SUMMER 2018
Welcome
AMANDA ROY PAGE 2
Grower Profile:
MEET THE BARBAGALLOS PAGE 7
CHEMICALS UPDATE PAGE 11
Keeping Fruit Fly under control PAGE 18
FREE CROP TEST
Exclusively for Members PAGE 22
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
MEET THE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE PRESIDENT Tina McPherson 15 Zinks Road, Bundaberg QLD 4670 07 4159 3001 | 0428 415 930 tina@tinaberries.com.au
VICE-PRESIDENT Jane Richter 160 Judds Road, Glass House Mountains QLD 4518 07 5438 7662 | 0431 700 258 jane@chorizotrading.com
TREASURER Aidan Hutton Sydney Markets, Shed B Stand 189/190 Homebush West NSW 2129 0419 700 278 aidan@jetipper.com.au
SECRETARY Jim Gordon P.O. Box 119, Yandina QLD 4561 07 5446 7536 | 0403 185 961 jill_88@msn.com
CONTENTS 02 PRESIDENT'S REPORT 04 REGIONAL ROUND-UP 07 REEF TRUST INCENTIVE SCHEME 08 LEAD PROGRAMME UPDATE 09 GROWER PROFILE: CYNTHIA & DALE BARBAGALLO
10 QUALITY MATTERS 11 JOIN THE IPDM TEAM CENTRE SPREAD: MINOR USE PERMITS
17 NOEL DAY SCHOLARSHIPS UPDATE 20 MARKETING NEWS
MEMBER Anton Stretch 70 Alfs Pinch Road, Beerwah QLD 4519 0433 632 251 stretcho000@hotmail.com
MEMBER Ian Constable 266 Boyds Lane, Dulguigan NSW 2484 02 6672 6826 | 0428 181 246 ianconstable11@bigpond.com
ADMINISTRATION & MEMBERSHIP ENQUIRIES Amanda Roy 0427 833 281 admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
SPECIALISING IN
Passionfruit, Pawpaw, Bananas & Limes P PROFESSIONALISM P MARKETING P COMMUNICATION P LOGISTICS
P TRADE TERMS P QUALITY PRODUCT P FOOD SAFETY P PERSONAL CONTACT
CONTACT
BRISBANE
KEEP QFLY UNDER CONTROL
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Wherever you see this logo, the initiative is part of the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. Like this publication itself, it has been funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit levy and, in the case of R&D, with contributions from the Australian Government. Some projects also involve funding from additional sources.
SYDNEY
P: 07 3379 1041
P: 07 9763 1323
Railing No. 5 Block C Brisbane Markets
Stand 189/190 B Shed Sydney Markets
Sean Russell Aidan Hutton 0418 158 331 0419 700 278 sean@jetipper.com.au aidan@jetipper.com.au
EXCELLENCE IN QUALITY FRESH FOODS & SERVICE | WWW.JETIPPER.COM.AU
DISCLAIMER The advice and opinions in the articles published in The Passion Vine are essentially those of contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Passionfruit Australian Incorporated 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 Passionfruit Australia Incorporated 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 The Passion Vine. 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 The Passion Vine 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 2018 Copyright subsists in The Passion Vine. Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited (Hort Innovation) owns the copyright, other than as permitted under the Copyright ACT 1968 (Cth). The Passion Vine (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 Passion Vine should be addressed to: Communications Manager, Hort Innovation Level 8, 1 Chifley Square, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia E: communications@horticulture.com.au | P: 02 8295 2300
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
1
WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW TO SUPPORT THE FUTURE OF OUR INDUSTRY?
PRESIDENT'S REPORT TINA MCPHERSON, BUNDABERG
Dear Readers,
Well yesterday felt a little like Armageddon at our place… a combination of smoke haze, blistering northerly winds, dust storms on the southern horizons, dry storms and then topped off with a hail storm! Not exactly the weather we anticipated for November, but Mother Nature must have known her plans as passionfruit are not the only plant flowering out of turn. The poincianas here are spectacular and a little early, the frangipanis likewise and my all-time favourite hot pink frangipani never flowers before Christmas, except this year! Macadamias, mangoes, lychees and other crops have also set incredibly bountiful crops. In Bundaberg, we have had earlier fruit than usual with a heavy crop, but a little difficulty getting size and colour up. Other challenges include possible phytophthora blight and the incessant wind! On the upside the new plants are doing well… the ones that are hidden from the wind at least! Earlier in the month the Passionfruit SIAP (Strategic Investment Advisory Panel) met via teleconference to discuss where our levy money is spent and how to get the best return for our dollars. Sadly, we had no applications for the vacancies on the SIAP and the same members remain trying to make the best decisions for our industry based on input they receive from other growers. The National Breeding Programme is the number one priority currently for passionfruit research and development. There has been some disenchantment across industry with what the current project is actually delivering versus what it set out originally to deliver. An independent review of the project will be conducted with some urgency, early in the new year and this is your opportunity to speak up and let Hort Innovation know what your expectations are from a breeding programme. I cannot implore you enough to participate, provide feedback and engage in this process.
Further details will be provided at field days, via email and in industry publications such as this one. Amanda Roy has hit the ground running as our new Industry Services Manager! Her efficiency and enthusiasm combined with the new systems put in place by Jane Richter will ensure smooth operations of Passionfruit Australia into the future. Email addresses and contact details for the association remain the same and you will find Amanda responsive and open to all suggestions and ideas. Membership of Passionfruit Australia comes with a number of benefits, the most exciting of which has been the introduction of the Noel Day Scholarships for growers to further their horticultural knowledge. We are incredibly grateful to JE Tipper and Austsafe Super for sponsoring the first two scholarships that have enabled Anton Stretch and Tyron Dan to complete the Certificate of Nutrition Farming already this year. In 2019, Angela Olsen will complete her course through ACS Distance education and Bruce McPherson will complete his Certificate in Nutrition Farming. SEE PAGE 17 for more information about the certificates completed thus far. It cannot be stressed too much that furthering our individual knowledge of growing serves to benefit the entire industry. In this competitive world we live in “an investment in knowledge always pays the best interest”! (Thanks, Benjamin Franklin, for the wise words!) With very best wishes for a fabulous, fruitful festive season,
Tina
Hi everyone, I’ve been married to my farming husband for 21 years. I came from the city and he was transitioning from citrus into strawberries when we met. For the last two decades, I have been a farmers’ wife, a mother of 4 kids and a very active part of the Queensland Strawberry Growers’ Association. A few years ago, my husband and I took a leap of faith out of farming and into hi-tech Integrated Pest Management (IPM) delivery through our business Drone Agriculture (formerly Aerobugs). It’s been a rollercoaster of roles — everything from biosecurity manager to mixing bug blends to filing patent applications — but it has given me invaluable knowledge and the confidence to know that anything is possible — you just need persistence, resilience and the ability to be flexible. There is always a way to make it work — one door closes and another door opens — just keeping knocking on those doors!
1.84m
STRATEGIC INVESTMENT PLAN 2017–2021
The SIP has been developed in consultation with the passionfruit industry using funds from the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. This plan represents the roadmap for the future development of the industry. This plan drives investment decision-making by Hort Innovation who invest levy funds on behalf of the industry.
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GROW SALES DEMAND
GROW FRUIT QUALITY
BE IN THE KNOW
GROW SALES RETURNS
FARM YOUR BEST
Increase domestic demand and export opportunities that maintain price stability
Improve retail quality of passionfruit to match consumer expectations
Provide access to relevant and timely data that improves industry wide decision-making
Improve pest and disease management and the development of new varieties that increase grower productivity and profitability
Improve farm and industry sustainability from identifying and adopting best practices
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MARKETING CAMPAIGN Latest results PAGE 20-21
PF16003: PASSIONFRUIT COMMUNICATION PROGRAM Regional Field Days for 2019
__________________________________________________ PF15000: NATIONAL BREEDING PROJECT
CHEMICALS UPDATE
PAGE 11
MINOR USE PERMITS CENTRE SPREAD __________________________________________________ QUALITY MATTERS
PAGE 22
PAGE 14
__________________________________________________ NEW FARMING TRIALS PAGE 15
PAGE 10
LEVY – HOW MUCH MONEY HAS BEEN COLLECTED & HOW HAS IT BEEN SPENT? CURRENT FINANCIAL OPERATING STATEMENT JULY 2017—JUNE 2018 OPENING BALANCE
+ GROWER LEVIES + COMMONWEALTH FUNDS + INTEREST - PROJECT INVESTMENT - OTHER COSTS - CONTRIBUTION TO ACROSS-INDUSTRY ACTIVITY - LEVY COLLECTION COSTS = CLOSING BALANCE
R&D 196,299
MARKETING 73,381
TOTAL ($) 269,680
311,573*
113,109
424,682
318,778
109,533
428,311
72,834
22,332
95,166
8,299
—
8,299
4,897
4,708
9,605
103,064
49,917
152,981
I look forward to getting to know you all, learning more about passionfruit and being a positive force for the industry.
