Farmlands-Growing Success August 2022

AUGUST 2022 ISSUE 08

FARMLANDS

GROWING SUCCESS BI-ANNUAL HORTICULTURE PUBLICATION

MEET THE BAY OF PLENTY TEAM PAGE 3

QUANTUM LEAP IN GRAPE VINE NUTRITION PAGE 4

AWARD WINNING PROTECTION WITH ENTRUST™ PAGE 9

Mark Daniels Head of Horticulture Welcome to Growing Success. This edition features key products and technical practices, highlights our Bay of Plenty team, and highlights our technical specialist team with Mart Verstappen’s article on the sap testing technology brought to the industry.

Farmlands fully appreciates the multiple challenges facing the horticulture export sector. International supply chain disruption, shipping cost escalation, labour challenges, inflationary impacts, increasing interest rates, the list goes on. Frustratingly these challenges, stemming from a global pandemic and geo-political war, are outside our control.

For many growers and exporters, resilient by nature and used to unpredictable weather and market dynamics, this is likely the most challenging period experienced.

Our horticulture export sector has succeeded through determination and adaptability. Crop diversification, intensification, plant breeding, automation and brand differentiation have been key success drivers. Given the current challenges, what does the future hold for the sector? Arguably if we can navigate the current challenges the future is optimistic.

The Situation and Outlook for Primary Industry (SOPI) June 2022 report forecasts horticulture export revenue for the year ending June 30th, 2022, to increase by 2% to $6.7 billion. While anticipating good export volumes of kiwifruit and wine, the authors note the negative impact of adverse weather on apples, pears, and some vegetable production.

The report notes that operators continue to adjust operations around the challenges of seasonal labour supply, logistics constraints and higher shipping and production costs. A recent example of this is a significant apple exporter reducing new plantings in favour of further investment in packhouse automation.

The report highlights consumer demand for fruit and wine remained strong despite COVID-19 disruptions, and forecasts horticulture export value growing to $8B for the year ending June 30th, 2025.

Despite current challenges there are key factors indicating positive prospects for horticulture exports: • The world’s population continues to grow and food demand increases. Discerning consumers are selecting food that is healthy, nutritious, and some are adopting veganism, and plant-based diets.

• High international food prices are likely to remain for some time due to the Ukraine war and global food supply imbalance.

• Plant breeding developing varieties that meet modern consumer trends and preferences.

• The ability to better demonstrate and trade on low carbon and environmental footprints in comparison to livestock sectors.

• Innovations in automation, both in-field and within packhouses.

Many of the above points will contribute to the success of the Government enabled action plan currently being developed that aims by 2030 to lift horticulture farm gate returns from $6B to $12B and improve grower margins.

Progress with tariff reductions and free trade deals will also be key to improved grower returns.

Farmlands remains committed to horticulture, and we wish growers a successful season ahead, hoping that we will see improvement in some of the current challenges in the coming year.

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Meet The Bay of Plenty Horticulture Team Jeff Dunstan is a more recent addition to the team, based at our Te Puna branch and joins us with experience in post-harvest and orchard management.

Farmlands has progressively built a strong team in the Bay of Plenty horticulture advisory and service sector, as we’ve refocused efforts to support our shareholders’ expanding businesses.

Graeme Lee who’s based at our Tauranga branch leads our Bay of Plenty Horticulture team. He’s worked in the team for five years but has a lifetime of experience in the sector. For many years Graeme was engaged in the family’s export cut flower business and more recently has developed his property into an avocado orchard.

With a few recent changes, it’s timely to highlight the team who are dedicated to servicing our many shareholders in the region, operating predominantly in the kiwifruit and avocado sectors.

We are excited that two key former team members returned to Farmlands last season.

Supporting and underpinning this team is Dwayne Farrington — a veteran of the kiwifruit sector with 25 years’ experience, the last 11 at Farmlands, most recently as Crop Technical Leader. Dwayne has recently taken up the key responsibility of Business Development Manager, assisting corporate and large operators in the kiwifruit and avocado sector from the Bay of Plenty through to Northland.

