals can nominate themselves or be nominated by another person, however the person making the nomination must be a paid member of RABA, ABGA or a State Strawberry Association.

Each grant is valued at $1,250 and is an opportunity for young growers, or those working for a growing business, to further develop their skills, knowledge and relationships in the berry industry.

Whilst there is an age limit for the bursaries there is no age limit on attending the other emerging leader activities throughout the program.

THE EMERGING LEADERS WORKSHOP I S P R O U D LY S P O N S O R E D B Y:

A P P LY TO D AY COMPLETE THE ONLINE FORM AT:

berries.net.au/bqi2022/ emerging-leaders-bursary

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APPLICATIONS CLOSE MONDAY 13 JUNE AT 9AM AEST.

B E RRY ALL APPLICANTS WILL BE ADVISED OF THE JOURNAL

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OUTCOME OF THEIR SUBMISSIONS BY 30 JUNE.

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Protected Cropping Australia

PCA2023 SAVE THE DATE! Keep your calendars free and join us 17-20 of July 2023 for the 2023 PCA Brisbane Conference See you next year!

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Performance Management: Why we do it and how to avoid the pitfalls Stephen Farrell, Director, SJF Work Advice Pty Ltd

One of the biggest challenges any grower or employer faces is managing its people. Human beings have moods, differing motivations and emotions and harnessing all of these to get everyone on the same page and pulling in the same direction can be hard and frustrating. However, if you are successful in doing this, the rewards and improved business outcomes can skyrocket. performance, rather than to just dismiss them from their employment and start again. This does not mean that underperforming employees should not be dismissed, however dismissal should not be the first option.

Causes of poor performance Generally, performance issues can be categorised in one of two areas as being either an attitude issue, where the issue is caused by the employee’s general attitude towards his or her work or an aptitude issue where the issue is caused by a gap in skill or knowledge.

Clearly, the latter is easier to manage as usually training or mentoring can address the cause.

Deal with it early – don’t let it fester

Managing your employees’ performance is not only good for business, it is what your employees want you to do, even if they would never admit that publicly. By setting standards and measuring their performance against those standards, you are treating them fairly, ensuring that everyone pulls their weight and does their fair share.

The first tip in dealing with underperformance is to get onto it early and in a timely fashion. Avoid the temptation to let things slide in an attempt to avoid confrontation.

If performance issues are not addressed in a timely fashion, there is a risk that the consequences of the employee’s poor performance will increase your frustration and you will end up being harsh and confrontational when you raise the issues with the employee.

If poor performers are not managed, then this can cause feelings of inequity and decrease employees' motivation to perform at their best.

This, in turn, could get the employee’s back up and increase resentment on their part. All of this does not make an environment that is conducive to improving performance.

Employees cost money and just like any of the business resources, it is imperative that the business gets the most value for that money spent. You have invested time, training and money into every employee and so it makes good financial sense to attempt to improve their

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Plan how you will deliver feedback

The meeting should be held in some privacy, away from other employees but not be in a strictly formal setting.

If possible, try and meet one to one with the employee.

The second tip is to plan the feedback that you will be giving the employee. Consider not just the areas that they need developing in or the gaps in their performance but also the areas that they are strong in.

Is it possible to use the employees’ strengths to assist in improving their weaknesses?

Aim to solve the problem together At the meeting, deliver the feedback. Give the employee an opportunity to respond to the feedback and if they disagree to explain why. The employee’s response will also indicate to you whether the gaps in their performance are caused by an attitude or aptitude issue. If the employee is resistant to the feedback and will not engage in the resolution of the issues, it is very likely that the issues are attitude ones.

Have evidence that supports the feedback that you are giving. If an issue with the employee is that they are always late for work, show them evidence that supports that. It is hard for anyone to dispute a performance issue if there is evidence supporting it.

Finally, consider how the feedback is to be given.

There are a number of techniques that can be used and this is where your knowledge of the employee and how they operate will be valuable. Not everyone will respond positively to the one technique. It is also important that the feedback be impersonal and reflect the employee’s work or skills, not themselves as a person.

Ask questions of the employee to try and identify the causes or root of the problems. Once these causes are identified, then work with the employee on solutions or actions that can be taken to address the performance issues. Create an action plan on the steps that will be taken to address the issues and when or by what date these steps will be taken.

A common technique is to use a feedback sandwich where you provide positive feedback, followed by the constructive feedback that you want to see the employee improve. Many people end with another positive bit of feedback but that is not always necessary. Another technique is to characterise the feedback as information on the consequences of their gap in skill. For example, instead of telling the employee they are always late for work, try saying to them, “When you are not able to consistently arrive at work on time, it causes a backlog for other employees who rely on the work you do, so I would be very grateful if you could please concentrate on starting on time for the next three weeks.”

Always remember, as the employer, you have the right to set the performance standards and expectations that employees must adhere to, provided that they are reasonable. Also, whilst it is helpful to gain the employee’s agreement on identifying the performance issues and actions to be taken to address them, it is not strictly necessary.

Once the action plan has been set, monitor its progress and check in regularly with the employee. If the issues become resolved, congratulate the employee and celebrate the success.

Moving to a formal process If the performance issues remain or in your opinion, there is insufficient improvement in the employee’s performance, it is now time to commence the formal process.

Start with an informal meeting Try and deal with performance issues on an informal basis first. This is more likely to engage the employee, get their buy-in and resolve the issues. If that doesn’t work, then you can commence the formal process.

However, if you start formally, it is almost impossible to then step back and try an informal process.

Just as it was important to consider the environment for the informal meeting, it is just as important for the formal meeting. Inform the employee of the time of the meeting and that serious discussions need to take place about their performance.

Create a safe environment

If the employee asks to bring a support person, allow them to bring one, or even better, offer them the opportunity to bring a support person. Telling the employee that they can bring a support person indicates that the meeting will be serious.

Once you have planned what feedback you are going to give and how you are going to deliver the feedback, arrange to meet with the employee on an informal basis.

Try and consider the environment where the meeting is taking place.

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A new dawn.

A new standard.

A new dawn.

A new standard.

At the meeting, provide the feedback to the employee on their performance but concentrate on the areas where they have been underperforming.

Refer to the feedback provided in the informal meeting and the action plan that was developed, highlighting actions that were not done at all or by the due date. Update the action plan and provide stricter timelines for the actions to be completed.

Finally, warn the employee that if their performance does not improve sufficiently, they risk being terminated from their employment. This warning is essential, because one of the factors that the Fair Work Commission considers when determining whether a dismissal was harsh, unjust, or unreasonable is whether an employee dismissed for poor performance was given a warning.

Confirm all of this discussion and action plan in writing after the meeting.

Monitor the progress of the action plan and closely supervise the employee.

Terminating an employee If the underperformance issues continue, we are now at the point where, despite the training and investment put into the employee, their employment is no longer worthwhile.

Meet with the employee one final time and again offer them the opportunity to bring a support person.

Provide the employee with the feedback on their performance and allow them the opportunity to respond. If the employee’s response does not satisfy you, you can then proceed to terminate the employee’s employment. Advise the employee of their termination and then follow this up in writing after the meeting.

Most performance issues, when addressed in a timely manner will resolve in the informal process and when managed properly, it is rare for these issues to result in an employee’s dismissal. However, if termination of the employee’s employment does occur, at least you have made every effort to get as much value as you can from the employee.

Disclaimer The above advice is general in nature and should not be relied upon. If you would like specific advice on your circumstances and situation, please speak to your industrial relations specialist.

Stephen Farrell runs through a practical guide for performance management in this 30-minute VegetablesWA webinar: Performance Management - A Practical Guide for Growers https://youtu.be/Ybt8IOpyikI

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A testing botrytis season finds a winner U N T R E AT E D

MIRAVIS Prime fungicide was registered last year, giving berry growers a new solution to control botrytis, and also powdery mildew in strawberries.

Given the wet seasonal conditions, the timing was welcome for many growers. ®

“It’s been a very testing period, we’ve had a lot of rain up here, weekly rain events for the last five weeks, at the front of our major production period. It’s probably been one of the hardest seasons we’ve had for the last 10 years – we haven’t seen a lot of sunlight, which is putting a lot of pressure on botrytis” said Greg Edwards, Elders agronomist on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.

Mr Edwards used MIRAVIS® Prime fungicide to manage later season botrytis in his strawberry crop, and was amazed with the results:

I could visually see a variance in the amount of flowers affected by botrytis.

As botrytis infection starts in the flower and moves into the developing fruit, it is important to protect flowers to prevent disease from taking over.

“Between a MIRAVIS® Prime treated block and a Captan treated block there was a variance certainly in the amount of flowers that had been impacted upon by disease. Now that was a visual” said Mr Edwards.

MIRAVIS® Prime fungicide combines proven fludioxonil (Group 12) with pydiflumetofen (Group 7). The two active ingredients assist the management of fungicide resistance, making it well suited for effective spray programs.

Registered for both field and protected cropping in all berry crops, MIRAVIS® Prime fungicide halts spore germination and kills the fungus before it develops.

And being formulated as a suspension concentrate, it offers good compatibility with other crop protection products.

For advisors and growers, there’s the added confidence that MIRAVIS® Prime fungicide can be used later in the crop, with a one-day withholding period. And with one-hour rain fastness, it offers growers flexibility of application ahead of rain or scheduled irrigation.

Despite the benefits for late season applications to protect fruit, Mr Edwards has different plans.

“It’s going to have an early fit where you have that powdery mildew pressure but it’s going to do my botrytis anyway.

Early season and then early spring is the time when MIRAVIS® Prime is going to have a fit in our region.”

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Water in NSW: How it’s managed and what you need to know Niamh Brady, NSW Department of Planning and Environment

Water management in NSW can be complicated. It’s easy to understand why – with many agencies, rules and regulations for water, it can be hard to know where to go if you have a question. Thankfully it doesn’t have to be difficult, and there are already many tools in place to make water users’ journeys as smooth as possible.

Department of Planning and Environment – Water (DPE - Water)

But why is water management so complicated?

NSW contains a huge amount of land with vastly different rainfall and river conditions, distinct inland and coastal climates, and a range of water sources.

This means we must manage water slightly differently in every river, area or town.

The DPE - Water is responsible for setting water policy that meets the needs of people and the environment.

Their policies aim to support economic growth, human health and wellbeing, Aboriginal outcomes, and the health of our catchments, waterways and groundwater, as well as the ecosystems that depend on them.

NSW also sits at the centre of the Murray-Darling basin, is subject to political agreements on water that date back over a hundred years and contains a range of important and protected environments. We must also consider the many ways people use water, the different values they place upon it, and the need to ensure we have water for the future.

They also ensure the requirements of Commonwealth legislation and agreements are being met.

One of the ways this is being achieved is through the NSW Water Strategy, a state-wide plan to improve the resilience of water services and resources over the coming decades.

As a result, managing water in NSW is complex. We need policies and rules to manage water safely and fairly, a way to enforce the rules, and physical infrastructure to move and deliver water where it’s needed. Several NSW agencies are responsible for particular parts of water management:

Together with 12 regional and two metropolitan water strategies, these strategies will help identify each region’s water needs and challenges and implement the right mix of solutions to deliver water where and when it is needed for the long-term.

The strategies explore water efficiency programs, using new technologies to do more with less, new and innovative uses for recycled water, desalination and other rain-fall independent supply options, and more.

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Department of Planning and Environment - Environment, Energy and Science group (DPE – EES)

WaterNSW and local water utilities

The department’s Environment, Energy and Science group also has a role in managing water for the environment.

When it comes to getting water to people or places, the state-owned corporation WaterNSW is responsible for delivering bulk quantities of raw water, managing the operations of surface and groundwater resources, and operating some of the infrastructure (like dams).

This group holds the licences for NSW’s environmental water and uses it in line with the long-term watering plans they prepare to set the long-term goals for water for the environment.

At a more local scale, individual water utilities manage infrastructure that delivers water to their customers and manage both water and sewage treatment plans to ensure safe water quality.

Each of these agencies is responsible for an important piece of the complex puzzle of water management.

And each piece is critical to ensure we have enough safe water to go around, now and in the future. To do that, especially given the challenges of climate change, we will need to keep improving the way we manage water and water systems. We are working to collect and analyse environmental data and local stakeholder knowledge to ensure we can keep improving our models, planning, and understanding of our water systems.

Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) The independent Natural Resources Access Regulator (NRAR) is responsible for regulating water users and enforcing NSW water law.

NRAR enforces compliance with water law using tools ranging from education through monitoring and auditing to legal prosecution.

NRAR is independent from the Department of Planning and Environment – Water to ensure the integrity of its regulatory and compliance activities.

What does this mean for water users?

Water rules can be difficult to navigate, but there are many tools at your disposal to understand the roles of government and what you must do to be a compliant water user.

While the agencies must work together on some issues, NRAR is led by an independent board, and the department can’t direct NRAR’s activities.

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WaterNSW’s WaterInsights product is a onestop shop for real-time data on storage levels, announcements, trade and water usage rules, weather and climate information, visibility of groundwater and 30 years of historical water data. It also links directly to all DPE’s Water Sharing Plans, the Access Licence Register, the Water Register and iWas, the water accounting system at the centre of all WaterNSW operations.

This is a powerful, all-inclusive tool putting what you need to know at your fingertips. Visit: https://

www.waternsw.com.au/waterinsights/water-insights Simply put, in NSW to take and use water from a river, stream, lake or from underground you must: • h old a licence (gives you the right to take a certain amount of water from a water source) • a water supply works approval (lets you use and build equipment which takes, stores or conveys the water) and • a water use approval (authorises you to use the water for a particular purpose). This is often included in the works approval document.

In some cases, you may be exempt from these requirements – but it is your responsibility to check.

For more information about water licensing or approvals and how to lodge an application, WaterNSW’s and NRAR’s websites have all the information you need to get going. Visit: https://www.

waternsw.com.au/customer-service/water-licensing And if you have questions for the regulator, including identifying which government agency you need to go to for your application, questions about lodging applications, or to report suspicious or unauthorised water activities, NRAR Assist is a simple, online tool. Visit:

https://www.dpie.nsw.gov.au/nrar/nrar-assist

For all the latest information and for many more water resources, visit the DPE, WaterNSW and NRAR websites, or get in touch with us directly.

DPE Water: 1300 081 047 water.enquiries@dpie.nsw.gov.au

The Perfect Pick.

WaterNSW: 1300 662 077 Customer.Helpdesk@waternsw.com.au

PERFECTION.COM.AU

NRAR: 1800 633 362 nrar.enquiries@nrar.nsw.gov.au

Come & see us at Berry Quest 2022

Stands 24 & 25

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Victorian diagnostics project leads the way in exotic spotted wing drosophila preparedness Maddy Quirk, AUSVEG Project Officer

You may already be familiar with the spotted wing drosophila (SWD; Drosophila suzukii), a high priority exotic pest for Australia’s berries, soft fruit, and viticulture industries; but did you know that Agriculture Victoria are currently investigating ways that we can prepare in case of its arrival?

SWD is a temperate pest that has made a major impact overseas. If it made its way into Australia, it could cause significant damage and economic losses to horticultural commodities.

At just 2-3mm long, the tiny fly could hitchhike its way into Australia through movement of infested produce and goods, or in the luggage of travellers.

Recognising the risk that this pest poses to Australia, Agriculture Victoria’s project focuses on new molecular surveillance tools for early detection of SWD using highthroughput metabarcoding techniques and rapid in-field assays. Recently, AUSVEG Project Officer Maddy Quirk interviewed Dr Mark Blacket to find out more.

Surveillance methods achieving a common goal This project aims to improve SWD surveillance methods across Australia, as part of a larger “Boosting Diagnostics” project through the Plant Biosecurity Research Initiative.

Currently, surveillance for SWD in Australia is based on microscopy.

Picking out SWD from our native Drosophila takes a lot of time and expertise.

Spotted wing drosophila (Drosophila suzukii) adults on raspberry. Photo credit: Hannah Burrack, North Carolina State University, Bugwood.org

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As well as providing a way of rapidly screening many traps for SWD, metabarcoding can identify all the other insects that are present in a trap, providing a complete picture of what species are present in the area.