* Remember levy money invested in R&D attracts additional Commonwealth Government funding
Amanda Roy | E: admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au | M: 0427 833 281
For more details, please visit www.horticulture.com.au/grower-focus/passionfruit/
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
9.7m
Australian Passionfruit
WELCOME TO AMANDA ROY
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— Potential im pact of this plan is $ Based on a n est total invest imated ment of $ from 2017 to 2021 —
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
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REGIONAL ROUND UP DARWIN FAR NORTH QLD
(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)
FAR NORTH QLD Summer has arrived in FNQ with record breaking temperatures. The growing season in general has been challenging. Growers have missed out on a midseason fruit set that could have been caused by extreme temperature differences from night and day. Tinaroo irrigation channel systems are full to the brim, meeting water demands of many crops and quickly lowering water storage. Judging by my own crops of passionfruit the bulk of Mareeba crops will be in full swing from mid-November through to January. Coastal growers have finished up and are preparing for the following growing season. On 26th November, a Cooktown grower had his harvest cut short by three weeks when the temperature rose to 49 degrees in the shade burning off the last of his crop! Lakeland Downs season has come to a close as well. Weather-wise hopefully our next growing season will be back to normal. All the best for the festive season from FNQ.
WIDE BAY (Bundaberg)
SOUTH EAST QLD
(Gympie to Glass House Mtns)
NORTHERN NSW
PERTH
GROWER REPORTS
BUNDABERG
WEATHER WATCH AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
Peter Griffiths, Bundaberg
Rainfall averaged across the nation, was 26% below the long-term average.
Australia's driest September on record — September maintained a consecutive run of 23 months of warmer than average days for Australia as a whole.
State-wide in NSW, rainfall was 10% above the October average. Many sites in the Northern Rivers district had their highest total October rainfall for at least 20 years.
Numerous thunderstorms impacted southeast Queensland and eastern NSW. The most notable events were during the last week of the month where severe thunderstorms produced large hailstones, strong winds and heavy rainfall. This freak weather impacted several growers causing severe damage to young vines.
Queensland overall had its third warmest October on record in terms of mean temperatures, but much of the southeast quarter had a very cool spell between the 12th and 15th, as persistent showers and areas of rain kept daytime temperatures below average.
There were some unseasonably warm days through August with Casino in NSW recording a high of 30.3 °C on the 15th.
RAINFALL OUTLOOK DEC–FEB 2019 CHANCE OF EXCEEDING THE MEDIAN RAINFALL
CLIMATE OUTLOOK OVERVIEW
Chance of exceeding the median rainfall (%)
(Issued 15 Nov 2018)
www.bom.gov.au/climate © Commonwealth of Australia 2018, Australian Bureau of Meteorology
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—— Warmer than average days and nights are likely for almost all of Australia for December to February, with FNQ forecast to receive much hotter than average daytime temperatures across December and January. —— For most growing regions, the outlook shows no strong indication of a wetter or drier period ahead.
LONG TERM AVERAGE RAINFALL (mm) WEATHER STATIONS
DEC
JAN
FEB
Mareeba
86.8
208.8
229.7
Bundaberg
127.6
174.2
157.8
Sunshine Coast Airport
147.5
145.5
194.3
Murwillumbah
168.5
208.5
223.9
OCT
MEAN (mm)
0 [7.5]
0 [4.7]
18.8 [15.7]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
0 [1.1]
0 [1.1]
2 [2.4]
MEAN (MAX ºC)
27.1 29.2 32.0 [26.3] [28.8] [30.6]
MEAN (MIN ºC)
13.2 14.9 [13.8] [15.4]
17.6 [17.4]
WIDE BAY
The Misty Gems have been slowly picking through the good money period and now a good crop with good fruit size has set, to see us all picking on Christmas day. The Pandora have also set well and should keep us busy in January. Disease pressure seems to be low. With the warming of weather the anticipated insect invasion arrived and was dealt with accordingly. So, here’s hoping that the crop ripens soon and we get the pre-Christmas high prices. Until next time. Thanks.
A rainfall event in the last week of the month brought moderate falls to SE Queensland and parts of eastern NSW.
AUG SEP
Mareeba (station 031210)
Brian Westwood, Mareeba Hello everyone! After some nice rain events in late September and October the grass and weeds have come back to life, being a nice change from the dust bowl we were living in. It seems that after all the weather irregularities of last year/season a bit of normality is creeping back.
(Tweed Valley)
FAR NORTH QLD
(Mareeba, Daintree, Cooktown)
(Bundaberg)
Bundaberg (station 039128)
AUG SEP OCT
MEAN (mm)
17.4 6.6 164.0 [34.0] [35.6] [78.1]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
2 [2.8]
2 [2.9]
11 [5.0]
MEAN (MAX ºC)
25.3 27.0 27.6 [23.5] [25.6] [27.0]
MEAN (MIN ºC)
9.0 13.3 17.1 [10.8] [13.7] [16.5]
SUNSHINE COAST Here on the Sunshine Coast we are just about to kick off a new season. After a 6 or 7 week spell without any fruit, most of us are about to start sending a few cartons away. Everyone I have spoken to expects to have a heavy crop this summer, starting around Christmas. Let’s just hope for a few cloudy days on the public holidays! Fruit quality is going to be variable. A wet spell early in spring has affected some of the early fruit, but the later crop should be much cleaner. The past few months has seen extreme variations with the weather. We had an exceptionally cool start to spring and then within weeks we saw temperatures into the mid 30's. There were heavy falls of rain and unfortunately a few areas received severe hail damage. More recently it has been very dry. The storms are very isolated. Just today, the 22nd of November, there was rain to the north and rain to the south of us at Yandina, but not a drop here. That's what happens when you put out a tonne of fertiliser. Works every time! The hot dry winds aren't helping the young plants either.
SOUTH EAST QLD
(Gympie to Glass House Mtns) Sunshine Coast Airport (station 040861)
AUG SEP OCT
MEAN (mm)
24.0 39.8 293.6 [75.0] [54.9] [89.0]
MEAN DAYS >1mm MEAN (MAX ºC) MEAN (MIN ºC)
2 [9.8]
4 12 [12.9] [15.6]
23.3 23.9 24.8 [22.2] [24.3] [25.6] 8.4 [9.8]
13.0 16.9 [12.9] [15.6]
On a happier note, I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and you all get a chance to enjoy a bit of family time. All the best for the new year.
Jim Gordon, Yandina
NORTHERN NSW
(Tweed Valley)
TWEED AREA Hello everyone! At our farm at Newrybar, we experienced quite a cool and wet start to spring. During September and the first half of October there were hardly any days over 25ºC, there was quite a lot of rain and lots of overcast weather — typical autumn weather. A particularly wet twoweek period in October affected our new fruit with quite a lot of disease setting in and also the calyx rotting into the skin of the green fruit. This wet period also slowed growth in the nursery. We now have all of our young vines in the ground and growing well. So far so good for blind tipping in the Sweethearts. In the latter part of October, the typical hot, dry spring weather came through resulting in a good clean crop setting. I’d expect the same for the rest of the Tweed growers. The crop looks like it will start dropping around the beginning of December. All the best to everyone over the busy summer period.
Nick & Nerida Hornery, Newrybar THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO BRIAN, PETER, JIM & NICK FOR THEIR REPORTS
Murwillumbah (station 058158)
AUG
SEP
MEAN (mm)
42.5 [53.9]
50.0 310.0 [40.7] [109.7]
MEAN DAYS >1mm
3 [5.2]
9 [5.4]
16 [8.1]
MEAN (MAX ºC)
23.7 [22.5]
23.8 [25.1]
25.2 [26.3]
MEAN (MIN ºC)
6.6 [8.7]
11.9 [11.5]
15.7 [14.2]
OCT
Figures in [ ] are long term historical averages. All weather data from www.bom.gov.au
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
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FINANCIAL INCENTIVES IN REEF CATCHMENTS FOR PASSIONFRUIT GROWERS Growcom is encouraging all passionfruit growers located in a reef catchment to apply for a $5000 cash payment to make on-farm practice changes for improved reef water quality. Growcom’s Hort360 Manager, Scott Wallace said the incentives can assist growers to address environmental impacts and agricultural run-off from farmland entering the Great Barrier Reef lagoon. “Quite a few growers are already participating in this project, so we’re encouraging growers that haven’t applied so far to get in quick so they don’t miss out,” Mr Wallace said.