Chris Cleaver, previously based in Te Puke for 5 years has returned to the fold after a couple of years working in the post-harvest kiwifruit sector. Chris now services shareholders in the Te Puke and Whakatane areas.

Dean Gower also re-joined our Te Puke based team after a few years working in the post-harvest kiwifruit sector.

Many growers will know Dean, given his almost 30 years of horticulture experience in the Bay of Plenty. Dean re-joins former colleague Mark Loeffen in Te Puke. Mark has a wealth of experience in the kiwifruit sector spanning 40 years and prides himself in providing extremely informed advice to his many long-standing customers. It could be said that Mark holds the encyclopaedia of Te Puke kiwifruit growing history in his head!

Rounding out the team, will be an additional technical advisor, based at our Tauranga store.

Collectively the Bay of Plenty team has over 120 years experience in the horticulture industry. They pride themselves in offering trusted and unbiased technical advice to our grower shareholders. The team is backed by an enthusiastic crew in each branch who are keenly growing their own knowledge in the horticulture sector.

Jason Day, an Opotiki local with strong family connections to the early pioneers of kiwifruit growing in the district, has returned to the area and is based at our Opotiki branch.

Over the last couple of years, he has grown strong and valued relationships with many East Coast shareholders.

If you would like to know more about how our Bay of Plenty team can help with your growing success, please contact: Graeme Lee Shareholder Services Manager, Bay of Plenty 027 598 0336

Mark Loeffen Senior Technical Advisor, Te Puke 027 705 6215

Chris Cleaver Technical Advisor, Te Puke - Edgecumbe 027 254 1794

Jason Day Technical Advisor, Opotiki 027 661 5565

Dean Gower Technical Advisor, Te Puke 027 233 8387

Jeff Dunstan Technical Advisor, Te Puna 027 495 4661

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Quantum Leap in Understanding Grape Vine Nutrition In the August 2021 edition of Growing Success, we described the benefits of nutrition management in wine grapes using sap testing, also referred to as nutrient uptake testing.

Plant sap tests provide data on the total dissolved minerals immediately available to the plant and provide fast and accurate feedback on nutrient status.

In addition to “real-time” detection of deficiencies, toxicities or imbalances, sap testing assists in identifying the most appropriate fertiliser applications.

Traditional dry matter testing analyses nutrients present in the leaf dry matter, which are minerals fixed in the organic plant material. These are mainly complexed in cell walls and not available for plant development.

Based on our observations of sap testing results and corresponding nutrient applications in the 2021/22 season we have drawn the following conclusions:

Farmlands has seen an upsurge in Marlborough grape growers using sap testing, as they seek to better understand grapevine nutritional demands and how to accurately manage plant nutrition.

• Many results indicated imbalanced plant nutrition early in the season, likely due to minimal or no post-harvest nutrition applications, or soil nutrition imbalances.

Sap testing is providing growers a better understanding of nutritional plant requirements during the growth stages of the vine. Growers can fine-tune and better manage nutrition and ultimately improve yields and quality. With increasing nutrition product prices, cost is more effectively managed using sap testing i.e. the ability to measure what is managed.

• Plant nutrition status at the critical reproductive phase of flowering and pollination (cell division) were suboptimal, resulting in uneven flowering and fruit set.

• The nutritional demand during and after fruit set - the vegetative (cell expansion) phase - change dramatically and need to be managed accordingly.

• Nutrition product applications to fix a particular deficiency did not always show a positive response, likely due to other minerals being out of balance.

Potassium Nutrient Value (ppm)

7000

• Visual nutritional deficiency (field symptoms) did not often correlate with dry matter analysis. In comparison, sap analysis (see graph, left) should alert a pending deficiency before the symptoms become visual (see grape vine image above).

6000 5000 4000 3000

• Vineyards with high pest and disease pressure tended to show nutritional imbalances, whereas vineyards with an optimum nutritional profile were generally “cleaner.”