While adult males usually have a distinctive spot on the wing (hence the common name Spotted Wing Drosophila), this feature is absent on larvae and female flies, which currently require examination of microscopic features by skilled entomologists. This becomes a bottleneck for diagnosticians because current trapping methods for SWD also catch hundreds of harmless native Drosophila, which must be sorted through.

“In the SWD project so far, we’ve picked up ten species of native Drosophila in our surveillance traps.

We also receive information on all other species that are in the sample, including beneficial wasps that parasitise Drosophila, which might prove important for biocontrol of SWD if it ends up in Australia.”

In our last season, we had over 13,000 Drosophila flies caught in the traps. To sort through each trap by eye is very time consuming and will significantly delay any possible management response if SWD is detected.

SWD pilot surveillance program As a part of the National Plant Health Surveillance Program, Agriculture Victoria is conducting trapping across high-risk sites around Melbourne.

The first season, which was undertaken in 2020/21, surveyed community gardens around points of entry in Melbourne as well as multiple U-pick berry farms in the Yarra Valley, which pose a high risk of establishment should SWD enter Australia.

The surveillance program is continuing this season, with increased trapping in community gardens, and additional U-pick berry farms being included.

Molecular methods improve the accuracy of SWD identification and vastly increase the number of specimens that can be identified at once, meaning that surveillance results can be provided rapidly to industry and government. The molecular methods that Agriculture Victoria have developed can provide a rapid first-screen of traps and suspect flies, with the aim of supporting, not replacing, current identification methods.

We are using commercially available state-of-the-art traps which are specifically designed for attracting SWD. The traps include a liquid preservative to make sure the DNA doesn’t degrade in our hot summer weather.

Metabarcoding explained “Metabarcoding is a very broad test where you sequence a short diagnostic piece of DNA (i.e., a DNA barcode) from everything in a trap sample simultaneously.

When you compare these DNA sequences to a reference database you can identify all the species present in a bulk trap sample, without having to sort through the flies individually,” Dr Blacket explained.

Agriculture Victoria are also coordinating this project nationally, with interstate collaborators from New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI). The samples from NSW DPI are being sent to Agriculture Victoria’s laboratory for analysis.

Traditionally a diagnostics lab would identify each insect in a trap morphologically or via PCR to determine if it was the target species. Metabarcoding instead uses high throughput sequencing, which is a complex process involving new laboratory technology and computational analysis. It can take about a week to run through the whole process, but many trap samples each containing thousands of insects can be analysed at once.

In the future, Agriculture Victoria may ask other interstate collaborators to provide samples, but with COVID-19 restrictions, the Victorian scientists haven’t been able to do any interstate trapping themselves.

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Confirming the sensitivity of the test

This ensures Australia has a consistent process and diagnostic methods for laboratories nationally, meaning all labs are using the most up-to-date methods to confirm that a species is, or is not, SWD.

Although Agriculture Victoria set up an extensive SWD trapping network, the species still (thankfully) hasn’t been found in Australia. So how do we confirm our metabarcoding test will detect something that isn’t yet here?

A significant challenge is that SWD larvae (maggots) look like any other common Drosophila larvae; it is not possible to tell SWD larvae apart from Drosophila melanogaster, the common vinegar fly.

“It’s actually quite simple, we deliberately spiked a number of samples with dead SWD that we sourced from an overseas stock centre. Because SWD isn’t currently present in Australia, if our test works, SWD should only be found in the samples that were spiked.”

“This makes in-field techniques such as LAMP tests very useful for people finding unusual or suspect pests in their orchards,” Dr Blacket continued.

The research has demonstrated that the metabarcoding test can successfully detect individual SWD flies mixed in with hundreds of native Drosophila. DNA sequences of SWD were only found in samples that were spiked, which shows the test is working and there were no false negatives.

If produce is being sent interstate or overseas, for instance through the market, and they’re finding Drosophila larvae, LAMP could be used to test these.

While this isn’t currently set up in the markets, LAMP tests could be used to ensure produce isn’t held for too long while waiting for an identification.

This is an extremely promising result and proves that the metabarcoding assay is highly sensitive and effective.

Where to from here?

From here, Agriculture Victoria will be training biosecurity personnel in LAMP diagnostics methods so that they can start using them at places such as the markets.

In-field techniques Agriculture Victoria have also validated a new rapid, portable, in field technology to identify pests. This technology, called a Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) assay, can play a complementary role to metabarcoding in early detection of SWD— like the way rapid antigen tests (RAT) are now being used as a component of Australia’s COVID-19 response.

In the future, SWD traps from surveillance programs or individual growers may be processed through Agriculture Victoria’s commercial diagnostic service Crop Health Services.

Having both Metabarcoding and LAMP methods in place in this laboratory will make the diagnostics more accurate as well as allow entomologists to cope with larger numbers of samples, so that new pest introductions can be rapidly detected and responded to.

“Unlike metabarcoding which is a lab-based test which can identify all species in a trap, LAMP is a very specific test for a single target species. The advantage of this test is that it can be used with a portable machine in the laboratory or field. You run this test and within an hour you have your result.”

The berry industry, Agriculture Victoria, and AUSVEG will also be looking to collaborate on a field day or workshop throughout 2022.

Previously, Agriculture Victoria developed LAMP assays for other pest insects, including tephritid fruit flies (e.g., Queensland fruit fly), phylloxera, Khapra beetle and fall armyworm.

In the meantime, growers are encouraged to send in suspect SWD samples to their state diagnostic service.

In Victoria, the state diagnostic service is Agriculture Victoria’s Crop Health Services.

LAMP assays for SWD have been published by international groups, but up until now they have not been validated for use in Australia.

For more information, please contact Boosting Diagnostics Project Coordinator, Madeleine Quirk on 03 9882 0277 or madeleine.quirk@ausveg.com.au

Our role is to make sure these existing tests work in n Australian context, then incorporate them into the National Diagnostic Protocol, which is a standard process that everyone across Australia will use.

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This project is supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation through funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water, and the Environment – as part of its Rural R&D for Profit program – and the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Hort Innovation, Wine Australia, Sugar Research Australia, and Forest and Wood Products Australia.

The Boosting Diagnostics for Plant Production Industries project is a partnership between the Grains Research and Development Corporation; Cotton Research and Development Corporation; Horticulture Innovation Australia Ltd; Wine Australia; Sugar Research Australia Ltd; Forest and Wood Products Australia Ltd; AgriFutures Australia; Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO); Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development (SARDI); Western Australian Agricultural Authority; Department of Jobs Precincts and Regions (VIC); Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (QLD); Department of Primary Industries (NSW); Department of Primary Industry and Resources (NT); Biosecurity Tasmania; Plant Health Australia; Plant and Food Research; AUSVEG Ltd; Cesar Pty Ltd; and Bio-Protection Research Centre.

TO FIND OUT MORE, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH growers@aussiefrozenfruit.com.au 03 5964 8101 aussiefrozenfruit.com.au

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PCA Conference Highlights: 28–31 March 2022 Melinda Simpson, Berry Industry Development Officer, NSW DPI

The 2022 PCA Conference was held at the Pacific Bay Resort in what would have traditionally been a sunny, sub-tropical climate. However, the conference coincided with one of the wettest periods of weather ever known, providing the PCA and ASN events with a unique set of challenges. affected by plant management, and how it in turn contributes to plant health and productivity. Learnings from this research can be transferred to berries as it provides a greater understanding of the role of the plant microbiome in soilless horticulture and may suggest new methods to improve yield and mitigate the risk of heat and water stress. In the future, probiotics may play an important role in improving general crop health and further reducing the use of chemicals and fungicides.

The PCA event started to swing into action in the evening with a welcome function kindly sponsored

by Haifa fertilisers. This was probably one of the first face-to-face events that the industry had attended ‘en masse’ in over two years and it was great to see everyone on that basis. The weather started to get even worse with large amounts of heavy rain falling. The wind was such that flights from Sydney had trouble landing at Coffs Harbour; one flight apparently had three landing attempts before touching down!

The conference commenced on Tuesday 29 March with a welcome to country and opening ceremony, followed

by Tristan Kitchener providing an in-depth viewpoint on retailing and opportunities for producers. Tristan presented about how protected cropping products can be better differentiated in a crowded market and how we engage the consumer better in selling the advantages of how protected cropping produce is grown on a lighter environmental footprint. The opening session also featured students from several universities presenting their R&D projects giving a great insight into their work.

Terry Lin (Western Sydney University), presented on the long-term performance of several cooling technologies and greenhouses, including characterising the energysaving potential of ‘Smart Glass’, a diffuse glass fitted with ULR-80 film which permits transmission of 85% of photosynthetically-active light and blocks heat-generating radiation for greenhouses. This research found that ‘Smart Glass’ reduced cooling energy use by 4.4% and fertigation demand by 29% in cooler months, and reduced cooling energy use by 4.4% and fertigation demand by 18% in warmer months. The ‘Smart Glass’ did not significantly affect ventilation or heating energy use, but substantially reduced fruit yield.

Phil Thomas and Gal Winter (University of New England) presented on early results from their tomato rhizobiome trials. Root microbiology is known to be a vital factor in plant health – good and bad – when crops are grown in soils, but far less attention has been paid to root microbiology in hydroponically grown plants. This project focuses on the root microbiome of hydroponic tomato plants, to establish what’s there, how it is

There was a severe storm warning at the start of the Wednesday session. The wind was so strong that the organisers had to temporarily close access to the trade area as the actual structure was under threat, but luckily the wind receded by lunch time. However, the relentless rain had done its damage and the planned farm tours on Thursday had to be cancelled with access roads to farms now under water.

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Awards Dinner evening. Photo credit: PCA

One of the busy trade halls. Photo credit: PCA

Conference speaker Tristan Kitchener. Photo credit: PCA

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An update on the progress of the ‘National map of protected cropping systems’ project was provided by Craig Sheppard and Andrew Robson both from the University of New England at the Wednesday session.

The project team have published the first draft mapping of protected cropping systems (PCS) for the Adelaide and Tasmanian growing regions and made it available for peer review via the Industry Engagement Web Application (IEWA). They have begun the process of draft mapping Western Australian growing regions, and scheduled field validations for early April. The team has also progressed the development of an automated image analysis approach for rapid detection of protected cropping systems, with the model being applied to highresolution aerial imagery over Southeast Queensland.

The map will assist the Protected Cropping Industry to prepare for biosecurity incursions and coordination of on-ground surveillance, and for quantifying the impacts following a natural disaster event. Identifying the location of specific farming systems also provides essential information around value-chains, traceability, transport and market accessibility.

Priva provided an update on new technology coming through such as their Crop Cycle Manager. This is a planning tool that allows the creation of strategies for the lifecycle of the crop. It allows users to create and enter set recipes for different crops from start to end.

Priva are also introducing an Application Programming Interface (API), a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other. This means that data can be shared between different systems and owners can amend or edit permissions and access, and no reengineering or access to the local system is necessary.

The general feeling was that the conference as a whole was a huge success, and it was so good to be back to face-to-face conversations and meetings. A huge round of applause needs to go to the ASN team for handling an ever-changing situation, as well as to PCA Chair Matt Plunkett, event Chair Emily Rigby and the PCA team for running another fantastic event.

And now the attention turns to PCA 2023 to be hosted in Brisbane – stay tuned for details!

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I N D U S T R Y

Cyber security tips for small business Jane Richter

A cyber security incident can have devastating impacts on a small business.

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC), as part of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), provides cyber security advice, assistance and operational responses to prevent, detect and remediate cyber threats to Australia.

Common Cyber threats

Unfortunately, the team at the Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) see the impact of cyber security incidents each and every day, on individuals, small businesses and large companies.

Malicious Software (Malware) Malware is a blanket term for malicious software designed to cause harm including ransomware, viruses, spyware and trojans.

They recognise that many owners and operators of small businesses don’t have the time or resources to dedicate to cyber security. However, there are simple measures that a small business can introduce to help prevent common cyber security incidents.

Malware provides criminals with a way to access important information such as bank or credit card numbers and passwords.

It can also take control of or spy on a user’s computer. What criminals choose to do with this access and data includes:

They have published a Small Business Cyber Security Guide that has been specifically designed for small businesses to understand, take action, and increase their cyber security resilience against ever-evolving cyber security threats. The language is clear, the actions are simple, and the guidance is tailored for small businesses.

• Fraud • Identity theft • Disrupting business • Stealing sensitive data or intellectual property • S iphoning computer resources for wider criminal activity

For an overview of cyber security basics the Small Business Cyber Security Guide is an excellent place to start.

PROTECTING AGAINST MALWARE Automatically update your operating system, software and apps to make sure the latest protection available is always installed on your devices

If you want to improve your cyber security further, you can find more information and advice on the ACSC website:

Regularly back up your important data to a separate location where malware cannot reach it

cyber.gov.au

Train your staff to recognise suspicious links and attachments

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Scam Messages (Phishing)

Ransomware

Scams can be ‘dodgy’ emails, messages, or calls designed to trick recipients out of money and data.

Criminals will often use email, social media, phone calls, or text messages to try and scam Australian businesses.

Ransonware is a specific type of malware that locks down your computer or files until a ransom is paid.

Ransomware works by locking up or encrypting your files so that you can no longer use or access them. Sometimes it can even stop your devices from working.

Ransomware can infect your devices in the same way as other malware. For example:

These criminals might pretend to be an individual or organisation you think you know, or think you should trust.

Their messages and calls attempt to trick businesses into performing specific actions, such as:

• Visiting unsafe or suspicious websites • Opening links, emails or files from unknown sources

• Paying fraudulent invoices or changing payment details for legitimate invoices

• H aving poor security on your network or devices (including servers)

• R evealing bank account details, passwords, and credit card numbers (sometimes known as ‘phishing’ scams, cybercriminals can mimic official branding and logos from banks and websites to seem legitimate)

Ransomware offers cybercriminals a low-risk, high-reward income. It is easy to develop and distribute. Ransoms are typically paid using an online digital currency or cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, which is very difficult to trace. Also in cybercriminals’ favour, most small businesses are unprepared to deal with ransomware attacks.

• Giving remote access to your computer or server • Opening an attachment, which may contain malware • P urchasing gift cards and sending them to the scammer

PROTECTING AGAINST RANSOMWARE

Phishing scams are not limited to emails.

They are increasingly sophisticated and harder to spot.

Be cautious of urgent requests for money, changes to bank accounts, unexpected attachments, and requests to check or confirm login details.

Ensure you have high quality, up-to-date security management software installed on every device Regularly backup your important data

Visit scamwatch.gov.au to report a scam.

Automatically update your operating systems, software and apps

PROTECTING AGAINST PHISHING If you think a message or call might truly be from an organisation you trust (such as your bank or a supplier) find a contact method you can trust Never open an attachment or click on a link in an email or SMS that is not from an organisation that you know you can trust

Check the actual email address that the email has been sent from as this will often reveal the sender is not who it seems

Photo credit: Anete Lusina

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Other tips • E nsure you have high quality security management software installed on all your devices

What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)?

• S et your security system software to update automatically

This is a security measure that requires two or more proofs of identity to grant you access. MFA typically requires a combination of:

• E nsure you have regular automatic back ups being made of your most important business data • W here it is available, set up and use multi-factor authentication to access online programs and services

* something you know (password/passphrase, PIN, secret question)

• S et all your passwords to be as secure as possible – use long passwords (at least 14 characters in length), include a mixture of upper case, lower case, numbers and special symbols

* something you have (smartcard, physical token, authenticator app) * something you are (fingerprint or other biometric)

• Don’t use the same password for more than one login • T each your staff to be security aware and to recognise potentially suspicious links or emails • I nclude talks about the importance of cyber security in your team briefings and performance management discussions

Access the assessment tool at:

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has also developed an assessment tool to help improve cyber security skills among Australian small and medium businesses.

https:// www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/smalland-medium-businesses/cyber-securityassessment-tool

Download the full Small Business Cyber Security Guide at:

With the assessment tool, you can: • identify the cyber security strengths of your business

https:// www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/small-andmedium-businesses/acsc-small-business-guide

• understand areas where your business can improve • k now how to improve your cyber security and where to find help

For more resources, or to report a Cyber Crime, please visit:

The assessment tool asks you questions about how you manage cyber security for your business. Based on your answers, it will determine your current cyber security maturity level. It will then provide you with guidance on how to improve.

https:// www.cyber.gov.au/acsc/smalland-medium-businesses

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW TO PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS?