CHECKPOINT USEFUL DIARY DATE REMINDERS FOR THE NEXT QUARTER Sunday 23rd December 2018 Full Moon
Tuesday 25th December 2018 Christmas Day
“Eligible on-farm projects target improvements to irrigation to reduce run-off, improvements to fertigation to reduce losses, erosion control and management to stop loss of sediment, and changes to chemical application to prevent drift.”
Wednesday 26th December 2018
“Other eligible expenses would be the purchase and installation of monitoring and sensor technology or software to assist growers in making more informed decisions on irrigation, fertigation and spraying practices.”
Wednesday 1st January 2019
Growcom has employed two new field staff based in Townsville and Bundaberg to provide technical support for growers wishing to apply for the incentive. Lindsay Allen will work with growers in north and far north Queensland while Michelle Haase will focus on the central Queensland, Burnett and Mary regions. Incentives are available to growers until June 2019 or when funding runs out. Full program guidelines and application forms are available for download from the Growcom website: https://www.growcom.com.au/projects/reef-program/ reef-trust-incentive-scheme/ Growers can contact Scott Wallace by emailing swallace@growcom.com.au or calling 0408 135 002 for further assistance.
Have you tried?
Many growers already use wetting agents as part of their spray program, but there is an interesting side benefit that has been observed through the regular use of one wetting product in particular. TSUNAMI™ is primarily a non-ionic super spreader, similar to the new wave of silica-based super spreaders. However, while the spreading response is similar, this product is not based on synthetic siloxane. Instead it is based on a patented technology that extracts natural tetra-siloxane from rice husks. The non-ionic nature of TSUNAMI™ means it is compatible with virtually everything, so there is no reactivity or performance loss. TSUNAMI™ also differs in that it serves additionally as a penetrant. Enhanced penetration of actives can be of obvious benefit. The side benefit of regular use of TSUNAMI™, that has been observed anecdotally, is a dramatic reduction in mite activity, to the point where no live mites have been found in the orchard after 3 months of regular use without the use of any registered miticide. Why not give this product a try on your farm? At 37c per 100L application (10ml per 100L) it is not an expensive addition and may provide some additional IPM benefits beyond its role as a wetting agent.
CURRENT PAI MEMBERS ONLY – enter the FREE draw to win a 5L of TSUNAMI™ for your farm.
Boxing Day
New Years’ Day
Monday 21st January 2019 Full Moon
Saturday 26th January 2019 Australia Day
Monday 28th January 2019 Australia Day (observed)
Wednesday 20th February 2019 Full Moon
Monday 11th March 2019 Eight Hours Day (TAS) Labour Day (VIC) March Public Holiday (SA) Canberra Day (ACT)
28th February 2019 Quarter 2 BAS direct lodgement deadline
28th February 2019 Quarterly payment due date for Superannuation Funds
17th Dec 2018 — 29th Jan 2019 Queensland State Schools Holidays
19th Dec 2018 — 29th Jan 2019 NSW State Schools Holidays
Visit www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au/WIN to enter. Draw closes 18th January 2019 at 11.59pm AEST.
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THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
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LEADERSHIP EXPLORATION & DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (LEAD) IN CANBERRA, 12-14 NOVEMBER 2018 BY MELISSA SMITH
It is thanks to the hard work and dedication of a group of Tropical Horticulture Industry Development Officers – lead by Dianne Fullelove – that this amazing program is being delivered for our horticulture industries. The program consists of two residential workshops (Canberra & Brisbane) and a webinar series. The LEAD program provides participants with an opportunity to learn from and collaborate with leaders across a range of industries. It aims to develop practical skills to take back on farm and improve business now, and into the future. It is also designed to help growers find the vision, desire and tools to make a difference in their industry. he LEAD program has been made possible through the T Leadership in Agricultural Industries Fund, administered by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources to support Australian agricultural industry.
As I followed the directions to the meeting room in the hotel we were staying at in Canberra, I felt pretty nervous. I was going to be spending the next 3 days with a bunch of strangers, learning about leadership. I really hoped there wouldn’t be trust exercises and oversharing! A gaggle of similarly awkward looking people were already at the room when I arrived. We were all new to this. I was very happy to spot a friend in Jane Richter. Three days later, I would be hugging them all goodbye, know lots about their own farming stories and aspirations, and looking forward to the second half of the course in Brisbane next March. We learned lots, starting with a fantastic Industry Overview from Dianne Fullelove from Melons Australia that alleviated my fears that I was pretty thick to not understand how all the industry bodies, government departments, panels and groups work. The set-up is actually just bloody confusing! We covered media training, presentations, leadership styles, organisational structure, the future of Horticulture and more. I found it fascinating to learn that the ‘social’ capital (people and how they are managed) drives the ‘technical’ outputs (what we do) and ‘commercial’ achievements (yield, quality, costs). Get the people right and the rest flows an awful lot better.
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So the key lesson there is to make deliberate and intentional choices around staffing, welfare and management and everything else — including your profitability — will naturally improve. We also had three specialist speakers. They were Warwick Ryan from KPMG, who trains people how to get their message heard by the right people in Canberra. When we are wanting attention from our politicians or decisions makers, he says we need to focus on 3 things; What do you want? Who can give it to you? How do you persuade them? His biggest message was to utilise your local federal member; they have the ear of other people in power. Greg Fraser from Plant Health Australia was also interesting and wants Horticulture to work to find common ground wherever possible. As a whole, Horticulture is worth $30 billion and this scale can gain greater attention than any individual, small industries. Joanne Wilkie, Deputy Secretary from the Deptartment of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) was the final speaker. She was very candid with us and I believe gave us a rare insight into what the key people at DAWR really think. They view agriculture as a trade department because 70% of Australian agriculture is exported, however Hort, which is the third biggest sector, only exports 18% of our total output. An area we need to work on.
There is a real concern in Canberra about farm labour practices with backpacker horror stories having a huge impact, and not in a positive way. The people in the DAWR hierarchy rarely hear good stories from Horticulture, so if you have one, share it with your local federal member to get some positivity in Canberra. (David Littleproud loves farm visits, so invite him over, seriously!) There is a garbled bunch of voices representing Hort in Canberra and we need something coherent to strongly represent us. The rockmelon and strawberry incidents this year have put things like traceability, integrity and emergency response firmly in their sights. The good news is they genuinely do want to hear from Horticulture, and great initiatives like the Fair Farms programme have really impressed them.
I also came to realise that our Peak Industry Body, Passionfruit Australia is pretty impressive and the hard work of our industry leaders is helping the industry far more than most of us realise or value. Being involved in the industry really and truly will affect your business in a positive way. And if you have the chance to do any of the courses on offer, jump at it! I really loved it.
GROWER PROFILE:
MEET THE BARBAGALLO'S The Barbagallo farm is located in Mareeba on the Atherton tablelands and although it is petite at just 400 vines, the farm is beautifully laid out to overhead trellis. The Barbagallo family are of Italian descent and hail from Far North Queensland. Dale & Cynthia met when Cynthia was just 16 years old and they have been together ever since. Life got an awful lot busier for the couple as they welcomed first daughter Lacey (now 9) then another daughter Maiya (now 7) into the world in the last decade. And it was this second child Maiya that helped to bring the couple into passionfruit farming four years ago. The Barbagallo farm is located in Mareeba on the Atherton tablelands and although it is petite at just 400 vines, the farm is beautifully laid out to overhead trellis. Maiya has some special needs as she has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum and passionfruit farming gives Cynthia the opportunity to not only be her own boss, but to work to a timetable that she runs around Maiya’s needs. Cynthia tells me she has always wanted a vineyard, but grapes simply wouldn’t work on the tablelands so passionfruit it had to be! Husband Dale still works away from the farm part-time and so it was critical to find a crop that Cynthia could manage on her own for most of the year. “It has been much more intensive that we anticipated – we feel like we’re playing catch-up constantly!” she says and I’m sure there are many of you reading this who can relate to that sentiment! Although she’s never been much of a passionfruit eater, Cynthia loves the way the vines look especially when they are in full leaf with bunches of fruit just hanging down ready to be plucked and sent to market.