2000 1000 5.5

6.8

7.5 7.9 Growth Stage

8.1

8.9

• Soil mineral levels recorded through a soil test did not always correlate with mineral levels in the plant.

Grape Vine Potassium Sap Levels - Results vs Upper & Lower Limits

• Plants attempt to maintain ideal levels of nutrition in the new growth and this can be detrimental to the nutritional status in the fruiting zone of the plant.

We no longer need to rely on historical laboratory data for nutrition status, when sap testing the plant can effectively tell us in real time what nutrients are required.

• Foliar vs fertigation applications showed different results in plant nutrient uptake.

If you would like to discuss sap testing, please talk to your friendly Farmlands Technical Advisor.

• Plant cells, like soil have a defined cation exchange capacity. When the cation/anion “bucket” is full no more can be added. Excesses of one mineral appear to have an impact (deficiency) on another.

Article provided by Mart Verstappen, Technical Leader – Viticulture, Farmlands Co-operative.

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Nufarm Captan 600 Flo Back for Use on Apples

The 2022/23 season is looking good for apple crops, as Captan 600 Flo from Nufarm is back.

Nufarm Technical Specialist Andy Davis says, “It is imperative that we provide growers with confidence in the product and ensure that they can expect the same levels of crop safety they experienced in the past.”

So, what’s different? Nothing! Absolutely nothing is different and that is good news for growers. The attributes that made Captan 600 Flo the great product it was in the past haven’t changed. It is still the same easy to use flowable formulation and will continue to provide proven control of black spot in your apple orchard.

Trial results from both Tasman and Hawkes Bay show that Captan 600 Flo provides an excellent level of crop safety. In all trials the fruit finish results of Captan 600 Flo were comparable to the current industry standard when used from late November onwards. “It is still important to note that Captan 600 Flo should not be applied to apples until the waxy layer has developed on fruitlets” says Andy. Development of natural fruit wax is considered sufficient for Captan applications on apples in New Zealand by early December.

In 2020 production of Captan 600 Flo was moved to a new facility. Despite no changes to the formulation, Nufarm NZ felt it was important to undertake fruit finish trials prior to new product being used on apple crops.

Harvest - %Total Fruit Russet

Captan 600 Flo is a specially formulated suspension concentrate or SC for short. It is easy to pour and measure and the SC formulation also means no harmful dust particles in the air when mixing. An added benefit of an SC formulation is the fine particle size which reduces problems with blocked nozzles or filters.

Nufarm believe the benefit of a competitive flowable product with proven crop protection attributes make Captan 600 Flo a great choice for apple growers.

6.00 5.00 4.00 3.00 2.00

Captan 600 Flo is now supplied in a convenient 20L pack size. To do your part for a sustainable future, empty Captan 600 Flo containers can be recycled at any Agrecovery station. Captan 600 Flo is available from your local Farmlands store.

1.00 0.00 Captan Flo 600 SC

Industry Standard 800 WDG

Total Fruit Russet at Harvest - Royal Gala, Hawkes Bay. 3x Applications during December and January 2021/2022.

Article supplied by Nufarm

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Avocados – An Evolving Industry For a small country, we certainly punch well above our weight when it comes to avocados.

growers nationwide (primarily in the Bay of Plenty and Northland) across nearly 5,200 hectares of avocado trees. Around 1,000 hectares have been planted in the past one to five years, so are not yet producing to full capacity (which is normally six to seven years).

New Zealand is the world’s ninth largest avocado exporter, contributing 2% of global avocado production and is the third largest fresh fruit export from New Zealand, following kiwifruit and apples.

Around 70% of New Zealand’s avocado growers have orchards that are less than four hectares in size. While these orchards are at the smaller end of the scale, these growers contribute more than 40% of the volume packed. Smaller orchards make up the lion’s share of the avocado industry with the majority of orchards still family owned and operated but not necessarily the sole source of income. New ownership models are emerging, including vertically integrated grower, packer exporter, some large syndicates and groups of orchards being managed together.

Despite New Zealand’s often wet, cold and windy conditions, avocados are a growing industry here.