Come and listen to Cyber Security expert Zac McLeod from Cleared Security on Wednesday 27 July at BerryQuest International 2022.

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I N D U S T R Y

Get Export Ready!

Jenny Van de Meeberg, Export Manager, Berries Australia

Berries Australia are pleased to announce an introductory course to help growers become ‘export ready’ will be available at the end of May in the Export Hub of the Berries Australia website.

The training program has been developed to increase knowledge about exporting through:

This course has been created in partnership with AUSVEG and the Export Council of Australia (ECA).

The course is entirely online and can be completed at your own pace – you can log in and out of the course as required so it can fit around your busy workday.

• C ustomised content that is tailored to aspiring fresh produce exporters

The course is available free of charge for levy-payers and Berries Australia is confident it will be useful to a wide range of businesses.

• Interactivity to enhance learning outcomes • V ideos on selected topics to highlight important information • Practical grower examples and case studies

You should consider enrolling in the course if:

• Q&A’s in each module to deepen understanding • F lexible functionality to access the content via computer, tablet or smartphone

• y ou want to understand how export works even if you are not currently involved in international trade; • y ou are looking to deepen your understanding of the export supply chain so you can take greater control of your current exports; or

Access to this training course for levy-paying berry growers is funded by Hort Innovation using the raspberry and blackberry, strawberry and blueberry levy and contributions from the Australian Government.

• y ou are a very experienced business who might use this as part of an induction package for new employees joining your export team.

To register for the online course:

The Export Fundamentals for Australian Fruit & Vegetable Growers: From Farmgate to International Markets course contains 8 e-learning modules covering a broad range of topics relating to international trade for fresh produce.

• Visit www.berries.net.au/home/export • Complete the form to join the Export Group if you are not already a member • Once you have received your access details, Login at the Export Hub and select the GET EXPORT READY option

Topics covered:

• Complete the registration form to be provided with secure access to the 'Export Fundamentals for Australian Fruit & Vegetable Growers: From Farmgate to International Markets' online training course

1. Module 1: Why Export 2. Module 2: Export Readiness 3. Module 3: Market Access & Market Research

• You will receive confirmation of your course login details once your registration has been approved

4. Module 4: International Market Entry 5. Module 5: International Marketing & Meeting Customers

For further information contact our Export Manager, Jenny Van de Meeberg on export@berries.net.au

6. Module 6: Export Documentation 7. Module 7: Freight & Logistics 8. Module 8: Finance & Pricing

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The challenges of reusing and recycling coir substrate Mark Salter, Berry Industry Development Officer, Fruit Growers Tasmania

“The costs of coir have gone up a lot since the start of the COVID–19 pandemic.”

This is a comment I have heard from a growing number of berry producers, and reflects the commercial reality facing many growers in the post-COVID–19 world.

Trends driving the rising cost of coir

Reusing coir; a European perspective

The increased costs of coir reflect a number of new challenges growers are faced with:

The Netherlands experience may offer some insights into how Australia can extract more value from its coir supplies.

• I nternational sea freight costs are currently at double the price they were a year ago, and there are real challenges in securing freight space to bring high-volume, low-value goods like coir into Australia.

Like most other European countries, the Netherlands have a well-established recycling culture which is driven by EU environmental policies.

These policies have incentivised businesses to development networks and whole-of-supply-chain solutions and technologies that can help deal with removal of crop residues, plastic / foreign matter and sanitation / sterilisation.

• A t the same time, road freight costs have increased greatly, spurred on by driver shortages, rising fuel costs and disruptions at distribution centres.

• S ome state governments are also pushing to reduce carbon emissions by introducing levies on the disposal of organic waste.

Hydroponic growers work with coir suppliers and potting mix producers on solutions, and used coir, free from contaminants is recycled into potting mixes and composted.

• L astly, there is the cost of the coir itself, which is rising in response to increased global demand, particularly in the USA.

A practical example of this is where researchers at Wageningen University are developing reuse options for it, including composting used coir with other organic wastes after plastic contaminants are mechanically removed by a custom-made machine.

ith rising local and global prices for coir, berry W producers relying on coir as a hydroponic substrate are under increasing pressure to extract more financial return from the coir they have.

At the same time, growers are often reporting growing stockpiles of used coir which may offer producers a way forward by:

One important thing to note is that the transport distances are typically short, making coir recycling and reuse more economical.

• e xtending the useful life of coir by recovering and sterilising coir for reuse,

Similarly, entities like the European Compost Network are able to facilitate development of an organics recycling sector, for which we don’t really have an equivalent here in Australia.

• r educing the amount of coir needed by partially substituting with suitable locally available alternatives, and/or • fi nding a commercial outcome (and value) for used coir where it reaches the end of its effective life.

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Coir in its raw form after it has been removed from the coconut. Photo credit: Nazrulhad bin Hashim

Industry capacity in Australia

The project also identified a number of end-of-life opportunities for repurposing used coir including:

Australian berry producers have already made some investments in understanding and addressing the coir waste.

1. Addition to commercial compost 2. Composting on farm

Previous research project MT17016; Coir waste management for hydroponics in berries estimated about 2,400 tonnes of coir could be recycled annually.

3. Mulch or soil amendment

Led by Doris Blaesing at RMCG, the main project aim was to help enable hydroponic berry producers to:

4. Activated carbon / biochar 5. Potting mix

•

educe on-farm coir related waste and R associated costs, and

Where the product is to be reused or on-sold, some reuse options may require sterilisation or fumigation to kill fungal diseases and nematodes which will need to be costed into any reuse program.

•

educe the coir waste related risks and costs R associated with pest and disease management.

Looking to the future With an informed understanding of the scale of the problem, the next step will be to develop systems for recycling coir through efficient handling of coir sterilisation, blending, and repurposing techniques.

Already, a number of berry growers are being proactive about the issue and conducting their own coir recycling and reuse trials, but further research needs to be conducted to meaningfully address the issue of rising costs and growing stockpiles of waste coir.

Concluding in 2020, the project identified the many costs associated with waste such as separating coir and plastics, logistics, transport costs and potentially gate fees are major challenges for individual producers.

It was also noted that the actual costs of waste management can vary widely depending on business size, location and the type or mix of waste to disposed of, and many producers don’t properly budget for these costs.

41

VOLUNTARY LEVIES

SUPPORT YOUR INDUSTRY

TO SUPPORT YOUR BUSINESS!

The ABGA is funding a major marketing & export program – please contribute your share Why should I pay the voluntary levy?

How do I pay the levy?

The voluntary levies fund all of the essential activities that contribute to the growth of our blueberry industry.

Activities include, but are not limited to:

Follow the steps below:

• Maintaining a a dedicated marketing campaign • R esearch & development into registered chemicals + IPM + Integrated Disease Management programs • F unding legal advice to support appropriate planning conditions • P rogressing applications for market access to key markets such as New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam • Developing export protocols into Japan • Funding our Industry Development Officer • Funding our Executive Director and support staff • C ommunication and engagement with members – industry journal, e-news, website, conference • P romoting positive industry stories and addressing negative media • P roviding our contribution to Hort Innovation under the Collective Industry Fund which is matched with equal funding used for various industry projects as determined by the Blueberry Strategic Industry Advisory Panel

How much levy do I have to pay?

For this year standard levies are $0.07/kg fruit sold.

This will cover both R&D and Marketing investments.

When do I pay the voluntary levy?

Levies are payable once every financial quarter:

1. Prepare a statement with the following information • Grower Name • Quarter + Dates (e.g. Q2 1st Oct - 31st Dec 2019) • Number of kg fruit sold in that quarter • Amount of levy being paid • Indicate if your agent deducts your levies (if so, include agent name) 2. Email the statement to the Membership Officer Email statement to: admin@berries.net.au The Membership Officer will send you an Invoice for payment 3. Pay your levy to the ABGA account Account name: Bank: BSB: Account: Reference:

Australian Blueberry Growers’ Association Westpac 033 10 7 181 4 71 GROWER NAME + Financial Quarter (e.g. “Joe Bloggs Q2 levy”)

y agent deducts levies — M what do I need to do?

Send the Membership Officer a statement as per Step 1 above. She will then check that the agent has paid the levy.

Email the statement to admin@berries.net.au

Period Covered

Payable by

What about confidentiality of the information provided?

Q1

1 July – 30 September

31 October

Any information provided will be kept confidential.

Q2

1 October – 31 December

31 January

Q3

I need help, who do I contact?

1 January – 31 March

30 April

Q4

1 April – 30 June

31 July

Quarter

Wendy Morris Email: admin@berries.net.au | Phone: 0491 751 123

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B L U E B E R R I E S

Improving the spread of beneficial insects Ella Rogers, PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia Research into fly-floral foraging behaviour may assist in optimising pollination services by manipulating a species preference for certain floral traits and using those traits to enhance pollination or retain species on crops.

Flies are a hugely diverse insect group, with numerous species being frequent floral visitors. They are known to contribute to pollination, increasing yield and fruit quality across a huge range of cultivated species, including berries1,2. Despite this, compared to bee species, relatively little is known about how flies locate and choose between flowers and in turn contribute to pollination.

My research focuses on the floral-foraging behaviour of native fly species, specifically the innate visual and odour preferences that they may have. Blueberry crops provide a great model to study fly-floral foraging within an enclosed/semi-enclosed cropping system, and I have been lucky to work with growers in Western Australia. I hope through researching fly-floral foraging I will add to the growing body of work on how non-bee and often-overlooked species of pollinators can provide complimentary pollination services and minimise industry reliance on honeybees.

Pollinating species use a range of odour and visual signals to locate floral rewards3. Insects have highly discriminatory olfactory centres and for pollinators, floral scents may act as long-distance attractants and/or landing and feeding cues4.

Flies have been shown to have different odour preferences between species, and changes in floral odours can alter a flowers’ attractiveness to flies3. Most pollinators also have good colour vision and exhibit a specific colour preference; they are thought to use floral colour to locate resources at close range5.

For flies to be utilised for pollination services, research on species-specific foraging behaviour is required.

A species’ foraging behaviour may influence its interaction with a crop and its pollinating ability6.

Photo credit: Ella Rogers, PhD Candidate, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia

A fly species may forage from, and be an effective pollinator of, a specific horticultural crop under experimental conditions where choice is controlled.

Farm environments, however, are more commonly open and semi-enclosed with foraging insects able to seek resources both within and outside of the horticultural crop.

References 1. Herrmann, J. D., Beye, H., de la Broise, C., Hartlep, H. & Diekötter, T. Positive effects of the pollinators Osmia cornuta (Megachilidae) and Lucilia sericata (Calliphoridae) on strawberry quality. Arthropod. Plant. Interact. 13, 71–77 (2019).

2. Cook, D. F., Deyl, R. A., Mickan, B. S. & Howse, E. T. Yield of southern highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) using the fly Calliphora albifrontalis (Diptera: Calliphoridae) as a pollinator. Austral Entomol. (2020).

3. Brodie, B. S., Smith, M. A., Lawrence, J. & Gries, G. Effects of floral scent, color and pollen on foraging decisions and oocyte development of common green bottle flies.

PLoS One 10, 14–16 (2015).

4. Haber, A. I., Sims, J. W., Mescher, M. C., De Moraes, C. M. & Carr, D. E. A key floral scent component (-trans-bergamotene) drives pollinator preferences independently of pollen rewards in seep monkeyflower. Funct. Ecol. 33, 218–228 (2019).

5. Willmer, P. G. Floral Advertisments and Floral Rewards. in Pollination and Floral Ecology (Princeton University Press, 2011).

6. Doyle, T. et al. Pollination by hoverflies in the Anthropocene. Proc. R. Soc. B Biol. Sci. 287, (2020).

Ensuring retention of fly pollinators to crops and maintaining the frequency of visits to crop flowers over surrounding competing vegetation is vital for a species to be a successful managed pollinator.

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B L U E B E R R I E S

Coloured netting for blueberries Aileen Reid, Strawberry Industry Development Officer, Strawberry Growers Association of WA

Plants are affected by light in several ways. The quantity and quality of light both affect growth. The direction from which the light comes is another factor and then there is the periodicity of light (daylength) which affects the timing of flower initiation in many crops.

Radiation scattering

Light enables plants to adapt to environmental conditions. The manipulation of plant form and function using filters to modify light has been tried for years, especially in greenhouses. In the early 2000s, coloured shadecloth designed specifically for manipulating plant growth and development became available. These can be used outdoors as well as in greenhouses and can:

Diffuse light has been shown to increase radiation use efficiency, yields and even the time and amount of flowering. Any shadecloth or netting can scatter radiation, especially ultraviolet, because netting is usually made using ultraviolet-resistant plastic.

Shadecloth and netting that increases light scattering but does not affect the light spectrum has been shown to increase branching, compactness, and the number of flowers per plant. Coloured shadecloth and netting can also increase light scattering by 50% or more and this alone may influence plant development and growth.

• p rovide physical protection from birds, hail, insects or sunlight • modify humidity or temperature • i ncrease the relative proportion of diffuse (scattered) light

Photoselectivity

• a bsorb various wavelengths of light, thereby affecting light quality

Coloured shade nets are being intensively tested primarily because of their ability to manipulate the wavelengths of radiation reaching the crops beneath them. They can be used to change:

These effects not only influence the crop but also the organisms with which they are associated.

• r ed to far-red light ratios that are detected by phytochromes;

Black netting absorbs most light, and white nets, the least. The light that passes through holes in black net remains spectrally unchanged, while light that hits fibres of white and coloured netting scatters and changes spectrally. The modified light spectrum alters plant physiological processes, while scattered light penetrates deeper into the plant between leaves when compared to direct light.

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• t he amounts of radiation available to activate the blue/ultraviolet-A photoreceptors; • b lue light involved in phototropic responses mediated by phototropins; and • r adiation at other wavelengths that can influence plant growth and development and flowering.

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Air movement

Lifecycle costs

Shadecloths and netting also reduce wind speeds and wind run (total distance of the travelled wind over a period of time), which can affect temperatures, relative humidity, and relative carbon dioxide and oxygen concentrations resulting from reductions in air mixing. These changes can affect transpiration, photosynthesis, respiration, and other processes.

The effects on air movement depend on the porosity and physical location of the netting in relation to the plants and can be affected by time of day, season, and other factors.

Netting factors like relative costs, colour fastness, and durability should also be considered. In recent years, the installation of netting in blueberry crops has increased. Primarily netting is used for bird protection but depending on location, hail may also be relevant.

Temperature Shade nets are often deployed over crops to reduce heat stress; however, in enclosed spaces, temperatures during the day are typically higher than outside and may reach lower than the ambient outside temperatures at night for short periods.

Relative humidity Relative humidity is often higher under netting compared with outside, as water vapour transpired by the crop is trapped and thus prevented from mixing with the drier air outside.

At certain times this can impede transpiration to the extent that oedema occurs, a condition where epidermal cells burst due to the mismatch between root water uptake and transpiration rate.

Other considerations

Black and white netting examples in use on Blueberries in NNSW. Photo credit: Melinda Simpson, NSW DPI

There are many factors to consider regarding the use of coloured shade netting besides the direct effects on the crops, these include:

Research specific to blueberries

Disease development

The use of coloured netting in blueberry production has been explored by several researchers, primarily in Chile and the USA. Following is a review of 3 different trials in 3 locations.

Light quality may affect the incidence of pests and diseases – either favourably or unfavourably.

1. T RIAL 1 was conducted in Miraflores, Chile, which is a coastal location with a maritime climate.

Pollination

2. T RIAL 2 was in Goble, Michigan USA where the climate is temperate.

Honeybees can get entangled in netting. They may need to be provided with clear entry and exit paths.

3. T RIAL 3 was in Georgia, USA where the climate is similar to Perth and northern NSW, with a summer average maximum temperature of over 30°C, a minimum of over 20°C with very high humidity.