The couple originally planted 200 Panama Red Pandora vines and kept them in for a second year with a good pruning but found that the crop in the second year was dramatically less and the fruit was smaller with more disease issues due to the canopy thickness. In the last year, they have added some more infrastructure which will now allow them to do alternate year plantings, keeping each of the vine batches for about 18 months to extend the harvest opportunities, but to do this each vine now has a larger space to grow into. With such a boutique farm size, Cynthia has really maximised her returns by focusing on extremely high-quality fruit and she packs out to three gradings; Premium which is perfect fruit pattern packed and individually stickered, 1st Grade which meets the standard first grade requirements and 2nd Grade which she only sells locally through independent outlets or markets. The harvest window for the farm is really April to October and then a flush around Christmas time. This last winter, however, was excessively cold just at the wrong time which meant a significant loss of flowering with yield being substantially down. Despite some setbacks, Cynthia expresses that she “really enjoys it when everything goes well. There’s that great sense of achievement when it all finally comes together, and when a job is fully done, and you move on to the next thing – it just feels very satisfying.” Without the Passionfruit Growing Guide they would have been lost and we are fortunate as an industry to have such a comprehensive tool available for new growers.
There are of course some parts of the farming process that she likes less than others. “I absolutely hate training the vines! It’s neck breaking and back breaking and is just constant whilst the new vines are growing.” Cynthia and Dale also struggle with a heavy pest load that comes from being surrounded by native bush and a close neighbour farm which is no longer worked, but still has trees that attract the really annoying bugs like Green Vegetable Bug (GVB). One of the other aspects of farming that Cynthia really enjoys is meeting a whole load of interesting people who have a wealth of knowledge to share. The couple recently brought in a new agronomist to advise them and now have a much better understanding of how important it is to always test the pH of your water prior to use with spray applications. The pH of their water was unusually high at 8.5 and now they bring that as far back as 5.0 and have noticed significant improvement in spray efficacy as a result. If they had any spare time, Dale and Cynthia would love to visit their motherland of Italy, but with a farm and two young girls there really is no such thing as spare time right now!
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
9
QUALITY MATTERS
CHEMICALS UPDATE
INTERVIEWS WITH KEY TRADERS
BY JANE RICHTER & HORT INNOVATION
As we head into the peak consumer season for passionfruit sales, ensuring the quality of the fruit sent to market meets the trader and buyers’ expectations is absolutely critical. There has been a big improvement in quality and consistency in the last few years, but there is always room for improvement. Here we summarise the feedback received from interviews with a selection of the large passionfruit traders across the central markets.
MANAGING TEMPERATURE TO PROLONG SHELF LIFE
If you can, refrigerate your fruit at 10-12°C as soon as it has been picked and prior to packing into cardboard boxes. Removing the heat from the fruit prior to transportation is far more effective than trying to rely on the stability of refrigeration through the supply chain to do the job for you. During summer, use an air stack pattern when packing a pallet of T35 boxes – which involves a standard base layer of 12 boxes, all inside layers with just 11 boxes and a top layer to secure the pallet of standard 12 boxes. LAYERS IN BETWEEN HAVE INCREASED AIR CHANNEL
Have a pest but you don’t know what chemical you can treat it with?
TOP LAYER
You want your fruit to look great once it reaches the market floor and beyond to the retail shelf. Some simple steps performed at the point of packing will help:
— Based on standard CHEP pallet and T35 box (375mm L x 280mm W x 188mm H) — Rotate each layer by 90º for maximum pallet stability
SIZE REALLY DOES MATTER It is critical to pay attention to your sizing and box counts. Many of the traders interviewed talked about something they still see too much of; boxes labelled as a 120 count which actually contain 140 pieces, for example.
—— Stick to the Grading Chart guidelines for 1 and 2 grade st
nd
—— Ensure the fruit is clean and dry and that your boxes don’t contain any field debris —— Don’t get into the trap of top-dressing boxes. Traders and buyers see straight through that behaviour and it will count against you if you persist with it. Several traders commented that their independent customers have refused to accept fruit any more from growers who they feel have supplied boxes that have frequent incorrect counts or where the box has been top-dressed. —— Communicate regularly with your traders
—— The easy way to do this is to take a scan or snap of your consignment note and send it via SMS or email to your agent at the same time your fruit is despatched —— It’s even better if it shows clearly how many boxes of each size and grade are on the way —— Often if your agent knows the quality and quantity of fruit that’s on the way, it can be pre-sold before it even arrives and that is the best outcome for the whole supply chain
—— Always make sure your sizing is 100% correct and matches exactly with the count marked on the outside
Remember this wise piece of advice: “The fruit that gets the best price is the fruit that a customer requests by name time and time again”
—— Don’t send mixed sizes within one box, even if you’re sending very large Panama style fruit and the count is 60 – refrain from ‘filling’ in the gaps with smaller fruit to make the box seem full!
—— Consistent quality with nice colour, firmness and good flavour
And how do you achieve that?
—— For bigger growers, size grade your pallets too so that you have a pallet of common sizing as it improves efficiency through the supply chain and will enable your fruit to move through to retail much faster
—— Consistent size fruit that is heavy for its size and matches what it says on the box
—— The laws regarding correct labelling of boxes of produce apply to farming, wholesale and retail businesses. If your business is caught short-measuring its customers, you could be fined up to $170,000 per offence as a company or up to $34,000 per offence as an individual
Wishing you all a very fruitful & prosperous season!
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
There are several great reference tools available online for growers to use to guide chemical choices if you are unsure.
—— Ensure that the calyx is fully removed from each piece of fruit. In the heat and humidity, this will quickly develop mould and ruin your fruit’s appearance
—— Always let your agent know that your fruit is coming, when it is due and which transport company it is with
10
Unsure which chemicals you can use on what crop?
PEOPLE BUY WITH THEIR EYES
We all should understand by now that dramatic temperature variation from when the fruit is harvested to when it is presented for retail sale shortens the shelf life and is detrimental to the overall quality of the fruit. Here are some simple tips to help get the most shelf life from your fruit:
BOTTOM LAYER
Investments continue to be made by Hort Innovation on behalf of the Passionfruit industry into the registration of new chemical solutions and the maintenance of access to existing products. These investments are currently being made under projects; PF16000 Passionfruit Minor Use Permits and ST17000 Generation of data for pesticide application in horticulture, and the process is managed by Jodie Pedrana at Hort Innovation.
—— Great communication with your agent
HOW CAN YOU GET A NEW REGISTRATION ACTIONED FOR PASSIONFRUIT? Although anyone can effectively lodge an application for the registration of a new chemical, it is an expensive and timeconsuming process. Back in 2012, a review process known as Strategic Agrichemical Review Process (SARP) was initiated for passionfruit. This SARP process enables the identification of diseases, insect pests and weeds of major concern to the passionfruit industry. Against these threats, available registered or permitted pesticides, along with non-pesticide solutions, are evaluated for overall suitability in terms of IPM, resistance, residues, withholding period, efficacy, trade, human safety and environmental issues. Where tools are unavailable or unsuitable the process aims to identify potential future solutions. Any potential new risks to the industry are also identified. Passionfruit is hampered further by the fact that from a pesticide access perspective, the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) classify passionfruit as a minor crop. The problem may be that whilst a relatively small crop area is valuable in an agricultural sense, it is not of sufficient size for agchem manufacturers to justify the expense of registering a product for use on that specific crop. Alternately, the disease, pest, or weed problem may be regional or sporadic, making agchem companies unwilling to bear the initial high cost of registering suitable pesticides.
Despite these hurdles, the current program has been very effective in providing access to chemicals for passionfruit. What will drive the effectiveness of the process as we move forward, is your participation — as growers — in providing direct input and prioritisation guidance to the program. This has been facilitated in the past via an industry team of interested growers which ‘meets’ in virtual terms no more than twice a year. The members of the team are also consulted directly as a group or as individuals on all issues relating to chemicals and IPM for passionfruit. To view the current SARP visit the website: https://passionfruitaustralia.org.au/home/ grow-fruit/resources/sarp/ A recent survey that was circulated to all growers across the industry via the Passiflora News only received six responses — a very disappointing participation rate given that without your input, we may not be putting our investments into the right chemicals. You need to speak up please! Don’t forget, levy money is YOUR money and you have both the right and the responsibility to have a say in how it is invested. Please put your hand up to become part of the IPM team — it takes very little time, but is critical to informing our next SARP update and our Industry’s investments into new and continuing chemical registrations.