Over the past ten years industry value has increased significantly, from $60M in 2011 to $234M in 2021, hoping to reach an ambitious $1B by 2040.

More than 70% of New Zealand’s export avocados are shipped to Australia and the remainder to eleven Asian markets. The industry objective since 2014 has been to reduce our dependence on the Australian market and increase volumes into Asia. Over 1.5M trays were shipped to Asia during the past financial year, three times higher than the previous year.

That diversity continues across the supply chain, including vertically integrated models, growers belonging to large trusts and groupings of packhouses associated with one exporter. Exporters are equally diverse, from our largest with 60% of market volume, one with 20%, another with 10% and eight smaller exporters with 10% of overall supply.

Avocados are increasingly popular in our own backyard.

Last year, the New Zealand market absorbed more than three million trays, that’s 70 million delicious, healthy, home grown avocados. This volume is anticipated to increase over the next few years and is supported by strong investment in the category.

In April 2023, New Zealand has the unique opportunity to host the World Avocado Congress for the first time ever. The congress provides the opportunity to showcase New Zealand avocados on a world stage, including our systems, growing practice and sustainability. It will also provide access to innovation, global knowledge and science to support the continuing growth of the sector.

Orchards were once traditionally planted with 7m x 7m spacings. New orchards are being closely planted, 3m x 3m or 3m x 5m. This results in more trees per hectare, from 100 to 500. Yields from avocados average 11 tonnes a hectare, with our top performers achieving over 50 tonnes a hectare. Over 40,000 tonnes of avocados are grown each year. These are sourced from 1,600

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Article supplied by New Zealand Avocado

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Unlocking Crop Potential with Stimplex

Climate change has the potential to affect modern and traditional horticultural and agricultural regions worldwide, with some countries already facing the consequences of unpredictable and extreme weather conditions and warming.

For more than 40 years Acadian Plant Health has developed a proprietary extraction process that differentiates its products from other Ascophyllum nodosum producers. The non-chemical natural extraction technique uses low heat and is non-pressurised.

In comparison, many other seaweed products, manufactured using chemical alkaline extraction, tend to strip out some organic matter and amino acids.

Crop disease and abiotic protection in the field is undesirable economically and environmentally and if not applied correctly can reduce yields, quality and returns.

Growers are therefore looking for new and alternative solutions such as biostimulants to increase productivity and sustainability while protecting their investment.

The Stimplex manufacturing process delivers product consistency that translates into crop quality, yield and potentially shelf-life, when incorporated into a comprehensive crop programme.

Biostimulant products have gained traction with specialty crop growers due to their beneficial effects. A key biostimulant product component used in New Zealand horticulture is the extract of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum. This extract is the most widely researched and studied seaweed product in relation to horticulture and agriculture crops.

Stimplex is a key component in the comprehensive crop-health programmes that Farmlands prepares for grower shareholders, most prominently used in kiwifruit, apples and wine grapes.

In addition to crop health benefits, Farmlands has researched the effect of Stimplex on wine grapes in relation to wine-making qualities. Replicated trials conducted on Sauvignon Blanc grapes in Marlborough using Fruition Horticulture measured the effect of Stimplex on brix and yeast assimilable nitrogen (YAN) levels. YAN is a critical component in wine fermentation and quality and consists primarily of free amino nitrogen.

Studies have demonstrated that the Ascophyllum nodosum extract contained in Stimplex, made by Acadian Plant Health, modulates naturally occurring plant hormones at a cellular level. This can enhance plant growth for example, by maximizing nutrient uptake and increasing bloom and set.

The Ascophyllum nodosum extract contained in Stimplex also activates plant systemic defense mechanisms, improving tolerance to abiotic stress and harsh climatic conditions.

The trial results demonstrated that grapes from Stimplex treated vines had significantly increased brix and YAN levels in the period leading up to and at harvest.

Stressed plants also have increased susceptibility to pest and disease damage. Stimplex contains numerous bioactive compounds such as mannitol, unique polysaccharides and Betaines, which will improve crop performance during and after sub-optimal growing conditions including frost, heat and drought, flood and elevated soil salinity.