Effect on humans Workers have reported that working under white shadecloth can be hard on the eyes. Coloured shadecloth and netting may also affect picker’s ability to judge ‘‘ripeness’’ when harvesting a crop.

It goes without saying that the conditions being sought in each location may be very different and the desired results similarly so.

47

TRIAL 1: Miraflores, Chile Some of the earliest work was that of Retamales, Montecino, Lobos and Rojas (2003). In that trial they used black, white, grey and red nets with either 35 or 50% shading plus a control treatment of no net.

In that work, all netting treatments increased yields over that of plants without netting though not all yield increases were statistically significant (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Influence of shading (colour and % shade) on yields (kg fruit/plant) of blueberries cv. Berkeley in the 2003-2004 and 2004-2005 season. Values with the same letter are not significantly different.

TRIAL 2: Goble, Michigan USA This work was followed up by another set of trials in Michigan over a two-year period in 2006-7 that looked at the productivity and development of blueberry plants cv Elliot under three different colours of photo-selective nets (black, red and white) and three shade intensities (25%, 50% and 75%) plus a control, unshaded treatment.

In this trial, no level of shading improved fruit yield.

This implies that light levels found in the open field in Michigan do not inhibit productivity. This has been supported by other work in Michigan, and also in north-eastern Canada. The authors note that the previous work in Chile contradicts these findings and suggest the higher levels of irradiance and mean temperature typically found during the season in Chile compared to Michigan, put the plants under a greater level of photo-inhibitory stress, where nets could have greater impact. It is also possible that the nets were placed over the plants too late in this study, approximately one month after fruit set rather than right after fruit set, as has been recommended by others.

One very significant finding in Michigan was that shading delayed the harvest date, which could have an impact on profitability.

A similar harvest delay has been reported in other trials with other crops.

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Trial 3: Georgia, USA The third study in Georgia began in the spring of 2016 using a variety called ’Star’. Three photo-selective shade materials were used - red, blue and white; each rated at 50% shading. There was also a control treatment.

Fruit was harvested on two separate dates.

Temperatures under the 50% red and blue netting appeared to be lower than the control treatment by up to 3° C. However, the shading treatments did not lower temperature significantly during the latter parts of summer.

Temperature under the white shading net was not significantly different from the control during late spring but was significantly higher during summer. Light levels under the red and blue photo-selective shading net treatments were significantly lower than the unshaded control (> 40%) but not under the white shading nets.

Blueberry fruit yield was significantly reduced at the first harvest under the red and blue shading net by as much as 80% compared to the control. Yields from the white shading net treatment was not significantly lower at the time of harvest. Fruit yields at the second harvest were not significantly different between treatments (Figure 2).

This project also concluded that coloured netting appears to delay cropping.

There were also significant effects on aspects of fruit quality, for example the ratio of the soluble solids to titratable acidity (an indicator of fruit flavour), was reduced by as much as 26% in the red and blue shading treatments.

The authors of this trial stated an intention to continue the work to determine the impacts of netting over the longer term. As the first trial was held in 2016, I have contacted them to see if further results are available but have yet to receive a reply.

Figure 2. Blueberry fruit yield (g) under control and photo-selective shading netting treatments. Values with the same letter are not significantly different.

Summary White or black are the shadecloth/netting colours presently in use in the blueberry industry in Australia. However, most netting sold is Australia is used for bird protection and only has an 18-20% shade factor.

Yields are most likely to be adversely affected by black netting with 35% probably being the upper limit.

The use of coloured (red, blue) shadecloth/netting on blueberries is likely to delay cropping, at least in the short term and may adversely impact on yields.

Black shadecloth/netting absorbs the most light and thus shades the plants the most, while white absorbs the least.

The impact of lower shade levels such as that used in bird netting is not known but it is likely the reduced losses from bird damage would outweigh anything else.

The light that passes through the holes in black shadecloth/netting remains spectrally unchanged, while the light under white netting is diffused, penetrating deeper into the canopy of the blueberry plant between leaves compared to direct light.

49

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B L U E B E R R I E S

Effects of market access treatments on export blueberry quality during storage John Golding, James Freriechs, Mark Bullot, Madeline Kavanagh, Penta Pristijono and Baogang Wang (NSW Department of Primary Industries, University of Newcastle and Beijing Academy of Forestry and Pomology Sciences (China)) Blueberry fruit (cultivar ‘1111’) from three different growers in the Coffs Harbour region were harvested on the same morning, pre-cooled and packed in the same packing house (Figure 1a and b).

• T here were generally no differences in fruit quality between the different market access treatments (cold treatment, methyl bromide and irradiation) across the different assessment times.

A pallet of fruit from each grower was then re-stacked into different pallets and treated with either irradiation, methyl bromide, cold treatment or left untreated (Figure 2).

• T he market access treatment utilised needs to be considered based upon the supply chain fruit will be marketed through. Cold storage treatment gave the highest fruit quality, but the need to hold fruit in it for 14 days precludes its use for air freight but both methyl bromide and irradiation are suitable alternatives for air freight supply chains.

1. Irradiation Irradiation treatment was conducted at Steritech's commercial X-ray facility in Melbourne. The minimum irradiation treatment dose was 150 Gy and the correct temperature of the fruit was maintained throughout the handling and irradiation treatment at Steritech and through the handling chain.

2. Methyl bromide fumigation

End-point market access treatments are essential for the export of blueberries into phytosanitary export markets. As reported in the previous edition (Australian Berry Journal, Autumn 2022), the three market access treatments (cold treatment, methyl bromide fumigation and irradiation) have different benefits and issues with their use in the export supply chain. However, the effects of these different treatments on fruit quality have not been adequately compared, particularly comparing the treatments on the same batch of fruit.

Fumigation of the blueberry pallet was conducted at a commercial fumigation facility in Melbourne. The fumigation treatment was 32g/m3 at 17ºC for 2 hours.

After treatment, fruit were de-gassed and cooled before transport.

3. Cold treatment Cold treatment was conducted at a commercial packing facility. The pallet of fruit was enclosed in a commercial modified atmosphere (MA) bag and treated for 14 days at 1ºC.

In a Federal Government funded project through the Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC) program, a research trial to compare the fruit quality out-turns following phytosanitary treatment using commercial quantities of fruit was conducted at the Centre of Excellence for Market Access at NSW Department of Primary Industries.

These three market access treatments were compared to a batch of fruit from the same pallets which remained untreated. After treatment, all fruit were transported under refrigeration to NSW Department of Primary Industries and stored at 5ºC and fruit quality was assessed twice a week for up to 3 weeks.

51

a.

b.

FRUIT FOR PHYTOSANITARY MARKET ACCESS TREATMENT

FRUIT FROM GROWER / PACK HOUSE

FRUIT PALLETS

Figure 1a and b. ‘1111’ blueberry fruit from three different growers were harvested on the same morning and packed for treatment and storage. Photo credit: John Golding.

GROWER A

GROWER B

GROWER C

GROWER A

GROWER B

GROWER C

GROWER A

GROWER B

GROWER C

GROWER A

GROWER B

GROWER C

1. PALLET FOR METHYL BROMIDE TREATMENT

2. PALLET FOR IRRADIATION TREATMENT

3. PALLET FOR COLD TREATMENT

GROWER A

GROWER A

GROWER A

GROWER B

GROWER B

GROWER B

GROWER C

GROWER C

GROWER C

Figure 2. Fruit from three growers was spread evenly across the three treatment protocols.

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The results showed there were generally no differences in fruit quality between the different market access treatments across the different assessment times. The overall subjective quality of the fruit across the entire storage time was good throughout the trial. Cold treatment resulted in the best quality fruit during storage, but this treatment (<3ºC under modified atmosphere storage) took 14 days to complete and fruit would not be able to be sold during this time. The other market access treatments were similar in overall acceptability, but the differences changed with different assessment times.

The general appearance of all visual parameters (waxy bloom, fruit shrivel, and subjective fruit colour) were not affected by any market access treatment. There were some differences in firmness detected as measured by the FirmTech instrument (Figure 3a and b) where methyl bromide and irradiation treatment resulted in softer fruit averaged across the entire trial.

However, the subjective assessment of firmness (i.e., just gently squeezing with your fingers) was not able to detect these differences.

It was interesting to note that there were some grower differences in the development of the postharvest rots. While all three growers had similar agronomic practices on the same cultivar, one grower had consistently lower levels of postharvest rots during storage. This observation is being followed up with the grower.

There was no effect of the different market access treatments on the fruit sugar levels as measured by the soluble solids content (SSC%) which remained high and consistent across the storage trial. In addition, there were no differences in fruit acidity (as measured by titratable acidity, TA) between the different market access treatments.

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The development of postharvest decay is a major problem for the marketing of blueberries. In this trial, postharvest rots did not develop in cold storage until after two weeks storage. Postharvest market access treatment had a significant effect on the development of rots, where both irradiation and methyl bromide treatment had higher rots across all assessment times, as compared to the cold treated fruit. For example, after 21 days storage at 5ºC, the methyl bromide treated fruit had the highest levels of postharvest rots and the levels in the untreated and irradiation fruit were still high and unacceptable, but the levels of rots in the cold treated fruit were low.

Blueberry Plants

winter 2023

de

liv e ry

a.

b.

Figure 3a and b. Objective measurement of compression firmness of blueberry fruit using a FirmTech firmness tester at NSW Department of Primary Industries. Photo credit: John Golding.

Conclusions These results show there were no consistent effects of the market access treatments on ‘1111’ fruit quality in this trial. If air freight is required to meet export markets, both irradiation and methyl bromide treatment had similar effects on fruit quality.

The observation of grower differences in some quality attributes such as postharvest decay development requires more investigation to understand and manage these differences to minimise postharvest decay and optimise quality.

While cold treatment often resulted in higher quality fruit (i.e., less postharvest rots), cold treated fruit must be continuously treated for 14 days and it is not possible to market the fruit before this time. This limits the flexibility of cold treatment for air freight markets, but it allows for marketing after treatment as fruit quality is superior with less rots.

It is also recommended to repeat this trial with different cultivars and growing seasons as fruit quality and fruit response to market access treatments have been known to change between different years and between different cultivars.

Acknowledgements: We sincerely thank the cooperation and collaboration of the local growers, agronomist and packinghouse with this trial. We also thank Melinda Simpson, Blueberry Development Officer, NSW Department of Primary Industries for co-ordinating the trial. This trial is a contribution from the Project: ‘Supporting informed horticultural market access treatment decisions’ (4-E8O64VH) which was co-funded by Federal Government through Accessing Premium Markets - Cooperation Activities - Agricultural Trade and Market Access Cooperation (ATMAC) program and NSW Department of Primary Industries.

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B L U E B E R R I E S

Organic crop protectants for controlling blueberry rust – second trial results Melinda Simpson (NSW DPI) & Jay Anderson (Centre for Organics Research, Southern Cross University)

The field trial

NSW Department of Primary Industries with the help of Southern Cross University (SCU) have recently conducted a second round of field trials to evaluate a range of organic crop protectants to manage blueberry rust disease (caused by Thekopsora minima).

This trial is part of a larger project led by Kara Barry from the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture and funded via the Tasmanian Government through the Agricultural Innovation Fund.

The trial was carried out on a commercial blueberry orchard in Brooklet, NSW using the southern highbush variety 11-11. High disease levels were experienced during the trial due to the high rainfall experienced on the Northern Rivers throughout the trial period.

The trial evaluated eight products for control of blueberry rust (Table 1). Products were applied as foliar sprays every two weeks from December 2021 through to March 2022. Mancozeb and copper were included as reference treatments in the trial, in addition to the products being evaluated.

Table 1. Fungicides and application rates evaluated for their efficacy against blueberry rust.

Active constituent

Trade name

Rate of application (g/100L)

Mancozeb

Mancozeb DF 750

200 g/100 L

Copper present as hydroxide

Blue Shield® DF 500g/kg

105 g/100L

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain QST 713

Serenade® Opti

250g/100L

Crustacean and wild fish waste fortified with trace minerals and vitamins

Aminogro®

1L

Emulsifiable botanical oil

Synertrol® Horti Oil 850 EC

250mL

Polyoxin D zinc salt

Intervene®

40g/100L

Potassium bicarbonate + potassium silicate Emulsifiable botanical oil

+

Ecocarb® Plus 945 SP + Synertrol® Horti Oil 850 EC

400g/100L 250ml/100L

Electrolysed oxidised water

Anolyte

20L/100L

Emulsifiable Botanical Oils

Eco-oil® 850 SL

500ml/100L

55

What's next?

Trials were set up in a complete randomised block design with four replicate blocks per treatment and three plants assessed in each treatment block.

The team is currently preparing data to support a minor use permit for Nufarm Intervene® for rust management in blueberries. With approval from APVMA and organic certifiers, this will give organic growers a new management option for suppression of blueberry rust.

Each block had a 2-plant internal buffer, and each row was separated by a buffer row.

Measuring rust severity

New study to develop on farm management strategies for blueberry rust

We assessed disease severity on 20 leaves per plant by visually rating the leaf area affected by blueberry rust every two weeks (Figure 1).

A new 3-year study beginning in 2023 will test on farm strategies to help prevent and manage blueberry rust, funded by the Tasmanian Government Agricultural Innovation Fund.

This amounted to a massive 25,000+ leaves assessed over the season! The cumulative disease severity for the whole season can be visualised by looking at the area under the disease progress curve (Figure 2).

The project team will tackle two key management issues:

Visual assessment of whole plants revealed a very similar result with copper, mancozeb and intervene treatments displaying very low levels of leaf drop or leaf yellowing compared to other treatments.

1. M anaging rust on semi-evergreen and evergreen cultivars where infection persists on leaves over winter 2. U nderstanding what environmental conditions are optimal for blueberry rust survival and infection and relating these to both climatic conditions in Tasmania and the cultivars grown

Key Findings Disease severity increased over the season (Figure 1). Blueberry rust is favoured by high relative humidity, rainfall and mild-warm temperatures (18–25°C).

The research study includes: Defoliation studies: The aim is to break the rust lifecycle in semi-evergreen varieties. We will measure the impact of short term (810 week) defoliation on plant health, bud development, fruit yield and quality.

These conditions were experienced throughout the trial which most likely contributed to the high disease levels experienced.

Survival & Infection studies: The team will assess what environmental conditions are needed for blueberry rust survival and infection to help identify higher risk sites and weather conditions.

This data will feed into blueberry rust models to pinpoint when and where there is a risk of infection or if blueberry rust is likely to persist over winter.

Growers will be able to use the information to decide if defoliation would be an effective strategy to prevent blueberry rust overwintering in their orchard.

Best performing products included Mancozeb, Copper and Intervene.

There were no differences found between Ecocarb Plus + Oil, Serenade Opti, Anolyte, Aminogro + oil or Eco Oil (Figure 2).

Acknowledgements: This project is funded via the Tasmanian Government through the Agricultural Innovation Fund and is being led by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture.

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Figure 1. Disease severity following application of treatments against blueberry rust. Data presented are the average disease score over time, where a score of 0 indicates leaves with no blueberry rust and 4 indicates leaves with 15-25% leaf area affected by blueberry rust.

Figure 2. Disease severity of blueberry rust expressed as the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) following fortnightly application of selected chemicals from December 2021 through to March 2022.

Different letters at each column indicate significant differences between treatments (P<0.05).

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S T R A W B E R R I E S

Australian Strawberry Breeding Program Update Temperate end of season report, and subtropical and Mediterranean update BS17000: National Strawberry Varietal Improvement Program (2017-2022) Jodi Neal – Principal Plant Breeder, Katie O’Connor – Plant Breeder, Australian Strawberry Breeding Program Team, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Every year we choose specific combinations of parents to cross-pollinate and create thousands of seedlings, each genetically unique. These seedlings are visually assessed in seedling trials for one season in their targeted production region. The seedlings that display desirable fruit and plant architecture characteristics throughout the season are clonally propagated for replicated ‘early-stage’ clonal trials the following year.

The Australian Strawberry Breeding Program (ASBP) works to develop new strawberry varieties specifically adapted to Australia’s three major production climates: temperate, subtropical, and Mediterranean. The new varieties must have superior production traits for profitability for growers, and excellent quality to drive repeat purchases in consumers.