Search on PubCRIS (Public Chemical Registration Information System) https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris You can search for products or permits using this database that is maintained by the registering government body: Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA). To search for details including product name, registering company, active constituents and product category, enter single or multiple keywords into the search box and click on the Search button. Access is free to all users.
Purchase a subscription and search on Infopest https://www.infopest.com.au Infopest is an online portal that provides accurate, up-to-date information for the effective control of weeds, pests and diseases in a wide range of crops and livestock. The system is maintained by Growcom and links to all of the APVMA data to give you the ability to search more than 11,500 chemical products, permits and MSDS in one place. Access is free to Growcom members or can be purchased for $55 per year. Visit the website for details.
Contact Amanda to join the IPM team on: admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
11
Post-Harvest: Various Fruit Fly species
Orchard Clean-up: Various Fruit Fly species Various Fruit Fly species Passionvine Mite & Two-spotted Mite Grass & Broadleaf Weeds Passionvine Mite & Two-spotted Mite Phytophthora Blight
Fruit-spotting Bug
PER13158
PER13859 PER84247 PER84258
PER14421
PER14662
PER14552
PER85397
CABRIO
GLYPHOSATE
PETROLEUM OIL & PARAFFINIC OIL PHOSPHOROUS ACID
SULFOXAFLOR
Version 6
PER12450
Version 9
Mediterranean Fruit Fly
Queensland Fruit Fly
MAX USE 4 X SEASON EHD 7 DAYS
Repeat sprays: 125 mL per 100 L
EHD 7 DAYS
MIN 14 DAYS BETWEEN SPRAYS First spray: 250 mL per 100 L
40 mL per 100 L water
AGRI-FOS 625: 625 g/L product: 160-195 mL per 100 L water MAX USE 2 x YEAR
NO WHP*
AGRI-FOS 600: 600 g/L product: 165-200 mL per 100 L water SPRAYPHOS 620: 620 g/L product: 160-195 mL per 100 L water
MAX USE 4 x PER CROP
NO WHP*
MAX USE 6 x SEASON
NO WHP*
MAX USE 1 x MONTH
EHD 7 DAYS
MAX USE 2 x SEASON
EHD 7 DAYS
N/A
N/A
EHD 1 DAY
MAX USE 3 x SEASON
EHD 1 DAY
AGRI-FOS SUPA 400: 400 g/L product: 250-300 mL per 100 L water
500 mL – 1 L per 100 L water (0.5-1% diluent)
680 g/kg products: 5.3 – 8 g/L
450 g/L products: 8 – 12 mL/L
3.6 – 5.4 glyphosate/L water
Where biological control of two – spotted mite is being practiced – 20 mL product per 100 L water
40 mL product per 100 L water
Follow instructions on the label attached to the product
75 mL per 100 L water
Prepare dip or flood spray solution by mixing 100 mL of product per 100 L water to obtain 400 ppm solution [equivalent to 400 mg/L]
40 mL per 100 L or 50 g per 100 L
36 g/L Abamectin – Apply 25 mL Product per 100 L water
18 g/L Abamectin – Apply 50 mL product per 100 L water
APPLICATION RATE
EARLIEST HARVEST DATE (EHD) WITHHOLDING PERIOD (WHP)
31/01/2021
30/04/2023
30/06/2019
30/06/2020
30/09/2023
20/06/2021
31/10/2020
31/07/2024
06/03/2019
30/06/2023
31/10/2020
PERMIT EXPIRY DATE
A ‘non-performance’ is an unintended or unexpected effect on plants, plant products, animals, human beings or the environment, including injury, sensitivity reactions or lack of efficacy associated with the use of an agricultural chemical product(s) when used according to label (or permit) directions.
If you believe you have had a non-performance or an adverse experience following use under a Minor Use Permit, please report it using form “Non-Performance form for Horticulture Pesticides”- available in the GROW FRUIT section of www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au and return it to Hort Innovation: jodie.pedrana@horticulture.com.au
All efforts have been made to provide the most current, complete and accurate information on these permits, however we recommend that you confirm the details at the APVMA website portal: https://portal.apvma.gov.au/permits
* when used as directed
TRICHLORFON
(TRANSFORM)
(TORQUE MITICIDE)
FENBUTATIN OXIDE
DIMETHOATE
Version 3
Banana-spotting Bug
Anthracnose & Septoria spot
PER12781
ABAMECTIN
(PYRACLOSTROBIN)
Passionvine Mite & Two-spotted Mite
PER14665
CHEMICAL
Version 3
PEST/DISEASE USE
PERMIT NO.
CURRENT AT JANUARY 2019
MINOR USE PERMITS FOR PASSIONFRUIT
BRINGING NEW IDEAS TO LIFE
THERE’S MONEY TO BE MADE AGAIN
IN PROCESSING Consumers are influenced by a number of factors when buying goods, including claims about where a product was grown, produced or made. From 1st July 2018, businesses that supply food for retail sale in Australia now have to follow the labelling rules laid out in the Country of Origin Food Labelling Information Standard 2016 (the Standard).
What this means in practice is that you will have seen these pictures and words appearing on food product labels which indicate the amount of the product which originates from Australia, and in the case of fresh produce, where it was grown. The introduction of this new law, coupled with an increase in demand for natural fruit processed products like dairy products and soft drinks, means that there is a significant increase in demand for Australian passionfruit for processing. Simply put – consumers want to buy locally produced food. Even the addition of 1% of imported passionfruit to a product means that it cannot claim it is ‘Made in Australia from 100% Australian ingredients’ and affects the consumer demand for that product.
BY JANE RICHTER
Hort Innovation is one of Australia’s 15 Rural Research and Development Corporations (RDCs). While the Australian Government collects levies from passionfruit producers for investment in research and development, it does not invest these monies itself. Instead, it allocates the funding, alongside its own financial contributions, to the nation’s RDCs. It is then the role of the RDCs to identify, broker and manage investments on behalf of industry.
In the past six months, the Passionfruit Australia office has received numerous requests from processors desperate to find new fruit supply for processing, and this means that the returns available are far better than they used to be a few years ago.
Hort Innovation is tasked with investing passionfruit levies and Australian Government contributions into activities that support the productivity, profitability and competitiveness of Australian passionfruit, and that support the strategic priorities of the industry.
Obviously, we will not hand out growers’ contact details, but if you are actively interested in supplying fruit for processing then please contact Jane on comms@passionfruitaustralia.org.au or 07-5438-7662 and she will give you the contact details for all of the firms seeking fruit.
It is Hort Innovation’s responsibility to work with industry to make strategic investments in R&D and, for passionfruit, a marketing program. All passionfruit levy investments are carried out for the direct benefit of the industry and seek advice from industry-specific Strategic Investment Advisory Panels (SIAP) to direct the investment correctly.
WE WANT YOUR PASSIONFRUIT! If you have fruit available please contact: Frank Palazzo — Materials Manager on 0428 512723
PF15000 THE NATIONAL PASSIONFRUIT BREEDING PROGRAM PF15000 is funded by Hort Innovation using the passionfruit R&D levy and funds from the Australian Government. The program has been active since 2015 and represents a significant investment by the passionfruit fund. At the recent Passionfruit SIAP meeting attended by SIAP members Jane Richter, Tina McPherson and Brian Westwood, Hort Innovation tabled a pair of proposals they had requested from SCU, the current service delivery partner for this project. Having a viable and ongoing breeding program, which is designed to service the varietal needs of all growing regions, is the number one priority for the industry as far as Passionfruit Australia is concerned. We recognise that without new varieties, the commercial future of our industry is at risk. At the SIAP meeting, the industry SIAP team members shared feedback from growers about the project and its methodology, with particular concern that the investment is not on track to deliver any viable new variety outcomes. In the interests of making the right 14
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
investment decision for our passionfruit levy, the SIAP agreed to put the current project on hold for a very short time whilst an independent review is carried out to inform the future direction. The review will assess success to-date of the past and current breeding and evaluation investments, and make recommendations to Hort Innovation regarding the research partner’s on-going capacity, technical capability, and implemented breeding strategy for the delivery of outcomes identified by the Passionfruit Strategic Investment Plan.
What does this mean for you? There is now a significant opportunity for every levy payer to have their say and put forward their thoughts about how we should move forward from this point. This is our chance to shape the future breeding
investment for our industry and everyone is wholeheartedly encouraged to speak up freely. We have the ability to make changes to the breeding framework and methodology, but that cannot be achieved unless those of you out there that have a good understanding of breeding are prepared to get involved, be consulted by the review and help to make the future for commercial passionfruit production look a whole lot brighter!