For more information, please contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor.

Article supplied by Acadian Plant Health

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Time to Start Thinking Chateau

®

It’s a long list; hops, apples, grapes, currants, pears, blueberries, kiwifruit. These are the crops that Chateau® is registered for use with! If you want long term persistent weed control in one or more of these crops, then it’s time to start planning.

correctly calibrated and avoid applying Chateau when wind speeds are less than 3km or higher than 30km per hour.

Treated soil will not leach or cause crop damage or environment damage but dust blown onto fruit or foliage can be harmful. If this is a possible risk - especially immediately after application - irrigate to moisten soil and prevent dust and don’t mow or disturb the soil until it’s had at least 15 mm of moisture. Remember, Chateau should be applied to moist soil and requires at least 15mm of rain or irrigation within three weeks of application to fully activate the herbicide and let it do its job properly.

Chateau needs to be applied in late winter or early spring to bare ground in the herbicide strip. For best results good preparation is essential, with any established weeds in that strip being sprayed and allowed to die down completely before Chateau is applied. Any established perennial weeds like mallow, dandelion, white clover and perennial ryegrass need to be dealt with using an appropriate herbicide as Chateau will not kill established weeds. If such weeds , trash, mulch or prunings are present, this will prevent Chateau from reaching the ground and creating a consistent protective layer which prevents seedlings germinating.

Chateau works by forming a protective barrier on the soil surface, preventing the emergence of a wide range of grass and broadleaf weeds after their seeds germinate.

As soon as germinating seedlings reach the soil surface the active ingredient of Chateau, flumioxazin, rapidly reacts with sunlight causing disruption to cell membranes and death of the plant. Germinating weeds are not normally seen and quickly die before they have the chance to get started.

When Chateau is applied per label instructions, it can control weeds for 4-8 months.

When planning your Chateau programme, an effective knockdown herbicide can be tank added if small weeds are present at application. Keep in mind “small” because large weeds will affect coverage and the efficacy of your Chateau application.

When using Chateau it is important to ensure crop safety.

Chateau is safe for use under young and established trees, bushes or vines that have been established for more than 1 year. It is nonvolatile and a safe and effective tool for use on a wide range of soil types. But like all herbicide use, it is important to be aware of potential hazards and how to avoid them.

If you are looking for proven crop safety, efficacy and season-long weed control, start planning your upcoming Chateau programme now for best results.

For more information contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor.

There is no risk from volatile gases but drift from spray droplets can damage crops. Ensure spray equipment is

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Article supplied by Nufarm ® Chateau is a registered trademark of Sumitomo Chemical Co., Japan.

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Ultimate Protection, Naturally.

For over a decade growers around the country have been winning the war on pests with the help of Entrust™ SC Naturalyte™ and Success™ Naturalyte™, both naturally derived insecticides from Corteva Agriscience. With the same crop and pest registrations but with the additional benefit of organic certification, Entrust has become the key biological solution for organic and conventional markets with Success now phased out.

With use rates ranging between 200-400ml/ha, Entrust can be used across a wide range of fruit and vegetable crops and has become a key tool in the fight against Leafroller, White Butterfly, Pear and Cherry Slugs, Diamondback Moth and other destructive pests.

Entrust utilises a powerful active ingredient called Qalcova™ active, part of a revolutionary class of insect control products called spinosyns. Qalcova is a metabolite produced by the fermentation of naturally-occurring soil bacteria, providing efficacy equivalent to synthetic insecticides but with the safety and environmental profile of a biological.

While Entrust is highly-effective against a wide range of key pests (including a number which are resistant to conventional insecticides), its unique mode of action is safe to many beneficial insects. This makes it a great fit for Integrated Pest Management (IPM) systems and ideal for growers looking to produce high-quality, pest-free, organically certified, or conventionally grown crops with nil (or very low) residues at harvest.

Entrust works at both contact and ingestion, with exposed insects ceasing to feed almost immediately and dying within three days. Translaminar activity controls insects on the underside of leaves, while the non-systemic formula means users can re-spray to protect new growth.