Lines in the early-stage trials are harvested and assessed weekly for yield, average fruit size, flavour, bruise resistance and many other traits. Breeders Jodi and Katie use quantitative genetics analyses to select the best performing lines for a second year of evaluation in ‘advanced-stage’ trials. Comprehensive evaluations are again conducted weekly, with the best material selected and supplied to fruit growers for ‘onfarm’ trials. Feedback and data from the growers at this stage is particularly useful and helps drive the selection of lines, if any, for commercialisation. These four trial stages are conducted concurrently each year in each production region.

ASBP has completed our trials for the temperate production region over the challenging 2021/22 summer season, and 2022 trials for all three regions have recently been planted. This article outlines our breeding activities over the last six months for each region, as well as a summary of some of our advances for the temperate region.

Our breeding program pipeline consists of four stages of trialling: seedlings, early-stage clones, advanced-stage clones, and on-farm trials. These are summarised in Figure 1.

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

Individual seedling plants germinated from seed Best seedlings progress to earlystage clonal trials

Replicated runner plants from best seedlings Best accessions progress to advanced-stage clonal trials

SEEDLING TRIALS

EARLY-STAGE CLONAL TRIALS

YEAR 3

ADVANCEDSTAGE CLONAL TRIALS Replicated runner plants from best early-stage accessions Best accessions progress to on-farm trials

YEAR 4&5

YEAR 6

Best advanced-stage accessions trialled on grower’s properties

Potential commercial release pending grower feedback and overall performance

ON-FARM TRIALS

COMMERCIAL RELEASE

Figure 1. ASBP breeding pipeline showing trial stages. These trials are run every year in each region.

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Temperate breeding trials

Average fruit size in our trials over time is shown in Figure 3. We’ve achieved an increase from a mean of 17.5 g across all trialled accessions in 2015 to 23.8g in 2021. In a commercial setting this would be a substantial boost to profit per plant.

Our temperate breeding trials have now finished for the 2021/22 season. Plants were evaluated in Wandin, Vic (Figure 2) and Applethorpe, Qld from October 2021 to March 2022.

Fruit size consistency – and improvements in plant architecture that support this – are also showing substantial gains (Figure 4). In particular, selection for non-branching flower trusses has made a major impact in this area, and improvements in this trait were observed first-hand by growers at our Wandin field day in March 2022.

Overall, we’re seeing excellent improvements in this population across a number of traits since we took leadership of the temperate program in 2015. Two major breeding targets for this region have been increased; fruit size and more consistent fruit size across the season. Our economic modelling has indicated that these traits are critical in reducing cost of production, resulting in fewer picks (and therefore less time) needed to fill a punnet. Fruit size consistency in particular has historically been problematic in commercial temperate varieties and is one of the main reasons for higher costs of strawberry production in temperate regions compared with other areas.

In our 2020/21 temperate trials, we assessed a total of 12,600 seedlings at Wandin and 1,400 at Applethorpe, with 51 selected for early-stage trials in 2022/23 (Table 1).

Of the 67 early-stage accessions assessed last season at Wandin, 18 have been selected for further trialling in 2022/23, as well as 21 of the 39 advanced-stage clones. Ten elite accessions were also evaluated by ten growers in Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia, and temperate Queensland to assess their on-farm performance.

Since 2015 we’ve made substantial gains in both average fruit size and size consistency in the temperate breeding population.

Figure 2. The Wandin 2020/21 seedling and clonal trial. © State of Queensland, through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Photo credit: Jodi Neal.

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50 45 40

Average fruit size (g)

35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

Trial Year Figure 3. Average fruit sizes of all accessions in temperate clonal trials since 2015. “X” indicates mean trial fruit size.

Figure 4. Temperate accession in late January 2022 showing consistent fruit size and mostly unbranched trusses. © State of Queensland, through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Photo credit: Jodi Neal

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Temperate trials for the 2022/23 season were planted in Wandin and Applethorpe in April 2022. Plant numbers are summarised in Table 1.

Table 1. For each production region in 2022/23: the number of seedlings being assessed, and the number of clonal accessions tested in early, advanced, and on-farm trials.

Region

Location

Seedlings

Early clones

Advanced clones

Wandin, Vic

~14,000

51

39

Applethorpe, Qld

1,302

0

0

Nambour, Qld

16,495

136

42

Bundaberg, Qld

2,723

0

0

Bullsbrook, WA

1,781

23

10

Nambour, Qld

448

0

0

Temperate

On-farm clones 16

Subtropical

11

Mediterranean

7

Subtropical breeding trials One of the guiding principles of our breeding work is to foster the exchange of ideas, so please contact Jodi Neal (jodi.neal@daf.qld.gov.au or 07 5381 1352) if you would like more information. We value your thoughts and appreciate your feedback for the project team.

Our subtropical trials are conducted across Maroochy (Nambour) and Bundaberg Research Facilities, Qld. The 2022 seedling trial consists of 2,723 plants at Bundaberg and 16,495 plants at Nambour (Figure 5), with a total of 138 families being assessed across both sites (Table 1). This year’s subtropical clonal trial was planted in mid-March at Nambour and contained 136 early-stage and 42 advancedstage clones. This year, we have two Bundaberg growers participating in the on-farm trials for the first time. A total of 11 elite accessions will be assessed in five on-farm trials, and feedback from growers will be used to decide if any accessions will be commercialised.

Acknowledgements The Australian Strawberry Breeding Program has been funded by Hort Innovation using the strawberry research and development levy, with cocontributions from the Queensland Government through its Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and funds from the Australian Government.

We thank the contributions by the Temperate and Subtropical Reference Groups and Mediterranean industry members who have helped guide the program, the Industry Development Officers, and all other industry members who provide feedback, advice, and support.

Mediterranean breeding trials The ASBP is working with a grower in Bullsbrook, WA to trial material in the Australian Mediterranean strawberry production region around Perth. The Mediterranean trials this season consist of 1,781 seedlings, 23 early-stage clonal accessions, and 10 advanced-stage accessions (Table 1, Figure 6). A small number of Mediterranean seedlings were planted at Nambour as they weren’t established enough to be transported to WA. Due to transport and survival issues in previous years, clonal copies of seedlings have been maintained in the tissue culture laboratory at Nambour for propagation of selected individuals at the end of the season.

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We are also extremely grateful to all the fruit producers in all states who have trialled, collected data on, and given feedback on our on-farm accessions.

This has helped us make more informed and better commercial judgments.

The Australian Strawberry Breeding Program team members include Jodi Neal (project lead), Maddy Betts (laboratory technical officer), Sandro Donazzon (Wandin field assistant), Mitchell Gates (laboratory assistant), Apollo Gomez (pathologist), Joanna Kristoffersen (genetics and virus indexing), Hui-Chen Lai (WA technical officer), Pierick Martin (Nambour field assistant), Dale McKenna (Nambour field technical officer and hydroponics), Alan McWaters (Applethorpe technical officer), Alan Noon (Wandin field assistant), Katie O’Connor (breeding and genomics), Michelle Paynter (virus indexing, tissue culture, and pathology), Sandy Shaw (Wandin field assistant), Karen Spencer (Wandin operations manager), Matthew Webb (genomics), and Louella Woolcock (Nambour field and glasshouse operations manager).

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Figure 5. 2022 Subtropical seedling trial being planted at Maroochy Research Facility. © State of Queensland, through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Photo credit: Jodi Neal

Figure 6. 2022 Mediterranean trials at Bullsbrook, WA. Far right row: early- and advanced-stage clonal trial.

Other rows: clonally duplicated Mediterranean seedlings. A clonal copy of each seedling is maintained in tissue culture at Nambour. © State of Queensland, through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Photo credit: Jodi Neal

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S T R A W B E R R I E S

Evaluation of sustainable fertilisers in strawberry and other crops David Riches, Scott Mattner, and Ian Porter, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Melbourne

Berry growers will soon have better tools and products to manage organic (e.g., composts and manures) and fertiliser inputs in their cropping systems.

Collaborators in a Smart Farming Partnerships project are developing an App that will allow growers to calculate the release of nutrients from organic amendments into soil to reduce fertiliser rates and costs.

The Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment’s Smart Farming Partnerships Program is supporting research by La Trobe University and other collaborators on ways to better manage fertiliser and organic inputs in cropping systems, such as strawberry production.

At the same time, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) are developing and commercialising new organo-mineral fertilisers containing carbon, manures and nutrients in a granular product that will be locally manufactured in Australia for horticulture and other agricultural industries. These products are being developed through the Australian Bio Fert business of which IPF are a major shareholder.

The program is developing an App that will allow growers to better calculate the release of nutrients from manures and other organic amendments into soil to reduce fertiliser rates and costs, without sacrificing yields (see PAGE 81 Autumn 2022 edition of the Australian Berry Journal for details).

A field trial in a strawberry crop by La Trobe University showed that the use of these products resulted in equivalent runner yields as conventional inorganic fertilisers, but with greater carbon inputs being applied into soil. This is a promising first step and further trials with different formulations of these products are set to continue.

Separately to the research program, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) and Australian Bio Fert Pty Ltd (ABF) have recently announced a partnership and a multimillion-dollar investment into the construction of a largescale plant to manufacture more sustainable fertilisers for Australian agriculture. The plant will have the capacity to produce granular biological fertilisers that combine torrefied organic waste (e.g., manures) with functional carbon and mineral nutrients.

Costs of fertilisers have increased dramatically for growers over the past months. Recent world events such as the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the importance of domestic supply chain security, including for fertilisers. A further complication for growers is that up to 50% of nitrogen can be lost to the environment from soils treated with fertilisers and organic amendments (e.g., manures) through volatilisation (emission of gases) and other processes.

This not only represents a waste of valuable nutrients for crops and money for growers, but also a source of pollution for the environment.

The new products aim to improve soil health, nutrition, and crop production. Researchers from La Trobe University are evaluating the performance of the new products compared with standard inorganic fertilisers and organic amendments in a range of crops, including strawberry.

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a conventional inorganic product (Platinum Plus®, 10.0% N).

Researchers monitored soil and plant nutrition, crop growth and development, and soil health parameters at regular intervals through the trial.

A strawberry runner trial was established on a site with a ferrosol soil at Toolangi, Victoria (Figure 1).

Organic amendments of composted (16 t/ha, 1.8% N) and pelletised (9 tonnes/ha, 3.0%N, BounceBack®) chicken manure were applied in April 2021 before soil fumigation with methyl bromide / chloropicrin.

The final yield of strawberry runners was determined in April 2022. Treatments in the trial were replicated in four blocks (called a randomised complete block design) and results statistically analysed using standard techniques (ANOVA).

The site was planted with mother plants of the strawberry cultivar ‘Red Rhapsody’ in September 2021.

Different fertiliser treatments were chiselled into the soil on both sides of the transplant row at planting.

Top-dress applications of the fertilisers were then made at three times through the season, by spreading the products over the top of individual plots.

Preliminary results from the trial showed that growth of strawberry mother plants was comparable in soils treated with the new biological products and the standard inorganic fertiliser (Figure 2). Runner yields were significantly higher in plots treated with biological and inorganic fertilisers, compared with the control and those treated with chicken manures on their own (Figure 3).

All fertiliser products were applied at a total equivalent rate of 200 kg N/ha over the entire season (8 months).

The fertiliser treatments included two of IPF/ABF’s prototype fertilisers (B5, 8.9% N and B7, 10.0% N) and

Figure 1. Strawberry field trial at Toolangi, Victoria featuring La Trobe University’s automatic chamber system for measuring emission losses of nitrogen and carbon gases from soils treated with different fertilisers and organic amendments. Photo credit: La Trobe University

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Figure 2. Growth of strawberry runners (cv. Red Rhapsody) in soil treated with different fertilisers in a field trial at Toolangi, Victoria in 2021/22. The products B5 and B7 are potential biological fertilisers that will be commercially produced by Incitec Pivot Fertilisers / Australian Bio Fert, and made from organic waste, carbon and inorganic nutrients.

The conventional inorganic fertiliser was Platinum Plus®. All fertiliser products produced equivalent runner yields, but the biological fertilisers inputted greater amounts of carbon into the soil. Carbon is a fuel for soil microbes and improved soil health. Photo credit: La Trobe University

Strawberry Runner Yield (cv. Red Rhapsody) 40

Runner Yield (runner/m of row)

35 25 20 15 5 5 0 No Fertiliser

Chicken Manure

Pelletised Chicken Manure

Conventional Chicken Inorganic Manure + Fertiliser Conventional Inorganic

B7 Biological Fertiliser

Pelletised Chicken Manure + Conventional Inorganic

B5 Biological Fertiliser

Figure 3. Histogram of average yields of strawberry runners (cv. Red Rhapsody) grown in soil treated with different fertiliser products in a field trial at Toolangi, Victoria in 2021/22. The bars above the histograms are statistical error bars for comparing treatments (least significant difference, where p = 0.05).

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Figure 4. Local growers and agronomists inspecting strawberry runners at the trial site at Toolangi, Victoria and discussing the benefits of new biological fertilisers. Photo credit: La Trobe University evaluating the efficiency of new fertiliser and organic products to minimise losses of nitrogen and carbon from treated soils to the atmosphere. For example, some of IPF/ABF’s new products will include inhibitor compounds that suppress the ability of soil microbes to convert nitrogen into gases (i.e., though nitrification processes). It is expected that the inclusion of these inhibitor compounds into the granular products will help to reduce losses of nitrogen through nitrification and volatilisation by 50% or more, and this will flow onto efficiency and cost savings for growers. In addition, many of carbon and nitrogen gases lost from treated soils are environmental pollutants.

Therefore, developing ways to use nitrogen and carbon amendments more efficiently is an important component of the shared environmental stewardship of fertiliser companies and horticultural industries.

Most importantly, runner yields were statistically equivalent in plots treated with the new biological fertilisers and the conventional inorganic fertiliser (Figure 2 & 3). Final analysis of all of the results from the trial are currently being conducted and will be reported in upcoming editions of the Australian Berry Journal.

Some of the practical benefits of the new biological fertiliser observed in the trial were that they contained nutrients and manure in a single product. This meant they could be applied effectively in less passes than chicken manure/inorganic fertiliser combinations.

Moreover, the compound nature of the granule meant that it could be spun out without separating compared with blended fertiliser products. Furthermore, human pathogens are killed by the high temperature in the torrefaction process, thereby reducing food safety risks compared with the use of raw manures.

Growers can follow the progress of research in the national program on twitter (@UnlockSoilOAs), or by contacting David Riches at La Trobe University (d.riches@latrobe.edu.au).

La Trobe University recently held a farm walk at the trial site for local growers and agronomists (Figure 4).

The day included information on IPF/ABF’s new products and a demonstration of La Trobe University’s automated system for measuring emissions of nitrogen and carbon gases to the atmosphere. This equipment will form an important component of future research

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S T R A W B E R R I E S

Queensland Berry Pre-season Prep ‘n’ Party event Suzette Argent, Queensland Berry Industry Development Officer The half day event was comprised of two workshop sessions, the QSGA Annual General Meeting and a social networking event with BBQ style dinner on the beach.

Due to wet weather the BBQ moved indoors, but the weather did not dampen anyone’s spirits with lots of catching up and laughs to be had.

The Queensland Strawberry Growers’ Association (QSGA) are not proceeding with the Annual Dinner & Awards night in 2022. To provide an alternative networking forum this year, an all-berry industry preseason ‘Prep ‘n’ Party’ social event was held on the Sunshine Coast in late February.

Generous sponsorship from Multisteps, Nufarm and Elimbah Co-op funded the social aspects of the event making it free of charge to all growers. Elimbah Co-op kindly sponsored morning tea so everyone could enjoy a casual start to the day.

The day was structured to deliver both informative workshops and provide muchneeded social and networking time for growers before the stress of the winter season kicked in. The event was delivered as part of the Host Innovation funded project ‘MT18020 Facilitating the development of the Australian berry industries’.

Nufarm sponsored a long warm lunch and Multisteps sponsored the BBQ dinner. The sponsors also provided complimentary drinks in the evening to all growers.