How can you get involved? Please email us immediately if you'd like to be consulted as part of the review which will take place in mid-January 2019 on: admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au There will be a group session held in Northern NSW and on the Sunshine Coast and other interested growers interviewed by telephone.
Anyone who is a commercial grower or a part of the supply chain can apply to become a panel member. Contact Jane or Amanda for more information or to apply to join.
Growers pay a levy of 40 cents for every box of passionfruit that leaves the farm gate and the money is collected via the first point of sale which is mainly at wholesale agents in the markets. 50% of that levy is spent on marketing activities designed to build demand for passionfruit with Australian consumers. The remaining 50% is invested into research & development projects designed to lift productivity and profitability and attracts a further contribution from the Australian government (See Figure 1).
HOW DO WE GET NEW IDEAS ROAD-TESTED BEFORE INVESTING OUR LEVY MONEY IN FULL-SCALE PROJECTS? As a relatively small industry, we have limited funds to invest through this system and the process is geared up to support larger projects as opposed to small scale trials. To fill the gap between a new idea and a project worthy of larger investment, Passionfruit Australia is conducting a series of small-scale trials with partner companies to assess the viability of new ideas in passionfruit. These trials are being funded by commercial partnerships arranged by Passionfruit Australia, not by levy money.
HOW CAN YOU INFLUENCE HOW YOUR LEVY MONEY IS INVESTED BY HORT INNOVATION? The most effective way to have a direct influence is to join the Passionfruit SIAP (Strategic Investment Advisory Panel).
FIGURE 1 (SOURCE: HORT INNOVATION)
MILDURA FRUIT JUICES IS AN ASSOCIATE MEMBER OF PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA
HOW DOES THE LEVY SYSTEM WORK FOR PASSIONFRUIT?
THERE ARE THREE OF THESE TRIALS EITHER UNDERWAY OR IN PLANNING. 1. GROWING IN SUBSTRATE There are 200 vines planted in three different substrate blends as a trial in combination with Garden City Plastics at a farm in Glass House Mountains. The vines are being fed via direct fertigation to a recipe specified by the partners’ agronomy team. The irrigation is operating multiple times per day for short periods. Each vine also has a coir pad to help reduce moisture loss. A further set of 100 vines is shortly being planted into a fourth substrate mix to boost the trial scope.
2. THE USE OF SOIL CONDITIONER AT PLANTING TO REDUCE PLANT STRESS Zeba is a unique type of soil conditioner made from natural corn-starch. It absorbs water in the soil and releases it back to plants when the soil dries, and plants need moisture. It also binds and releases watersoluble nutrients, keeping more fertiliser in the root zone and reducing leaching. A trial site is using this additive in the form of the Zeba XL granules at planting to evaluate its’ effectiveness in passionfruit to reduce planting stress and plant loss.
3. L IQUIDSEAL TO PROLONG SHELF LIFE Liquidseal is a biodegradable coating that can reduce product loss, food wastage and even the use of chemicals. Liquidseal can make a major contribution to reducing food waste in the supply chain and to preserving the quality of fruit grown in the regions of Australia and shipped long distances to the consumer markets. The company is based in The Netherlands and a trial on passionfruit is planned to take place with the post-harvest laboratory at the Department of Primary Industries in NSW in the coming months.
The results from these trials will be shared directly with current passionfruit australia members. If you’re interested in viewing the substrate trials, please contact Jane: comms@passionfruitaustralia.org.au THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
15
Exclusive Members Only Benefits
PASSIONFRUIT EXPORTS WHERE ARE WE? Very little progress has occurred with our export project as there doesn’t appear to be anyone in the industry prepared to drive it forward. At the first meeting held in Bundaberg in July, what became evident was that our knowledge gaps are bigger than our knowns. The strongest immediate potential markets are Singapore and Hong Kong, as these are what is known as “open markets” as they do not have any specific market access protocols which must be observed to send fresh fruit there. To try to close some of the knowledge gaps, whilst still working within the limitations of our small levy fund and our voluntary management committee, Passionfruit Australia has secured involvement for passionfruit into another large export project under the banner of the CRCNA — Centre for Research Cooperation for Northern Australia.
The project is called ‘Exporting perishable commodities to Asia: Developing a stakeholder collaboration model’ and is being managed by Central Queensland University and will examine the nature of, and processes involved with stakeholder’s collaboration in planning and investment for exporting high value perishable agricultural commodities (HVPACs) of Northern Australia to Asian markets. This includes an exploration of multi-party collaborations in producing and processing perishable commodities, developing and enabling supply chain infrastructure as well as identifying policy and regulatory barriers to investment in this sector. These project components will be examined through three proposed case studies in central Queensland (CQ). The project started in February 2018 and will be completed by mid-2020. Our involvement requires a commitment of time to the workshop phase of the project planned for March 2019 and as part of the project review committee throughout the project.
NOEL DAY PASSIONFRUIT SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMME The time invested into this project, as with other parts of our export exploration, is all being done voluntarily by members of the management committee. If you would like to see export developed further, then please get involved. Until someone is prepared to step up and lead this forward, export development will simply not happen for our industry.
Passionfruit Australia announced this innovative new initiative in the SPRING 2018 edition of The Passion Vine – exclusively available to current members of Passionfruit Australia. The Scholarship Programme has already awarded scholarships for this membership year to support two of our newer growers to attend the NTS ‘Certificate in Nutrition Farming’ 5-day course held at Yandina on the Sunshine Coast. Here's how they got on.
If you’d like access to any of the export project reports, please just contact Jane on comms@passionfruitaustralia.org.au or 07-5438-7662 — she is happy to provide project support, but cannot lead this forward given her already extensive work commitments within this industry and across Australia’s berry industries, as well as building a farm up from scratch!
The JE Tipper award for this year was awarded to Anton Stretch, a grower and new nurseryman from Beerwah. As Anton outlined in his application ‘I grew up on a broad acre farm in WA where fertiliser, seed, rain and time were the only ingredients; I’ve since learnt that caring for the microbes should be a fundamental part of our farming actions - learning the actions and sharing that knowledge widely is an endeavour I'm happy to participate in.’ “I’ve just had the pleasure of sharing a week with Graeme Sait and his team at Nutri-Tech Solutions (NTS). Graeme’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious and my 60 odd classmates were likewise affected. He explains the global warming issues in undeniable scientific terms and points out that farmers have been significant contributors to the removal of carbon from the earth’s crust into the atmosphere, inducing the warming rate that now is alarming. He took us on a journey that explains how farmers can significantly help change the tide by re-establishing the humus in our soils that will enhance the carbon levels in soil and enhance our farm profitability. NTS has developed many practical applications of their soil and plant rejuvenation, while this may not be achieved overnight, it can make steady progress to the endeavours which include reduction of phosphate fertilisers, significantly lower use of fungicides, herbicides and pesticides. The course is applicable for broad-acre, horticulture and vegetable farmers. Some key take-aways for me include: regular leaf tests, annual soil tests, our own use of meters such as the Brix refractometer, removing as much of the educated guess work as possible. Also, foliar sprays are very effective but foliar can’t supply all the potassium, magnesium and calcium to the vines, most of this needs to go through the roots. I’m left with some key actions; get more carbon into our soil, reduce our dependency on phosphate fertilisers, capitalise on the positive fungi and pest damage reduction opportunity of better plant health and natural defences that are explained. My thanks to JE Tipper for making this opportunity available to me under the Noel Day Passionfruit Scholarship Programme and if I had known the insights I would receive, I would have taken myself there much earlier!”