These qualities saw Qalcova active receive the Presidential Green Chemistry Award, an accolade presented by the US Environmental Protection Agency which recognises technologies that incorporate green technology into their design, manufacture and use. Entrust’s credentials have also been ratified by the NZFSA’s Official Organic Export Programme with Bio-Gro status, allowing it to be used in the protection of certified organically-grown crops.

Article supplied by Corteva

KEY FEATURES & BENEFITS • Bio-Gro Organic certification for use in both conventional and organic cropping systems.

• Excellent safety and environmental profiles.

• Fast acting – pests stop feeding almost immediately after exposure.

• Effectively controls eggs and all larval growth stages of caterpillars. For best results target neonates and early instar larvae.

• Contact and ingestion - two modes of entry for increased control. Spinosad has contact activity on all life stages including egg, larva and adult. Eggs must be sprayed directly but larvae and adults can be effectively dosed through contact with treated surfaces.

Spinosad is most effective when ingested.

• Translaminar activity – moves through the leaf surface to control pests feeding on the underside.

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Understanding Biostimulants - Fylloton

Biostimulant use continues to gain traction in the horticulture industry as growers seek gains to improve yield, volume, size and taste. The word biostimulant is commonly used but not always well understood by growers. A biostimulant in the context of a product applied to plants is designed to enhance nutrition efficiency, abiotic stress tolerance and/or crop quality traits, regardless of its nutrient content.

Armed with knowledge of the plant’s natural chemical makeup and backed by extensive trials, Biolchim began to produce Fylloton. Advanced technologies are used to hydrolyze sources of amino acids from species that accumulate elevated levels through their adaption to survive and dominate their natural environment. Once extracted, the substances are concentrated and presented in the usable formulation Fylloton. Growers utilize Fylloton to enhance plant performance and to assist in overcoming stress events which would otherwise reduce performance.

The biostimulant FYLLOTON from Biolchim enables plants to save energy and to speed-up metabolic activity, stimulating vegetative development, avoiding growth arrests and rapidly reactivating vegetative growth after a stressful event.

Many plant species face cold induced stress during early spring. Stress can occur from temperatures 10°C or below and may or may not display visible symptoms. The cold induced stress will reduce the plant’s energy production, slowing amino acid development and thus plant growth.

In this article we examine the early plant growth period from budbreak, when the plant can suffer from abiotic stress due to cold and how growers can overcome this using Fylloton.

Biolchim developed Fylloton to enhance the vegetative growth during the period of cold induced stress. Applying Fylloton to plants will also assist growth during periods of low energy production which can result in sub-optimal hormone development. The amino acid Tryptophan contained in Fylloton will assist in overcoming such low energy production periods, lifting the hormone level and overcoming the otherwise reduced growth response.

Amino acids are commonly referred to within discussions about plant nutrition. It is a term used in a broad sense often without an understanding of the complexities of amino acids. i.e., the role they play and the functions they perform in the plant’s development and growth cycle. At a fundamental level amino acids are the building blocks for plant proteins and enzymes.

Fylloton is typically applied at a label rate of 2.5 litres / ha, with a minimum of 2 applications prior to and during cool periods to mitigate slowing plant growth.

Studies of plant genetics have led to an understanding of the various forms of amino acids and how plants utilize them through their growth stages. Plants synthesize twenty-one amino acid forms that are critical for them to perform multiple functions through the growth and reproductive stage of their lifecycle. Amino acids are also a key influence in the evolutional development of plant species, and their ability to adapt to different ecology.

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Fylloton from Biolchim, is available exclusively in New Zealand from Farmlands Co-operative.

For further information please contact your Farmlands Technical Advisor.

Article supplied by Biolchim in conjunction with Dwayne Farrington, Technical Leader – Kiwifruit and sub-tropical crops, Farmlands Co-operative.

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FANTASTIC

5

Anchoring Your Crop Nutrition Program www.campbellsfert.com.au 11

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