Nufarm also donated a product sample of its latest product Intervene® WG Fungicide as a lucky seat prize for the pest and disease workshop.

Sam Adam Nufarm giving free product sample of Intervene® WG Fungicide to winner Adrian Schultz. Photo credit: QSGA

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Workshop 1: All things labour

Apollo described what to look for when undertaking plant and fruit inspections and collections in the field.

He also demonstrated a couple of laboratory diagnostic methods showing how to isolate and identify pathogens.

Participants had a go at conducting ‘isolations’ of diseased plant parts onto media and then prepared slides to observe different fungal spores under the microscope.

Blair Brown, a Queensland Agricultural Workforce Network (QAWN) officer from Growcom, shared the lessons he learnt from developing a gap year program designed to allow high school leavers to travel and explore their own country while making money through farm work.

Paul Jones and David Loxley from Bugs for Bugs, showcased the dynamics of strawberry Integrated Pest Management (IPM), bringing along a variety of beneficial mites and insects now used in the Australian berry industry.

Some interesting insights from this presentation included that this generation (Gen Z) will make up 27% of the total labour force by 2025, they want to do work that is purposeful to the world, and they are very tech-savvy.

The pair also presented a new biocontrol mite strategy, the ‘kick start method’, designed to speed up Two-Spotted Mite control and reduce the reliance on miticide. As well as leading the way with IPM innovations, a variety of insect traps and lures were also presented to help growers enhance control of difficult pests such as fruit flies, beetles, and caterpillars, all once controlled by broad spectrum chemicals.

Amy Nash from MADEC then gave an update on the services they provide to support growers with ethically sourcing a labour force. Rachel Mackenzie from Berries Australia gave a much-needed update on the changes to piece rates helping to explain how the new piece rate is calculated.

Overall, the day was a success with everyone enjoying the opportunity to get out and socialise in a relaxed environment while also engaging in some really useful hands-on learning activities.

Workshop 2: Pest & Disease Sam Adam from Nufarm started the session with a short presentation of Intervene®, a recently registered fungicide for berries with a new mode of action that will assist in the management of grey mould and powdery mildew across berries.

Sam also emphasised the importance of avoiding the pathogen population becoming resistant to fungicides by understanding the concept of mode of action rotation within fungicide products as well as managing the total number of sprays undertaken each season.

With thanks to these sponsors for their support of QSGA

The highlight and a major draw card for the day was the interactive and hands-on pest and disease workshop component.

Apollo Gomez, Senior Plant Pathologist, from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries showcased the diagnostic process following through from field sampling to the laboratory analysis needed to obtain an accurate disease identification.

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David Loxley from Bugs from Bugs

Apollo Gomez from DAF demonstrating how to collect pathogen specimens

Laura Wells from TSL Family Farms attempting to make an isolation from a diseased plant material sample

All images provided by QSGA

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Diseased plant material samples for growers to isolate and analyse

QUEENSLAND SUMMER BERRY PRE-SEASON

PREP ‘N’ PARTY EVENT Agenda:

We welcome all Queensland Berry growers to kick-off the 2022 summer season with a preparation workshop to get ready for the season ahead.

Have a special opportunity to network and socialise with fellow growers in a relaxed environment while the season is quiet.

11.00 am

Arrival and check-in

11.30–12.30pm Lunch 12.45–2.30pm Session 1: All things Labour • Harvest trail and incentives for sourcing labour (BEST Harvest Trail, Linda Clutterbuck) • Lessons from developing a working gap year (Growcom) • Fair Farms registration process and audit standard

THURSDAY 23 JUNE 11.00AM – 7.00PM

(Desda Cullearn, Growcom) • Making peace with piece rates (Rachel McKenzie, Berries Australia)

APPLETHORPE RESEARCH FACILITY NEW ENGLAND HIGHWAY, APPLETHORPE

2.30–3.00pm

Afternoon Tea

3.00–4.00pm

Session 2: Pest & Disease

• Disease resistance and introduction of Intervene® (Nufarm)

THIS EVENT IS FREE FOR ALL BERRY GROWERS TO ATTEND.

• Do you know the signs and symptoms while doing plant and fruit inspections? (Apollo Gomez, DAF)

Hands-on sessions - Do you know your pest and diseases?

THERE WILL BE A FIELD WALK COMPONENT SO PLEASE BRING APPROPRIATE FOOTWEAR.

• Apollo Gomez from DAF will be bringing the lab to you to explore common fungal diseases in strawberries • Paul Jones from Bugs for Bugs will be bringing insects, both

Lunch, afternoon tea & a BBQ dinner will be provided so we request that all attendees register in advance and inform us of any special dietary requirements at bit.ly/PnP-GB-22

good and bad, for you to identify and take a closer look at

4.00-5.00pm

Session 3: Field Walk

The Australian Strawberry Breeding Program (ASBP) team from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will showcase the temperate variety seedling trial at the Applethorpe research facility via a field walk.

This project has been funded by Hort Innovation using research and development levies from the Blueberry Fund, Raspberry and Blackberry Fund and Strawberry Fund and funds from the Australian Government. For more information on the funds and strategic levy investment visit horticulture.com.au

This event is proudly delivered through the Berries Australia project ‘MT18020: Facilitating the development of the Australian berry industries’

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5.00-5.30pm

Berries Australia Update

5.30pm

Social drinks & BBQ dinner

7.30pm

Event close

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Need more information? Please contact Jen Rowling | 0448 322 389 | jenrowling@berries.net.au 74

S T R A W B E R R I E S

Sexy strawberries — the future of strawberry breeding Simoné Moller – Consumer & Sensory Scientist, Philippa Lyons – Senior Consumer & Sensory Scientist Crop & Food Science, Jodi Neal – Principal Plant Breeder, Katie O’Connor – Plant Breeder Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries AS19003: Genetics of Fruit Sensory Preferences (2021-2026) Eight distinct groups of consumers from start-up families and family planners through to health/ nutrition focussed consumer and hospitality staff took part. Discussion topics were centred around understanding consumers’ current knowledge and behaviours before delving into the thoughts and opinions about the new strawberry varieties.

Whilst it sounds like a no-brainer, the true power of consumer research can often be forgotten. Consumer research provides the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of what drives consumer behaviour and can help support the development of business strategies that deliver results.

Consumers were excited by the new novel look of the strawberries; ‘Sexy Strawberries’, ‘Super-Strawb, ‘Pina Colada’ and ‘The Good Berry’ were just some of the names used by consumers to describe the novel varieties assessed (Figure 2).

When working closely with a product it is easy to become biased. Stepping away and checking in with real-world consumers can nurture the needs of current consumers whilst finding ways to attract new ones.

The outcomes of the study highlighted the importance of educating consumers about the defining characteristics of the novel fruits in order to improve product acceptance. Consumers need to be informed about the ripeness of the fruit and what it will taste like as they strongly associate fruit colour with level of ripeness (the paler coloured white and blush fruit were assumed to be underripe whereas the darker red fruit, overripe). Providing information on any additional product properties such as health benefits may also enhance product uptake.

Plant breeders know their products intimately and have successfully created products that consumers have loved and enjoyed for years. However, the consumer environment is continually changing and at a rapid rate. Where farmers once dictated what went on the supermarket shelf, consumers now demand what, when and how produce is delivered.

The Consumer and Sensory Research (CSR) team at Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) are working with the Australian Strawberry Breeding Program (ASBP) team to understand consumer behaviour and preferences to help guide future breeding efforts.

The study also emphasised the importance of understanding the needs of different demographic groups, uncovering potential barriers to purchase.

Chefs and hospitality staff were mesmerised by the different colours and envisaged using the product as a hero ingredient whereas the family focussed, and nutrition enthusiasts were mainly concerned with the novel flavours and health benefits. These insights can support positive growth and industry development and improve preparedness for the increasingly demanding customer.

Consumer Focus Groups In November 2019, DAFs CSR team conducted consumer focus groups, introducing the novel dark red, blush and white strawberry varieties (Figure 1).

The study examined the purchase and consumption behaviours of strawberry consumers as well as their acceptance of the new strawberry varieties.

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S T R A W B E R R I E S

Figure 1. Strawberry varieties – standard red strawberry, dark red strawberry, blush strawberry & white strawberry.

Photo credit: Photoelements.com.au

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Figure 2. Strawberry names generated by consumers in focus groups. Wordcloud generated using www.wordclouds.com

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Figure 3. Panellists in sensory booths at DAFs specialised facility in Coopers Plains, Queensland. Photo credit: DAF

Sensory Profiling and Consumer Evaluation

Acknowledgements This project (Genetics of Fruit Sensory Preference AS19003) was funded

by Hort Innovation as part of the Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative, with co-investment from Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and contributions from the Australian Government.

The DAF CSR team will be conducting further research on these strawberries and several other varieties throughout the duration of the Genetics of Fruit Sensory Preferences project (AS19003). This project aims to link consumer and sensory panel data with the genetics of the fruit to allow plant breeders to develop new varieties suited to consumer needs.

The DAF Consumer and Sensory Research team will be working closely with the DAF Food Chemistry and Genetic Improvement teams to achieve the project goals.

Disclaimer: The above information is sourced from focus groups conducted by the DAF Consumer and Sensory Research team. The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Horticulture Innovation Australia provide the above information as a guide only and take no responsibility for the performance of the varieties on individual farms.

Working with a trained sensory panel (Figure 3) to develop a sensory profile for each strawberry variety will enable the development of a common language for both industry and scientists to use. This language will include descriptors for the appearance, aroma, flavour and texture of each strawberry variety.

Large scale consumer evaluation will provide more detailed information on consumer likes/dislikes, purchase barriers and opportunities for product optimisation.

During this project the CSR team will collaborate with the DAF Food Chemistry and Genetic Improvement teams to identify the genes associated with key consumer qualities. This information can then be used by breeding programs to genetically screen plants and better identify accessions with superior consumer traits, resulting in tastier strawberry varieties.

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S T R A W B E R R I E S

Levels of self-pollination & cross-pollination among fruit on a Queensland strawberry farm Wiebke Kämper, Helen Wallace & Stephen Trueman, Griffith University Cao Dinh Dung & Steven Ogbourne, University of the Sunshine Coast We used DNA fingerprinting techniques to determine what percentages of strawberry achenes arose from self-pollination versus cross-pollination on a strawberry farm (Strawberry Fields) at Palmview in southeast Queensland (Figure 1). The farm contained three cultivars, 'Red Rhapsody', 'Sundrench' and 'Scarlet Rose–ASBP'.

• DNA fingerprinting reveals that almost all achenes (seeds) arose from self-pollination rather than cross-pollination • Fruit size increased with an increasing number of filled achenes on each fruit

We studied a block on the farm where 44 rows of Red Rhapsody were planted next to 49 rows of Sundrench. We assessed DNA from the fruit of 24 plants for each cultivar.

The plants were located along six transects per cultivar, with each transect consisting of a plant in the first row (1m), third row (3m), tenth row (10m) and twentieth row (20m) from the other cultivar. Three mature fruit per plant were harvested on 25 July 2019 and three mature fruit per plant were harvested on 28 August 2019. Ten achenes were analysed from each fruit. This meant that we analysed DNA from nearly 3000 achenes.

Dr Christopher Menzel provided an excellent review in Edition 8 (Spring 2021) of the Australian Berry Journal on the importance of pollination for strawberry production.

His review highlighted that most strawberry cultivars are self-compatible, meaning that they only require pollen from the same cultivar rather than from a different cultivar to fertilise the achenes (seeds). He also pointed out that pollinating insects are important for increasing the amount of pollen deposited on the flowers, increasing the number of achenes that fully develop on the fruit and, as a consequence, increasing the yield of large marketable fruit.

Almost all achenes on the fruit of both cultivars arose from self-pollination (Figure 2). Only 21 out of 1440 Red Rhapsody achenes (1.5%) were cross-pollinated, with cross-pollinated achenes being detected in only 14 out of 144 Red Rhapsody fruit. Similarly, only 32 out of 1440 Sundrench achenes (2.2%) were cross-pollinated, with cross-pollinated achenes being detected in only 28 out of 144 Sundrench fruit. The percentages of fruit that were partly cross-pollinated did not differ significantly with distance from the other cultivar. The percentages of cross-pollinated achenes per fruit were also not affected significantly by distance from the other cultivar.

Self-compatible strawberry cultivars are good for growers because they mean that fruit production is not dependent on pollen being transported across the farm from one cultivar to another. However, just because strawberry cultivars are self-compatible does not mean that their achenes can only be self-fertilised. Some flowers might receive pollen from a different cultivar and so some achenes might be cross-fertilised. A strawberry fruit might contain a mixture of self-fertilised and crossfertilised achenes. Cross-pollination may be more frequent where one cultivar is planted very close to another cultivar, because the insects on flowers there are more likely to have arrived from the flowers of a different cultivar.

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On average, 96% of Red Rhapsody achenes were filled (Table 1) but only 78% of Sundrench achenes were filled (Table 2). The sizes of both Red Rhapsody and Sundrench fruit were strongly related to the number of filled achenes on each fruit (Figure 3). Colour, firmness and Brix:acid were not affected significantly by the number or percentage of filled achenes in either Red Rhapsody (Table 1) or Sundrench (Table 2).

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Figure 1. Red Rhapsody and Sundrench plants at Strawberry Fields, Palmview, Queensland. Photo credit: Wiebke Kämper Figure 2. Percentage of partly cross-pollinated fruit and fully self-pollinated fruit of (A) Red Rhapsody and (B) Sundrench at different distances from the other cultivar. Means (+SE) for cross-pollination levels within each cultivar do not differ significantly across rows (GLM, p > 0.05, n = 6).

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Table 1. Strength of relationships (r2: 0–1 scale) between the number or percentage of filled achenes and the size or quality of Red Rhapsody fruit.

Table 2. Strength of relationships (r2: 0–1 scale) between the number or percentage of filled achenes and the size or quality of Sundrench fruit.

Red Rhapsody fruit had 270 filled achenes on average, which represented 96% of all achenes.

Sundrench fruit had 263 filled achenes on average, which represented 78% of all achenes.

Number of filled achenes

Percentage of filled achenes

Number of filled achenes

Percentage of filled achenes

r2

P

r2

r2

P

r2

P

Length

0.04

*

<0.001

Length

0.69

***

0.32

***

Diameter

0.33

***

0.02

Diameter

0.65

***

0.31

***

Mass

0.42

***

0.03

Mass

0.68

***

0.26

***

Brightness

0.01

0.02

Brightness

0.06

0.02

Redness

0.005

0.006

Redness

0.001

0.003

Yellowness

0.001

0.015

Yellowness

0.001

0.012

Firmness

0.007

0.001

Firmness

0.003

0.006

Brix: Acid

0.025

0.014

Brix: Acid

0.004

0.007

Fruit size & quality

Fruit size & quality

P

*

Significant linear regressions are indicated by asterisks (* P < 0.05; *** P < 0.001; n = 14-129). All r values were positive.

Significant linear regressions are indicated by asterisks (*** P < 0.001; n = 28-116). All r values were positive.

Figure 3. Relationships between fruit mass and the number of filled achenes on (A) Red Rhapsody fruit and (B) Sundrench fruit.

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Relationships between fruit size and the number or percentage of filled achenes are a common feature among strawberry cultivars, as explained by Dr Christopher Menzel last year in the Australian Berry Journal.

‘Increasing yield and quality in tropical horticulture with better pollination, fruit retention and nutrient distribution’ (PH16001) is funded by the Hort Frontiers Pollination Fund, part of the Hort Frontiers strategic partnership initiative developed by Hort Innovation, with co-investment from Griffith University, University of the Sunshine Coast, Plant & Food Research Ltd and contributions from the Australian Government.

Our results support his conclusion that exposing the flowers to more pollinators, for example by introducing bee hives, is likely to increase the yield of marketable fruit by improving pollen deposition, achene filling and fruit size.

We thank Strawberry Fields for assistance and access to their farm.

We thank Ryan Newis, Tsvakai Gama and Joel Nichols for field and laboratory assistance.