AustSafe Super was proud to sponsor a scholarship awarded to young Ty Dan of Tyannah Farming to attend the renowned ‘Certificate in Nutrition Farming‘. His story represents the passing of the baton to a new generation of growers looking to break new ground. Ty grew up in a farming family in Mary Valley, Queensland, where his days were spent picking pineapples, beans and other small crops. Today, he is the proud co-owner of Tyannah Farming with his partner Hannah. In 2017, the ambitious young couple took over a large property in North Queensland from family where passionfruit had previously grown, and they were quick to test their skills out on a new season. Farming has always been in both their blood so it’s no surprise the pair made it through their first season comfortably and are now preparing for the next. When asked about the experience of the Nutrition Farming course so far, Ty spoke highly of the hands on learning he had been exposed to. “I’ve gained valuable insights into cover cropping, beneficial bugs, and how important they are in the growing cycle. It’s been so interesting.” Learning first-hand about the opportunities for more sustainable growing practices in the horticulture industry was something Ty felt to be an important lesson for all farmers. “The ongoing supply of chemicals to our industry needs to change. There are ways around this that farmers can learn, and even take on organically, if we want to become a more sustainable growing country.” Looking to the future, Ty spoke about some of his aspirations for Tyannah Farming. “What I really want is to produce healthy crops organically, with good soils that support the health of every day Australians. I’d also like to support more growers to do the same and I think the NTS course is a great place to start.” Noel’s legacy supports a new crop of growers like Ty, rising up to the challenge of keeping Australia growing, looking towards new techniques and innovations, and a healthier future. Ty thanked Passionfruit Australia and AustSafe Super for supporting him through this process. “I really appreciate the opportunity to learn these new techniques so early in my journey as a grower – I highly recommend the course to everyone wanting to grow better fruits and vegetables.” THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
17
MANAGING FRUIT FLY — 3 STEPS FOR SUCCESS
Fruit fly management and control is vital to produce a marketable crop and to access fruit fly sensitive markets. Females pierce the fruit when they lay their eggs. Sting sites develop into star shaped cracks with internal discolouration around the stings and eggs present in the rind. Eggs rarely develop into larvae, possibly because the fruit is too acid or too wet, but a superficial blemish remains which renders fruit unsaleable. Sometimes egg laying attempts are unsuccessful leaving small dimples or ‘blind stings’ on the fruit. Damaged fruit sometimes drop off the fly, Bactrocera tryoni is a very common pest that causes serious vine. Check your Passionfruit Guide ce the fruit when they lay their eggs . Sting sitesField develop intofor starimages of stung fruit. ternal discolouration around the stings and eggs present in the A pest-free crop can be produced using a range of control measures to keep damage below an economic lop into larvae,threshold. possibly because the fruit is tooapproach acid or tooiswet, The most effective to use multiple tools in an IPM programme to work with the biological ish remains which renders fruit unsaleable . Sometimes egg laying cycle of the fruit fly to minimise crop impact. Three useful tools are explained in more detail here. ssful leaving small dimples or ‘blind stings’ on the fruit . Damaged off the vine . In Western Australia the Mediterranean fruit fly, QUEENSLAND FRUIT FLY ses similar damage .
STEP 1
Relative size of Qfly = max 8mm long
Adult Queensland fruit fly (about 7mm long)
Fruit fly traps monitor male population trends
BEST PRACTICE
— R eplace wicks or male attractant components every 3 months — M onitor and record activity in each trap but treat traps as a guide only — R egularly inspect your crop for signs of damage
STEP 2
markings, including a yellow triangle at the base of the thorax (midsection).
BEST PRACTICE
Adult Queensland fruit fly (about 7mm long)
Relative size of Medfly = max 5mm long
MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLY or MEDFLY (Ceratitis capitata)
An adult Mediterranean fruit Medfly 4is to a native of Africa and it is found fly (about 5mm long)
in south-west WA, and north along the coast as far as Carnarvon. Medfly can infest a very wide range of fruit and fruiting 24/05/13 1:47 PM vegetables. Medfly is somewhat smaller than Qfly, with adults around 3-5mm long. It is quite colourful, with black and silver patches on its thorax (middle) and a striped brown abdomen.
18
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
CM
MY
CY
CMY
K
Target fertile females before they start to lay eggs using protein bait sprays to attract and kill on contact.
— A protein + insecticide both attracts and kills flies on contact — F ruit flies require protein to mature and develop their eggs — M ix a high-protein (>400g/L) lure with insecticide containing the active ingredient Maldison at the recommended rate — Apply as a spot spray throughout the orchard and to the surrounding trees or foliage — Q fly tends to roost higher in trees, so baits should be applied 1.5m to 2m above the ground. — B aits should be applied in the early morning, when flies are actively searching for food — S tart as soon as evidence of increasing fruit fly activity is observed using monitoring traps — Apply weekly until at least 3 weeks after harvest — R e-apply directly after >5mm rain — M inimise fruit contact — As with any other chemical, bait applications need to be fully recorded and withholding periods observed
STEP 3
Y
Use traps to monitor whether fruit flies are present, and whether numbers are increasing or decreasing.
WHY?
mon pest that causes serious s . Sting sitesQfly develop into star can infest nearly all fruit and is found across the Northern Territory and tings and eggs present in the throughout eastern Australia, stretching he fruit is too acid or too wet, Mediterranean fruit the from Cape York to East GippslandAn inadult Victoria. saleable . Sometimes egg laying fly (about 4 to 5mm long) WHY? Qfly fruit . adults are about 5–8mm long with d stings’ on the Damaged reddish eyes. They are generally brown he Mediterranean fruit fly, e_Internals.indd 32 with yellow “shoulder pads” and other 24/05/13 1:47 PM
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The Male Annihilation Technique (MAT) involves the same lures and insecticides that are used for monitoring, just without the trap to retain dead flies making MAT blocks a cost-effective addition to the programme.
WHY?
— R educing the male population will improve overall fruit fly population control
BEST PRACTICE
— M AT devices should be installed no more than 20m apart around the crop perimeter, through the orchard and other any places that flies may gather such as trees along watercourses — U nits need to be replaced every 3–6 months to ensure the insecticide remains effective — C ombine with protein baiting as neither step is effective alone
With thanks to Hort Innovation and NSW DPI. For more information visit the GROW FRUIT section on www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
or QFLY (Bactrocera tryoni)
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loves the ladies The Revolutionary Lure & Trap for Qld Fruit Fly • Only trap to attract mature egg-laying females • Easy to assemble & use • For monitoring & use in an IPM control program with Fruition Natflav® 500 plus a registered insecticide
Innovation. Quality. Solutions. ® Fruition is a registered trademark of AgNova Technologies Pty Ltd. ® Natflav is a registered trademark of Food Industry Products Pty Ltd.
HORT INNOVATION
Upcoming Activity
MARKETING UPDATE
Our ‘always on’ social media will continue leading up to and into the summer flush with the ‘a splash of passion’ messaging.
BY KELLY McGUINNESS
We are also continuing with our media outreach. Long lead media were approached in September, and mid-lead media outreach will begin shortly. Hampers will be developed and sent to key targets to encourage media coverage.
Hort Innovation is responsible for investing the passionfruit marketing activity into a range of activities to grow awareness and consumption of the fruits, under the Hort Innovation Passionfruit Fund. Here’s a look at some of the highlights since the last edition of The Passion Vine.
Gardening Australia The Gardening Australia team got in touch after seeing a post on the Aussie Passionfruit Facebook page of Melissa Smith’s Farm and filmed a segment over 2 days in May. The segment aired in September and was the most watched episode of the year. It will also be used across the ABC Asia Network for the next 7 years, reaching up to 70 million viewers.
SOCIAL MEDIA REPORT
Six new passionfruit recipes have been developed and photographed, with three to be used in the summer flush, and the other three to be used in the winter 2019 flush. The key component for the 2018/19 PR campaign is what is called a farm ‘famil’ which means we bring food writers from major media outlets to visit a farm in the lead up to the winter flush.
A famil (short for familiarisation) is a tactic that public relations practitioners may use to educate media and influencers and encourage them to write about a product. The famil will specifically look to convey a set of pre-determined key messages that are delivered through the experience. In fresh produce, this often involves taking the media to a farm to demonstrate how the produce is grown, picked and packed before being transported to retail outlets. It is an opportunity for the media to get direct access to the growers and hear the stories first-hand. More details will be reported on in the next edition of The Passion Vine.
Aussie Passionfruit social media activity continues to attract and engage consumers. The aim of the Facebook page is to inspire and educate. From the start of June, we have reached consumers with passionfruit content over 580,000 times on Facebook alone. A top post was the passionfruit and honey cheesecake, which reached over 20,000 people, and was shared 229 times.
48,375 fans
10,896 followers
3.6M PEOPLE REACHED WITH PASSIONFRUIT CONTENT
93,564 PEOPLE REACHED WITH PASSIONFRUIT CONTENT
Although the focus was on growing passionfruit, the benefits of the segment were numerous. It is a useful resource when people get in touch with growing questions, it connects the consumers with the product and the hard work that goes into growing passionfruit, and also highlights the‘clean and green’ credentials of Australian Passionfruit to Asian markets.