Moreover, pollinators do not need to deposit cross-pollen (i.e. from a different cultivar), at least in the case of Red Rhapsody and Sundrench, because these cultivars can produce marketable fruit almost entirely as a result of self-pollination (i.e. with pollen from the same cultivar).

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Do strawberry plants need larger canopies, more flowers, or higher rates of photosynthesis for higher yields?

Christopher Menzel, Principal Horticulturist, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries diversity across commercial breeding populations.

This article explores the impact of breeding on the productivity of strawberry. Specifically, it assessed whether cultivars need larger canopies, more flowers, or higher rates of photosynthesis to achieve higher yields.

Higher temperatures under global warming are likely to change many aspects of strawberry physiology, including higher rates of photosynthesis, more leaves and fewer flowers and fruit.

• Productivity in strawberry depends on the production of new leaves, crowns and flowers • Research to determine if cultivars with open canopies have higher yields than those with dense canopies would be helpful • The structure of the canopy may become more important in the future • This is because higher temperatures under global warming will promote the leaves at the expense of the flowers and fruit

Impact of breeding on plant architecture and yield There are a few studies that have examined whether the increases in productivity in strawberry have been associated with changes in photosynthesis or the architecture of the plants.

Introduction

Harbut (2009) reported on the productivity of 20 cultivars released in north-eastern United States from 1891 to 2003. Productivity was variable with no trend with the year of release for yield. The number of flowers per plant halved over the period. Total plant dry weight increased over time, primarily due to an increase in crown dry weight and less importantly root dry weight. Leaf area ratio (LAR) decreased over time, while photosynthesis was stable. Leaf area ratio is the amount of leaf area per unit of plant dry weight. Low LARs reflect open canopies and high light levels at the base of plants. It is difficult to separate the factors affecting productivity in this study. Higher yields in the 1980s reflect larger plants with open canopies, whereas more recent cultivars have insufficient flowers for high yields.

Productivity in strawberry is dependent on the production of new crowns, leaves and inflorescences, with fruit growth dependent on photosynthesis occurring in the leaves. A review of several reports showed that the relationship between yield, growth and photosynthesis is not always clear. Cultivars achieve high yields in different ways, depending on the population, growing system and environment. The relationship between yield and plant architecture is an important consideration when developing new cultivars. Research to determine if cultivars with open canopies have higher yields than those with dense canopies would be helpful. The structure of the canopy may become more important in the future. This is because higher temperatures under global warming will promote the leaves at the expense of the flowers and fruit.

Shaw and Larson (2008) indicated that the mean (± SE or standard error) yields of cultivars released in California from 1993 to 2004 were three times (1429 ± 61 g per plant) those released from 1945 to 1966 (595 ± 42 g per plant). The newer cultivars had larger canopies than the old cultivars.

The yields of new cultivars peaked in the 1970s and 1980s in many locations around the globe. This was possibly because of the focus of breeding on fruit quality and other plant traits. There has also been a loss of genetic

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Chiomento et al. (2021) examined the productivity of nine cultivars released from the University of California from 1992 to 2013. Mean yield was 356 ± 24 g per plant and ranged from 218 to 453 g per plant. There was no relationship between yield and the year that the cultivar was released.

Strik and Proctor (1988) examined the performance of several cultivars in North America over two seasons.

Photosynthesis was higher during periods of strong shoot or fruit growth. Yield and photosynthesis varied across the cultivars, however, there was no relationship between the two measures of productivity.

Flanagan et al. (2020) collected data on growth and yield for 12 cultivars released from 1984 to 2017 from California, Florida and Maryland. Mean canopy diameter was 21.0 ± 0.4 cm and ranged from 17.2 to 22.7 cm.

Mean marketable yield was 347 ± 27 g per plant and ranged from 215 to 529 g per plant. There were no relationships between canopy diameter or yield, and the year that the cultivar was released.

The relationship between yield and photosynthesis in strawberry is unclear. Most of the studies report data on photosynthesis per leaf area over a single day. In many crops, there is usually a better relationship between yield and seasonal photosynthesis by the canopy.

Scott et al. (2021) investigated the performance of ten cultivars in Texas that were released from 1992 to 2014.

Data were collected on yield and plant vigour (1= poor vigour and 4 = excellent vigour). Mean yield was 342 ± 22 g per plant and ranged from 222 to 431 g per plant.

Mean plant vigour was 2.9 ± 0.2 and ranged from 1.7 to 4.0. There was no relationship between yield or plant vigour, and the year that the cultivar was released.

Later cultivars had similar yields as the early cultivars, although Texas accounts for less than 1% of total strawberry production in the United States.

The correlation between yield and growth can indicate the main traits associated with high yields. The results for strawberry are mixed, with both weak (N = 69 studies) and strong correlations between yield and canopy, leaf, crown or flower production (N = 47 studies). The different responses could be due to variations in productivity, the methods used to assess growth, or the mechanisms associated with high yields in the populations.

Plant breeding has increased the productivity of strawberry over the last 100 years. Higher yields have been associated with increases in the size of the plants.

Information is now required to determine whether there have been changes in architecture and the distribution of light within the canopy.

There is little information on yield and plant architecture in strawberry. In many crops, leaf area index (LAI) is used to estimate the amount of light intercepted by the canopy. Leaf area index is the one-sided area of the photosynthetic tissue or green leaf area per unit ground surface area. In row crops such as strawberry, the surface area is usually taken as the total planted area (ha).

Relationship between yield and plant growth

Relationship between yield and plant architecture

Relationship between yield and photosynthesis

Best yields are often achieved with an LAI of 3 to 4, although some crops such as cotton have the best yields with an LAI of 4 to 6. Leaf area indices greater than 6 or 7 usually reflect excessive leaf growth and shading of the lower canopy. Apple is an exception, with a relatively low optimum LAI of 1.2 to 2.0 in many plantings, while maize is at the opposite end of the spectrum, with an optimum LAI of 6.0 to 9.0.

Healthy strawberry leaves absorb about 90% of the incoming radiation. Some of the incoming energy is lost in heating the plant and some is reflected into the atmosphere. Overall, about 75% of energy is used for cooling and not used in photosynthesis.

Hancock et al. (1989) studied the relationship between yield and photosynthesis in seven cultivars in Maryland in the United States. There was no relationship between yield and mean photosynthesis over the season. In contrast, there was a moderate relationship between yield and the stability of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis was more stable in high-yielding cultivars than in low-yielding cultivars over a range of favourable and unfavourable conditions for carbon assimilation.

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The arrangement of the leaves within the canopy is just as important as LAI. Leaf area density (LAD) reflects the total area of the leaves per volume of the canopy (m2 per m3). Plants with open canopies and low LADs often have higher yields than plants with dense canopies and high LADs. Plants with dense canopies have less light reaching the lower leaves.

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Plants with open canopies have higher yields than those with dense canopies. Photo credit: Chris Menzel, DAF

Yield is dependent on new leaves, crowns and flowers. Photo credit: Chris Menzel, DAF

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Conclusions • T he relationship between yield, growth and photosynthesis in strawberry is not clear.

700 650 Yield (g per 30 cm of row)

Information on yield and LAI in strawberry is sparse.

Mean LAIs ranged from 0.8 to 3.2 and yields ranged from 220 to 1028 g per plant in several studies in Brazil and Turkey. Researchers in Florida suggested that strawberry cultivars with very open canopies (scores below 2.5 in a scale from 1 = very open to 5 = very dense) had lower yields than those with dense canopies.

600 550 500 450 400

• C ultivars can achieve high yields in different ways, depending on the population, growing system and environment.

350 0.7

• S ome cultivars have higher yields because they have larger canopies or more flowers.

0.8

0.9

1.0

1.1

1.2

1.3

Stability of net CO2 assimiliation

• T here is insufficient evidence to indicate if other cultivars have higher yields because they have higher rates of photosynthesis.

Figure. 1. Relationship between yield and the stability of net CO2 assimilation (photosynthesis) in strawberry cultivars in Maryland, United States. Photosynthesis was more stable in high-yielding cultivars than in low-yielding cultivars over a range of favourable and unfavourable conditions for carbon assimilation.

Data from Hancock et al. (1989).

Yield = Intercept + 451 × Stability index (P = 0.052, R2 = 0.48).

• T he relationship between yield and plant architecture is an important consideration when developing new cultivars.

Research to determine if cultivars with open canopies have higher yields than those with dense canopies would be a good start. The need for more open canopies may become more important in the future.

This is because higher temperatures under global warming will promote the leaves at the expense of the flowers and fruit. These efforts will help breeders maximize productivity in different growing areas.

The use of image analyses to characterise the canopy will assist the development of high-yielding cultivars.

Genome-wide association (GWA) and genomic prediction (GP) will also accelerate the identification of high-yielding populations and individuals.

The Queensland Government has funded the research through the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. Many thanks to the Florida Strawberry Growers’ Association (FSGA) for financial support, and Dr Penny Measham (DAF) for reading an earlier version of this article.

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Red Leaf Disorder: 2022 Update BS19001: Developing knowledge and management of strawberry Red Leaf Disorder Michelle Paynter: Research Scientist, Joanna Kristoffersen: Research Scientist, Red leaf Disorder Research Team Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries

Red Leaf Disorder (RL) of strawberry, characterised by interveinal reddening of the older leaves, is an emerging disorder occurring in commercial strawberry fields in Queensland since 2014, and a major cause of fruit yield loss. This report describes what progress has been made in identifying the causal agent, how the disorder is affecting commercial fruit growers, and ongoing research planned.

Progress report

Many narna- and mitoviruses that infect Plasmopara were also found. This could suggest that either Plasmopara or the narna- and mitoviruses transmitted

by Plasmopara could be involved. Narnaviruses have single-stranded RNA genomes and are associated with a fungi host. Mitoviruses are simple RNA viruses that replicate in host mitochondria and are also associated with fungi.

A research project conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and the University of Queensland (UQ), co-funded through Hort Innovation from the Strawberry Fund was initiated in 2020 to investigate potential causal agents of Red Leaf (RL).

Molecular investigations undertaken in this project using plants displaying varying degrees of RL symptoms in comparison to RL-free plants did not identify any clear pathogens that were specific to only RL symptomatic plants. However, several organisms, particularly Phytoplasma, are of particular interest.

The Pleosporales family was detected across all samples, and Xanthomonas bacteria (which cause bacterial spots of leaves, stems and fruit) including X. arboricola was present in all samples except one. It is believed that a pathogen from Acholeplasmataceae (includes Phytoplasma and Acholeplasma) shows the greatest promise as the causal agent of RL from these analyses.

RNA sequencing To identify potential pathogens, collaborative partner Professor Peer Schenk from UQ, used Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) based meta sequencing data to detect any eukaryotic, bacterial, or viral organisms in strawberry plant samples.

It may be that these species, along with the viruses they contain, contribute to the RL symptoms in the presence of other biotic or abiotic constraints.

Further molecular analysis is needed to verify the ongoing relationship between the potential targets and RL in subsequent seasons.

Phytoplasma (and related Acholeplasma) was the only genus that was found across all samples tested.

Phytoplasma is a cell wall-free bacterium that often resides in vascular tissue and causes virus-like symptoms.

Transcriptome analyses of plants demonstrating various stages of RL symptoms compared to RL-free controls need to be undertaken to identify plant response genes or pathways that are differentially regulated based on disorder state.

Plasmopara, a genus of the oomycetes, was also dominant across all samples. Plasmopara species are plant pathogens known for downy mildew disease.

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Microscopy analysis and PCR

Additionally, 27 nm isometric particles were present in a range of but not all samples and may have an association with RL symptoms. Identification of these viruses and verification of the closterovirus-like particles requires use of specific laboratory assays as a range of isometric viruses are known in strawberry.

These viruses may also represent novel viruses, for which there are currently no specific tests.

In conjunction with research undertaken by UQ, DAF analysed strawberry plants under a transmission electron microscope (TEM) and by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), comparing plants with symptoms of RL and asymptomatic controls.

Additional RNA sequence data were incorporated from previous DAF project work to enable analysis across the largest available dataset and across multiple seasons (2018, 2019, 2020).

Farm survey – season 2021 Nine strawberry fruiting farms in the SEQ region were selected to collect data on RL incidence and severity in the 2021 season. Other properties in relation to the plants, such as plugs vs bare-rooted, soil type, bed height and spacing, and fumigation were examined.

It was determined that the most informative RNA sequencing data analysis would be obtained by applying two criteria: (1) I dentifying common microorganisms that are present in all (or nearly all samples). This is based on the observation that symptom-free plants can often develop symptoms after several weeks if plants underwent mild or severe stresses;

We also looked at the effects of using 2-year-old plastic to determine if there could be a build-up of any potential pathogens. Farms were visited every four weeks from May to October. Due to numerous factors late in the 2021 season, several farms removed some of the cultivars we were surveying early, limiting our data collection for visiting September and October data collections.

(2) I dentify microorganisms that were only present (or more abundant) in plants with RL symptoms but not in symptom-free plants. The emphasis was placed on identifying potential pathogens that were present in all samples.

Cultivars surveyed included: Red Rhapsody, Scarlet Rose-ASBP, Parisienne Kiss, Aussiegem, Sundrench, Splendor and Confidence.

A range of virus particles or virus-like particles were observed in TEM analyses of strawberry leaf samples analysed: full and empty 21 nm isometric/spherical particles, and 70 nm isometric particles. Possible fragments of closterovirus-like particles were detected in a small number of samples.

Several methods (Generalised linear mixed models, conditional inference trees), were used for the statistical analysis of the RL data collected in 2021. Time, Farm, Propagator, as well as the interaction between Cultivar and Farm were significant predictors of RL in all

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Among the cultivars, Sundrench displayed consistently high RL and Splendor consistently low RL.

(or most) of the models. That is, there were significant differences in RL among farms and where plants were sourced from.

All the farms surveyed in 2021 had RL present on their properties, with observations of RL in plants from both runners and plugs.

RL increased with time, but it did so in a curvilinear fashion (Figure 1). RL (%) peaked in observations #4 and #5 (August, September). RL % increased sometime between observations #4 and #5 followed by a decrease.

Unfortunately, there was not as much data (i.e., quite a few missing plants) for observations #5 and especially #6 due to early removal of plants.

Of interest was a big increase of RL observed in 2021 from one farm growing plants in above ground Coco peat substrate.

This farm showed an average of up to 0.007% plants per row showing RL in August 2020, increasing to 3.79% in August 2021. This is suggestive but not conclusive that RL is not necessarily soil transmissible, or only limited to field systems.

Analyses of the data from the farms surveyed in 2021, show Parisienne Kiss, Aussiegem, and Sundrench had higher RL (%), while Confidence, Scarlet Rose-ASBP, and Splendor had lower RL (%) (Figure 2).

Our results show that there was more RL in the farms we surveyed in 2021 than the previous year. From the 11 farms we surveyed in the years 2020 and 2021, seven of these were surveyed both years, the remaining four farms surveyed once in these two years.

Red Leaf Disorder (%)

Red Rhapsody had very high variability in RL (%).

This may be in part because this cultivar is planted the most in Queensland, produced the most data, and is possibly grown in more variable conditions than the other cultivars. Cultivars and farms differed in their RL rankings and relative values.

Observation # Figure 1. RL% vs strawberry Cultivar by Observation for 2021 farm survey

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One-off farm survey

This is a complex issue and not easy to combat in today’s environment.

One-off farm visits on the Sunshine Coast were also conducted towards the end of the 2021 fruiting season.

There were overwhelmingly high levels of RL in some of these farms (see Figure 3 for highest and lowest RL %), especially from cultivars Festival reaching 35.5%, Petaluma 42%, Grenada 61%, and Red Rhapsody 68.5%.

Our ongoing aim is to survey as many cultivars as we can to capture a bigger picture of how RL is affecting the industry, and to build our knowledge of possible tolerance genes to RL.

Eventually, if a causal agent is identified; and if it is found to be pathogenic, it is recommended that research to be conducted to develop a broad set of control options.

This is required to sustain the strawberry industry into the future, to provide effective disease controls for all industry sectors (conventional, organic, nursery), and to build a greater level of precision and flexibility in management.

Where are we going from here?

Areas of research with the greatest benefit to growers include:

We are building a better understanding of the spread and economic impact RL has on the commercial Queensland strawberry industry; however this disorder is complex and there is still work to do.

Research undertaken by DAF continues. Our intent is to further improve the knowledge of RL epidemiology, potentially confirming a candidate responsible for the cause of the disorder, and further analysing the economic impacts on commercial strawberry producers that can be shared directly with industry and stakeholders.

• A reliable diagnostic tool • T reatments for reducing the amount of the pathogen (if it is a pathogen) • Investigating RL tolerant varieties

Red Leaf Disorder (%)

• E stablishing a farm biosecurity plan to protect against RL within farms (if pathogenic)

Cultivator Figure 1. RL% vs strawberry Cultivar by Observation for 2021 farm survey

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Highest and Lowest % RD 2021 80 70

Percentage (%)

60 50 40 30 20 10 0

Fortuna

Festival

Petaluma Lowest % RL

Grenada

Red Rhapsody

Highest % RL

Figure 3. Highest and lowest percentages for strawberry plants showing RL. One off farm visit, 2021.

If you grow different cultivars than the ones mentioned in this article and would be happy to have the RL team visit once a month through the winter season, we would love to hear from you.

Acknowledgements BS19001: Developing knowledge and management of strawberry red leaf disorder has been funded by Hort Innovation using the strawberry research and development levy, with co-contributions from the Queensland Government through its Department of Agriculture and Fisheries and funds from the Australian Government.

A special thank you to the Queensland strawberry production growers that allowed extensive data collection on their properties throughout the season as well as the Queensland Strawberry Growers Association for ongoing support. All funding support for this work is from the Queensland Government’s: Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.

Disclaimer: the above information is sourced from trials conducted on strawberry in Australia. This is the best available information on Queensland local conditions at these sites. The information provided here may not be applicable for all regions and varieties. The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, and Horticulture Innovation Australia provide the above information as a guide only and take no responsibility for data accuracy.

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R U B U S

On farm Chemical Trials – Grower host sites needed Mark Salter, Berry Industry Development Officer, Fruit Growers Tasmania

Agrichemical access is increasingly becoming a challenging issue within the berry industry, with growers reporting increasing pest resistance pressures and few chemical options available in their toolbox.

These datasets have to be developed for each crop and pest species and are essential for getting APVMA approval for new chemicals to be used within the sector. Developing these trial datasets will lead to growers gaining access to more modern and more tailored products.

To help address this problem, Rubus growers across Australia are being asked to get involved with formal trials of new agrichemical products. Run by Staphyt and funded by Hort Innovation using the raspberry and blackberry research and development levy and funds from the Australian Government, the trials will develop chemical residue datasets to support registration of new agrichemical options for producers.

With so many reasons to be involved, Berries Australia encourages all Rubus growers to consider being involved in these trials.

ST17000 – Vayego Target pests:

Trials required:

Cluster Caterpillar

Efficacy/safety trials: 4 in Raspberry and 3 in Blackberry

Heliothis (Helicoverpa armigera) Leafroller Moths Light Brown Apple Moth Loopers Monolepta beetle Redshouldered Leaf Beetle

Rated as Moderate pests Cluster Caterpillar is rated as a moderate priority in Victoria and Western Australia, a high priority in New South Wales and a low priority in Tasmania.

Light Brown Apple Moth is rated as a moderate priority in Western Australia, a high priority in Victoria and Tasmania and a low priority in New South Wales Loopers are rated as a high priority in all regions except New South Wales, where they are rated as a moderate priority

TRIAL CO-OPERATOR CROP COMPENSATION: $1,900 PER TRIAL RASPBERRIES, $1,800 PER TRIAL BLACKBERRIES

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ST17000 – Propamocarb + Fluopicolide (Infinito®) Target pests:

Trials required:

Downy Mildew

Efficacy trials: 4 in Blackberry

Downy Mildew in blackberries is rated as a moderate priority in New South Wales and Tasmania, high priority in Victoria, and low priority in Western Australia.

TRIAL CO-OPERATOR CROP COMPENSATION: $2,775 PER TRIAL ST17000 – Flonicamid Target pests:

Trials required:

Green Vegetable Bug Green Stink Bug Harlequin Bug Rutherglen Bug Mirids Apple Dimpling Bug Jassids Leafhoppers Aphids Apple Dimpling Bug

Efficacy trials: 1 in Raspberry 1 in Blackberry

Green Stink Bug is rated as a high priority in all regions.

Green Vegetable Bug is rated as a high priority in all regions except New South Wales, where it is rated as a moderate priority.

TRIAL CO-OPERATOR CROP COMPENSATION: $1,575 PER TRIAL ST18001 – Versys® Target pests:

Trials required:

Green Peach Aphid Apple Dimpling Bug

Efficacy trials: 2 in Blackberry and 2 in Raspberry

Green Peach Aphid is a moderate priority and Apple Dimpling Bug is low except in WA where it is a high priority.

TRIAL CO-OPERATOR CROP COMPENSATION: $2,500 PER TRIAL ST19020 – Oberon® Miticide Target pests:

Trials required:

Two-Spotted Mites

Efficacy trials: 1 in Raspberry

Two Spotted Mite is rated as a high priority in all regions.

Two Spotted Mite is most commonly found in red raspberries.

TRIAL CO-OPERATOR CROP COMPENSATION: $2,000 PER TRIAL To find out more or get involved, contact Celia van Sprang, Technical Manager, Staphyt cvansprang@staphyt.com | 0407 252 114

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As previously communicated, the berry industry has been awarded grant funding to undertake trials to support a Sivanto® Prime registration in Rubus, blueberries and strawberries.

This second project will be contracted by June 2022. We will also need suitable sites for these trials this season so I would appreciate it if any interested growers could contact myself or Jodie Pedrana directly.

Sivanto® Prime Target pests:

Trials required:

Green Stink Bug Green Vegetable Bug Cottonseed Bug

6 in Blueberries

Green Stink Bug, Green Vegetable Bug, Cottonseed Bug are rated a low priority.

Green Stink Bug Green Vegetable Bug Cottonseed Bug

6 in Raspberries & Blackberries

Green Stink Bug is rated as a high priority in all regions.

Rutherglen Bug Green Mirids Brown Mirids

4 in Strawberries

Green Vegetable Bug is rated as a high in all regions except New South Wales, where it is rated as a moderate priority.

Rutherglen Bug, Green Mirids & Brown Mirids are a moderate priority.

Green Stink Bug adults are 14-19 mm long, green coloured, and shaped like a shield.

Photo credit: Daren Mueller, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org

To find out more or get involved, contact Jodie Pedrana or Mark Salter Jodie.Pedrana@horticulture.com.au | berryido@fruitgrowerstas.org.au

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Australian Raspberries & Blackberries Marketing Update Monique Emmi, Marketing Manager, Hort Innovation

• The Australian Raspberry and Blackberry marketing campaign continued throughout March and April inspiring consumers to enjoy delicious fresh berries • Inspiring video content continues to appeal strongly to consumers on social media • Sales volumes continue to grow for both Raspberries and Blackberries

Branded Content The visually stunning branded content drives traffic to the Australian Raspberry and Blackberry website which is a terrific resource for recipes and information about Australian Berries.

Video Content on Social Media Amplified video content shared on social media in March achieved more than 1.7 million impressions whilst the content created by the influencers amassed 2,700 saves.

Native articles, which are a piece of brand-sponsored content that are commissioned or paid to look and feel like a natural piece of the publisher's website, are included as a part of the brand partnership strategy in this year’s program.

They have been positioned in ‘mood’ and ‘positivity’ themed articles and syndicated across lifestyle magazines such as Marie Claire, New Idea and Better Homes and Gardens. These articles have reached 340,000 people in the target audience of Creative Foodies, Brunch Lovers and those seeking inspiration for healthy breakfasts, desserts and sweets.

High quality engagement such as ‘saves’ are linked to intent to purchase berries and try the recipe.

Impressions: the total number of times social media browsers have been showed your content.

97

Facebook, with its 18,500 followers is performing well and maintaining a strong engagement rate of 5%.

RASPBERRIES • the value of raspberry sales has grown significantly when compared with a year ago and the amount of raspberries sold has also increased

Instagram continues to grow with 1100 followers and an equally strong 5% engagement rate.

• on average, raspberries are being purchased more frequently although the amount purchased on each shopping trip is about the same, but with higher average prices the total category value has increased • buyers who come back for more raspberries are doing so on average 2 days sooner than before

BLACKBERRIES • the growth in the value of blackberries has outperformed total Rubus and other berries • there has been a slight drop in the number of households purchasing blackberries as compared to a year ago • consumers are still buying about the same volume of blackberries each time they make a purchase • buyers who come back for more blackberries are doing so on average 2 days sooner than before

See more on our social media pages FACEBOOK-SQUARE instagram freshaussieberries

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Engineered with tOmorrow in mind Haygrove supply field-scale polytunnels, substrate systems and associated technologies to growers of over 30 crops in more than 50 countries

 LABOUR efficiencies  Yield and Quality Season Extension Strength, ease of management and a superior agronomic environment allow growers to reduce labour requirements, extend cropping seasons and optimise yield and quality

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Profile: Driaan Conradie, Perfection Fresh Mark Salter, Berry Industry Development Officer, Fruit Growers Tasmania

Driaan was born in South Africa where his interest in farming began.

After school, he attended Cape Peninsula University of Technology and studied Agricultural Management. After finishing his studies, he worked in various agricultural sectors, including vineyards, olives, pome fruit and stone fruit, ending up in different areas of citrus production for 8 years.

Both Driaan and his wife then began looking for opportunities in Australia and applied for the skilled visa necessary to move to Australia. Driaan and his wife received state sponsorship from Tasmania as skilled workers and shortly after, he applied for a position with Perfection Fresh in Tasmania starting with the company in March 2020. He gradually worked his way through the ranks and is now Farm Manager at Perfection Fresh’s 46ha berry farm at Riana in Northern Tasmania.

Production The Perfection Fresh site at Riana was established in 2018 to grow blueberries, raspberries and strawberries in tunnels utilising a hydroponic growing system.

Blueberries are the largest berry volume at this site. The blueberry varieties are all Perfection Fresh selections with the aim of having a wide harvest window. The plants are all grown in coir substrate.

Perfection also grows raspberries which are high yielding, large and sweet fruit. Perfection Fresh continually runs trials to optimise the fruit offer both from a growing perspective and to match consumer preferences.

The raspberries are also grown in coir substrate.

Irrigation is managed by a Priva control system with all plants being fed a fertigation mix depending on berry type and production cycle. Perfection Fresh has an on-farm water storage capacity, stored in spring fed dams. The company also has access to the local irrigation scheme if needed.

Labour Perfection Fresh utilise seasonal workers though approved supplier programs, with local labour and backpackers making up the balance. Driaan commented that the biggest challenge this season has been ensuring continuity of labour due to the impact COVID-19. This was especially difficult during the January period when COVID-19 was at its peak in Tasmania and harvest was also in full swing.

Marketing Perfection Fresh market their premium fruit under the “Perfection” brand, with fruit being sold across the country through independent retailers and supermarkets.

The company also supply a 'superior' offering during the Tasmanian harvest for select niche customers.

The company also grows strawberry varieties on the farm; these are chosen because of their high brix, solid sweet fruit and high yields. The strawberries are grown on tabletops in coir substrate bags.

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1.

3.

2.

4.

Figure 1 & 2. Riana farm site seen from the air showing some of the 46ha of tunnels. Photo credit: Perfection Fresh Figure 3. Driaan Conradie in one of the raspberry tunnels. Photo credit: Mark Salter, FGT Figure 4. Blueberry bushes grown in coir pots in tunnels. Photo credit: Mark Salter, FGT

Challenges and the future

Future

Whilst there are always challenges in fruit and vegetable production due to nature of the industry, this year brought the added burden of COVID-19 plus the increasing costs of production inputs like packaging, coir, fertiliser, and wages.

Driaan says the company is looking to continue growth through expanding production and bringing superior varieties to the market.

Perfection Fresh will continue its model of securing the best proprietary varieties to satisfy consumer needs and leverage its national scale. Marketing and branding will play a key role in ensuring consumers can find the best berries shopping across the berry patch and drive repeat purchase.

One of the other major challenges this year has been the weather and in particular the low light intensity, with some of the lowest light levels on record. This translated into a slower start to the season and an earlier finish to the season for some varieties.

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Biological control of invasive European blackberries — research continues despite COVID–19 related challenges Dr Raelene Kwong, Senior Research Scientist Biological Control on Invasive Species, Agriculture Victoria

In this article, we learn more about the progress being made by Australian scientists to investigate the potential of a new biocontrol agent against weedy blackberry species in Australia. In the Spring 2021 edition, we outlined how researchers from Agriculture Victoria and CSIRO’s European laboratories are working together to ensure that rigorous scientific approaches are being utilised to assess the suitability of this new agent, a cane-boring sawfly.

The first stage of the project involved close liaison with the berry industry to prioritise a list of Rubus cultivars to include in “host specificity testing studies”.

These studies assess the ability of the sawfly to lay eggs and survive on plant species that are closely related to weedy blackberry (Rubus fruticosus aggregate).

These include commercially important blackberry and raspberry cultivars, as well as Australian native species such as native raspberries. With so many commercial varieties currently available, not to mention ones that may be become important into the future we used a decision support tool to help prioritise the list.

To accommodate the large number of plant species to be tested over the life of the project, we have grouped them into three categories: Group A (commercial blackberry and raspberry cultivars), Group B (native raspberries) and Group C (commercial species within the order Rosales).

Where are we now?

In Stage 2 of the project, many of the Group A plants have already been provided by growers and are being grown at Agriculture Victoria’s AgriBio Centre in Melbourne where the host specificity testing studies will be conducted within the dedicated biocontrol quarantine facility. We have been trialling several techniques to develop a system for containing the rapid and expansive growth of the berry plants within the AgriBio glasshouses (Figure 2). Our methods contain canes within a wire mesh cage inserted within the pot (Figure 2a), which allows individual plants to be

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transported into quarantine for host specificity testing.

Canes are trained upwards onto a wire trellis, which enables mass propagation of plants within a limited space (Figure 2b). When these plants have developed sufficiently sized crowns, they will be cut back over winter and set up with individual wire cages in preparation for testing.

As with many other projects, COVID-19 restrictions impacted travel and access to research facilities, especially in France where CSIRO are rearing a colony of sawflies. This limited the researchers’ abilities to undertake biology, behaviour and ecology studies required to successfully rear the sawfly under laboratory conditions. These challenges meant that it was not possible to import the sawfly in December 2021 as originally planned. With the easing of COVID-19 related restrictions and lessons learned from last year’s sawfly rearing trials, researchers from CSIRO are confident they can rear and export sufficient numbers of sawflies to Australia by December 2022, with a subsequent shipment in early 2023.

Exciting times ahead Over the next six months, the sawfly will be imported from France into quarantine where we will commence the host specificity testing studies on the Group A plants.

Stay tuned for further articles as we keep you updated as the project progresses.

This project is funded by Agriculture Victoria and Meat and Livestock Australia.

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Stages involved in assessing the risk of a NEW biocontrol agent for blackberry STAGE 1

STAGE 2

STAGE 3

STAGE 4

Develop a host specificity test plant list

Source & grow plant species to be used in testing against the sawfly

In Europe where the sawflies are native, collect & rear a colony

Conduct host specificity testing in AgriBio’s quarantine insectary

IMPORTATION OF SAWFLIES INTO QUARANTINE

RISK ASSESSMENT

CONSULT WITH BERRY INDUSTRY STAKEHOLDERS

Blackberry cane-boring sawfly

• NATIVE RUBUS • COMMERCIAL CULTIVARS

Native raspberry, Rubus parvifolius

AgriBio’s Biocontrol team

Figure 1. Progress to date on the blackberry biological control project. a.

b.

Figure 2. Methods for propagating blackberry and raspberry plants using (a) a wire cage around each pot, and (b) a wire trellis to support upright cane growth. Photo credit: Agriculture Victoria

For further information, contact Dr Raelene Kwong | Rae.kwong@agriculture.vic.gov.au

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