What a coup! Fresh passionfruit is the star ingredient on the front cover of the December issue of Woolworths Fresh magazine with another 3 pages inside featuring passionfruit recipes. Fresh magazine is the most read magazine in Australia and the December edition has the largest circulation of the year at 1.5 million with total readership sitting at over 4 million.
Fresh magazine is highly influential with 91% of readers having purchased a food product after seeing it in Fresh. Based on the 2018 media rate card, these 4 pages would have cost us over $125,000 but thanks to Hort Innovation and the fresh food team at Woolworths, it was created for the industry free of charge as part of Woolworths' commitment to supporting fresh seasonal produce.
Exquisite photography continues to engage the most on Instagram — this beautiful picture received 1,162 likes and adds to the enormous pool of lovely passionfruit imagery created both by our agency Bite and other Instagrammers who love our passionfruit.
Great support — thank you all!
For more information about the current campaign or any ideas that you have for marketing opportunities, please contact Kelly McGuinness at Hort Innovation: Kelly.McGuinness@horticulture.com.au 20
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
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Grab a cuppa, put your feet up & enjoy!
mecolourin!
FREE TOTAL CROP TEST
Member Only Benefits As well as the Noel Day Passionfruit Scholarship Programme, other exclusive benefits include: • A Biosecurity Farm Planner to produce
your own plan for your farm coming in 2019 • One FREE Total Crop test from Phosyn Analytical valued at over $80 • Access to our online Growers’ Forum — accessible direct from your smartphone — coming in 2019 • Reports & recommendations from the PAI mini-trials that are being carried out across 2019 (SEE PAGE 15 for more information)
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
There are
6 differences between these two pictures!
Phosyn Analytical is based at Burleigh Heads on the Gold Coast and was established in 2001 to provide nutritional analysis of soil, plant tissue (including fruit, vegetables and grains) and water samples across the agricultural, horticultural, amenity and environmental sectors.
WORD SEARCH BARBECUE BEACH WALKS BUMPER CROP CHILLING OUT FESTIVALS GONE FISHING HEATWAVE HOLIDAYS
The team at Phosyn Analytical are offering every member of Passionfruit Australia one FREE P3 Total Crop Test. All current members will receive their unique offer code by email. Make sure you quote the code when you order your test kit by calling Phosyn Analytical on 07 5568 8700 or via email phosynanalytical@phosyn.com.au. Terms & Conditions:
LIGHTNING LOVE FAMILY TIME PAVLOVA TIME STORM CLOUDS SUMMER LOVING SUNLIGHT SURFS UP
1. Free test offer is only available to current financial members of PAI 2. One free test per membership only.
You can join Passionfruit Australia: Online: www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au Email Amanda: admin@passionfruitaustralia.org.au
3. Free test offer is only valid for FREE P3 Total Crop test from Phosyn Analytical using young, mature leaves. 4. Free test offer is open for all requests received from 1st January 2019 until 12.00 noon AEST 31st March 2019.
NSW: July Sunshine Coast: March Bundaberg: August Far North Queensland: June
The proposed topic is Integrated Pest & Disease Management (IPDM) covering topics like developing an IPDM plan for your farm, understanding the benefits of beneficial plants & insects and how to minimise your use of chemicals.
We need farms willing to host the farm walk part of each Field Day – please contact Jane or Amanda if you’d be willing to help. We make all the arrangements and cover all of the costs.
22
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
CUT OUT AND KEEP ME
We are planning to operate a full field day in all major growing regions in 2019 with the support of the communication project and key sponsors. To make the program effective and to maximise the opportunity for growers to attend, it is important that they are scheduled in each area to fit with your growing schedules. The proposed timings are:
*** ALL ANSWERS OVERLEAF ***
REGIONAL FIELD DAY: 2019 PROGRAM SEASONAL TRIVIA-TIME 1. The first day of summer is called the summer solstice. What does the term "solstice" mean in Latin? 2. In the northern hemisphere, the first day of summer occurs in what month? 3. Which Australian state or territory capital city hosts the ‘Summernats’? 4. What city is Australia's seventh largest and named after a similar city in Britain? 5. Which flightless bird is the third largest in the world?
Riddle Time
1. What gets wet when drying? 2. What is full of holes but can still hold a lot of water?
THE PASSION VINE | SUMMER 2018
23
Passionfruit &
GET INVOLVED
WHITE CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES
Passionfruit Australia Inc. (PAI) is the peak industry body representing passionfruit growers in Australia
MAKES 20-25 TRUFFLES PREP TIME: 10 MINS + REFRIGERATION
HOW TO JOIN PASSIONFRUIT AUSTRALIA BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:
— Access to projects funded by PAI or through competitive grants which
INGREDIENTS
provide funds outside of the existing levy system
• 200g good quality white chocolate
— Grower alerts about immediate threats to your business from weather or pest events provided by our Management Committee
• 1/4 cup pure cream (60ml)
— Representation by an industry body who has your interests as its only priority
• 1/4 cup passionfruit pulp, including seeds (3–4 fresh passionfruit)
— Access to useful tools and special deals developed exclusively for members
• 1/2 tsp vanilla paste or extract • Pinch sea salt
MEMBERSHIP RATES | 2018/19
• 200g shortbread biscuits, crushed to decorate
New Grower Member: Renewal Grower Member: New Associate Member: Renewal Associate Member:
• 100g white chocolate, extra • Toasted flaked almonds, lightly crushed • Toasted shredded coconut
$253 $198 $297 $242
JOIN NOW ONLINE AT www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
METHOD 1. Finely chop 200g white chocolate. Warm cream in a heavy-based saucepan until it just starts to boil. 2. Remove cream from heat, add chopped chocolate and stir once. Allow cream and chocolate to sit for one minute, then stir until all the chocolate has melted.
Membership runs from July 1st to June 30th each year, rates are pro-rated.
3. Add passionfruit pulp, vanilla, salt, and crushed shortbread biscuits to pan with the chocolate. Stir well, then scrape warm mixture into a shallow dish and refrigerate for 3 – 4 hours until firm.
Associate Members receive a 20% discount on advertising packages which include more than one advertising insertion.
Membership lapses if renewal not paid within three months of the start of the fiscal year.
4. Scoop spoonfuls of the passionfruit chocolate onto a baking paper lined tray. Use clean hands to roll into balls. Refrigerate the formed truffles for 1 hour.
HOW TO JOIN HORT INNOVATION IT IS FREE TO JOIN AND BECOMING A MEMBER GIVES YOU:
5. Melt extra white chocolate (in the microwave or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water) and drizzle over the cold truffles. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and coconut before the chocolate sets. Store truffles in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
— Free access to Hort Innovation Final Reports — A monthly e-newsletter, Growing Innovation — Hort link and grower intel alerts
Serve at room temperature.
— Direct invitations to participate in industry events, as well as Hort Innovation consultations and forums Hort Innovation’s Annual General Meeting Please remember paying a levy does not automatically make you a member of Hort Innovation. If you haven’t become a member, then now is your opportunity.
2. A sponge 1. A towel
Riddle Time
To join, visit www.horticulture.com.au/membership-application-form
1. Sun stand still 2. June 3. Canberra 4. Newcastle 5. Emu
PF18000 National Passionfruit Breeding Program Stakeholder Consultation Meetings NNSW & Brisbane
16-17
Mentally Healthy Workplaces Workshop Brisbane 22-23 (Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au) AgriFutures evokeAG Conference 2019: Food Farm Future Melbourne 19-20
FEBRUARY Mentally Healthy Workplaces Workshop Toowoomba 18, 19 (Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au)
MARCH IPDM Regional Field Day Sunshine Coast
TBA
Mentally Healthy Workplaces Workshop Brisbane 20, 26 (Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au)
APRIL Mentally Healthy Workplaces Workshop Brisbane 10, 18 (Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au)
MAY Norco Primex Field Days 2019 Casino, NSW
16-18
Mentally Healthy Workplaces Workshop Brisbane 15, 23 (Visit www.worksafe.qld.gov.au)
JUNE IPDM Regional Field Day FNQ
6 differences between these two pictures
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au
CUT OUT AND KEEP ME
IPDM Regional Field Day NNSW
There are
SEASONAL TRIVIA-TIME 24
JANUARY
TBA
JULY
WORD SEARCH
ANSWERS
— The opportunity to exercise voting rights at
UPCOMING EVENTS 2019
“New technology is not good or evil in and of itself. It's all about how people choose to use it. . ” DAVID WONG
TBA
AUGUST IPDM Regional Field Day Wide Bay
TBA
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
FUNDED BY:
www.passionfruitaustralia.org.au